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A graying beard creates many challenges for a man especially a sportsman who still wants to be seen as an energetic young man, and graying beard can portray him as an old man. If the facial hair of a man is still gradually graying, it will somehow look scruffy; the only reasonable thing one is supposed to do is just to shave or to dye his beard. If your beard hair’s graying is below 20%, it would be nice if you dye it using the semi-permanent dye. Dying depends on the reason why one wants to dye his beard, for some men, it is just a matter of covering the gray hair, but to others it would be to match it with the color of the hair on their head or to match the natural color of their hair, now below is a breakdown of information about dying your beard.
Should I Dye My Beard
There is no problem if a man uses a beard; after all, it’s healthy to maintain your beard so as to make it look awesome. There are various reasons why people dye their beards.
Reasons Why You Should Dye Your Beard
You want to be trendy
You can opt to dye your beard hair just because you want to try something unique, bold, and radical. You can use various colors from purple, pink, green, to blue this is an awesome trend.
Try a new look
You can do it just because you want to try a new look, dye your beard and at least get a new hairstyle. Apart from that try new clothes as well.
So as to look a bit older
When you have a great beard, people tend to assume that you are older and mature, so if aging makes you happy, trying this won’t be bad after all.
For the job
Some employees prefer young to older people, so in such a situation, dying gray hair to black is a good idea when attending the job interview.
Pros of Dyeing a Beard
- Can regain a uniform color
- It boosts your self-confidence, and that is if you are not ready for gray hairs.
- Potential for a younger look
Cons of Dyeing a Beard
- Dye damages your beard
- It needs regular touch-ups
- The beard might not look natural
- Hard to find the correct color
It is important to make a wise decision when it comes to adding some color to your beard because there are pros and cons. It’s obvious that dyeing can damage your beard, and it’s also not cheap to maintain, so if you decide to go for it, take time to think about it.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t try; most men have done it before; the best part is its all good so long as you take good care of the beard. What matters most is maintenance.
How to Select the Correct Color for Your Beard
Dark hair
You need to go for a shade that is lighter than the original color of your beard. For example, if your beard’s dark brown in color, you need to choose a medium brown color for dying it, this will be dark and sufficient to help you cover the gray hair, and it will not tamper with the darker ones. But if you take a dye that is as dark as the darkest hair on your beard, then this will make you end up with a very fake looking.
Black hair
For those with hair that is just black in nature, it is advisable that you also choose the dark brown color because if you dye your hair with black, it will just look very artificial.
Blond hair
Blond people should choose their original color, if you are light blond then choose the dark blond color, if you find it hard to choose between the two shades, light and dark blond, opt for light blond, but if it is too light for you then you should use the darker one.
Perform a patch test
You should always carry out a patch test prior to undertaking the activity of coloring your hair; this is done by mixing small portions of the product that is responsible for coloring and depositing it in the inner elbow, with a waiting time of 15 minutes then after that you are allowed to rinse it off.
Applying Dye to the Beard or the Mustache
You have to first choose the best color of dye, as discussed earlier; the color should be lighter than the original color of your beard. This will enable you to achieve a natural look and reduce the chances of your dying job turning out too dark.
Buy the right dye, be it permanent or semi-permanent dye, it only depends on your test, whether you would want to take the dye off sometime or not, and if you can go an extra mile of buying a permanent dye which is more costly than the semi-permanent, it only depends on you.
Clean your beard to get rid of any tangles or oils to clear any build up that may distract the dying process.
Soften your beard by conditioning, and it is recommended that you rinse it with cold water after conditioning then remember to blot it with a towel.
You should test a small patch of your skin with the chemical to see if you have any reaction to it.
Apply the dye, while doing this, you should be on gloves and remember to protect the surrounding skin of the beard with petroleum jelly.
Let it sit for a period of 15 to 30 minutes then rinse the dye off your beard by using cold water to ensure the dye gets locked into your hair follicles.
How often should one Dye the Facial Hair?
Dyes that are semi-permanent tend to fade with time gradually, that is why your beard’s color only last for a period of two to three weeks before it can need another treatment, but if you are wise enough to use a beard coloring shampoo, then the lifespan of your beard color will be extended. If not then you will have to re-apply the dye after every two to three weeks. It is advisable that as soon as you start noticing the gray beard, you should give it another dye; you are not to wait for the two weeks to end because some gray hair shows up even before the end of two weeks.
