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How to dye your beard using natural hair dyes  13.06.2018 16:18

Dying Beard with Herbs

Henna have been used for dying beards and facial hair for as long as it has been used for dying hair. Persian men used to use henna or in combination with indigo to make their beard shiny and soft as henna strengthen facial hair and makes them more manageable. The earliest mentions of henna date as early as 1000 BC.

Does Henna give only copper shades?

For people who do not know about cassia and indigo, henna is associated with coppery and red colour. And it is fair: if henna is used on its own it will give copper or red shades. However if henna is mixed with cassia it give considerably lighter tones such as strawberry blond. If you are after cooler shades such as dark blond, brown or black it has to be used in combination with Indigo powder. If you mix the 3 powders in different proportions and vary processing time you can get infinite number of colours. 

Why not use commercial dyes?

Commercial dyes marketed for men do not differ greatly from those marketed for ladies. Many of them contain Para - Phenylenediamine. Using PPD can cause blisters, burns and difficulties with breathing. While dying a beard or facial hair the use of the dye takes place very near to the nose and mouth or the person which makes chemical dyes even more dangerous. The symptoms may get worse and hospitalisation may be required in some cases. 

While men dye their hair less frequently than women they are also less likely to discuss any allergic reactions cause by hair colour. Unaware of what may be the cause of the symptoms they might continue to use product containing PPD which may subsequently result in death. 

Some brands do not inform customers that their product does contain PPD. There are a few court cases launched in that respect in the US.

Benefits of herbal dyes

Commercial dyes contain a cocktail of synthetic colorants, PPD, ammonia, metallic salts that can damage and dry the hair and the scalp. Henna is more straightforward. The active dying ingredient содержат коктейль синтетических красителей и колоритов, PPD, аммоний, соли металлов, и другие химикаты, которые могут повредить и иссушить волосы и кожу. Henna is more straightforward. Active dying component is LAWSONE, it binds and fills up the outer keratin layer of the hair. These molecules strengthen the hair and protect it from mechanical and UV damage. 

Is it completely safe to use herbal dyes?

Allergic reactions to henna are very rare. A small percentage of people can experience hay fever. Only people with inborn Glucose-6-Phosphate - dehydrogenase deficiency are allergic to henna.

How much herbal powder will I need for my beard?

For medium beard you will need 30-50 g of herbal powder, you will need it in order to mix with very warm water to create a paste. For a long beard you will need up to 100 g and for a short stable 10-20 g.

You need to make your paste thick otherwise it will drip and if you have moustache, it will drip into your mouth.

 You have to bear in mind that you will keep the mixture on your face for about 3 hours. If you dislike the smell of henna, please add a few pinches of cardamon powder to neutralise the smell. Vanilla in its turn will neutralise the smell of indigo powder.

Follow our blog and you will learn how to prepare you beard for natural dye application and how to process the dye if you would like a personal skype consultation as for how to prepare the herbal mixture correctly to achieve a desired shade feel free to get in touch!