How to Colour your Beard and Hair at Home: a Step by Step Guide
How to Colour your Beard and Hair at Home: a Step by Step Guide
Quick Beard & Hair Color
A gel colour in a dual chamber bottle with the comb built into the cap. Both parts come out together when you pump, so there is nothing to mix and no bowl to clean.
- 10 minutes
- Lasts 2 to 3 weeks
- Beard, moustache and head hair
- No ammonia
- Up to 10 uses per bottle
Every photo below uses this product. The method itself works the same way for most comb applicator gel colours. See the product
Start with a clean, completely dry beard. Comb the colour through in sections, starting at the chin and moustache. Leave it exactly ten minutes. Rinse until the water runs clear. Start to finish it takes about fifteen minutes, and it lasts two to three weeks.
What you need
Everything you need is provided in the box.
-
The colour bottle. A two-in-one gel colour with a comb built into the bottle means no bowl, no brush, and nothing to mix.
- The comb. A comb that comes with the bottle that makes it easier to apply to your hair and beard.
You do not need gloves or a mixing bowl
Older colours come in two bottles you have to mix in a bowl, which is where most of the mess comes from. A dual chamber bottle keeps the two parts separate until the moment you pump, so they mix on the comb instead of in your hands.
Before you start
Wash your beard a few hours before, not right before
The beard area produces a lot of natural oil, and oil sits between the colour and the hair. A clean beard takes colour much better. But it has to be completely dry when you apply, because water thins the gel and weakens the result. Washing in the morning and colouring in the evening works well.
Trim first if you are going to trim
Shape your beard before you colour, not after. If you trim afterwards you cut off coloured hair and expose uncoloured ends.
Do a patch test before your first ever use
Apply a small amount behind your ear, leave it 24 to 48 hours, and check for any redness or itching. You only need to do this the first time you use a new product. More detail on our ingredients and safety page.
The steps
Prime the bottle
Pump two or three times onto a tissue before you start. You are checking that both parts of the product are coming out together and that the gel looks even.
Why this matters: a dual chamber bottle can trap air in one side, especially when it is new or has been sitting unused. If only one part comes out, the colour will not develop at all. This single step prevents the most common cause of a failed application.
Pump the gel straight onto the comb
Two or three pumps is enough to start. You can always add more. A full application for a medium beard is roughly two thirds of a pump-bottle cap in total, and you will get a feel for it after the first go.
Why this matters: there is no bowl and no mixing step. The two parts combine on the comb as they come out, which is why the whole thing takes minutes instead of half an hour.
Start at the chin and moustache
Work these two areas first, then move outwards to the jaw, then the cheeks, then the neckline. Comb in the direction the hair grows.
Why this matters: the hair around your mouth and chin is usually the coarsest on your face, so it is the slowest to take colour. Doing it first gives it the longest contact time. This is why so many men end up with a lighter moustache, and it is a free fix.
Work it in properly, do not just paint the surface
Comb each section two or three times from different angles. Press the comb close enough to reach the root. On a longer beard, lift sections with your free hand and get underneath as well.
Why this matters: beard hair is thicker than the hair on your head and needs the colour all the way round each strand, not just on the front. Surface-only colour looks fine when wet and washes out fast. Most patchy results are really uneven application.
Doing your head hair too
Same product, same method. Comb it through the greying areas, usually the temples and the sides first, then anywhere else you want covered. Part the hair with the comb as you go so you reach the roots.
Why this matters: most colours are made either for beard or for scalp. One that does both means one product, one session, and a matching tone between your beard and your hair.
Set a timer for ten minutes
Ten minutes is the full development time. Not five, and not twenty. While you wait, wipe any colour off the skin at the edges with a tissue.
Why this matters: rinsing early is the number one reason grey comes out brown instead of black, because the colour has not finished developing. Leaving it on much longer does not make it darker, it just raises the chance of tinting your skin.
Rinse until the water runs completely clear
Plain water first, no soap. Keep going until there is no colour left in the runoff at all. Then pat dry with your towel. Do not shampoo the beard on the same day if you can help it.
