There are many reasons to dye mens beard and mustache. Facial hair dye can help give you a youthful look when those gray hairs start sprouting and a permanent beard dye can certainly give you a trendy look. With whatever the reason for dyeing your beard, you need to do it right.
There are many men’s beard dye products in the market and choosing the best beard dye for you can be frustrating. In this article, we are going to help you figure everything out from the beard hair color to application to post care.
How to Choose the Right Color
In getting a mustache and beard dye, color selection is critical. You do not want to end up unsatisfied with your beard color and opt for re-dyeing your facial hair. You do not want to damage the beard you have carefully managed to grow healthily. Personal preference has a big factor is choosing men’s beard color but as a general rule, it is better to pick a color that matches the hair on your head. A beard that comes off as too dark-looking is going to look a bit unnatural, and so many professional stylists recommend choosing beard dye colors that is a few shades lighter than your beard.
Another good advice is that dark-haired males should choose a shade lighter than their original beard color. Men with blond hair may lean towards a tint closer to their natural color, and the color hazelnut brown is a great choice for redheads to have a more natural appearance.
One of the good men’s beard coloring products is the Just For Men beard dye. It comes in a variety of colors choose from and its ammonia-free formula is made to penetrate the coarse facial hair. Just For Men Mustache & Beard Brush-In Color Gel makes facial hair looks fuller, more even and well-groomed and you only need to leave it on for five minutes.
The RefectoCil Cream Hair Dye is also a good product to use for your mustache and beard. It is smudge- and waterproof, and it produces permanent coverage and even coloration which lasts for 6 weeks.
Patch test
Once you have your mustache dye or beard hair dye, you need to do a patch test first before coloring your facial hair. This is to check if you are allergic to the product or if it is safe to use. You need to mix a little amount of the dye and apply on a coin-sized area of a more sensitive area of your body, such as the bend of your arm or behind your knee. Leave it on for 24 hours and then wash off the area with soap and water. If you experience any kind of redness, swelling, or other irritation on that area, do not use the beard dye.
If you have sensitive skin, try using a safe beard dye like the Natural Beard Dye by Grizzly Mountain Beard Dye. It is 100% natural and organic based beard dye that is hypoallergenic. It is made from fine herbal powder rendered from fresh Emblic, False Daisy, Neem Tree, Henna, and indigo. And it comes in three color options.
Precaution
Dyeing one’s beard can be a messy process, so it is important that you should take some precautions and lessen the clean-up time.
- Put on an old shirt that you do not mind getting stained by the dye.
- Have a junk hand towel and paper towels at your disposal to cover your counter and sink and easy cleaning whenever the dye splashes on your skin.
- Use latex gloves to protect your fingers from becoming stained.
- Prepare a color treatment shampoo to wash your beard after dyeing.
Cleanse Your Beard
Wash your beard with a quality beard shampoo to remove dirt and dead cells from the skin beneath the beard. This step will nourish follicles and lengthen the amount of time your beard retains the dye. Rinse your beard with water making sure that no shampoo residue is left. Pat dry with a clean towel.
Prep Your Beard
- With the use of a quality trimmer or scissors, shorten your beard to the desired length.
- Create smooth and clean edges by shaving.
- Apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around the beard and neck area to prevent the dye from staining these parts.
How to Dye Your Beard and Mustache
- Prepare your beard dye by mixing the together the base color and the color developer. Be careful to follow the instructions of the product. Typically, beard dye products and mustache coloring come with a tray to mix your solution and a brush to apply the dye to your facial hair. However, do not use the brush in mixing as it might cause the bristles to be bent and therefore making the application much more difficult. Never let the dye come into contact with metal. After mixing the right amount of solution, place the caps back on the tubes and set them aside for future use.
If you want a no-fuss application, you may want to use the Younger Looking Beard Beard and Mustache Darkener. There are no liquids, no gloves or caps, and no mixing required. It is a temporary non-allergenic beard dye and it takes only 60 to 90 seconds to set. One package lasts an average of 6 to 9 months.
