Is Beard Growth Androgen, Estrogen, or Nitric Oxide related? Or all the above?

[Wagner83]

A poor night of sleep reliably boosts beard growth for me.

 

[Explorer]

People with high levels of heat production emanating will not grow much hair, whether it is face or body to allow for loss of heat. Tend to be undermethylated types. Thyroid has to be high as well. It may have to do with the fact that high thyroid keeps SHBG high, so DHT which has the highest affinity for SHBG and is also necessary for beard growth, cannot exert its effect as strongly.

Also it may be the fact that genetically some people have less 5AR activity.

I am on lean/warm/skinny side and have very thin and light body and beard hair growth so there might be something to it.

 

[golder]

A poor night of sleep reliably boosts beard growth for me.

I don’t understand how people visually notice fractions of millimetres after 8 hours sleep?

 

[Explorer]

Much of the driven personality is due to dopamine and histamine. Sometimes it's also linked to excess glutamate. Testosterone is known to increase dopamine. Bread growth depends on IGF-1, which also increases DHT. IGF-1 also boosts head hair growth.

I have very dense, strong and fast head hair growth yet my beard is still growing and still needs to darken and increase in density and such, things that increase IGF-1 would be good sleep, caloric surplus, enough macro and micronutrients, sunlight and VitaminD in the general and probably keeping Thyroid and Androgens high right?

 

[jack_zen]

a few mgs of topical T in DMSO on my cheeks definitely gives me more beard growth
sometimes I put some andro on it, too

 

[dhtsupreme]

I have very dense, strong and fast head hair growth yet my beard is still growing and still needs to darken and increase in density and such, things that increase IGF-1 would be good sleep, caloric surplus, enough macro and micronutrients, sunlight and VitaminD in the general and probably keeping Thyroid and Androgens high right?

Lol further down you'll see the post where he says "Protein, milk, carbs, insulin, zinc, magnesium, DHEA, exercise, etc., can increase IGF-1" -Hans Amato

Also check this out: IGF-1

 

[Hans]

I have very dense, strong and fast head hair growth yet my beard is still growing and still needs to darken and increase in density and such, things that increase IGF-1 would be good sleep, caloric surplus, enough macro and micronutrients, sunlight and VitaminD in the general and probably keeping Thyroid and Androgens high right?

Yes for sure. But keep in mind that your beard might take years to mature. It's just something that happens with age, so it's also good to be patient.

 

[Explorer]

Yes for sure. But keep in mind that your beard might take years to mature. It's just something that happens with age, so it's also good to be patient.

I wonder why some people I knew in school already had full filled out beards, what are all the factors that determine beard growth? Honestly this could be a good article on all the known factors that influence beard growth and the diet, lifestyle and supplementation and bio hacking tips to speed it up and get as much of the genetical beard growth potential as possible.

 

[dhtsupreme]

I wonder why some people I knew in school already had full filled out beards, what are all the factors that determine beard growth? Honestly this could be a good article on all the known factors that influence beard growth and the diet, lifestyle and supplementation and bio hacking tips to speed it up and get as much of the genetical beard growth potential as possible.

I agree. It's easily an article that can appeal to a wide audience of men. But like what Mr. Amato said it's IGF-1 dependent. I'm inclined to believe there's other growth factors we're unaware of too that are involved.

Overall this is why even some herbs that have estrogenic effects can increase beard growth since they increase IGF-1 and other growth factors.

Peppermint Oil increased IGF-1

Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is a plant native to Europe and has been widely used as a carminative and gastric stimulant worldwide. This plant also has been used in cosmetic formulations as a fragrance component and skin conditioning agent. This study ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

I remember an article from a long time ago on anabolic men saying peppermint, spearmints, etc. are antiandrogenic. People have used this for beard growth and is even recommended by beardresource (Peppermint Essential Oil for Beard: Promotes New Growth (Scientifically Proven))

In the article Ali Kuoppala said "Peppermint essential oil applied topically to the skin in 3% dilution is likely going to promote your beard growth. Anecdotally many report faster growth with it as well. Peppermint or spearmint teas, as well as ingested peppermint essential oil lower testosterone and likely, hurt your beard growth when consumed orally."

