The best ways to grow your jawline

In the words of *American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman, *the looksmaxxing movement’s favorite meme mascot, “you can always be thinner, look better.” And as toxic as it may seem, he’s kinda right. Hear us out.

Though it can easily veer off the rails into vanity and insanity, as we see in the Ancient Greek Myth of Narcissus, or in today’s Botox, BBLs, and bone-lengthening surgeries, the human desire to be beautiful is biologically and psychologically ingrained in us for good reason: being good-looking is prudent and practical, with many benefits beyond the obvious confidence boost.

And while chiseling your jawline a bit is as simple as chewing mastic gum and losing some weight, make no mistake: to have a profound physical transformation is no simple task and requires nailing diet, exercise, and sleep, while also employing a consistent routine of various vetted facial enhancement techniques.

The techniques floated around online to improve attractiveness can seem extreme and overwhelming, but we’ve been in the self-improvement space long enough to have researched or tried out nearly all of them—beyond, of course, artificial enhancements—ourselves.

So, to aid you on your quest for a better face (and life), below we’ve evaluated the 10 most commonly-touted ways to grow your jaw and enhance your facial attractiveness, based on effectiveness, safety, effort, and cost.

But, before we dive in, let’s first examine why beauty is practical so you can be sure this journey is right for you, and from there, we’ll examine how the face grows, also taking stock of a few early-life factors that can inhibit it, thereby robbing you of your genetic potential for beauty.

Why should you looksmaxx?

Looksmaxxing is practical for a variety of biological, psychological, and philosophical reasons—the danger comes when we elevate our looks above being a good person, easily falling into pride and vanity; our exterior facades may be beautiful, but our souls become ugly and warped.

#1: Beauty is function, function is beauty

The traits we find most attractive are direct reflections of robust biological function, signaling better odds of surviving, thriving, and having offspring who are more likely to do the same. When it comes to the face, this means bone structures that protect the eyes, and wider, more symmetrical faces with strong jaws and straight teeth, as these features allow for—and are simultaneously byproducts of—nasal breathing.¹

We are evolutionarily tuned to like faces that facilitate good airway health because our management of oxygen and CO₂ influences key aspects of survival that have cascading effects, like cognition, the nervous system, and general cellular energy production and health.²

Though there is nuance here and to some degree beauty is in the eye of the beholder, in general, looks are highly correlated with physical competence, which is why athletes tend to have more attractive faces.

#2: Look good, feel good

We also know that our subjective feelings and cellular health—the bedrock, root cause of health vs. disease states—are intertwined, as when we’re happy and hopeful (as one is more likely to be if they’re confident in themselves, which good looks promote), our mitochondria measurably produce more energy, and vice versa. When mitochondria in the brain and nervous system are producing tons of energy, we report much better moods, and mental illnesses like depression, Bipolar Disorder, and OCD even begin to disappear.³

Improving your facial features is therefore not just putting up a nice facade, but can be very health-promoting, mentally and physically.

#3: The Halo Effect

Good-looking people are perceived in a better light and have significant advantages in society. Studies on this phenomenon, called The Halo Effect, show that better-looking people get hired preferentially, earn 10-15% more on average, and even get arrested and convicted less than their less attractive counterparts!⁴⁵⁶

We’re not saying being a chiseled-jaw Chad automatically equals life on easy mode, or is a get out of jail free card (please don’t test this out), but being attractive increases both the amount of opportunities that come your way, and your ability to capitalize on them—look good, feel good.

#4: It’s philosophically sound

As theorized by the Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, beauty—like wealth, social status, and even health—is not intrinsically good, but, rather, is a tool that can help bring about the conditions that best allow us to live “the good life,” which, to him, basically meant living virtuously and philosophizing with your bros while chewing mastic gum.

Don’t quote us on that last part, but it’s very possible the great thinkers of classical antiquity chewed mastic gum while they chewed on the most profound questions of life, as mastic gum was a hot commodity in the Hellenic world, with Hippocrates—the father of medicine—even noting its gut-healing properties.

Hippocrates also famously said, “all disease begins in the gut,” which our modern-day research largely supports. By that logic, might mastic gum be useful for any number of diseases? See for yourself in our article on mastic gum’s many benefits.

Understanding facial growth

To put it simply, most of what our face looks like hinges on our genetics (nature) and the growth of the Maxilla—the upper jawbone that also makes up the roof of the mouth and base of the nasal cavity (nurture).

Like the various bones of the skull, each side of the maxilla bone is connected by a suture that splits apart during growth, with new bone filling in the gaps to expand laterally and forward to accommodate the growth of the tongue.

When this bone expands properly, the tongue fits easily on the roof of the mouth, the face and lower jaws grow proportionate to the skull, the cheekbones support our eyes, the teeth come in straight, and the nasal cavity becomes large enough to take in air comfortably without resistance.

