I moved to a new state about 10 weeks ago. It was exciting but it kinda sucked letting go of my plates and prospects. I was starting fresh. Cold approaching with some luck. Tinder with no luck.

6 weeks in and I had no luck with dating. I hadn't had any dates or sex. Dry spell. This is when I decided to grow my facial hair. I kinda just said, "fuck it, I'm not seeing anyone so if my patchy ass facial hair looks like shit then it doesn't matter". I doubted myself because my dad had told me that he wasn't able to grow a full beard until he was 30. I'm 23. Also, one time I didn't have a razor for a few days so I couldn't shave and my manager told me to shave because I had "little bitch hairs" LOL which was true (patchiness).

So I decided to let it grow and told myself I wouldn't shave. I've invested $64 (plus tax & shipping) on trying to get my facial hair to grow and fill out. I bought a Trimmer, a Vitamin Supplement, and a Topical Solution (Minoxidil -5%).

Coincidentally after I decided to grow out my facial hair, my luck began to turn in my dating life. I went on a Tinder date a week after I let my facial hair grow and I ended up fucking on the first date for the first time (she's now a plate). More success with cold approaching and more IOI's in general. First 2 weeks I was nervous and a little self conscious about it. Whenever I was talking with someone I would feel a little nervous about what I looked like but eventually I would forget about it and interact normally. Now I feel proud and more confident about my face. I get lots of compliments from friends.

NOW, for the tips:

• Definitely DO NOT shave. You've probably heard that shaving makes your hairs thicker or whatever. It's not true. Shaving will not help you get a beard. It sounds very obvious and it should be obvious.

• Once you commit to growing out your facial hair, STICK THROUGH IT! I wanted to shave it off and give up during the first week. Only reason I didn't was because I had already bought the Vitamin Supplement and a Trimmer so I didn't want to waste that money. 2 weeks ago I visited my family in my hometown and I got another urge to shave because my mom and sister were telling me how ugly it looked (of course, they're used to seeing me a certain way with a certain look, so a big change makes their hamsters spin). Again, I just stuck through it and gave a DGAF attitude.

• Definitely invest in a Trimmer. I bought mine for $25 (link above) and it comes with different attachments for the length. Later on when you get a good length going, make sure to look up some youtube tutorial videos on how to shape and trim properly. Because new hairs are still growing in on my face, I trim my facial hair about twice a week. I maintain my hair at about 1/8" which is pretty short but I'm waiting for those new hairs to come out so I can grow it all out together, eventually..

• You don't have to invest in the Vitamin Supplement (link above), but if you currently don't take any supplements, then I would recommend it. The bottle and description say that it's supposed to help grow and thicken your hair, and it's probably true, but my hair is already a thick black so I'm not going to re-purchase this product. IMO, this product is just a multi-vitamin. Any good multi-vitamin will already help your hair grow so you don't need to get this specific one but for ~$20 it's not bad.

• The Topical Solution is probably my secret beard steroid. I started using this product only like 2 weeks ago and it's visibly WORKING. I apply it twice a day and literally every time I check my face in the mirror, I see NEW hairs growing in where it used to be patchy. My facial hair is already filling in and I'm confident that in about 1 month I'll have a full grow on my face and I'll be able to finally let it grow past the 1/8". It does get itchy so beware. IMO it's not the solution that gets itchy, but it's the new hairs pushing through your skin that causes the itch.

• Final Tip: Only do it if you're fully invested. It's not easy. It takes a lot of patience and discipline to not shave it, especially if you're patchy. If you just want to see how you look with a beard just for curiosity or if you're half-assedly trying to participate in no shave November I wouldn't even bother. You really just need to tell yourself, "I WANT a beard, and I'm GONNA have one."

Feel free to add any other tips in the comments!