Guys who have tried dying their hair and/or beard, would you reccomend it?

[MrsHaloFIRE]

Couple comments: consider what it will look like when it grows and you have silver roots. Consider what it will look like against undyed hair (silver eyebrows and her black hair? Please no. Vice versa? Please no. )

Roots are a b#tch.

 

[NW-Bound]

Dang, I must be developing dyslexia.

Glancing across the screen, I see the thread title "Guys who have tried dying their hair..."

and keep reading it as

"Guys who have died trying their hair..."

 

[Jenna]

Don't do it. It looks so fake on older men. It ages you a lot. Embrace your natural color men.

 

[stepford]

A friend of mine at work decided to color his hair as it grayed in his 50s. The result was a disaster. Instead of the return to brown he was looking for he ended up with a reddish tint that had a very 'Ziggy Stardust' look to it.

Personally, I've made my peace with going bald and now going slowly gray in my 60s. Invisibility is our super power - embrace it.

 

[Sunset]

I use Just For Men full color and recommend it. It lasts about 4-6 weeks and is about $8. Ever since Covid started, I no longer pay to get my haircut (dw does it). So I can easily justify the hair color cost. I do not think it looks fake.

+1
I used this as well and it looked very natural, nobody knew. I think the trick is to pick a color slightly lighter than your natural (if not black haired).

Since it really only colors the gray hairs it's not like the whole head changes color. Also leave a little bit on the temple to be gray..

No way this requires professionals, as it is basically just like shampooing your hair. Women often go for the total change of hair color, which involves stripping out the existing color and replacing it. That is a much bigger deal.

I had to do it for work.

Since retired, I'm white haired, and get offered discounts

 

[Amethyst]

I agree, but for different reasons.

On white men, dyeing the thinning strands, creates a strange contrast with their scalp. We expect to see white strands on a pink scalp; that's just what we're used to.

OTOH, I used to see a man at the gym who had very thick white hair. One day, he turned up with thick brown hair, and his eyebrows dyed too. The effect was amazing - he looked 10-15 years younger. I learned that he was with a local theater group, and had dyed his hair for a role. So I would say that dyeing the hair and eyebrows is something thick-haired men could reasonably consider, if they want.

What I think some men might consider, is some more-masculine version of the Shirley Temple perm that many older women get, which distributes thinning hair more equally over the scalp. But that would require going to a really good men's stylist, who'd probably charge a fortune.

don't do it, unless you are going to a pro, and even then...

Most women who color their hair in a way that you can't tell do a double process, a mix of base and highlights, that produces a more natural look (no one's hair is all one color all over). And most women wear their hair longer than men, so there's a growing out that also helps - the longer ends will change over time, and touch ups will focus on the roots vs. all over, lending again to that difference in each strand and getting closer to natural looking. Plus more women do it than men.

And...George Clooney. I mean if there was ever a case for embracing salt and pepper, imagine how stupid he'd look if he dyed it black ala ER.

It's unfortunately so easy to spot when a man has dyed his hair. If you are super tempted, get one of those washes out in a few shampoos types, and do it on a weekend, and ask the person you know won't mind telling you "nope, bad idea" to have a look. Then jump back in the shower and lather, rinse, repeat.

 

[Venturer]

When I was in my teens I used "Sun in" one year and it made my hair very blonde until it got warmer and I went swimming in the city pool, it turned green. Then early 20's I tried growing a mustache and beard. My hair then was not blonde but really light brown and didn't show up good. I used some hair color then and it turned reddish---oops I then just shaved it off, FF to 40's growing beard and 'stash- where is all this white stuff coming from? I tried the Just for men and it was too dark, DW said "Just let it go I love you as you are" so now I have a very salt & little pepper 'stash, and completely white goatee, salt & pepper hair that DW cuts every 2or 3 weeks with a number 2 guard all over and I'm happy. My 10 yr. old DGD still comes up to me and rubs my head and says Papa your hair stills tickles my hand, it feels so good, so what can I do!

 

[ElizabethT]

OP, As long as you go to a professional. Not out of a box from home, please, I implore you.

As a discerning female I have no issues with professionally colored hair. Oftentimes it’s a thing of beauty, male or female. But those ‘I did it myself’ jobs are painful to see. For whatever reason, likely reverse discrimination, they are worse on a man. And they can be spotted from a mile away. This is one of those cases where YMMV does not apply.

 

[Livefree]

I use a grey reducing shampoo a few times a week. It's made by Just for Men called Control GX you can control how much grey you want by how many times you use it.

 

[jim584672]

Whatever happened to Grecian Formula for men?

 

[aja8888]

The youth of today are OK with tons of tattoos and hair colors of green, blue, purple, red, yellow, etc. so different from when I was young.

