There are a small number of women in the world who are able to grow a noticeable amount of facial hair and unfortunately, in today's society, we are constantly told to stand out and express our individuality. But as soon as someone does just that, they are judged. So when a woman makes the decision to keep her beard she is often faced with a lot of problems.

 

Here at Chinstrap we don’t judge female facial hair, or anyone’s facial hair for that matter, we only want to encourage everyone to embrace it. In most cases, the reason that some women can grow beards is usually due health complications such as: hormone imbalances, hypertrichosis or it can be the result of taking steroids.

​

Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the result of having higher amounts of androgen – the male hormone – in a woman’s body. Consequently, causing a number of symptoms that can be distressing for women who have the condition. Some of these symptoms include: irregular periods, acne, excess facial and body hair, and difficulty getting pregnant.

 

Hypertrichosis is a genetic disorder that causes the body to produce an excess amount of body hair – either in one specific area (localised hypertrichosis) or all over the body (generalised hypertrichosis). There is no distinct cause for Hypertrichosis. Those who are born with it (congenital) are likely to have inherited it as a genetic disorder whereas those who acquire it later on in life (acquired) can be a symptom of another health problem. Whatever the reason is behind a woman’s beard, they shouldn’t feel pressured by society (or anyone) to remove it.

​

So we shouldn't be judging women based on their facial hair, in fact, we all have some amount hair on our face! For some it’s a little bit of peach fuzz around their chin and cheek area; others will have a few stray eyebrow hairs and of course there’s the upper-lip tash. You may decide to let these hairs grow wild and free or maybe you go to the salon for threading and waxing procedures, who are we to judge?

 

Now you’ve had a think about your facial hair, you can see that we aren’t any different from any other man (or woman) who has facial hair. Yes, some people can grow it thicker than others but that’s just life.

 

Why should everyone be pressured to fit in the same box? You are beautiful, whether you have lots of hair it or none at all.