Why is the Just for Men moustache and beard dye not lasting?

July 17, 2020 6:00 AM

My husband's beard length is light stubble (1/8th of an inch ). We went to a light brown shade and when he applies it on Friday, by Sunday the grey is coming through and by Tuesday it appears like it hasn't been done. Is this because he is using a lighter colour or is it because the hair is that short? Why doesn't it last, and is there another product that is as easy and works better?
posted by Tziv to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Best answer: Hair grows about half an inch per month, so if he is trimming his beard every few days to maintain the 1/8 length, he’s removing a lot of the dyed hair.
posted by third word on a random page at 6:10 AM on July 17, 2020 [8 favorites]

A commonly used average for beard growth is 1/2" per month, or 1/8" per week, plus any error margin (your husband's might be growing faster than that). So you'd expect all of the dyed hair to be gone within a week anyway, and so start looking lighter in a couple of days as new grey hair comes through.

One thing that might be an issue is the natural oils produced by the skin - there'll be more on stubble, as it's new growth and close to the skin. He might need to really strip away those oils with lots of soap before dying.

And all the things that make contact with the face - pillows, clothes, etc., will wear the dye away quite quickly - more than with longer facial hair.
posted by pipeski at 6:17 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

A lot of shampoos contain ingredients that can strip out dyes. When I had dyed hair I wound up switching to a color-safe shampoo. Give that a shot and see if it helps.
posted by showbiz_liz at 6:52 AM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]

Does he use a face wash or soap at all? Those can also strip color. Look for sulfate-free soaps instead.
posted by Kitchen Witch at 7:06 AM on July 17, 2020 [2 favorites]

Just For Men also makes this color depositing shampoo -- there's a pic of a guy who used it on his beard at the link.
posted by jabes at 7:15 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]

Anecdatally, the Just For Men color depositing shampoo gave my dad a terrible case of contact dermatitis which took months to get rid of, though he has no issues with hair dye proper. So be sure to patch test if you do try going down that route!
posted by guessthis at 7:52 AM on July 17, 2020 [1 favorite]