It might sound odd. Surely most men try to hide their greys and not flaunt it? On the contrary – many men choose to embrace their silver locks with full force. You’re about to learn everything you need to know about dyeing your beard grey.
The modern silver fox is a powerful creature. He wears his greys with confidence, with elegance, and with pride.
The key to that is making those greys look sharp and bright, as opposed to dull.
It isn’t rocket science, but there’s definitely a “proper” technique you’ll want to follow. That’s what you’re about to learn.
What you’ll need, how to do it, and exactly what type of men might want to try it.
Enough chat. Let’s get to it.
Which Grey Beard Dye Should You Choose?
Getting right to the point, unfortunately, you don’t have much choice. The available options for men who want to dye their beard grey are pretty slim.
This isn’t too surprising, because at the end of the day it’s no secret that most men want to dye their greys a different color. Each to their own, I guess.
But fear not, my friend. Your choices may be limited but there is one that will certainly do the trick.
It’s Mofajang’s Hair Color Wax (
For men looking for permanent and semi-permanent options, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can recommend.
The temporary nature of color wax does bring its benefits. For one, you don’t have to commit to anything – just try it out. If you don’t like it, you can wash it out straight away.
It’s also instantly effective. You won’t need to wait a couple of days for the effects to really set in. Whether you’re dyeing stubble or a full-on Garibaldi, the results will be obvious right from the word go.
If you’ve got a party you want to brighten those greys for, just slap some right before you go – it’ll be absolutely fine.
Plus, skin staining is really less of an issue. When it comes to dyeing, mistakes definitely happen. There’s a good chance you might accidentally smear a tad across your cheek due to the sheer excitement of it all.
When you’re dealing with color wax, there’s less panic. Just wipe it off.
Sure – it’s still possible to remove more permanent beard dye from the skin, but boy is it more of a pain.
In addition, there’s no preparation or mixing necessary with temporary color wax. The dye is ready right out of the box. It’s convenient and when it comes to men’s grooming, convenience is good.
It’s also effective. Whether you’re a grey-bearded man looking for a way to make his beard even greyer, or a man with an entirely different-colored beard, it’ll work.
I’ve written about everything from dyeing beards with coffee to dyeing beards with tea. Color wax is just easier – it’s ready right off the bat.
Essentially, if you’re happy with something a little more temporary, it’s the way to go. Read on to find out exactly how to use it.
How To Dye Your Beard Grey In 6 Steps
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Grey Hair Color Wax (Amazon Link). As you’d expect – pretty essential.
- Toothbrush for application. Not essential – you could simply use your fingers if you’d prefer. Skin staining won’t be an issue.
- Beard Comb. They’re great for distributing the dye through to the deepest parts of your beard.
- Wet Wipes for wiping away any cheek or neck staining as you go along.
- Old Clothes would be preferable. Let’s face it – although it washes off, you probably don’t want this stuff on your dress shirts.
1. Perform A Patch Test
Here’s a tip for any time you’re applying anything new to your hair, beard, or skin.
Perform a patch test first.
They’re crucial for ensuring you don’t have any sort of sensitivity or intolerance to whatever you’re applying. In this case, it’s the color wax.
It’s only important before the first time you use it.
Around 24 – 48 hours before you plan to use it, apply a small amount of the color wax to your elbow/knee or any other area that’s relatively hidden.
Assess the area 24 hours after you apply it. If there’s any surrounding redness or inflammation, don’t use it.
Try a different color wax instead – there are a few others available.
But if it’s absolutely fine, move onto the next step.
2. Wash Your Beard
It’s time – the day has finally arrived. Your excitement is about to come to its majestic and silvery climax.
Before you apply the dye (or color wax – whatever you want to call it), it’s definitely best to clean the beard.
Clean beards are much easier to groom – whether that means brushing, combing, oiling, or dyeing.
The results will be more impressive and the grey color wax will be able to distribute itself more easily when the beard hair isn’t greasy.
It’s usually recommended that you wash your beard with lukewarm water before you dye it. Try and avoid shampooing it for now – there’s a theory that natural sebum will help absorb the color better.
Shampooing it beforehand may just dry it out unnecessarily.
Either way, working some lukewarm water through it should do the trick.
Once you’re done, towel-dry it until it’s only slightly damp. At this point, you’re ready to apply the dye.
3. Apply The Color Wax
Click the image to check it out on
As I mentioned earlier, the color wax is ready to go. There’s no mixing necessary.
The main question is what you choose to apply it with.
The consistency of the wax is very much like a pomade. It’s very easy to simply apply with your fingers and a lot of men do prefer this option.
However, you may feel as though you’d rather not get it directly on your hands. If this is the case, maybe try a pair of latex gloves.
If this isn’t ideal either, try applying it with a toothbrush. Some men feel as though they’re able to distribute the wax a bit more evenly when they use a toothbrush.