- Apply the dye into your beard using the brush. Dip the brush into the dye and fully coat your beard and mustache using up-and-down strokes. Make sure you cover all the hairs
- Let the dye settle in according to the instructions. If you leave it on too long, your facial hair will come out darker than expected. And if you leave it on not long enough, you may be left with spottier gray zones and light coverage.
- Wash off the dye in the shower or in the sink. Rinse your beard with lukewarm or cold water until all the excess dye has washed out. Pat dry it with a towel.
Post Care
After successfully dyeing your beard, you need to maintain it. This means doing extra effort and commitment to take care of your freshly-colored beard.
- Protect your dyed hair with a quality beard shampoo made for color-treated hair. Rinse it using lukewarm water. This process will help make the dye last longer.
- Apply beard oil to smoothen, soften and nourish your beard.
- After some weeks, you are going to need some touch-ups. Reapply the beard dye when you start to notice a few gray hairs. This will also help make your beard have a fuller and thicker look.
For first timers in using beard hair dye, sometimes you don’t get the color you’ve been expecting on the first attempt but, do not give up just yet. These things can sometimes be a trial and error situation. Beard dye can be washed away, and you can try a new color that will better suit you. But the most important part is to always take care of your beard always by using good quality products and staying on a consistent beard care regimen.
Best Beard Dye
Just For Men Beard Dye: Mustache & Beard Brush-In Color Gel
The Just for Men beard dye ad says “Facial hair looks fuller, more even and well-groomed.” I agree. At least, it’s true in my case. I don’t know exactly how ammonia affects facial hair or the skin, but the fact that it says “Ammonia-free” makes me very happy. That means I’m safe from whatever adverse effects it could have on me. Besides, they give a long safety warning, so if I were any of those kinds of people mentioned, I’d take the makers’ word for it.
This mustache and beard dye’s formula works great for grey coverage and all it takes is one application. They say wait five minutes, but my personal suggestion is to wait a little longer before washing anything off. Longer, but not too long like 10 minutes. The beard hair color will hold longer and look more natural. Just don’t do it immediately with short stubbles. The reason is nothing extreme. It’s just that as they’re too short, the effect won’t be what one would like it to be. As the stubble grows out, of course, it will start turning grey already. So the effort is a bit of a waste. Wait for it to grow out a bit so you won’t need to do more reapplications of the permanent beard dye
Okay, here are a few tips that work for me and would most probably work for you:
- Test for any reaction on a small skin area before application. It’s what they recommend anyway. The skin on the face and surrounding areas may be more sensitive than other parts of the body so reactions may not be accurate. Therefore, perhaps try on a part near the beard and see how it goes. So far, this seems to be the best beard dye for sensitive skin for me.
- The shade may be darker than expected, so when trying this out, do a lighter application. You can always adjust next time.
- Wash it off you with warm water. Warm water works better than tap water. Warm, not hot — don’t scald yourself in the process! Of course, don’t forget the beard wash.
For a tiny beard hair dye tube, this product really works big wonders, and for a long period of time, too! While the oxidant needs to be bought separately, which is a bit of hassle, using the formula is very much worth the trouble. The developer is a MUST for the process to work.
The beard dye is easy to use/apply, needs only a little amount of mixture (3% of the oxidant, about 10 drops, plus a small squeeze of the dye) and, best of all, stays for several weeks. The beard colour is definitely long-lasting. It is great if one is going for the natural-brown effect. Those with blonde hair should definitely try it. The color does not fade out, unlike that of over-the-counter hair dye. The thing is, though, their Natural Brown No. 3 is “a strong and versatile opaque brown” so it may come out darker than expected. One might want to go easy on the mixture or try the light-brown dye.
