Table Of Contents
What Is Hair Pigmentation
The pigmentation in your hair is what gives its color, and this pigment is called melanin. Essentially, the more melanin there is in your body, the darker your hair will be.
The amount of melanin in your body is pre-determined by your genes, precisely the combination of genes in your body.
Red Hair Gene
If you are finding stray red hairs in your black beard, then don’t worry. It is entirely natural. You are finding red hairs in your beard because a recessive gene in your body resurfaced recently.
This gene triggers a mutation in your body that changes the pigmentation in some of your hair. More specifically, the gene that causes red hairs to appear in your beard is the MC1R gene, a melanocortin 1 receptor.
Simply put, this gene affects the body’s production of melanin. This gene determines the amount of eumelanin and pheomelanin in the body. In other words, once it mutates, it causes the production of redder colors.
Other Factors
Aside from the MC1R gene, your age can also influence why reddish hairs appear in your black beard. As you grow older, your body produces lesser amounts of melanin.
This is also the reason why you get gray hair. At the early onset of reduced melanin production, you will start getting lighter hair color than usual instead of gray hair. Sun exposure and stress can also change the color of your beard hair.
Using certain kinds of soaps and shampoos can affect the color of your hair. However, these factors do not have as big an effect on your beard as your genetics do.
How to Prevent
Other than using a shaving kit to get rid of your beard altogether, there is nothing to prevent your red beard from happening. The factors affecting your beard growing red hair are out of your control.
You cannot choose your parents and you cannot stop yourself from aging. You can dye your beard black, which is quite a hassle, or you can learn to live with your reddish beard.
Eventually, though, your entire beard will start to change color, so you had best come to terms with it as soon as possible. There are plenty of red hair men’s hairstyles and ginger beard styles that you can try.
How to Treat
Step 1 – Pull the red hairs
If only a couple of stray hairs have changed colors, you can pull them out one by one. Make sure to pull them out by the roots.
Step 2 – Trim or style
If there are lots of red hairs, you can style your beard in a way to make them less conspicuous, like trimming your 3-month beard shorter to a uniform length and then using a good beard wax to style it.
Step 3 – Dye them
Also, you can always use a beard dye to make your beard a uniform color. Be careful when choosing a hair dye because instead of Prince Harry’s beard, you may look like a homeless Ronald McDonald.
FAQ
Can a red beard change its color back to black?
No, not naturally, at least. Once a hair grows out, its color will no longer change. With regards to the reddish hairs, they will still grow back the same color even when you pull them out. Once red hair starts growing in your beard, there is no stopping them from multiplying.
Why are there red hairs on my beard?
There are multiple reasons why you see red hairs in your beard. The biggest one is your genetics. You have genes that cause red hair to grow in your beard. The other big factor is your age.
The older you get, the less melanin your body produces, resulting in hairs that are not as dark as the others.
How do I stop my hair from going red?
Sadly, you cannot do anything to stop this from happening. The red hairs result from your genetics and age, which are beyond your control. You can try sporting Irish styles with 90s hairstyles to make the most of your reddish beard and have fun with them.
Conclusion
Don’t be shocked when you find a couple of red hairs on your beard, as it is entirely natural. You cannot do anything about it anyway. It is already coded into your genes that this will happen, so you must make the most of your new ginger beard.
None of the reasons why women love beards is just their color. It is all about how you carry yourself.
Michele Meesh Antunes is the lady of the Beardoholic writers team and a genius when it comes to hair and beard styles that suit any face shape. She’s been a barber for years now and, no matter your personal style, she knows exactly what beard, hairstyle and length suit you. She brings the women’s perspective on beards, beard care, haircuts and hairstyles and male grooming.