Why this matters: leftover product is what transfers onto collars and pillowcases. Rinsing properly is the difference between a clean result and a mark on your shirt the next morning.
Check the result once it is dry
Wet hair always looks darker. Give it a few hours before you judge it. If a small patch looks light, note where it was so you catch it next time.
How long the whole thing takes
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Applying to the beard | 2 to 3 minutes |
| Applying to head hair, if you want it | 2 minutes |
| Waiting | 10 minutes |
| Rinsing and drying | 2 minutes |
| Total | About 15 minutes |
Compare that with a traditional box colour, where mixing, applying, waiting and cleaning the bowl and brush usually runs to 40 minutes or more.
How often to do it again
One application lasts two to three weeks. What brings you back is not usually fading, it is new grey growing in at the roots.
| How grey you are | Typical schedule |
|---|---|
| Lightly grey | Every 3 weeks or so |
| Around half grey | Every 2 to 3 weeks |
| Mostly or fully grey | Every 2 weeks, since roots show sooner against full coverage |
A 200ml bottle gives up to ten applications, so most men get several months out of one bottle.
Troubleshooting
| What happened | What to do |
|---|---|
| It came out patchy | Usually uneven application or an oily beard. Next time wash a few hours before, and comb each section from three angles. |
| It looks brown, not black | Almost always rinsed too early, or product that never reached the root. Use the full ten minutes. |
| Nothing happened at all | One chamber probably was not dispensing. Prime the pump onto a tissue and check the gel looks even before you start. |
| My skin has a light tint | It fades in a day or two. Wipe with a damp cloth, or a little cleansing oil or micellar water. |
| It faded within a week | The colour sat on the surface instead of going in. Check the beard was clean and dry, and work the product in more thoroughly. |
| The moustache is lighter than the rest | That hair is the coarsest on your face. Apply there first so it gets the longest contact time. |
| Colour on the sink or tiles | Wipe it straight away with a damp cloth. It lifts easily when fresh and is harder once it dries. |
The product used in this guide
Rise for Men Quick Beard & Hair Color is a gel colour in a dual chamber bottle with the comb built in. Nothing to mix, no bowl, no gloves.
Ten minutes to develop, two to three weeks of coverage, and it works on beard, moustache and the hair on your head. No ammonia, and aloe vera in the formula. One 200ml bottle gives up to ten applications.
If you would rather try it before buying a full bottle, there is a four sachet pack with one application in each.
It is a proper colour, so it contains PPD. Patch test 24 to 48 hours before your first use. Full ingredient list on our ingredients and safety page.
Common questions
How long does beard colour take at home?
About fifteen minutes in total. Ten of those are just waiting while the colour develops. A traditional box colour, with mixing and cleaning up, usually takes forty minutes or more.
Do I need to wash my beard before colouring it?
Wash it a few hours before, not immediately before. Clean hair takes colour better because oil blocks it, but the beard must be completely dry when you apply, since water thins the gel.
How long should I leave beard colour on?
Ten minutes. Less than that and grey comes out brown because the colour has not fully developed. Much longer does not deepen it further and makes skin tinting more likely.
How do I stop it staining my skin?
Wipe the edges of your beard with a tissue while the colour develops, and rinse until the water runs completely clear. Any light tint on the skin fades on its own within a day or two, and comes off faster with a little cleansing oil or micellar water.
Can I colour my beard and my head hair at the same time?
Yes, if the product is made for both. Do the beard first, then the head, then time ten minutes from when you finished the last section.
How often should I colour my beard?
Every two to three weeks for most men. What brings you back is grey at the roots rather than the colour fading.
Will it look obviously coloured?
Not if you use the full time and rinse properly. Flat, fake looking results usually come from leaving colour on too long or from a shade far darker than your natural hair. Natural black on Indian hair, rinsed on time, reads as your own colour.
Can I use it on a stubble or a very short beard?
Yes, though on very short stubble there is less hair and more skin, so use the barrier balm carefully and apply a little less product.