How To Dye Your Beard White Like A Complete Pro

So, why would a man want to dye his beard white? Well, there are more reasons than you might initially have thought of. 

Sure, Christmas is up there. I’m sure you’ll agree; it’s hard to think of a more noble pursuit than going full white as Santa. But this isn’t the only reason. 

As a man gets older and he notices those whites and grays starting to commandeer his beard, he starts to think alternatively. Why not just go with it? Own that whiteness. Embrace it unashamedly and dye it completely, evenly, and to the max.

But I’m not here to analyze the mind of a man looking to do this – that would be boring. I’m here to show you how to do it and do it well. Trust me – I’m with you every step of the way. 

I’ll be talking you through how to do it temporarily using coloring products first. This is great for Christmas and costumes.

Then I’ll tell you about some other ways you can whiten your beard on a more day-to-day basis, to gently brighten your white beard or touch-up stains. 

By the way, if you’re looking for a fantastic Santa outfit to go with your white beard this Christmas, check this one out on Amazon.

Without further ado, let’s get to work. 

How To Temporarily Dye A Beard White

Remember, we’re talking about temporarily coloring the beard. That means the color will simply coat the hair fibers.

Permanent and semi-permanent beard dyes use oxidizing reactions to infuse dye onto the hair fiber, making them longer-lasting but harder to remove. 

That isn’t what we want. We want a quick, painless way of coloring your beard white and being able to wash it off just as easily. It’s great for Christmas and costumes. 

What You’ll Need

• Mehron Makeup (Amazon Link) or White Color Wax (Amazon Link) – They’re temporary, quick to apply, and easy to wash off. The only essential product for this tutorial. Note – I do prefer the first one. 
• Those Magic Fingers Of Yours – OK this is also essential. 
• Beard Shampoo (Amazon Link) – You’ll want this to wash the stuff off. You could use hair shampoo but I would never advise using it on your beard.
• Cotton balls or face wipes – dye staining the skin is a real problem. Not so much with these beautifully easy-to-remove dyes. But still, you’ll want something to clean up the edges with. 

1. Perform a patch test

The problem with applying new products onto your face or body is that there is a small chance you may be allergic to it. This would usually result in an unpleasant rash on your face.

So, the safest thing to do would be to apply a small amount of the Color Wax or Mehron makeup onto your elbow (or a different area that’s easy to hide). 

Leave it for 24 hours and review the area. If there is any rash or irritation there’s a good chance you’re allergic to it, so don’t use it. Try the other product instead. 

2. Rinse your beard with water only

There’s no need to wash the beard with shampoo at this point. I usually recommend that you don’t wash a beard before dyeing it because it removes natural sebum that could actually help to absorb the coloring. 

So, rinse your beard with lukewarm water whenever you’re ready to start the coloring process. 

Run your fingers through it to untangle as much tangled hair as you can. 

Then, towel-dry it until it is damp and not soaking wet. At this point, combing through would a beard comb would untangle the hairs even further.

My obsession with untangling beard hair at this point is to increase the number of hairs that will come into contact with the coloring. 

Buried, tangled, clumped up hair will escape the white dye and the effect won’t look as impressive. 

3. Apply the Mehron Makeup or White Hair Color Wax

It’s party time. 

Apply your product of choice onto your beard. Massage it into your beard using the tips of your fingers, run it through so you coat the entire hair fibers.

Ensure you cover the whole beard, including the mustache, to stop it from looking patchy. 

This alone may work, but if you comb the product through using a beard comb, you’ll be able to evenly distribute it a lot better. The whitening effect will look much more complete. 

If you want, you could use a toothbrush. I usually strongly advise against using a toothbrush to brush a beard, but this isn’t something you’ll do every day. It’s quite an effective way of distributing the product as well. 

You’ll be able to see the results instantly – that’s the beauty of it. If you don’t like it, you can wash it off. Easy. 

4. Consider the eyebrows and hair

I wanted to briefly mention that at this point you may want to consider whether to dye your eyebrows and hair white as well. 

A brilliant white beard can look pretty strange beneath dark hair and eyebrows. If you were doing this for a Santa getup you might want to color it all. Go all out, so to speak. 

Just a thought. 

5. Clean up the edges

Unfortunately, this stuff can get messy. It’s quite likely that you’ve got some white smears on your cheeks and neck. This is normal. 

It’s important, however, that your beard’s neckline and cheek line are clearly defined. The white smears that may be blurring these borders need to be cleaned up. Otherwise, it can look very obvious that you’ve dyed it. 

So, either using baby wipes or cotton balls soaked in water, simply wipe the mess off. The borders will look sharp, and your beard will look more natural. 

6. Enjoy it, and wash it off when you’re ready

Whatever you want to do this for, it doesn’t matter. Just enjoy it, because it’s fun. You may be dressing up as Santa Claus, or you’re doing something entirely different. 

Once you’re ready to get back to your natural look, it’s time to wash it off. 

As I said, the beauty of these products is how easy they are to remove. You may be able to get away with just rinsing it off with water. 

