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“Yeard beard” is a term used to describe the long, full beard that has been growing for a full year. Typically yeards are grown by younger guys who want to see if they can grow a beard or are growing out their beards as part of a bet. Yeards don’t have any specific grooming requirements, and the only rule is to not trim or shave it. The term “yeard” was coined in 2010 when it became popular on Tumblr. Yeard beards require more upkeep than shorter styles because they’re fuller and coarser, so yearding means more time spent applying oils, balms, creams, and cleaning your beard.
What is a yeard Beard?
A yeard is a beard that has grown untouched for twelve months. The term yeard is a combination of the words “year” and “beard.”
Yeard rules
If you want to start yearding, there are a couple of rules you should abide by.
- You can’t shave at all for 12 months
- If you do, you will have to restart the yeard clock from the beginning and wait another year before growing it back out.
- You can trim some areas like the neckline and the sides, but you cannot shape your beard or cut ιτ.
- You can trim your mustache if it gets longer than the upper lip.
As you can understand there is one major rule you have to abide by in order to call yourself a true yeard grower.
Don’t trim or shave your beard for 12 months.
How long is a yeard?
While the timeframe is set in stone, your beard length is not. Every man has different beard genetics and growth patterns. So not all guys who grow their beards for a year will have the same length of beard when they reach the twelve-month mark. But to give you an idea, the average beard growth rate is about 1/2 inch per month or 6 inches per year.
Related Article: Coolest Beard Styles for Men in 2022
The yeard beard journey timeline
We are going to break down what to expect as a yeard grower, so we’re going to break down the journey into four different sections:
1 Month | 2 Months | 3-6 Months | 6 months plus
First month on your yeard beard journey
The first month will be the hardest. During this initial growth stage, you might get some ingrown hairs, your beard will itch a lot, and it may be hard to sleep on your pillow. You will also have a lot of short hair sticking out, and it’s going to look scruffy. Don’t worry; you will get used to your new beard as time goes on. You will also go through the awkward beard growth phase during the first month.
The awkward beard phase is the phase where your beard is growing out, but it’s not long enough to look like a beard.
We recommend starting using beard oil after the first two weeks of yeard growth. This will help with the itching, and growth and just to make it look better.
At the end of the first month, your beard will be longer than stubble but shorter than a short beard.
Related Article: Best Beard Oil For a Healthy Beard
Month 2
The second month will be way easier than the first month. Your beard will be a few inches and start to get longer, and towards the end of the month, it will start to look like a real beard. There is no stubble anymore, and your face is going to start itching a lot less.
You will have a nice short beard at the end of month two.
During the second month, you should consider buying a beard brush. Using a brush will stimulate blood flow to your skin and follicles. It will also help distribute the oils in your beard throughout the entire face forest.
Month 3 to 6
During these 3 months, your beard will go from a short medium-length beard to a full beard. After 3 months, your beard will not itch as much and will be much thicker than when you first started.
It will be a good time to trim the beard sides or your mustache because it will start getting out of control.
During this stage, you should invest in products like beard shampoo beard balm, and a good quality comb.
Your beard will look way better than when you first started, so you should feel good about what is growing on your face.
Related Article: Best Beard Wash for the Cleanest Beard
6+ Months
After the sixth month, congratulations, you are halfway there! You have a full yeard. Your beard will be long and thick, and your face will start looking even better than when you started the yeard journey at month one.
At this point, you can get a long trimmer to trim your cheek line or cut some stray hairs, but avoid excessive trimming; you are still halfway there.
If you have a wavy beard, you might want to buy a bear straightener to make it straight.
After the 6th month, you can have a lot of fun styling your new beard. We recommend using some beard balm or beard wax to keep it up and looking good.
Related Article: 10 Best Beard Trimmers For Long Beards
Month 12
After the 12th month, you have officially entered the yeard club. You will get a lot of pats on the back, and everyone will want to touch your beard.
Now that your yeard journey is over you should think about what you are going to do. You have many options, from keeping the yeard or trying different long beard styles like the ducktail beard, the Garibaldi, or even rocking a hipsteresque lumberjack style with a big mustache.
Products you will need during your yeard journey.