Rosemary oil is a 5ar inhibitor but in this study it raised IGF-1 levels and affected hair growth

Impact of Rosmarinus officinalis cold-pressed oil on health, growth performance, intestinal bacterial populations, and immunocompetence of Japanese quail

This study was performed to study the impacts of rosemary cold-pressed oil (RCPO) for biostimulating health, growth performance, and intestinal bacter…

www.sciencedirect.com

Estrogen Bioactivity in Fo-Ti and Other Herbs Used for Their Estrogen-Like Effects as Determined by a Recombinant Cell Bioassay

One of the most important issues in women’s health concerns the risks and benefits of estrogen replacement therapy. Continual uncertainty and lack of conse

academic.oup.com

Fo-ti has almost the same estrogenic activity as red clover and soy . Licorice and hops were said to have less estrogenic activity than Fo-Ti. Fo-Ti is only 1/300th the effect of 17B-estradiol but still it's up there with many other avoided estrogenic herbs/foods

Here it's an established reducer of DHT but it increases growth factors including IGF-1

Polygonum multiflorum extract support hair growth by elongating anagen phase and abrogating the effect of androgen in cultured human dermal papilla cells

Dermal papilla cells (DPCs) play a key role in hair growth among the various cell types in hair follicles. Especially, DPCs determine the fate of hair follicle such as anagen to telogen transition and play a pivotal role in androgenic alopecia (AGA). ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"In conclusion, our data suggest that PM extract could promote hair growth possibly through prolongation of anagen by preventing catagen entry with increased production of growth factors and abrogating the effects of androgen, DHT."

Here's a post where someone said they got results from Fo-Ti for beard growth

He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) For Beard Growth : Impressive Results

Hello everybody, I've been taking He Shou Wu(the Na'vi Organics's product) since no more than 3 weeks, as I was reading some testimonials online about the faculty of this herb to developp beard growth. Some guys were saying that it has covered up the patchy zones of their beard. And I assure...

raypeatforum.com

Minoxidil increasing IFG-1 and other growth factors

Hair growth effect of minoxidil

Download Citation | Hair growth effect of minoxidil | The length and size of hair are depend on the anagen term in its hair cycle. It has been reported that the some cell growth factors, such as VEGF,... | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

www.researchgate.net

Partly explains why minoxidil works so well despite it not raising T/DHT

There's probably a minimal amount of T/DHT/E you need for beard growth.

Overall it's not really T/DHT/estrogen dependent which would explain to me why I see men across the spectrum being able/unable to grow beards. That would be because it's related to IGF-1 and other growth factors. You don't need sky high T/DHT with low E but personally I would aim for that anyways for other benefits

Lmk what you guys think

 

[md_a]

Chamaecyparis obtusa (Hinoki Cypress) Oil

The below abstract is from a study conducted on Chamaecyparis obtusa essential oil (I must admit I’d previously never heard of the plant). In the below quote Minoxidil (MXD) and Chamaecyparis obtusa (CO) were tested to see how they affect IGF-1 and VEGF levels. Interestingly CO increased showed a 426% increase in IGF-1 expression at week 4! What’s more exciting is the CO group also experienced an increase in VEGF expression of 96%. Surprisingly CO outperformed MXD in both cases!. However there is one downside: the study also noted CO caused a decrease in Epidermal Growth Factor. This is a shame but the increase in IGF-1 and VEGF warrant further investigation into its effect on hair count — which I shall be doing shortly and will publish the findings here in a separate post about Chamaecyparis obtusa.

For insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) mRNA expression in the skin tissue, at week 4, the MXD and CO groups showed a significantly higher expression by 204% and 426% respectively, as compared to the SA group. At week 4, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the MXD and CO groups showed a significantly higher expression by 74% and 96%


Red Velvet Deer Antler

Deer antler was applied to the wounded skin of rats at varying levels to test its effects. A clear and significant correlation was observed, demonstrating that deer antler applied to wounded skin caused an increase in IGF-1.

This is of course very exciting for hair loss sufferers because deer antler can be used to improve wound-induced hair follicle neogenesis. If you’re not familiar with that term, what it means is we can generate completely new hair follicles in the scalp tissue. You can learn more about it here.