This takes only a few minutes to work, but going over five minutes should not create much of a problem. So far, there have been no relevant negative complaints regarding any chemical reactions on the skin. That’s great news for anyone trying it on “intimate” hair. It does stain the skin after application, but it can be easily rinsed off. Needless to say, this is a very safe beard dye and, well, dye for other parts. If a bad reaction does occur, try to reach the supplier.
Now, the product is said to be “for professional use only”, but there are many who try this grey beard dye on themselves, anyway. So the rule of thumb then is to just be careful especially when applying it on the brows (never the lashes — it’s not worth it losing the eyesight!). Always do the allergy (patch) test first.
Organic & Natural Brown Beard Dye – Grizzly Mountain
So when they say “Natural Beard Dye”, they aren’t kidding. It isn’t simply in reference to the shades that result from using the product, but also in reference to its ingredients: 100% natural and organic. In other words, it’s chemical-free, right? Aside from aesthetic purposes, one must also consider his safety after all. The fact that this mens beard dye is said to be totally natural certainly wins me over. I haven’t read any review that says that this is unsafe.
Based on personal experience, this dye proved to be gentle on the skin. They claim it to be hypoallergenic, which means there still could be chances of experiencing a mild form of irritation. There hasn’t been any such reaction on me. This could be the beard dye for sensitive skin yet. However, different folks have different sensitivity levels so caution should still be taken nonetheless.
Anyway, Grizzly Mountain is great for those with grey or starting-to-grey beards. The effect looks very natural. It could take some time before it comes into full effect, so to speak, but it is worth it. The color covers very well and will stay permanent for a long while. An application requires a 10 to 30-minute waiting period before washing it off. The desired effect won’t be there immediately, in fact, there’ll probably be different shades. Expect a green tinge as most have experienced. As time passes by, however, hair will darken and, in a day or two, your beard will look the way you’ll want it to. Hopefully, gorgeous and healthy.
If what someone has shared is true, the company has said that the dye works well on head hair, too. Then again, make sure to try it first on your beard before anywhere else, that’s my opinion.
If you’re not a fan of earthy, green/herbal tea, or grassy smell, you might hate keeping the formula on your skin for 30 minutes. Dying your beard with it is a small price to pay, though, once you see the full results. Besides, the price itself isn’t expensive. There is a very little possibility of the dye washing off while you bathe or wash your face. It is water-resistant, it does not run, and it can even withstand sweat.
The Younger Looking Beard (Dark Brown) Beard and Mustache Darkener. Non Allergenic.
The instruction is to apply with applicator brush, then spread with spreader brush, and it’s done. Easy-peasy. And it is easy-peasy, which makes guys love it. What most hate is they have to apply it every day if they want their beards and mustaches to keep looking less grey. But hey, that’s just 60 to 90 seconds of one’s time and he can enjoy it the whole day. I personally don’t mind. You just brush it on, guys, come on.
It is not a facial hair dye so don’t expect it to hold for days. It is a powder that comes off when you wash it off. That said, it does not run or come off easily, as a few gentlemen have shared. That has to do more on how well one has applied it on his hair. It is water-resistant, not waterproof. It sticks. Sweat and rain cannot simply affect it. Scrub with a washcloth and soap, that’s how to rid of the coloring.
Also, I should point out that this is non-allergenic. That’s perfect for sensitive skin. No rashes or blisters to worry about, unlike with other products. So it’s probably better than the best beard dye in the market.
The best part that I love about this product is I can adjust the coloring based on how much or little grey I want to show (very little to none for me, I should add). Go dark, go light, have fun. That’s unlike dyes that once applied, you’d have a harder time washing them off to change the beard and mustache coloring. TYLB masks grey hairs very well and I am always satisfied. Unless they change something in the formula, I’ll be fine with it till I’m old and…well, I’ll still try not to be too grey.
I did commit the mistake of trying it out on stubbles — bad idea. TYLB discourages it, actually, as very few men have succeeded with it. I’m not one of them. If you really want to color yours, go ahead, try once, at least, and see what happens. Maybe you’ll be like the luckier ones.