Can I Use Hair Dye On My Beard? Common Errors!

If you have a salt and pepper kind of beard and have been wanting to color it for a while, then it is fair that you wonder what dye to use on your beard.

Most people get confused that whether hair dyes are safe to be used on beards or not and what type of hair dyes are suitable.

As a matter of fact, you can use hair dyes for the beard but it is important to check the ingredient list first that whether it has safe ingredients or not because you will be using it on your face.

However, hair dyes meant for the beard are safe to use on your face and will not cause any negative effects.

There is a huge variety of colors present in the market that you can choose from. There is no harm in using it as long as you do a patch test first before going into a full-fledged beard dye.

Want to know more about it? Keep reading because we are here to answer all your concerns about hair dyes for the beard.

Difference Between Hair And Beard Dyes

Yes, hair dye and beard dye are two different things as the former is formulated specifically for scalp hair, and the latter is made to cater to facial hair.

But, if we talk about the ingredients of both the dyes, we won’t be seeing a lot of difference which makes us wonder if you can use hair dye for a beard.

The coloring agents in both types of dyes are pretty much the same and the only difference between them could be that hair dyes have more potent chemicals than beard dyes.

Their packaging also is slightly different and hair dyes usually come with a bigger applicator brush while beard dyes need small brushes for better detailing.

The similarity of ingredients between hair and beard dyes shows us that hair dyes could be easily used for the beard.

But, the problem arises when some of the hair dyes use ingredients that are not meant to be applied on the face for longer.

Some hair dyes also have ammonia but make sure that the dye you are applying to your beard does not have ammonia in it because it is not great for your skin.

So, hair and beard dyes are similar as well as different to some extent mainly based on their ingredients and their application process.

Risks Involved In Using Hair Dyes For Beard

We all know that hair dyes are specifically made for the hair of our scalp and they are in no way supposed to be used on our face.

Although hair dye is formulated for the scalp and not the beard, some people still wonder why they should not be using hair dye on their beards.

The reason for this is that hair dye contains chemicals that are not meant to be applied to the face for a long period of time.

These chemicals can cause irritation, redness, and even burning sensations on the skin.

In extreme cases, hair dye can also lead to chemical burns on the face. I do not recommend using hair dye on your beard!

So, it is best to avoid using hair dye on your beard and instead opt for a dye that is specifically meant for facial hair.

Chemical Burn

Acne on Your Skin

People who already have acne-prone skin should most certainly avoid using a hair dye to color their beards.

It is mainly because acne-prone skin is more exposed to the damage and the chemicals can trigger your acne badly.

You can also end up getting a lot of pimples and that is why it is not recommended to use hair dye on acne-prone skin.

Moreover, if you leave the hair dye on such skin for too long, you would feel extreme tingling and itching.

Putting the health of your skin at stake is not really an intelligent choice and you should not do it just because you want to save a couple of bucks.

Also, if you had acne in past, you still need to avoid using hair dyes because they might have ingredients that can revive your acne and no one really wants that.

Allergies and Sensitive Skin

Allergy is yet another very important risk that comes with hair dyes because those who have sensitive skin might get an extreme allergic reaction to the hair dye.

When we apply hair dyes to our scalp, it is quite a different thing but applying them to our face exposes our sensitive skin to the chemicals in these dyes.

You certainly would never want to go through the hassle of taking anti-allergic medicines for several weeks so, avoid using hair dyes for your beard.

These allergic reactions are a big deal mainly because they can cause very prominent red patches in the skin.

You can also experience itching and tingling on your face and if you feel it, wash the hair dye off right away.

The most you could do for your beard is to choose a beard and hair dye that is natural and does not contain ingredients like ammonia and parabens because they can cause allergic reactions.

Hair Fall-out

We don’t like to break it to you but your beard hair can literally fall out if you are not using a gentle hair dye.

We often ignore the fact that our beard hair is also prone to damage and we often expose them to different exfoliants and washes that are filled with chemicals.

In the same way, hair dyes can also contain certain chemicals that can cause hair fall like ammonia and a lot of hair dyes contain ammonia to this date.

Though your beard hair falling out is a very rare risk but it certainly is a risk. A common risk of using hair dyes on your beard is that your beard hair would become weak and damaged.

Such weak hair would eventually fall out if not immediately so hair dyes affect your beard hair one way or another.