What hinders facial growth during development?

Essentially, anything that promotes nasal congestion and therefore mouth breathing, or weak muscles in the face, neck, and jaw during the developmental years—before our facial structure is largely set in stone (though even this is malleable to some extent post puberty)—can limit our face from growing into our genetic birthright of beauty and functionality.

Some common culprits that contribute to mouth breathing and a less aesthetically pleasing face include:

1. Dietary and environmental allergies, causing chronic nasal congestion (e.g., mold, dust mites, pollen)

2. Structural blockages in the nose and airway (e.g., deviated septum, inflamed adenoids, tonsils, and turbinates; also largely caused by allergies)

3. A lack of tough foods that stimulate supporting muscles in the face and neck

4. Not breastfeeding properly or for long enough, as this trains proper tongue posture and face musculature in infancy, alongside shaping the immune system to fight allergies⁷⁸

5. Antibiotics, C-Section birth, and not enough exposure to germs that shape the immune system, all potentially contributing to allergies⁹¹⁰

It would take an encyclopedia-length article to address these one by one, but merely being aware of them can help you understand and assess where you’re at today and help you prevent your child from suffering from allergies, congestion, and the aesthetic and functional problems they cause.

Now, onto what you can do to actually improve your looks, as well as a few things to surely stay away from.

10 ways to enhance your facial attractiveness

#1: Chewing mastic gum

Mastic gum is the sap of the Pistacia lentiscus tree, which is only grown authentically on the island of Chios, Greece. Unlike traditional gas-station gums or gums specifically for jawline enhancement, mastic gum is 100% natural, single-ingredient, and plastic-free.

Chewing mastic gum is your best bet for packing on noticeably more muscle in your face and jaws, giving you a more masculine look. It also may increase the bone density of your jaws and other facial bones, working through Wolff’s Law (bone responds to the stress it’s placed under) and bone’s unique property of piezoelectricity—where physical force on bone creates an electric current capable of stimulating effects in osteocytes, the cells responsible for bone growth and remodeling. ¹¹

Considering this, and how mastic gum is tough enough to provide resistance to your jaw muscles, the Masseters, while also soft enough to be chewed enjoyably and passively throughout the day, a routine of chewing mastic gum is a no-brainer.

Take Marcel below, who completely transformed his face and body through a combination of health optimization, clean eating, going beast-mode in the gym, and sticking to a strict mastic gum chewing routine.

Simply put, mastic gum is the best way to chisel your jawline, and Greco Gum’s Nuggets and Droplets are the best mastic gum on the market. Don’t believe us? Here’s definitive proof.

Effectiveness: 10/10

Effort: 3/10

Safety: 10/10

Cost: $$

#2: Mouth taping

While awake, we can try to curb the ill effects of mouth breathing by consciously breathing through our noses, but while asleep, our biology might instinctively direct air through the mouth if it’s the path of least resistance. Therefore, to get the facial and physiological benefits of nose breathing while asleep, we can tape our mouths shut with micropore tape, given there are no major structural blockages or congestion.

Always use tape that can easily come off during the night if needed, and never fully tape your mouth shut. Consult with a trusted doctor or dentist to see if mouth taping is right for you; it could be the key to helping restore automatic nasal breathing.

Effectiveness: 7/10

Effort: 2/10

Safety: 10/10

Cost: $$

#3: Mewing

In healthy faces that are wide enough to accommodate the size of the tongue, the tongue should rest naturally on the roof of the mouth, but for those who were mouth breathers during their developmental years, their faces may be too narrow to do this unconsciously.

This is where mewing, the practice of training proper tongue posture to impact the structure and musculature of the face, comes in. To feel how powerful this technique is, simply swallow twice. If you swallow correctly (another thing mewing and other myofunctional therapies help with), your tongue should be suctioned to the roof of your mouth, and your double chin should be tightened up to reveal a more pronounced jawline; you’ll even feel your neck and back posture become more upright.

Over time, your nose and the angle of your jaw can straighten out, and your mid-face may even get a little wider with your nasal passages dilating as a result. Because mewing is subtly influencing the maxilla over time, it is a root cause approach to reversing the functional and aesthetic damage done by decades of mouth breathing.

There are infinite mewing tutorials from 15-year-olds on TikTok, but we recommend you get it straight from the horse’s mouth, from the creator of mewing himself: Mike Mew, through the Mewing App or his YouTube channel.

Effectiveness: 9/10

Effort: 8/10

Safety: 10/10

Cost: Free

#4: Myofunctional therapy

Myofunctional therapy focuses on correcting improper muscle patterns, such as mouth breathing, tongue thrusting, or incorrect swallowing habits, as they impact oral health, facial development, posture, and overall well-being. Though most effective for children and teens, myofunctional therapy can be useful for anyone, regardless of age.

