BeforeAfter“My beard went gray in about two years. I tried dye once and it came out almost black. Dean put me on Soft Black. Nobody at work said a word, and that’s exactly what I wanted.”
Marcus T., 41 · Columbus, OH
Beard & Grooming
Gray beard? How to lose the gray without looking dyed
I’m a barber. Here are the 6 things I tell every client before he colors his beard, and what I hand him at the end.
By Dean RussoBarber since 2009 · Columbus, Ohio
Every week a guy sits down in my chair, rubs his chin and asks me some version of the same thing:
“Can you do something about this gray without it looking dyed?”
His beard went gray before he was ready. In photos, it adds ten years. Somebody at work already told him it “really ages you.”
So he does one of two things:
He shaves.
Clean shaven, he looks his age. By Thursday the gray is back, so he shaves again.
Gray’s back by Thursday
He tries dye.
It comes out too dark, one flat shade from ear to chin. Two days later the white shows at the roots.
He spends the week wondering who noticed
None of that gets him what he came in for: no gray, and nobody able to tell. Here’s what I tell him instead. Six things, in the order that matters.
1Too dark is the #1 giveaway.
Dye almost always comes out darker than you planned. A jet-black beard on a 45-year-old fools nobody.
Match your darkest beard hairs, not the gray ones.
Barber’s rule Stuck between two shades? Go one lighter. Always.
Too darkYour shade2A real beard is never one color.
Look closely at any beard: some hairs are darker, some lighter. Dye soaks into every hair it touches and turns them all the same flat shade. That’s what makes a dyed beard look dyed.
What works is color that goes on strand by strand, so the gray takes your shade and the beard keeps its depth.
Before
After3Anything permanent grows out.
Dye stays in the hair, so the new growth comes in white. Two days later, there’s a line at the root, and you’re back at it with the brush and the timer.
A color you wash out has no roots. You put it on when you want it. Nothing grows out, so there’s never a line to give you away.
Too dark. One flat color. White roots. That’s the dyed look.
Dean Russo, barber
4Watch your collar.
The first thing guys ask me about any color: will it end up on my shirt?
If the color stays wet on the hair, the answer is yes. One wrong nod and there’s a dark smudge on a white collar. It has to dry on the hair.
The tissue test Rub a white tissue on your beard. If color comes off, it’ll end up on your collar.
5It has to feel like a beard.
Your wife will touch it. Your kid will grab it. If it feels stiff or crunchy, they’ll know before anyone sees anything.
The color has to dry soft, so you can run your fingers through it.
6It has to last the whole day.
Work, the gym, dinner. If the gray creeps back by 5 pm, or sweat moves it, you’ve gained nothing.
Dye vs. what actually works
Dye
What works
Shade
Often comes out too dark
Matched to your darkest hairs
Look
One flat color
Strand by strand, keeps depth
Roots
White line in 2 days
None, it washes out
Commitment
Weeks, until it grows out
Gone with one shampoo
For years, I couldn’t find one thing that did all six.
What I hand my clients
Then a client brought me this.
It’s called RYDGE. It isn’t a dye. It’s a color stick with a comb built in, and its formula was developed to color the hair itself and stay on the hair, not on your skin.
You comb it through the gray, strand by strand. Each gray hair picks up your shade and dries in place. The result looks like a beard that never went gray, not like a beard that was dyed.
Here’s how it checks the six boxes:
- Your shade: 6 shades, Natural Black to Auburn.
- Not one flat color: the comb colors hair by hair.
- No roots: it washes out with your shampoo.
- Clean collar: once dry, it stays off your shirt, your pillow and her hands.
- Feels like a beard: it dries soft and doesn’t grease your skin.
- All day: it holds through work and the gym, sweat included.
6 shades · match your darkest hairs
- 01 Natural Black
- 02 Soft Black
- 03 Espresso
- 04 Medium Brown
- 05 Light Brown
- 06 Auburn
How my clients use it
- Twist the base to bring a little color up.
- Comb it through the gray, the way your beard grows. Chin and mustache first.
- One pass softens the gray. Go over again where you want it darker.
- Let it dry, then get dressed.
Try it on your own beard
- Matched to your natural shade (6 shades)
- Colors the hair, not your skin
- Dries soft, stays off your collar
- Holds all day, sweat included
- Washes out with any shampoo
- Works on the mustache too
- No subscription. Discreet packaging.
Buy 11 stickRD$ 2,200.00Try your shadeMost chosen
Buy 2, get 1 free3 sticks · $23.30 eachRD$ 69.90
Buy 3, get 2 free5 sticks · $20.97 eachRD$ 104.85On the 3-pack, that’s about $23 a stick. A razor costs less. It also takes the beard.
90-day money-back guarantee. Don’t like how it looks? Full refund, no questions asked.
From my chair
Nobody at work noticed. That was the point.
A few of my regulars, in their own words.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter“I used to shave every Monday so I wouldn’t look 60 on video calls. Kept the beard this time. No gray, and it doesn’t look done.”
Greg H., 52 · Dublin, OH
BeforeAfter“Flannel shirt, ten hours on a job site, and the collar was still clean when I got home. That’s what sold me.”
Steve K., 47 · Westerville, OH
BeforeAfter“My wife’s the one who pushed me to try it. A week later she said I looked rested. I hadn’t changed anything else.”
Andre W., 45 · Grove City, OH
Before you try it
Will people be able to tell?
Not from a flat, painted-on color, because you don’t get one. Match your darkest hairs, go one lighter if you’re between two, and comb it through the gray. It looks like your beard.
Will it rub off on my shirt or pillow?
Not once it’s dry. Give it a moment after you comb it in, then get dressed.
Does it work on the mustache and goatee?
Yes. Chin and mustache are where most guys start.
How long does it last?
All day, sweat included. It washes out with any shampoo, so you comb it in again the next morning.
Is it a subscription?
No. You pay once for what you order.
What if it doesn’t work for me?
You get 90 days. If you don’t like the result, email RYDGE and they refund you. No questions asked.
Is shipping free?
Yes, on orders over $39, in plain packaging.
Lose the gray. Keep it looking like your beard.
Pick your shade, comb it in tomorrow morning, and see who notices. My bet: nobody.
Free shipping over $39 · No subscription · 90-day money-back guarantee