The case with beard dyes is that they are formulated to be applied on your beard so they contain some gentle ingredients and some other beneficial chemicals that tone down the harm.

We would highly suggest you go for beard dyes if you really want to dye your hair because the price range does not have much difference and beard dyes are not that dangerous too.

Things You Need To Do Before Going For Hair Dye

If you still decide to pick hair dye over beard dye, then there are a few things that you need to keep in mind to save your beard.

These are very minor things and might not mean a lot to you but in the long run, they are very important and can highly affect your beard. So, let’s get right into it.

Be Sure to Read The Ingredientslist

It is the most important thing you need to do if you have decided to pick a hair dye for your beard mainly because ingredients say a lot about the product and about how it is going to react.

You can read the ingredient list and tell whether the hair dye would be suitable for your skin or cause an allergic reaction.

If you are allergic to any particular chemical, you can just read the ingredient list and avoid the hair dye that has this particular chemical.

Moreover, you can also figure out which hair dye uses harmful chemicals with the help of an ingredient list.

Now, not a lot of people know how to read ingredients and that is a real problem when you are reading labels.

So, simply do some research on ingredients you need to avoid in hair and beard dyes, note them down in your phone and look for them in the label.

If you don’t find any of the harmful ingredients, you are good to go because it means the hair dye is gentle and is probably not going to pose any noticeable harm to your beard.

Go For Organic Options

As we have already said that organic is a lot better than chemicals so it is better than the hair dye you are going for is organic.

The thing with organic hair dyes is that if they don’t do any benefit, they don’t harm either unlike a lot of chemicals.

You can find tons of organic hair dyes online or in the market and even though they could be slightly expensive, you will see that they are worth it.

Moreover, with organic ingredients, you don’t have to worry about chemical burns because organic hair dyes are pretty gentle.

Although organic hair dyes can still cause allergic reactions if you are allergic to any ingredient of the dye so make sure to read the ingredient list no matter what.

Despite the fact that there are some pretty gentle chemical hair dyes available out there, we prefer organic just to be on the safe side.

Find A Reliable Brand

Finding a reliable hair dye brand is also very important because you cannot just apply dye from a random brand on your face.

Take a look at my recommended list below, and also make sure to read the reviews of different brands and filter out the most reliable brands of hair dyes you can find online.

This is why you can be sure that the ingredients in their hair dye are gentle and will not harm your beard. So, if you are looking for a high-quality, reliable, and gentle hair dye, then go for a high-end brand.

So, we always prefer big names when it comes to using hair dyes and there are some brands that are on top of the hair dye industry and you can count on them for dyeing your beard.

Though such high-end brands are also often expensive but you would not have to worry about chemical burns and reactions with such brands.

Just make sure that the hair dyes they make are gentle and do not contain any potent ingredients so again, it all comes down to reading the ingredient list.

How To Dye Your Beard Naturally?

So, we have brought yet another very easy and safe way to dye your beard and you would not have to buy beard or hair dye for it.

The solution to your hair dyeing problem is henna. First of all, it is easily found in grocery stores and it is a lot cheaper than any of the dyes you will find online or in the market.

Henna is a natural ingredient so it is also safe to use on your beard unless you are allergic to it so do a patch test first and see if it itches or burns which is very unlikely with henna.

This natural dye gives you a very reddish-brown type of color and if you need a stronger and darker shade, you can leave it on a little longer.

The application of henna is also very easy and you just need to mix the henna powder in water and make a paste-like mixture.

Then carefully apply the mixture to your beard with a defined brush because you need to take care of the details when tinting the beard.

Henna is most likely to tint your skin because it is meant to do so. So, you can cover your surrounding skin up with some Vaseline or just need to be very careful while applying.

The henna can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours to work depending upon the nature, and brand of henna.

But make sure that you have bought the organic henna because you can also find henna filled with food coloring just for the tint so, you need to get it from a very reliable source.

Conclusion

Finally, hair dyes are not made to be applied to your beard and they should not be applied until and unless you are completely sure that they are safe for your beard and face.

It is better if you just buy a beard dye because they are a little gentle and specifically made for beard so, definitely a better option.

If you still want to use a regular hair dye on your beard for whatever reason, make sure that the ingredients it contains are not harsh and apply henna instead.

It’s better to be safe than sorry and never try new things on your face or skin without doing proper research on them first.