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How to dye your beard at home in 3 simple steps

Follow these tips and tricks to dye your beard

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Want to hide the grey in your beard, or just get funky with the color? That's where beard dye comes in! Dying your beard is a lot easier to do yourself than you might think. The bulk of beard dying is in the first application, and then the maintenance of it can be incorporated into your everyday grooming ritual. Check out these simple steps to help you master your dyed beard.

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How to Dye your Beard in 4 Simple Steps

You've taken the time necessary to cultivate the best beard for your face and personality. Why would you stop there? If you have more gray hair than you prefer to have at this point in your life, then adding a bit of beard dye will help give you that fresh look.

Step 1: Choosing your Beard Dye Color

Unless you are going all in and changing the color of your beard, you need to go with a color that matches your natural color. Make sure to choose a color that matches your existing hair and complements your skin. You’ll want to start a little lighter than your own color because hair has a tendency to really soak up the dye and become darker than advertised. (There’s a bit of trial and error in all of this, so don’t worry if you don’t get it right the first time).

Step 2: Do Some Beard Prep

It’s incredibly important to cleanse and soften your skin before applying dye to your beard. Just like an artist on canvas, you’ll want as clean and clear a surface as possible before starting the coloring process. (You can scope a few of our favorites here).

If you have the time, try out your preferred dye on a small portion of your beard a few days before. You can gauge the color and see if you have any unwanted skin reactions.

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Step 3: Apply the Beard Dye

Prep the skin surrounding your beard with a thin layer of petroleum jelly to prevent the color from staining your skin. Then, apply the dye with a small brush (typically supplied in most kits) and let it sit according to the instructions on the package. Once the color is to your liking, rinse your beard a couple of times.

Touch-up & Maintenance

You have a couple of touch-up options: There are kits available or you can use a small amount of the original product (just don’t overdo it).

If and when you’re ready to remove the dye, a few washes with clarifying shampoo should remove any color (you can also just wash once for a faded look if the color is too dark).

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use hair dye on your beard?

Using hair dye on your beard is unadvisable, since it may contain chemicals that aren't ideal for facial skin. Also, hair dye tends to take longer to set and take effect, so you'll have to wait longer for results. You'll get far faster, more even, and safer results by using a dedicated beard dye. Typically these products only need to be left in for around 5 minutes.

How long does beard dye last?

Beard dye typically lasts between 4 to 6 weeks. However, beard dye can start losing its vibrance, and start fading, in as little as 2 weeks. Depending on how you prefer your color (faded or full-on), you'll probably want to start thinking about reapplying the product around 4 weeks.

How can I color my beard at home?

Coloring (a.k.a. dying) your beard at home is easy. Just follow these simple steps:

  1. Choose a Beard Dye Color: Make sure to choose a color that matches your existing hair and complements your skin. You’ll want to start a little lighter than your own color because hair has a tendency to really soak up the dye and become darker than advertised.
  2. Prepare your beard: Make sure to cleanse and soften your skin before applying dye to your beard. Next, apply a layer of petroleum jelly to prevent the dye from staining your facial skin. Also, it's a good idea to try out your selected dye on a small part of your beard before going all-in with it, lest you end up not liking the color or have any adverse skin reactions.
  3. Apply the dye to your beard using the small brush that typically comes with the dye kit. Next, let the dye set according to the instructions that came with your kit. Typically that's about 5 minutes. Lastly, once you're feeling good about the color, you can wash the dye out. We recommend a couples of washes.

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Benjamin Buckingham
Benjamin Buckingham
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ben lives in Portland, Oregon where he works as a freelance writer and outdoor guide.
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