Tips to Maintain your Dyed Beard

Grooming is essential to keep any beard looking healthy, but it becomes even more important when you use a beard dye. From washing to moisturizing to avoiding harsh chemicals, there’s a lot to consider when it comes to maintaining a dyed beard and making sure your color lasts as long as possible. 

A semi-permanent beard dye can last up to five weeks. However, that depends on how well you care for your facial hair.

In this article, we’ll cover eight tips from celebrity hairstylist and Cleverman’s Senior Colorist Jorge Buccio to achieve longer-lasting beard color—and keep your hair healthy along the way.

1. Choose a High-Quality Beard Dye

You can’t compensate for a low-quality beard dye, no matter how regimented your grooming habits are.

Cleverman’s beard dye formula is free from ammonia and enriched with organic argan, baobab, and walnut oils. Translation: you can get rid of gray and get rid of nasty chemicals that nuke your hair and skin.

2. Avoid Harsh Shampoos

Harsh shampoos with sulfates and parabens strip away your beard’s natural oils and can fade your dye faster, so don’t use that giant bottle of 3-in-1 shampoo, body wash, and conditioner.

Instead, opt for a mild shampoo or beard wash specifically formulated for colored hair.

3. Wash Your Beard with Lukewarm or Cool Water

Steamy showers might feel good for your body, but the high temps aren’t ideal for your facial hair. Hot water can cause beard dye to fade, not to mention it strips away your beard’s natural oils and dries out your skin.

Feel free to wash your body with hot water, but avoid making contact with your face. When you go to wash your beard, keep the water cool, or at least lukewarm.

4. Limit Beard Washing to 2-3 Days Per Week

Washing your beard too often can dry it out and fade the dye prematurely. Aim to wash your beard every two or three days. If your beard feels extra dirty, try rinsing it out with a beard conditioner instead of a shampoo.

5. Moisturize Your Beard

A well-moisturized beard tends to retain color longer than a dry one. The easiest way to hydrate your facial hair is with a beard oil, balm, or conditioner.

Most men should moisturize their beards daily, but you might need to adjust the frequency if you have dry or oily skin.

6. Minimize Sun Exposure

Beard dye can fade faster than normal if you spend a lot of time under the sun. That’s because UV rays break down the ingredients that bond the dye to your hair. Even natural hair gets lighter from sunlight.

To protect your dyed beard from the sun, use a beard oil with SPF protection. Alternatively, you can wear a hat to shade your beard.

7. Avoid Chlorine and Saltwater

If you dye your beard, wait at least five days before you go swimming in chlorinated water or saltwater. Both of these types of water are notorious for causing dye to fade.

If you’re planning to spend a lot of time at the pool or ocean, try to limit the amount of water exposure to your beard.  

You can also apply a pre-swim conditioner to reduce the absorption of chlorine or saltwater into your beard.

8. Touch Up Your Roots

As your beard grows, your natural hair color will begin to show at the roots. You don’t have to re-dye your whole beard—just touch up the roots with your beard dye applicator to minimize the contrast.

Luckily, beard hair tends to grow slower than the hair on your scalp, so you’ll only need to touch up your roots a couple of times per month.

Get the Most Customized Beard Dye for Men

Natural-looking, long-lasting beard color starts with a dye that’s designed specifically for you—not generic supermarket shoppers. That’s why every Cleverman beard dye kit starts with a quick quiz to understand your hair texture and color.

With 10,000+ possible combinations, our PerfectMatch technology delivers the most customized beard dye you can get.