Just because you’ve decided to dye your beard doesn’t mean you should run out and grab any old box of hair dye. The cardinal rule of home beard dyeing is to always use dye that is specifically designed for your beard. There are a few reasons for this. First, the skin on your face is more sensitive than the skin on your scalp. Box dyes that are formulated for your head could be too harsh and irritate the facial skin underneath your whiskers. Second, box dyes for your head are very opaque in order to better cover a larger area. Beard dyes, on the other hand, are thinner and semi-permanent, which means they can camouflage greys without turning your beard one uniform color (which ends up looking fake). But facial hair also tends to be more coarse than the hair on your head, which is why beard dyes are powerful enough to penetrate that hair, but completely wreck it.
The good news is that home beard dyes are generally designed to be easy to use. Some come pre-mixed, while others require you to mix yourself (and some, for the commitment-phobic, are temporary). Whichever you choose, the most important thing you can do is follow the directions exactly. Leave it on for the amount of time the package says and no more (most beard dyes are meant to be “buildable,” which means you can always add more if you want more color). And if you get dye on your skin, remove it with rubbing alcohol followed by soap and water—but wait until after you’ve washed out the dye, of course. And if you’re still nervous about taking matters into your own hands, you can always make an appointment with a professional colorist to get their advice.
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