Beard Wont Connect to Mustache & Sideburns? 7 Ways to Fix it
listen, every beard is different and there is certainly a beard style for everyone. even if your facial hair refuses to connect with the mustache.
but if you want to fix a beard that won’t connect, this guide is perfect for you.
Beard not connecting is a problem most facial hair enthusiasts would love to know how to solve, but sadly not many men realize how easy it can be to fill in the gap between the beard and mustache, so they end up living with the empty spaces in their beards.
As you might expect, there are many things that can cause weaker beard growth in certain areas, including things like young age, poor nutrition, lifestyle habits, beard carelessness and its genetic potential.
but no matter what the cause, there are still plenty of surprisingly effective ways to connect a mustache to the rest of your beard and vice versa.
what does it mean when a beard doesn’t connect?
If your beard doesn’t connect, it’s caused by patches and bald spots around the sides of your mouth.
Along with the tops of the cheeks, the sides of the mouth are some of the hardest places for facial hair to grow, and when there’s no facial hair there, the rest of the beard can’t connect with the mustache. .
If the gap is at the edges of the chin, it’s also possible that the sideburns won’t connect to the beard either.
There are many reasons why your beard is refusing to connect, including underlying scar tissue, slow-growing beard hair, non-visible light fuzz, or simply because you have natural patchy beard growth with uneven growth. weak mustache.
However, you don’t have to settle for a beard that doesn’t connect. there are plenty of ways to hook your beard, even when the odds are stacked against you.
Basically you have three options:
- You can stimulate and awaken dormant facial hair follicles in problem areas.
- Or you can hide bald patches by growing a longer beard, dye, etc.
- If you can’t be bothered to fix a beard that doesn’t connect, you can always try a different style.
Below, we’ve listed the most effective methods for filling in a beard that won’t connect. be careful though, some of them are incredibly effective (and not so well known!)
how to fix a beard that won’t connect
1. start using a beard roller on bald spots
The best thing to do with a beard that refuses to connect is to start using a dermaroller on the weak areas.
this is what is called “microneedling in the beard” and was one of the best known secrets of the beard world for many, many years.
Nowadays, people have realized how effective derma rollers are in stimulating dormant facial hair follicles, and some have already started renaming them “beard rollers”.
so how does it work?
Well, first you need to buy a dermaroller, which is a roll with hundreds of tiny “microneedles” that are usually between 0.25 and 0.75mm in length.
Then, you run these needles through the areas where your beard growth is weak or nonexistent, and the tiny pricks caused by the dermaroller will stimulate circulation and collagen production in the area.
As a happy little side effect, the improved circulation and collagen production will also stimulate dormant beard follicles in the area.
note: while the 0.25mm rollers can stimulate circulation, you need the 0.5mm or 0.75mm roller to reach the epidermis for maximum hair removal results. beard growth. I have personally used this amazon derma roller kit (the included growth oil is useless, I wouldn’t use it at all).
The beard-growth effect of microneedling has been proven anecdotally by thousands of people in the minox beard spot facebook group and on reddit’s r/minoxbeards.
So if you want to start connecting your beard with the mustache, you should definitely be getting yourself a Derma Roller ASAP.
Note: If you’re wondering how often you should dermaroll your beard, what to apply to your skin afterwards, etc., read our full guide to dermarollers for beard growth where we explain everything. you need to know about the device and how to use it correctly.
2. apply minoxidil to areas that don’t connect
If you thought derma rollers were the best kept secret for beard growth circles, then you haven’t heard of minoxidil.
yes, it’s the most popular anti-scalp drug, and it works just as well on facial hair.
minoxidil’s powerful beard growth effects have been proven by this study from thailand, and by thousands upon thousands of anecdotal and before and after user reviews on the minox beard spot fb group and reddit.
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So if you’re serious about connecting your weak mustache with the rest of the beard, then quite possibly the most effective way you can bridge the gap is by using 5% Minoxidil on the bald areas 1-2 times per day (1-2ml being the recommended dosage) and letting it stay there for 4 hours (which is considered to be the optimal time for absorption).
For best results, I would combine minoxidil with a dermaroller (so one day of the week, instead of applying the minox, I would just microneedle my face).
But what type of minoxidil is best for plugging a beard?
well, pretty much any of them. the original rogaine works well and you can get it on amazon or almost any store nowadays or if you want something a little cheaper you can get 5% minoxidil from kirkland or equivalent 5% minoxidil (they are both essentially the same, just brands generic ).
Note: There is a lot to be said about beards and minoxidil, and how to use it safely to fill in a beard that doesn’t connect properly. so if you’re interested in getting all the details, head over to our full guide on how to use minoxidil for beard growth here.