Case in point:

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

The youth of today are OK with tons of tattoos and hair colors of green, blue, purple, red, yellow, etc. so different from when I was young.

Case in point:

View attachment 41903

That person's nickname should be "Tomato Head!" I actually had to google what the visible top of a tomato is called and learned it is the "sepal." My retiree education for the day.

 

[Aerides]

Case in point:
View attachment 41903

That's cosplay (and probably a wig). He's dressed as a character from an Anime.

But yes, didn't we all have our own crazy hair expressions when younger?

 

[Scuba]

DH used to use Grecian Formula and then could not longer find it. He let his hair go gray and it aged him 10+ years. He found a product called Youthair that works similarly to Grecian Formula and now looks younger again. It’s very different than dyeing hair. It just reduces the amount of gray gradually. Looks great and very natural!

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

That's cosplay (and probably a wig). He's dressed as a character from an Anime.

But yes, didn't we all have our own crazy hair expressions when younger?

Well, my "crazy hair expression when younger" was a brunette Farrah Fawcett.

 

[bmcgonig]

At a certain age you need to show some grey or it looks terribly fake. It’s like theres a dissonance between the hair color and the skin tone and texture. 60s for sure, possibly younger. When it looks fake it looks like the person is lacking something confidence wise.

Of course even worse are toupees that don’t quite match..

 

[jim584672]

DH used to use Grecian Formula and then could not longer find it. He let his hair go gray and it aged him 10+ years. He found a product called Youthair that works similarly to Grecian Formula and now looks younger again. It’s very different than dyeing hair. It just reduces the amount of gray gradually. Looks great and very natural!

Looked up the ingredients, lead acetate. Seems like that wouldn't be safe.

 

[qwerty3656]

I use a grey reducing shampoo a few times a week. It's made by Just for Men called Control GX you can control how much grey you want by how many times you use it.

This is the one I'm leaning toward - so you are happy with it? Do you notice roots coming out grey?

 

[Livefree]

This is the one I'm leaning toward - so you are happy with it? Do you notice roots coming out grey?

Yes it works well. I used to use Just for Men hair dye when I was working..too much trouble, and the results were dramatic. This is a gradual change, and is only a shampoo.


No roots but when I get a haircut the grey shows up a little more because I think the product is working on the longer hair that gets cut. After about a week it's back to not showing.

 

[Andre1969]

I used to dye my hair and beard, but I'll confess I was cheap about it. I bought women's hair dye because it was cheaper. And I'd use it in my hair, mustache/beard, and eyebrows to make it all look consistent.

My hair has always been a bit mis-matched, where on my head it was medium brown, but my mustache and beard would grow in black. Now that I'm getting older, my hair has lightened a bit, but still mostly brown. But my mustache and beard is actually turning white!

Anyway, I would buy a dark brown, but on me it looked black. I found the dye-job would usually look good on me for about a week and a half, but then the gray would start to show, as it grew out. I usually keep my hair shorter on the sides than on the top, so the sides is where it would show up, first.

I was lazy about it, so I'd usually let it go for about 3 weeks, and then re-dye. Eventually I got tired of doing it, and just let it grow out. People who knew me, and paid attention, knew it was fake, but it wasn't glaringly phony. It actually got a few compliments, and when I said it was a dye, people were surprised.

 

[Ian S]

I've colored my hair for years. You learn the little tricks that lessen the "obvious" look. The one look I don't like is what I get if I don't color: white hair but eyebrows with normal color. I don't know why my eyebrows have retained their color but they have. Some may like that look but I don't. FWIW, I have a full head of hair plus I use women's hair color and try to get close to the color of my eyebrows. Currently that requires a "dark ash blond" color. I tried Just For Men in the past and didn't care for it.

 

[SoReady]

Yes it works well. I used to use Just for Men hair dye when I was working..too much trouble, and the results were dramatic. This is a gradual change, and is only a shampoo.


No roots but when I get a haircut the grey shows up a little more because I think the product is working on the longer hair that gets cut. After about a week it's back to not showing.

This does sound interesting. Do you notice any staining on the shower grout or tiles?

 

[Livefree]

This does sound interesting. Do you notice any staining on the shower grout or tiles?

Yes there is a little staining..we have a fiberglass tub, and it wipes off.

 

[MichaelB]

Was this a Y2K thing?

Part Y2K, part a wager with our daughter regarding grades.

 

[REWahoo]

I did dye my hair green on New Year Eve ‘00. So did my brother and daughter. Mine lasted much longer than hers.

At work, among friends, and just out and about, I was surprised at all the questions and comments.

Not sure why you were surprised. Not many guys in their mid-40's opt for green hair.