Why is my beard turning red? Harsh truth! 2023

When you have black or brown hair on the head but notice the hair on your beard turning red, the first thing that comes into your mind is something is wrong with your health.

But do not worry, you are Okay!

If you like your red beard, then embrace it without any hesitation. People will always have some complaints at some point. Stop giving them so much importance. 

But if you are here to know whether it is normal to have a red beard, then it depends on internal and external factors of the body.

When your beard is turning red, but it was black at some point, there might be a problem regarding your beard care routine or heating tools.

However, if it naturally grows red, it is normal. You do not need to do anything (if you are okay with the color). Make sure you do not use hair dye on beards.

If you are using any beard dye. You should know how to remove beard dye properly. Otherwise, it may react negatively.

A red beard is a sign of a natural mutation of genes. We will discuss this in the next section of the blog.

Why is my beard turning red?

Well, I have devided this section into two parts: Internal or external reason behind beard turning red.

Internal Factor: The science behind red beard

People find it surprising when they notice their black hair color, but having red beard even though their parents have no red hair.

They think, then why is their beard turning red?

There is nothing wrong with you and with your hair. The red beard is the result of a natural mutation of the genes. When someone has inherited two mutated MC1R genes, they will have red hair on their head.

But when someone has inherited a single MC1R gene, red hair will be seen on some other parts.

It can be seen anywhere, on your legs, in your armpits, on your face.

The scientific name for the MC1R gene is the melanocortin 1receptor. This gene produces a protein that directly affects melanin.

Melanin is a pigment that determines dark and light skin tones. Melanin is also responsible for the color of our eyes and our hair.

The MC1R gene is not responsible for the red beard. It helps to determine the levels of eumelanin and pheomelanin present in the body.

Eumelanin is responsible for dark color of skin, and hair. Pheomelanin produces lighter colors. When the MC1R gene is mutated, and the production of eumelanin is less than pheomelanin, red color is the result.

When the MC1R genes are not mutated, it results in a black beard with pale yellow hair or vice versa.

But when one of the MC1R genes is mutated, red body hair is the result. If both are mutated, then you would have red hair all over.

External factors: 

After discussing the genetic factors, several external factors are responsible for red/ orange and grey hair.

Aging:

Melanin is a natural pigment responsible for the color of your hair. When the production of melanin slows down, hair starts turning gray or white.

When you are growing old, the production of melanin reduces. As a result, you observe grey or white hair.

As we can not reverse aging, some people take nutrition to boost melanin.

UV Exposure:

If you are always out for duty or a hobby, the sun is not considering that. It will destroy the overall structure of your hair in both conditions.

We all have seen the effect of UV lights on our arms and other parts. It can degrade melanin.

Melanin is not only responsible for the color of the hair. It also protects hair against sun rays (photoprotection) and ultraviolet (UV) radiance.

The degradation of melanin could be the reason for greying.

It is not easy to avoid sun rays. You can only protect yourself against it. Use beard covers and apply sunscreen to avoid the disadvantages.

Excessive heat:

In this era, straightening, blow-drying, styling and brushing your beard is the new normal. Everybody wants to look good, stylish.

But we generally forget that these tools are destroying our hair.

Beard straightening can destroy the overall structure of the hair and causes dryness, brittleness, and split ends.

Avoid using these tools. If you have to use it for some reason, apply heat protectant spray before straightening them.

Stress:

Stress is one of the reasons that promotes early greying of the hair. If you are taking it too much, you will notice the roughness of the hair.

Also, stress can destroy your gut health which is responsible for healthy hair.

Try to meditate for at least 15 minutes to reduce stress.

Trust me, it can do wonders with your anxiety and stress, and eventually, your hair health will improve.

Insufficient nutrients:

If you are from this generation, eating junk is normal in every two days. Yes, we belong to this era where we live today but, we forget the consequences.

Junk food is nothing but a blend of excessive fat, sugar, salt, and calories. It affects badly on our skin and hair.

We have to eat clean food which is rich in antioxidants, vitamins, and proteins if we want to have a black beard naturally,

In the next segment, we will discuss some food that helps in boosting the melanin in our body.

Food that boosts melanin growth in hair

Foods rich in antioxidants

Foods like dark chocolate, blueberries, leafy greens, pecans, beans, artichokes are rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants help to protect your cells from the effect of free radicals.

Food with an antioxidant helps to increase melanin production. And melanin will take care of your hair health.