How to Soften Beard Hair before Dying
The hair found in your beard is always wirier and also coarse compared to that found on your head. These characteristics, therefore, make your beard hair to be more resistant to the dying chemicals. This, therefore, calls for action to soften your beards by either conditioning, this should be done by applying conditioner to your beard and leaving it on for 5 to 10 minutes so that your hair can have the chance to be more pliable or by applying a lotion known as cream developer to the unwashed beard with a brush then leave it for10 minutes, after performing either of these procedures, you should then rinse your beard with cold water then dry it with a towel.
Selecting a Color
While choosing a color, it would be wise if you go for two color shades that are lighter than the original color of your beard. Permanent dyes are mostly intended for the head’s hair, which is why when one uses a permanent dye on facial hair; it turns out to be darker than when used on the hair of your head. To have a natural look, you will have to go for an ash tone look, and the plain color like dark or light brown, but if you have a reddish beard, you should give hazelnut brown a try, you should always avoid dying products that have a label called ‘high-lift’ because they can lighten your hair and this might just make your results to be more unpredictable.
Mixing the Product
Some beard dyes come with a tube of the base developer and another tube of the color developer, it helps to thicken your solution and also acts as filler. The two ingredients should be mixed in a tray that comes along with a beard dye. You should not use the bristle end of the brush to mix; this is because a bent bristle will make it harder for you apply the dye on your beard. Remember to only mix beard dye that is enough to cover it once.
Applying the Product
The product should be applied using a brush; this will help it work quickly from a strong to soft hair for the best natural effect. If you are not in a position to get the appropriate applicator brush, then a toothbrush is recommended. Do not leave the die on your beard for a period of 20 to 40 minutes because that is the time that is stipulated for the hair in your head, and you should only leave it for approximately 10 minutes, then you should thoroughly rinse it after it has achieved your desired color.
When Should You Reapply Permanent Dye
Read the instructions that always come together with the dye; the manufacturers are the ones who have enough knowledge on how often one should re-apply the dye.
When you notice a small gray hair on your beard, it would be wise for you to only apply some little dye on that gray hair, dying the entire beard should only be done when the gray hair has spread all over your beard.
You can also use mascara to touch up your beard’s re-growth, mascara is known to be kind to the skin, and it also looks very natural.
If you plan to change your dye color so often, then it is advisable to choose the semi-permanent dye.
When re-dying, it is important that you do not wait as long as you waited when you applied your first dye.
Signs one has Stop Dying His Beard
Your hair becomes dry and brittle
Natural hair dyes cannot damage one’s hair, but when you expose the beard hair to the activity of lightening it, and then this will most definitely damage your hair. Everyone’s hair does have a coating known as the cuticle, cuticles of a healthy hair look like shingles, but cuticles of a damaged hair always peel back. Hair bleaching destroys those cuticles, and this result to the dryness and brittle or rather frizzy. It is important to note that split ends, the flyways and varying lengths of hair are some of the sure indications of hair damage.
The gray hair returns after two weeks of dying
It will be necessary for you to stop coloring your hair if you find that it has become difficult for you to keep up with your hair’s graying. If you find yourself in a position where you are required to visit the salon every week to dye your hair then that is worth stopping, maybe this is the time just to let the graying grow in, so that you get to enjoy your retirement period with your friends and relatives instead of booking every four days a month to the salon.
You notice that your scalp itches a lot and more irritated
It does not matter how long you have been dying your hair; if you notice some unexplained oozing from the skin, itchiness or soreness then it is time to stop dying your hair, this just means that your skin is sensitive to the dye. Why waste your money just to destroy yourself, it is important that you first care about your health before beauty.
You have increasingly dyed your hair lighter
If the beard hair has changed from its original color to some light color that does not even match to the original color of your beard, and you notice that the color is very different from the one that is growing in, just consider this as the perfect time for you stop dying.
The idea of dying your beard is absolutely your decision, but you do not want to do this the wrong way, you want to follow the right procedures and get the right products to get it right with your beard hair, like a man, your beard can be the most outstanding personal expression, this is why it is the best idea to care good care of it. As you have seen in this write-up, there are a lot of important things that you should know when it comes to beard coloring. From ensuring that you prepare in advance to select the appropriate color and properly applying the coloring product, now that you have known the products and color that can make you get that result after dying it is time to get them and get the job done.
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