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FORGET BOTOX OR wrinkle creams;hair dye is the most reliably instantaneous anti-aging product you can buy. In about ten minutes, you can erase at least 15 years from your appearance. No moisturizer can promise the same.
I've been dyeing my hair and beard for a while now, so I know that quality results don't have to cost you hundreds of dollars at a salon. In fact, I've sat in the chairs of some of the best colorists in the business and I still prefer to do it myself. I keep my hair short, so shelling out for professional gray coverage every time I go in for a trim, which is about every three weeks, just isn't in the budget. And now that I've perfected my technique, I'm confident the results I get at home are comparable—if not better—to what I'd experience by seeing a pro.
So, when I learned that American Crew, the brand behind my first—and favorite—hair pomade was getting into the at-home color game, I was down to give it a try. Their new product, called Undetectable Men's Hair Color, is an all-in-one beard, mustache, and hair dye that comes in six shades. It's a demi-permanent formula, which means it's great for blending grays because the color gradually fades (no harsh root lines) and is ammonia-free so it's gentler on your hair. I usually buy a separate product to color the hair on my head and my beard, so the all-in-one convenience of this product was appealing to me.
Here are my honest thoughts about American Crew's Undetectable Men's Hair Color, along with some strategies I used to get the best results possible.
Pros
- Demi-permanent ammonia-free formula that blends gray hair seamlessly
- 3-in-1 product can be used on beard, mustache, and hair
- Develops in just 5 minutes with a simple application process
Cons
- Formula is thin so it can drip if you're not careful
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The entire process was pretty seamless.
This is hair color made for guys who don't read the directions (guilty as charged). Unbox the kit and you'll see why: There's a tube of color, a bottle of cream developer, a brush applicator, and some gloves I never used (I'm a pro, people). From that, it's easy to put two and two together: You squeeze the entire tube of color into the developer bottle, give it a shake to mix, and apply. Wait five minutes for the color to develop and then rinse and shampoo and condition as you normally would. Pretty straightforward, right?
It's recommended that you apply the color to your beard first using the brush and then work it into the rest of your hair afterward using gloved hands. This is where I went rogue: I find that brushing on color versus applying it all over with my hands always gives me the most natural-looking results. There's nothing worse than the shoe polish look, and I find this strategy helps to avoid those results. It's likely you'll miss some gray when you use the brush, but that's kind of the point: A little salt-and-pepper never hurt anyone.
I found the formula itself a little looser than others I've tried, making it great for spreading, but be warned: It can drip (especially when you're squeezing it onto the brush). The best way to avoid this is to squeeze just a little onto the bristles. The directions also recommend dabbing some petroleum jelly along your hairline and beard line to avoid skin staining. I never do that—and it was fine.
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Great gray coverage with natural-looking results.
Because I used the brush, it took me slightly longer than five minutes to finish both my beard and hair. All in all, I'd say I left the dye on for closer to 10 minutes—double the recommended processing time. As a result, I probably got darker gray coverage with a slightly less blended look than I may have had if I'd left it on for less time. Still, I felt the results were pretty dimensional. If I had to guess, I'd say that the appearance of my grays was reduced by about 90%—some of it is still showing through, but again, that's the look I prefer.
One main issue guys have with dyeing their beards is that the skin around and, if you keep your beard trimmed short, underneath can get stained. It happens—I've found washing with a foaming cleanser and following that up with a face scrub helps it to fade considerably. This is where a thin layer of petroleum jelly around your beard line can help (but again, I don't find it a big enough issue to go through all of that).
Two other points of note: the American Crew Undetectable Men's Hair Color didn't leave my hair feeling dry or brittle afterward (it's definitely happened with other products) and while the demi-permanent formula gradually faded over time, it never discolored or went brassy.
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My final verdict.
I usually buy a separate product for my beard and hair but the American Crew Undetectable Men's Hair Color may just persuade me to change my habits. I loved covering all of my grays with just one formula, but it is one-time use—once mixed, you use it or lose it—which is a slight drawback for me since I didn't go through the entire bottle. At just $13 a bottle, though, that wasn't a huge factor.
All in all, the convenience, natural-looking results, and gentle formula make this one a slam-dunk for me. After using the product, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who could tell you've colored your hair. Of course, thanks to this story, that cat's out of my bag. Still, until science gives us a pill to stop graying, this is the next-best option for me and, I think, you too.
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Brian Underwood is beauty director at Women’s Health, where he oversees content strategy for the brand across all platforms, including digital, print, and social. Underwood previously served as beauty and wellness director at Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine. During his tenure leading beauty content for the Oprah brand at Hearst, stories Underwood commissioned were awarded the Skin Cancer Foundation Media Award and a Fragrance Award for Editorial Excellence (his second). He was the launch Beauty Director of Dr. Oz THE GOOD LIFE, and has held additional editorial positions at Fitness, Organic Style, Good Housekeeping, Life & Style Weekly, and Woman’s Day and has written for Self, Shape, Seventeen, Redbook, Cosmopolitan, and many more. Underwood previously served on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s gala committee and as partnerships director of the Trans Beauty Clinic, a New York-based charitable organization that provided beauty services and workshops to the city’s trans community.