3. no longer deficient in key nutrients for the beard
If your beard refuses to connect, one of the culprits may be a diet that doesn’t provide all the key nutrients for beard growth.
For healthy and robust facial hair growth, make sure you get at least:
- biotin (b7)
- zinc
- vitamin d
- vitamin e
- sulfur
- enough calories
- enough protein (especially collagen protein)
Did you know? There are also some beard-boosting foods, such as alfalfa sprouts and olive oil, that can help increase the hormones needed for beard growth.
4. mix a 3% dilution of peppermint essential oil and use as a beard oil
Did you know that peppermint essential oil can promote beard growth?
yes, you read that right. well, at least there is some evidence that it should, as seen in this rodent study where researchers tested different oils and compounds on the hair of mice to see if any of them could stimulate hair follicles.
The four substances tested were salt water (control), jojoba oil, 3% minoxidil, and a 3% dilution of peppermint essential oil.
After applying them to the hair of mice for four weeks, the researchers found that, of all the compounds tested, peppermint essential oil was the most effective in stimulating new hair growth , and it did so by activating growth hormone levels directly within the follicles and stimulating blood flow.
Of course, this is not a human study and we can’t say for sure if the same effect applies to facial hair growth, but at least there is some evidence (in addition to all the anecdotal reports online) to suggest that could work.
But how to use peppermint oil on your beard safely?
that’s easy, you have to dilute it first. a safe amount is 3% pure peppermint oil (this is a good brand to use) and 97% light carrier oil like jojoba oil, for example.
The way you can achieve this is by adding about 18 drops of peppermint essential oil to a nearly full 1 oz cup. dropper bottle that already has the base oil.
then use like a regular beard oil and massage deeply into the areas where the beard doesn’t connect to the mustache.
note: never use pure, undiluted peppermint essential oil on skin. it is incredibly powerful and will cause problems. essential oils should always be diluted.
5. try a darker shade of beard dye to darken light hair
Using a dark shade of beard dye is a smart way to make it look like your beard would naturally connect with your mustache.
Because the dark dye stains the light, non-pigmented beard hairs in the bald spots, it will make it appear that there are thicker terminal hairs instead.
Of course, this won’t improve the situation, it’s just a temporary solution to mask the gaps in the beard. once the color fades, it will become apparent again that your facial hair still doesn’t connect to your mustache.
6. let your mustache grow longer to fake a connection
The most common way to “fix” a gap between your mustache and beard is to simply let the mustache grow longer.
This way, the sides of your mustache will eventually start to trail down and connect with your chin hairs.
Take a look at the image above. The boy’s mustache looks like it connects well with the facial hair on his chin, but there is actually a noticeable gap under the longer sides of the mustache.
this is how you connect a beard: the sneaky way.
7. try toppik hair fibers
if you want to go all out and really create the illusion of a thicker beard, you can use a product called toppik.
toppik (and many of its competitors) are “hair fibers” that adhere to pre-existing beard hair and light fuzzy hair, making it look like there would be a lot more hair on the bald.
Using hair fibers on your beard is easy, just apply something like beard oil or moisturizer and then lightly dust the fibers on weak areas. you can get a bottle of toppik on amazon or at any well-stocked barbershop.
then, as if by magic, your beard will begin to look fuller and you will be able to create a bridge between the beard and the mustache, or between the sideburns and the rest of the beard.
Warning: While using hair fibers may seem like an easy way to get a thicker beard, and the fibers cling pretty tightly to your face, it’s still pretty embarrassing if you end up pulling out accidentally half his beard with his hand.
conclusion
if there is an unfortunate gap between the mustache and the beard or between the sideburns and the rest of the facial hair, then the beard does not connect.
is this a problem? for many bearded men it is, while others don’t think much of it (and I agree, a beard can look amazing, even if it doesn’t quite connect) .
However, if you want to fix your unplugged beard, be sure to microneedle weak areas with a derma roller, try minoxidil, a 3% dilution of peppermint oil, and make sure you’re not deficient in any key nutrients to beard growth.
These tips will help you fix and fill in the empty space in your beard, but if you just want to quickly mask it out and make it look like your beard would plug in, then you can try things like beard dye, hair building fibers, or just let the mustache grow on the sides so that it falls and “connects” with the chin.
what do you think? did we achieve everything about connecting a beard? let us know in the comments below.
you may also like
- beard oil ingredients explained in detail (carrier oils, essential oils and more)
- 9 ways to groom a scruffy beard so it’s neat and clean. well groomed again
- how to grow a beard when you can’t grow it
- how long does it take to grow a beard?