Though costly, as it’s administered by professionals like speech therapists or myofunctional therapasits, myofunctional therapy could be crucial in improving the function of your face and airway (and your looks) and it’s very beneficial in that it allows a professional to diagnose your deficiencies and set a strict, guided regimen that cuts through the confusion of navigating things alone, and increases the likelihood you’ll commit to the exercises and therefore attain results.

Effectiveness: 10/10

Effort: 8/10

Safety: 10/10

Cost: $$$

#5: Weight Loss

Out of all of these methods, nothing will improve your facial attractiveness as much as losing weight—you can be a 10/10, but if your jawline is hiding under a mountain of fat, who would even know? We don’t recommend crash dieting, so to lose weight, you should aim to be in a steady calorie deficit, which should be achieved through diet and exercise. No Ozempic!

Effectiveness: 10/10

Effort: 10/10

Safety: 10/10

Cost: Free

#6: Thumbpulling

Thumbpulling (AKA “inter-oral face pulling”) aims to widen the maxilla by physically pulling it apart. Though some online influencers claim thumbpulling is ultra-effective (and even show compelling transformations), we’re dubious of this claim because for the maxilla to truly expand properly, the suture—which you can feel on the roof of your mouth—needs to be malleable (as in adolescence) or split surgically once it becomes calcified in adulthood.

Effectiveness: 2/10

Effort: 10/10

Safety: 3/10

Cost: Free

#7: Maxillary Expansion Devices

Unlike thumbpulling, maxillary expansion is standard orthodontic care for adolescents with millions of success stories—but few know it’s also possible in adulthood. If you are an adult with suboptimal facial growth, narrow nasal passages, or even a deviated septum, inquire with a specialist to see if maxillary expansion is right for your circumstances—it could make a huge difference in your health and well-being.

Effectiveness: 10/10

Effort: 6/10

Safety: 8/10

Cost: $$$

#8: Gua sha

Gua sha is a technique that stems from Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where you use a smooth stone tool to massage the face and neck to stimulate blood flow and stuck “qi” energy, achieving brighter skin and a glowing appearance.

While largely overhyped, there are some real benefits to gua sha—mainly that it relaxes face muscles that tend to get tight and promotes the elimination of built-up lymph fluid that can cause puffiness. This might result in a temporary, slight improvement, but it still doesn’t treat the root cause of stuck lymph in the face: improper facial development and a lack of physical movement.

Effectiveness: 5/10

Effort: 6/10

Safety: 10/10

Cost: $

#9: Jawsrsize

Jawzrsize and other tough plastic devices you chew on to grow the muscles of the face and jaw are effective, but have some downsides. First, to cast the mouthpiece, you have to sink your teeth into molten plastic after dipping it into boiling water, which is a double whammy and immediate red flag because heating up plastic greatly increases the amount of toxins liberated from it.

The second exposure to plastics you’ll get from chewing on these plastic devices is from just that.* Chewing on plastic.* When you use these, you’re unknowingly shaving silicone or plastic bits into your mouth like parmesan on your favorite pasta; these microplastics are swallowed and enter your bloodstream, where they can be deposited throughout your body and brain to wreak havoc.

If that wasn’t enough, here’s the final nail in the coffin: they’re extremely goofy-looking. Have you no dignity?

Effectiveness: 7/10

Effort: 8/10

Safety: 2/10

Cost: $$

#10: Bone Smashing

Like thumbpulling, bonesmashing is one of these new techniques that gets a lot of hate online—and also for good reason. Though it’s supposedly grounded in the science of Wolff’s Law, we call big BS on bonesmashing.

Even if you and your bros were able to grow slightly bigger or denser bones by sitting around in a circle and repeatedly hitting yourselves in the face with hammers, it wouldn’t have the right foundations stemming from maxillary growth—and would therefore look unnatural, something like the Uncanny Valley.

Effectiveness: 0/10

Effort: 10/10

Safety: 0/10

Cost: Hammer

Concluding thoughts

So there you have it—looksmaxxing may seem vain on the outside, and it can certainly get toxic and crazy if you’re not grounded in good intentions, but there are practical reasons for wanting to become more attractive as well as practical, effective, non-neurotic ways to accomplish it.

Becoming more attractive grants you special privileges and opportunities that you are more capable of capitalizing on due to the biological benefits of good facial structure, as well as the mental boon of increased self-confidence. Luckily, many of the most effective looksmaxxing techniques are free or low cost, and only in extreme cases or medical necessities do you need to resort to professional help.

You can get started doing these free methods immediately, and to begin growing your jaw muscles, you’ll want to pick up a few packs of Greco Gum’s Nuggets (larger pieces) and Droplets (smaller pieces); save 10% when you buy our Adonis Pack with 4 tins.

Happy chewing, Chads!

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