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Does Dry January Help With Beard Growth and Health?

  • 3 min read

Are you in the midst of Dry January? How’s it going? How are the cravings? When Friday at five o’clock rolls around do you open the fridge out of habit and just look around like you’re in the midst of some kind of Pavlovian experiment?

Want a cold one, bro?

We feel you. You can do it. And hey — cheers to February beers.

Anyway, “Thanks but I’m doing Dry January so I can’t” has us wondering…

Does taking a month off really do us any good? And since we’re selfish and want it to be all about beards — does Dry January help us grow better beards?

Well, let’s dig on in (to the story, not to a drink, of course).

Does Dry January Actually Do Me Any Good?

Do you ever look up a recipe online and have to scroll on and on and on through a silly narrative to actually get to the recipe? Don’t you hate that?

We won’t do that to you!!!

YES! Taking a month off of alcohol is excellent for you! But don’t you want to know why?

We were curious too. Aside from the obvious cost savings and potential waistline reduction, here’s what’s going on inside when you become a teetotaler for a whole month, you brave soldier you.

Dry January originated from our booze-loving Brits across the pond. Alcohol Change United Kingdom issued the challenge to throw down the drink for a whole month after going hard for the holidays — an annual detox to start the new year. Now, it’s become a worldwide movement.

Also now, studies are showing that it can have lasting effects on your health. Research conducted at the University of Sussex shows that people who took part in Dry January 2018 had higher energy and healthier body weight. Beyond January, participants also drank fewer days per week, got drunk less, slept better, and spent less money.

If you want to learn more, Priory and Men’s Health have great breakdowns on the benefits of a month off from alcohol, but it’s time to get to beards already!

Does Dry January Help You Grow Your Beard?

Yes! And no! Wait, what?!

Yeah, that surprised us too, so let’s start with the yes…

Alcohol can actually help stimulate your hair growth. And no, we’re not talking about rubbing beer on your face. (Although we should note that many hair growth products use alcohol to speed up absorption, we can only break down so much science in one post!)

Here’s our best stab: The body naturally creates a hormone called DHT, which encourages you to develop body hair. Believe it or not, consuming alcohol actually boosts the conversion of DHT into 3-alpha-diol — the main hormone responsible for your hair growth speed. So when you drink alcohol, your facial hair grows quicker than normal.

So that’s why there are so many bearded gents at pubs and breweries!

Not so fast. Of course, you know there are limits to the rule. Drink too much and you inhibit testosterone production and harm your beard growth (and other hair growth too, for that matter). Moderation, my friends.

Excessive drinking will also dry you out — reducing the moisture in your skin and hair. Your beard growth will suffer, as will the healthy look of your beard. And herein lies the problem…

Summary

Overall, alcohol consumption is BAD for beard growth. You can’t just drink and expect a magical forest to blossom. The studies that connected alcohol to growth stimulation are pretty subjective and although there is a connection when consumption is limited, it’s not enough to warrant anyone ever telling you that you should drink more beer to grow a better beard.

We know — mega bummer! We recommend hitting this Sobriety Hacker articlefor a more articulate breakdown of the yes and no of it all. But let us leave you with the following simple breakdown:

Drinking too much booze strips your beard of the important hydration and nutrients it needs for healthy growth. 

Enjoy a month off. Enjoy your favorite bevvy in moderation for the rest of the year. Drink less and your beard will look healthier, assuming you’re following a maintenance routine and taking care of it. But as a bonus, when you’re out sipping your favorite brew, they’ll wonder if it’s the beer…

Now, you can tell them.