It is not uncommon to see men with color variations in their heads and facial hair. While the variations may be slight differences in tone, some men grow an entirely different facial hair color than the color of the hair in their head.
The reason why many men have different head and beard hair colors is found in their genes. Hair color is determined by the melanin variants and concentration in your hair follicles. Two types of melanin that are active in determining hair color are eumelanin and pheomelanin. High concentrations of eumelanin generally result in darker hair color, while pheomelanin causes lighter hair color.
Melanin variants are inherited from your parents, so if you have different hair colors on your head and face, your melanin genes are probably mutated. However, there is no cause for concern as these mutations are not harmful to your body.
Why is My Beard a Different Color Than Hair?
Your beard hair may grow in a different color than your head hair due to differences in concentrations of melanin in the hair follicles. Without sounding too geeky, your body contains the MC1R gene, which determines your hair color.
This MC1R gene produces two melanin variants called eumelanin and pheomelanin, which combine to determine the color of your eyes, hair and skin.
Eumelanin generally results in darker skin, eyes and hair color, while pheomelanin gives lighter shades. Depending on the amount of eumelanin or pheomelanin in your genes and hair follicles, you may notice slight variations in the color of the hair on your body, such as your head and face.
You may also grow different hair colors on other skin parts due to a mutation of your MC1R genes. The MC1R mutation causes the gene to produce melanocortin, which changes eumelanin to pheomelanin.
This results in different amounts of eumelanin or pheomelanin being stored in your hair follicles as these follicles get different amounts of melanin supply.
An MC1R gene mutation doesn’t result in any medical concerns, as its only known results are hair and eye color variations. This may explain why some men have a different beard color than their head hair, and some others, like Seth Rogen, have variations in the shade of their head and facial hair colors.
Vitamin deficiency and stress may also cause your beard to be a different color than the hair on your head. Vitamin deficiency may result in your beard growing dull, sparsely or in a lighter shade than the hair on your head, while stress makes your beard turn grey and thinner.
Should Head Hair And Facial Hair Have The Same Color?
While it is sometimes desirable that your head and facial hair are the same color, both don’t need to be the same color. After all, men have been dyeing the colors of their beards to colors other than what they have on their heads for decades.
However, if growing different hair colors or shades makes you feel uneasy, you may dye your facial hair the same color as your head hair for some rhythm.
Head and facial hair are generally the same color unless you have an MC1R mutation. An MC1R gene mutation may result in growing different shades of hair color on your head and around your chin, depending on the levels of pheomelanin in the mutated gene.
In reality, mutation may be too strong a word as it doesn’t change much other than hair color.
How Often is this Phenomenon?
It is not unusual for men to grow different hair colors on several parts of their bodies. This is because many factors are responsible for differences in hair pigmentation.
Factors such as sun exposure, air pollution and regular smoking may affect your hair pigmentation and cause your beard hair to change color.
Although there is no clear-cut statistic on what percentage of men have or are likely to have different facial hair pigmentation from their standard hair color, this phenomenon has become quite common.
The MC1R gene mutation may also be more common than earlier imagined. This is because several men dye their beards to give them a uniform look with the hair on their heads.
Nevertheless, if your hair color differs from your facial hair, there is no reason to feel awkward or insecure about it. Women may even find your facial hair more intriguing and attractive due to the different coloration.
How To Make Beard And Head Hair The Same Color?
The trick to getting your beard and heard hair to have the same color is to dye them. You may dye your head hair the same color as your facial hair or switch things up by dyeing them a different color entirely. If you are considering dyeing your hair, you must consider the following factors.
- Skin Sensitivity: You should ensure that your chosen beard dye is ideal for your skin type. This will help you avoid skin reactions and injuries to your hair follicles.
- Dye Permanence: Dye permanence is vital as it helps you calculate how long the hair dye will last. Hair dyes are generally demi-permanent, semi-permanent or permanent. Each hair dye type lasts for varying periods, between two weeks to a month. However, you can always reverse the effects of the dye with dye removals and other homemade solutions.
- Dye color: You should also consider what color you want to dye your hair. The dye color essentially determines your new look and should be something you’re comfortable carrying.
Which Color Should I Choose When Dyeing My Hair?
The primary factor to consider when dyeing your hair is whether the color suits your look and personality. However, we understand that this may be a bit confusing, so we have put together a few factors that may help you choose the perfect color for your new hair dye.
- Skin tone: You should ensure that your preferred color suits your skin tone. If you have dark skin, it’s advisable to go for cool colors that aren’t too loud, while lighter-skinned people can choose warm colors.
- Hair texture: If your hair breaks easily, you should avoid heavy dye colors as they may overwork your hair cuticles and worsen the breakage.
For more information on hair dyes and product reviews, you can read our article on hair dyes here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my beard changing color?
As we age, hair follicles tend to produce less melatonin. This has a direct effect on your beard’s color. The most common change is from dark brown or black to grey. However, in some rare cases, beards do get darker. Facial hair products, sun exposure, humidity, stress can also alter the color of facial hair.
Does Giving A Girl Head Make Your Beard Change Color?
Some tiktokers and other men claim that going down on a girl can change your beard’s color. But, this is total nonsense. Only genes and environmental factors play a role in facial hair color. If you fear anything like that, just get a long shower after the action.
Why Do I Have Some Orange Hairs In My Black Beard?
If there is more than 1 colors on your beard, this means that there are 2 genes responsible for your beard’s color. Normally, the darker one is the one that ‘wins’ but this doesn’t mean that the other one is eliminated completely. You may still have red, orange, blonde hair even if your beard is a complete different color. To have an orange beard you must have genes only for orange (not black, brown) because the gene for orange is ‘weak’ and will only win if it is the only one to fight.
To Sum Things Up
Simply explained, your beard and head hair do not match because of your genes. There is nothing wrong with you. In fact, it is quite common for men to have different head and facial hair color.
Rarely, some other factors can also play a role in deciding hair color. Such factors sun exposure, air pollution and regular smoking that may affect your hair pigmentation and cause your beard hair to change color.
So, if you have this ”problem” you have it. For most of us, this is not actually a problem. But if thing otherwise, there is always the option of dyeing either your hair or your beard to match the other one.
We have a ton of article about beard dyeing and you can read our detailed guide here.
If you try to dye your beard for the first time, make sure you follow ALL the necessary steps. (Yes, even those that seem simple and straightforward. We are protecting you from many headaches)
And…that’s it for today! I really hope you found this article helpful.
Read Also: My Mustache Color Doesn’t Match My Beard – Is It OK?
If you have any questions or you just want to share your thoughts with us don’t hesitate to leave your comment down below.
Until next time,
Stay safe,
Tasos
Tasos Moulios is the founder of Beardlong. He loves trying different beard and hair styles and blogs about them. The tips he shares come from his own experience and love for what he does.