You should add the above food to increase antioxidants in your body.

Foods containing copper

In some studies, it has been proven that copper-rich foods also help in melanin production.

To add copper to your diet naturally, you should start eating crabmeat, almonds, lentils, peanuts, beef liver, and white mushrooms.

These foods are highly rich in copper.

Foods with vitamins A, C, and E

Research has found that vitamins A, C, and E help protect the skin against UV rays of the sun. Also, it helps to improve the health of nails, hair, and skin.

As we are very fond of junk food, our body will need few weeks to control the deficiency. To add these vitamins to your diet, you can consider the following foods:

Vitamin A: orange, fish, meat.

Vitamin C: Vegetables, citrus fruits, berries.

Vitamin E: Leafy green vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthy grains.

Can vitamins B6 and B12 help to increase melanin production? 

Yes, vitamins B6 and B12 have also been proven to boost melanin.

Vitamin B6, also known as pyridoxine, increases the production of enzymes and chemical reactions that promote the metabolism of hair proteins (keratin and melanin) in the hair follicles.

B6 improves the nutrition of hair follicles and promotes hair growth and renewal.

 Vitamin B12, also known as cobalamin, promotes hair growth with its production of red blood cells. Foods rich in vitamin B12 are:

• meat
• poultry
• fish
• eggs
• dairy

How to stop my beard from turning red?

After reading both internal and external factors, you have realized the main reason for your red beard.

 If the reason is external, you have to take care of the following:

Reduce stress:

To reduce stress, do some yoga, and meditation. It will improve your mental health and your gut health. Stress is a factor in hair fall, hair thinning, and discoloration.

Gut health also plays a vital role in improving hair quality. Have you noticed the hair fall whenever you were constipated? Keep your gut healthy with clean nutrition and low stress.

Try to reduce your stress by keeping yourself busy with doing kinds of stuff.

Avoid direct sun rays:

Whenever you are going out, cover your face with some cloth. You can also use beard covers. It will help to avoid direct rays entering your skin.

Direct sun rays can damage your skin as well as your hair.

Also, use sunscreen while you are going out. Choose your sunscreen according to your skin sensitivity with high SPF. Sunscreen with higher SPF can avoid 90% of UV rays.

Improve your nutrition

Try to eat clean and have a balanced diet. Also, eat foods rich in vitamin A, C, E, and B6, B12. These vitamins help to boost melanin.

It is responsible for the color of your hair. When the production of melanin slows down, hair starts turning gray or white.

Avoid heating tools

I know it is hard to live without styling tools these days. But what if you destroy your beard at the end? Try to avoid using beard straighteners, and blowdryers.

It can destroy the overall structure of the hair and causes dryness, brittleness, and split ends.
Avoid using these tools. If you have to use it daily for some reason, apply beard gels before straightening.

If the reason is internal, you have to take care of the following:

In such case, you have three options:

Shaving:

I know it is not a satisfying option. But hey! Most women find clean-shaven men attractive. So why don’t you give it a try?

In this way, you will get the look and will fix the problem. Make sure you know how to get rid of a five o clock shadow. Otherwise, your red beards can be visible.

Dying:

I know it is a temporary solution as I told you. You cannot treat a red beard when it happens genetically. 

There are a lot of dyes available in the market. But, I advise you not to use the colors used on your scalp. The skin on your face is more sensitive than your scalp. It may react to your skin.

Accept willingly:

The final option is to accept your red beard willingly. Once you start finding it attractive, people will also get convinced. Take it as a blessing that you look unique with those beards. 

Only 1-2% of people have a ginger beard, and you are one of them. You should have it with confidence.

Celebrities like Michael C Hall, Adam Kleberger, Michael Fassbender also have ginger beards. But they prefer to show off rather than be embarrassed.

Conclusion:

If your beard turning red, then this is a genetic mutation. When someone has inherited two mutated MC1R genes, they will have red hair on their head.

When someone has inherited a single MC1R gene, red hair will be seen on some other parts like on your legs, armpits, or face.

In addition, if you had a black beard but now it has changed to red or grey. Some external factors like UV rays, excessive heat, and improper nutrition are the reason.

If your beard is red due to external factors, you can get back your beard color by some lifestyle changes. In the case of genetic factors, dying and shaving is the only option.

FAQs:

kayden

Kayden is an entrepreneur, writer, hairstylist working in a professional salon. He specializes in men’s grooming. He loves to blog about beards, hairstyles, and skincare.