Beard oil
This is probably the first beard product you want to grab during your first month.
Beard oil is used to moisturize the facial hair and skin beneath the beard, plus it also has a nice smell.
For the first two months, you are going to use it once a day after you shower, but after that, you can start to use it twice a day.
Related Article: How Often Should You Use Beard Oil?
We strongly recommend making your own beard oil at home. It will save you a lot of money and is very easy to make.
You can check out the process here. You should keep in mind that you should not make a big batch.
Why? Because beard oils expire, and you don’t want to have a beard oil that has gone bad.
You can store it in a dark bottle and keep it away from your window. We recommend using the dropper to take out the oil, so you know how much you are taking.
Beard Brush
The second tool you will need to buy probably during month two is a beard brush.
A beard brush is used to distribute the oils throughout all the strands of hair. It helps them grow faster and healthier too!
It also stimulates blood flow on your skin which will make your beard grow faster.
We recommend the boar bristle brush because they are high quality and distribute the oils better than synthetic brushes.
Beard Shampoo/Soap
You will need some type of beard soap or shampoo during your yeard journey. You should get this product around month three.
You should not overdo it with shampooing your beard because it is going to remove the natural oils of your hair follicles.
Every two days is enough.
Use a beard shampoo or soap that is all-natural and made out of organic materials. It will prevent the skin and facial hair from drying and itching.
Beard balm/wax
You need to invest in some type of styling product during months five to six because your beard will be full, and you want it to look good and fresh.
We recommend using either a beard balm or beard wax.
They are both used to style facial hair by making it look more refined and groomed and helping tame the strays.
Beard balm and wax are basically the same things with a little difference in ingredients. Wax is made out of beeswax, and balm is made out of butter.
The balm is soft and melts in your hands when you apply it, whereas wax has a harder texture that can be difficult to break down.
If your beard is unruly and difficult to manage, we recommend going with beard wax. If not, you better use a beard balm to style and hydrate your beard.
Beard Comb
When you buy the beard balm or wax, you might also want to invest in a beard comb.
A beard comb is used to detangle your hair after using either one of these products because it can get messy if not managed properly.
It also helps you fix the shape of your beard and style it accordingly.
Choose a wooden comb over a plastic comb because it is more durable and won’t damage your beard.
Beard Straightener
It is not necessary when growing a beard because it is only used to straighten facial hair. It is mainly used for styling purposes if you want to have a straighter beard.
It can be helpful if your beard is wavy and you want to straighten it.
Tips for growing the yeard beard
1. Be patient!
Growing a yeard is not going to happen overnight.
You need to be committed and patient because it takes an entire year of uninterrupted beard growth to grow the yeard beard.
2. Take care of yourself
Beard Growth rate is based on testosterone levels.
If you want to grow your beard faster, make sure you exercise and eat healthily. You should also sleep at least 8 hours a day. This will help with the growth rate of your beard and make it fuller as well.
3. Create a healthy beard routine
We already talked about the products you should use during your yeard journey. You need to create an efficient routine to make your beard hairs grow nicely and healthy.
Don’t just be the guy that uses products at random. Make an effort and go with the flow; if you do it right, your beard will thank you!
4. Be ready for the comments
You should be aware that people are going to notice and make comments.
Most of them are going to be positive, but some might not be so nice.
This is the reality of growing a yeard beard, so you have to know how to react when someone asks something about your facial hair.
If they ask why the hell you are doing this, you should tell them your reasons.
Be proud of yourself and don’t let anyone bring you down because you are doing something positive for yourself.
Conclusion
Growing a yeard beard is not easy, but it is definitely worth the effort.
Don’t give up and work on your new routine that will help you grow a healthy, long, manly yeard beard!
Be sure to hydrate yourself properly because it will make your hair look radiant.
If you are taking the #yeardchallenge, post your year growth cycle progress on social media by using the hashtag.
Sharing this article will help us reach more men that want to grow a yeard and make them stay determined to see it through!
We hope you enjoyed reading this article, and we’ll see you in the next one!
Russell is the founder of themensattitude.com. He is a barber a beard enthusiast and he is obsessed with trying men’s lifestyle products and blog about them. If you have any questions you can hit him up via the contact page.
