As someone who keeps up with the beard trends, I have always wondered how my look is changing with every beard growth I get. However, some have said my skin looks darker while others say it’s flourishing. Have you ever wondered if facial hair makes the skin look darker?
Generally, Facial hair does not make your skin look darker or any different. But it will affect how light reflects off of your face. It’s an optical illusion that can be caused by stubble, beards, or a five o’clock shadow beard style.
When light hits the beard hairs, they scatter the light and cause a darkening effect on the skin below them. This is called Beard Shadowing or Beard Scattering and it’s something to keep in mind when deciding whether or not to shave!
Firstly, a face that has a fully grown beard only has a limited area that is visible and not covered. It may be hard to notice whether a person is getting darker, lighter or that the skin is changing at all. Unlike people who are beardless, the skin is always there for anyone who would like to observe and notice changes in the skin. Getting back to the topic at hand, does facial hair make your complexion darker?
This may be hard to tell but there are factors that may contribute to the way your skin is changing its complexion. Here are some of the reason:
- Keeping a Beard
The beard itself may contribute greatly to your face getting darker. Although facial hair doesn’t directly change the skin beneath it, it certainly changes the environment in which the skin exists. And when the beard has been kept for a very long time or it has grown for so long it makes it difficult to keep the skin clean. Yes, you may take care of it but you can’t really get down to your skin and scrub it. This becomes a problem that often causes build-up and irritation in the pores. The base of the skin can have a lot of dead skin and oils that you never reached when scrubbing and it may then cause the skin on your face uneven.
- Optical Illusion
A darker beard can manipulate what a person can see, having the most part of your face covered in facial hair. Having less visible areas on your skin may also create room for a darker beard to influence the appearance of your skin. A person’s eyes may not see past the beard.
- Shaving
Sometimes frequent shaving can come with its own hiccups, it is very hard for a person to shave a beard and have no cuts at all. Aggressive shaving can cause skin discoloration it does not matter what you use to shave with, whether a razor blade or an electric shaver.
That rubbing or scraping action of the blades when shaving can cause minor cuts to the skin. This may cause a disturbance in the way your skin looks as the skin tries to replace itself in the damaged area.
- Neglecting the Face
There are times where a person may lose focus because he is much focused on something else. For example, a person may invest so much in just facial hair and less on the overall body skin. The same way you brush your teeth to enjoy good food and have your mouth staying fresh the whole time. In the same way, the face also needs to be taken care of. If you are buying facial hair food get some good facial products that you can wash your face with.
Other Factors That May Cause Skin Darkening
There are other reasons facial skin may darken and they are not related to a beard at all, because facial hair on its own cannot cause the skin to darken. Here are some of the reason that may cause the darkening of your skin:
- Sunlight
Apart from facial hair, there is no other way a face can be shielded from the sun, making the face the most exposed part of the body to the sun. Exposure to excessive sunlight light can be very detrimental, as the sun emits harmful UV rays that stimulate melanin production. With this melanin your face ends up producing a lot of melanin this is where your face darkens.
- Harmful Cosmetic Products
Keeping a beard will also force you to up your game and try out new things and cosmetic products or lotions. Just to make sure you are upgrading your look. However, not every product is good for your skin there are times where your skin just doesn’t work with a particular product. This may affect your skin to darken or have other complications as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I make my skin lighter?
Skin is the first thing people lay their eyes on when they look at another person. Skin that is dark, acne-prone, and rough will instantly reduce the person’s status and have people avoid them. This can be prevented by taking steps that will help make your skin clearer and smoother, not to mention lighter over time. Fluids, preferably water is the key component in having clear and lighter skin. Water plays a huge role in the hydration of the skin as your body is made of 70% water. Another contributing factor is diet, what you eat also plays an important role, a balanced diet will equip your skin with everything it needs to repair and replenish itself.
Is keeping a beard good or bad for me?
Beard, even with its impressive effect, still comes with one important drawback. The drawback is that the beard harbors harmful bacteria that can make the person who has it, ill. However, this can be avoided or prevented by frequently cleaning the beard using a Beard Wash and Conditioner along with not touching the beard too much. Researchers believe that having a beard can prevent skin cancer, research is still limited on this matter. Having a beard prevents wind damage and chafing, not to mention how manly it makes the wearer look.
Can I Pluck my beard hair?
Plucking is the act of using tweezers to remove unwanted hair. This removes the hair from the root and results last longer than shaving however, plucking is not recommended as it cause some problems such as unwanted hair, swelling, and inflammation underneath the skin. If shaving is not possible, then threading or waxing are safer alternatives compared to plucking. Plucking can still be used to remove hair between eyebrows. The way plucking should be done is in the direction the hair grows.
Conclusion
The change of facial skin can be caused by a lot of factors facial hair has not been ruled out, it may contribute to this and at the same time, it might not since it has not been proven. In the meantime, if there are any changes in your skin it’s best to cross-check it may be your lotion, soap, or facial hair.