If you aren’t sure, there’s no harm in trying out both methods and seeing which one you prefer.
Let’s assume you’re using your fingers.
Be sure to coat it across your beard as evenly as possible. Work it in using your fingertips.
Don’t forget the mustache and the areas under the lower jawline.
Assess your work from the sides as well as front-on. A handheld mirror may come in handy here.
Once you’re happy you’ve got it distributed as neat as you want it, it’s time to fine-tune.
4. Comb It Through
If you’ve got a beard comb, use it.
Beard combs are great for detangling, as well as styling. The benefits of beard combing are well-established.
Plus, it’ll really tidy up and enhance your grey-bearded efforts.
What it’ll do at this point is really help to distribute that grey color wax into the deepest corners of your beard.
Plus, any hairs that have clumped together or tangled in the previous step will be neatened up and separated as well.
It’ll help the beard look flatter, straighter, and more intentional.
Not everyone has a beard comb, but it’s certainly worth getting yourself one. It doesn’t need to be perfect but avoid anything synthetic/nylon. Go for a reasonably priced pearwood or sandalwood one.
They’re usually anti-static which means less frizz. Also, they won’t be too damaging to the beard hair itself.
In general, it’s best not to get any dye on your grooming tools for obvious reasons. When it comes to color wax that’s so easy to wash off, it should be absolutely fine.
5. Wipe Up Any Face Mess
At this point, most of the hard work is already done.
Now it’s just a case of cleaning up any mess.
You may find some grey color wax smeared across your cheeks or neck. Now’s the time to grab those wet wipes and clean things up.
Having the beard borders (neckline and cheek line) clearly and neatly defined without any color wax blurring them will make the overall aesthetic so much more impressive.
6. Allow It To Set
Here’s the most passive part. Simply allow it to set.
As with any pomade-like substance, it’ll be a little wet to start off with. But over the next hour or so you’ll find that it dries and sets.
Avoid touching it at this point, simply because you don’t want any staining or smearing. Also, you don’t want to undo the neatly-combed and evenly distributed work you’ve done.
Also, don’t forget to step back and admire your work, basking in a blaze of grey-bearded glory.
Nice work.
2 Reasons You May Want To Dye Your Beard Grey
You’re probably in one of the two following camps.
1. To Make Your Grey Beard Even Greyer
You may be a man that already has a grey or greying beard that simply wants to make that greyness more pronounced, prominent, and obvious.
A lot of men prefer a neat and uniformly grey beard instead of a salt and pepper look they’ve currently got going.
In addition, a lot of men don’t like the shade of grey they’ve already got for their beard and want something with a little more pizazz.
Using the dyeing technique I outlined above, this is definitely achievable.
2. To Make A Different-Colored Beard Grey
In contrast, you may be a man with a completely different-colored beard that just loves the look of a grey beard.
You may like the maturity and wisdom a grey beard can bring to an aesthetic. This is very reasonable and actually more common than you might think.
There are also plenty of men who have a greying scalp but a beard that’s managed to retain its original color a little longer.
This difference in color between head hair and beard hair can be a little jarring. Because of this, these men might want to dye their beard grey to match their scalp.
Yes, instead of the other way round.
It can be a little bit trickier because dyeing a red beard grey, for instance, is certainly going to be harder than dyeing a grey beard even greyer.
But either way, it’s definitely possible using the technique I gave you earlier.
Additional Grey-Bearded Grooming Tips
Here are a few more tips to really help you take things to new and silvery heights:
- Experiment with beard styles. You may be quite surprised by how certain styles you wouldn’t have previously considered look phenomenal with a freshly-dyed grey beard.
- Brush daily. Use a boar bristle beard brush once you’ve got around 3-4 weeks of growth. It’ll distribute natural sebum oil and train the beard to grow it the way you want. Any dyeing you choose to do will look so much more impressive because of it. The benefits of beard brushing are astonishing.
- Avoid beard oil before you dye it. Don’t get me wrong – beard oil is fantastic. But when you’re applying it before the color wax you may find that it’s all a little overbearing when mixed together. Plus, you may find the end result a little greasier or heavier than you’d like it.
- Experiment with color. The beauty of color wax is that there are plenty of other colors to choose from and you don’t have to commit to a single one of them. Sure, grey is phenomenal. But there’s no harm in experimenting – have fun with it.
Conclusion
There you have it.
Exactly how to dye your beard grey and exactly why you should really consider doing it.
As I mentioned – it isn’t rocket science.
But using this technique will definitely serve you well. There’s nothing like having a step-by-step routine you can rely upon for excellent results each and every time.
Thanks for sticking around until the end. Enjoy.
Ready Sleek founder. Obsessed with casual style and the minimalist approach to building a highly functional wardrobe. Also a fan of classic, vintage hairstyles.
