Hair Dye Recommendations & Tips For Men

Whether it’s covering up greys, enhancing your natural shade or just wanting to try out a bold new look, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to dye your hair. In fact, more men dye their hair than you might imagine – including a few celebrities, from Kanye West to Brad Pitt and Justin Bieber!

If you’re thinking of taking the plunge at home, Superdrug has a great range of men’s hair colourants to get you started. Simply follow our easy guide to navigating the world of home hair colour and you’ll be well on your way to sporting a fresh new hue.

Male sitting with his legs crossed on a seat in front of a green background

Choosing the Right Hair Colour

While some men embrace the onset of greys and enjoy being a silver fox, others prefer to hold on to their original shade. If that’s you, then a home hair colour is the perfect solution. You might even be tempted to enhance your natural colour or change up your look in the process with a slightly bolder or brighter shade. We suggest going up to two shades darker or one shade lighter than your natural shade if you don’t want the colour change to look too drastic or obvious.

Permanent or semi-permanent?

If you’re totally new to hair colour, we suggest starting out with a semi-permanent shade that will last for up to six weeks. Then if you’re not quite sure about it, you don’t have to wait for your hair to grow out. It’s also good if you want to camouflage – but not completely cover – grey hair, as it gradually blurs them out and makes root re-growth look less obvious.

On the other hand, permanent colour may fade but doesn’t wash out, making it good for those wanting to completely change their colour or spot dye just a few greys. But given that it is permanent you need to make sure you know what you’re doing (and that it’s the right colour for you).

Top Tips on Colouring Hair at Home

Leave your hair unwashed for a few days beforehand – especially if your scalp is particularly sensitive. This will enable natural oils on your scalp to accumulate and create a protective barrier so that the hair colour feels the most comfortable when applied.
Wear an old shirt and use old towels that you don’t mind getting drips of colour on and put a large towel on the floor (you don’t want to stain your bathmat or any carpet in the bathroom!)
Dab some Vaseline around your hairline, on the tops of your ears and the back of your neck to prevent the colour from staining your skin.
Put the plastic gloves on (which should come with the packet) and mix the colour if required. Apply it to your hair in small sections, from front to back. If you’re covering greys that are only prominent in certain areas (e.g. at the temple) then you might just want to spot dye these sections rather than dyeing your whole head of hair. Apply the product generously, massage in and leave on for the required amount of time. (If you have thicker or textured hair you might want to leave it on for slightly longer.)
Once you’ve rinsed and dried your hair, maintaining your colour’s freshness is key. So, ensure you use a shampoo for coloured hair and try to limit the number of times you wash it to prevent the colour from fading.

N.B. To cover up a grey beard, we don’t recommend using your regular hair dye, as the chemicals can be too strong for facial skin. Instead, use a special beard dye designed for this purpose.

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