By creating tiny wounds in the scalp and increasing growth factors like IGF-1, FGF9 and VEGF we can increase the likelihood that new hairs will develop in the new tissue.

Thymosin: Triggering Hair Growth at a Cellular Level - nicehair.org

Action Mechanism of Chamaecyparis obtusa Oil on Hair Growth

Red Deer Antler Extract Accelerates Hair Growth by Stimulating Expression of Insulin-like Growth Factor I in Full-thickness Wound Healing Rat Model

 

[SonOfEurope]

Partly Ancestry obviously, I had to start shaving (sideburns and mustache first) shortly after my 15th Birthday, 9 years later I could grow a decent beard but still W/O full coverage of upper cheeks or central moustache (this is the last part of the beard to mature )... A year and a half of 28mg Progesterone and some DHEA and Androsterone really accelerated development, but then again, I improved thyroid, D status, mineral intake and sleep schedule etc...

 

[Cameron]

Thyroid and ray peat diet sped up beard growth about 3x.
Adding prog, preg, DHEA, andro increased that another 3x: So in total 9x.
I would suspect most effects coming from Androsterone

T levels have not changed om my blood labs during that time. However, blood levels don't necessarily reflect tissue levels.

* increases in head, arm and chest hair as well.

Where you using thyroid or are you saying a thyroid supporting diet? If so how much thyroid?

 

[Gustav3Y]

Peppermint Oil increased IGF-1
Peppermint Oil Promotes Hair Growth without Toxic Signs I remember an article from a long time ago on anabolic men saying peppermint, spearmints, etc. are antiandrogenic. People have used this for beard growth and is even recommended by beardresource (Peppermint Essential Oil for Beard: Promotes New Growth (Scientifically Proven))

That is because women find it reduces facial hair growth, lowers hirsutism.
Ironically the opposite of beard growing.

Also many people have much lower libido while consuming peppermint.

Effects of peppermint teas on plasma testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and luteinizing hormone levels and testicular tissue in rats - PubMed

Despite the beneficial effects of M. piperita and M. spicata in digestion, we should also be aware of the toxic effects when the herbs are not used in the recommended fashion or at the recommended dose.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Results: The follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone levels had increased and total testosterone levels had decreased in the experimental groups compared with the control group;

 

[Vins7]

For what it's worth, my beard suddenly filled in once when I started using cyproheptadine. I don't have blood work, so I can only speculate as to why that is. I do feel different these days; calmer and 'slower'. I think I'm more likeable but less productive.

Did you notice an effect in hair of scalp too?

 

[theantagonist]

Where you using thyroid or are you saying a thyroid supporting diet? If so how much thyroid?

Both thyroid + thyroid supporting diet

 

[JamesGatz]

When my DHT is high without Progesterone - my beard grows fast and thick everywhere - even in the cheeks

When I am DHT with High Progesterone - my beard still grows but a lot more slowly and only growing down from my jawline - it doesn't grow in my cheeks at all and only stays in my moustache and lower jaw area

I do feel a lot better when I am high progesterone with DHT versus just high DHT - I do think it is androgen related

 

[Shackles]

Thymosin: Triggering Hair Growth at a Cellular Level - nicehair.org

Those rat studies are so inconclusive for real balding though. It would be more conclusive to test which chemicals DONT let them regrow their hair

 

[frankmp0]

When my DHT is high without Progesterone - my beard grows fast and thick everywhere - even in the cheeks

When I am DHT with High Progesterone - my beard still grows but a lot more slowly and only growing down from my jawline - it doesn't grow in my cheeks at all and only stays in my moustache and lower jaw area

I do feel a lot better when I am high progesterone with DHT versus just high DHT - I do think it is androgen related

How do I lower my progesterone then?

 

[Risingfire]

I can't say with 100% certainty but I believe androsterone increased my beard fullness. It will in a few "patchier" areas.

 

[frankmp0]

I can't say with 100% certainty but I believe androsterone increased my beard fullness. It will in a few "patchier" areas.

Will androsterone take my natty card