But to ensure you get the maximum amount of residue out of your beard, consider washing it out with beard shampoo. A nice, gentle, beard shampoo should do the trick. Again, try and avoid using hair shampoo on your beard. 

Other Great Temporary Beard Whitening Products

You may not want to go for the artificial coloring options. They can look, well, artificial. That’s often the desired effect. 

But what if you already had a pretty white beard and simply wanted to brighten it up or touch up any wine stains or coffee stains without having to wash it out? There are two main products I can recommend. 

1. Teeth Whitening Gel

Yes, the same product that’s used to make dull, stained teeth brighten up can be used on grey or white hair to give it some extra dazzle. 

Check this one out on Amazon.

It usually contains the famous bleaching agent Hydrogen Peroxide, a compound I’ll be mentioning several times in this article. 

Although present in small concentrations, when rubbed on a dull or stained white beard it can really do the trick. 

2. Alberto VO5 Conditioning Gel For White Hair

Another great touching-up product. If you’ve got grey, white, or silver hair and looking to add some extra shine and sheen, applying this product can be surprisingly effective. 

If you’re interested, take a look at this one on Amazon.

Much like tooth whitening gel, it isn’t suitable for use all over the beard. It’s simply used for parts of the beard that look dull, lifeless, or stained. 

Brighten it up. Plus, the gel also relaxes frizz and smoothes out flyaway beard hair. 

Dyeing Your Beard White For Christmas – Santa Claus Tips 

• Brush it well beforehand. Running a boar bristle beard brush through can make it look fuller, straighter, and flatter. Santa’s beard should look full but neat. 
• Try stylized curls. An affordable curling iron may become your new favorite toy. Adding curls to your beard can make your Santa impression a lot more realistic. 
• If you aren’t coloring your hair and eyebrows as well, try and get a particularly large Santa hat to hide as much of it as you can. A mismatch between your beard and the hair above it can ruin the look.

Frequently Asked Questions

What About Bleaching A Beard White More Permanently?

This is less commonly done. It’s also relatively harder to do than simply coloring it white temporarily. 

Using stronger concentrations to bleach a beard on a longer-term basis usually produces a soft yellow or blonde color.

It often fails to give you that brilliant white finish you may be dreaming of. 

Bleaching your beard regularly can also be very irritating to the skin. The scalp is tougher than facial skin, and so can tolerate (to a reasonable extent) being subjected to bleach now and again. 

But the facial skin is sensitive. I’d be very careful about applying bleach regularly, if at all, on my beard. 

Can Simply Coloring A Beard Damage It?

All products carry a level of risk. That’s the case whether it’s beard dye, coloring wax, beard oil, beard balm, and so on. 

Yes, there’s a chance you could be allergic to it. So do a patch test first. 

But over time, being subjected to chemicals can damage the integrity of the beard hair itself. This is especially the case with semi-permanent and permanent beard dyes, mainly due to the ammonia and oxidization reactions. 

But coloring agents are relatively safe. They’re easy to apply and easy to wash off. Take Mehron Makeup for white hair, for example.

Although it’s temporary and may take a couple of attempts to get the desired effect, it prides itself on being made from non-toxic ingredients. 

This is important, as it not only protects the hair fibers, but also the underlying skin. It can be easy to get carried away with the huge number of beard grooming products available on the market today.

It’s important to remember that no product can really replace the natural sebum of your skin. 

Make the most of these products, enjoy them, but use them in moderation and after doing some research. 

Can You Do It DIY?

You could create a DIY baking soda paste that would whiten dulled or stained areas of a white, silver, or grey beard. 

It would be similar to the teeth whitening gel or the conditioning gel I mentioned above. They aren’t long term solutions and shouldn’t be used to color the entire beard. They’re just for touch-ups. 

Only this one, you can make yourself, which I’m sure you’ll agree is more fun. 

I got the idea from one of George Bruno’s Youtube videos (source). Here’s the general outline: 

• Fill whatever product container you’ll eventually want to fill with your DIY product, with baking soda. This could be an empty pomade tub or just a random container. 
• Then, pour out this amount of baking soda into a mixing bowl. This is where the paste will be made. 
• Pour enough hydrogen peroxide into the bowl to make the mixture loose and wet. 
• Then, add in 20 drops of Rosemary Essential Oil. 
• Mix it well. It should form a semi-liquid paste. 
• Let it set overnight. It should eventually resemble a consistency like that of toothpaste. 

Once it’s ready, use it to lighten, brighten, or white those little tufts that need livening up, and those stains that need fading.

It does work, but just requires more of a time commitment than the ready-made ones I mentioned earlier on. 

Conclusion

You’ve officially learned everything you could want to know about dyeing or coloring your beard white. 

If you’re preparing for Christmas, you’re about to own the festive season like the silver-bearded warrior you are. Color it, and color it with zest. If you’re going to all the effort, you might as well go all out. 

If you’re not dressing up as Santa Claus and just want to make a silver, grey or white beard brighter and better, try the products I mentioned in this video such as teeth whitening or conditioning gel. They work best on beards of this color and could become your secret sauce. 

Whatever you do, have fun with it.