While I love the look of a greying beard (it makes me look wiser and more distinguished), some men despise grey hair in their beards because they believe it makes them look too old.
If you’re one of these men, you’re not alone. Aging, while a part of life, can be difficult to face, especially when it’s on your face.
With this in mind, many men color their beards with hair or beard dye.
This article will discuss how to color a beard and what colors you should choose to give your beard the most naturally youthful appearance.
Choosing Your Beard Color
You must pick a color since you have committed to coloring your beard. Usually, you will want a color that matches the hair on your head unless you are bald.
If you want red dye while your hair is brown, go right ahead. Beard hair takes a longer process to dye because it is rougher, coarser, and drier.
Many men find the best option to be a shade lighter than intended and apply it twice. Professional stylists have said to choose a couple of shades of lighter colors.
If you go light, you might not dye your beard dark enough, and then you might have to start the whole thing over.
You could also use darker dye, which takes less time and holds better if trying to eliminate gray hair.
You must be careful with black hair dye, especially in winter, as it could be too obvious and make you look paler.
A darker beard is easy to maintain and should last longer. However, it should not be too dark so that people will notice immediately.
A beard that is a little bit lighter than your natural color is less jarring.
How to Color a Beard: Step-by-Step Guide
Coloring a beard can be challenging, but the more you do it, the better you will get at it. Here are 9 easy steps to help you get started:
1. Prepping to Color Your Beard
First off, you need the materials:
- Dye for beard (get oxidant if needed)
- Rubber gloves
- Applicator: it could come with the dye, or you could use something like a toothbrush or small comb
- Paper towels
- Vaseline (used to protect the skin; can also use mineral oil)
- Tint remover if needed
2. Test Your Beard’s Sensitivity
You must mix up some dye, put it on your body, like behind your ear, and leave it there for 24 hours.
After 24 hours, wash the area off and check for inflammation or redness. If there is any, you must use a different dye.
3. Decide if You Want to Wash Your Beard or Not
There are different thoughts when it comes to this topic:
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Some think washing it beforehand is good because it removes dead skin cells and helps your hair follicles. They also said that a clean beard can help keep the dye in.
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Other people think that you shouldn’t wash it because washing removes the natural oils that hold the dye in. But you can always apply beard oil.
One thing you could do beforehand is trim and groom your beard to fit your desired style.
You should always use quality trimmers and scissors.
4. Protect Your Skin
Make sure to put on a layer of Vaseline or mineral oil to stop the dye from getting onto your skin.
You should also wear gloves to prevent your hands from getting irritated or stained. Rubber gloves are the best gloves to use because they give dexterity and sensation to the fingertips.
This will give you more control when you’re putting the dye on. The dye will stain clothes, so you should wear a shirt and pants you don’t care about.
5. Mixing Your Beard Dye
Many applications are made with a base color tube and then a color developer tube. The developer makes the solution thicker and acts as a filler.
You will mix both on a tray without using the bristle end of your brush.
Using that end, you could bend the bristles, making it harder to apply the dye. Mix enough of the two products to cover the beard once.
Many dyes are good for several applications, but you don’t want to use too many, especially when doing it for the first time.
6. Apply Beard Dye With a Brush
Dip the brush into the dye and apply it to your beard up and down. You want to apply the dye deep into your beard to cover all of it.
You also want to be careful not to get the dye on your skin.
7. Color Test
Follow the instructions and then do a color test on a paper towel. If you don’t think it is dark enough, put more dye on and wait a few minutes.
The best thing to do is start lighters and gradually darken the color. It will fade after a few washes, so if the color is too dark at first, that is okay.
Reminder: Do not wait too long to test the color after you have put it on your beard. Your beard can take on even more color as time goes on.
8. Rinse With Cold/Lukewarm Water
Rinse your beard in cold or lukewarm water until the dye is gone.
You should dry the beard with towels after the water is clear. 
9. Wash With Color-Treated Shampoo
The best way to wash your beard after you have colored it is with color-treated shampoo.
Things to Keep in Mind
You can always talk with your local hair salon for tips. They will have a lot of advice on colors, types of dyes, and more.
They can also show you the best way to apply the dye. Once you dye your beard, people will notice, so prepare for the comments.
If your beard looks natural, you will likely get positive comments, but negative comments are also possible. Coloring your beard is like growing one for the first time.
It takes a lot of commitment, and you might have to deal with things like beard itch or patchiness.
You can also start with a temporary dye to see what struggles you might have to face
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You should always follow the directions given to you.
It isn’t a complicated process, but there are a lot of things that could go wrong. You could get stains on your skin or clothes, and you could also have an allergic reaction.
And lastly, you need to color your beard at the right time.
If you have too much gray in your beard and then decide to color it, it will be much more noticeable to people you know.
You will have better results if you leave some of the grays so that they blend in with the new color.
