What Else to Dye?

I am asked a lot of questions about the various types of hair that are not atop someones head, so I’ll try to answer those as best as I can. Please be aware that there is skin under the hair you want to dye, so if you’re planning on going rainbow-style in sensitive areas maybe test that on a small area first.

I get the impression that the structure of body hair has a lot to do with it’s capacity to hold semi-permanent/rainbow dye well, but I haven’t conducted enough experiments to figure out how exactly everything works. I feel that the coarser the hair is, the less likely it is to work with semi-permanent dye. The same is true for very fine hair. I would assume most dyes available in Europe and North America are actually formulated for some form of “average” caucasian hair, so the closer the hair you want to dye fits that standard (whatever it is), the easier it will likely be.

Eyebrows

You can dye your eyebrows. It’s a lot of fun, but I haven’t had any mentionable success dyeing my eyebrows with non-permanent colors so far. Everything non-permanent I have tried washed out in a day or two. I’m not sure if this is more because of my hair type, or if eyebrows are just weird, or if it is all my fault because I’m washing my face so frequently.

I usually use regular permanent hair dye (drugstore brand) in the most colorful shades of red and purple I can find. I find it easiest to apply the dye with a very small straight brush. Using q-tips, I wipe off any excess dye immediately as it is really annoying to get permanent hair dye off ones face.

The life cycle of eyebrow hair is relatively short. So in order for neon eyebrows to look really amazing they need to be touched up roughly every other week. When they start looking funny it is also possible to fill them in with a matching lip liner (yes, lip liner. Obviously eyebrow pens are better, but it is almost impossible to find purple or bright red eyebrow pencils.).

Creepy alien, kind of.

Also: be careful when using bleach on your face! Eyebrows usually are situated in close proximity to someone’s eyes. Getting bleach or other chemicals into your eyes is not a good idea, so do it at your own risk. That being said, I have been bleaching and dyeing my eyebrows for years and it has never been a problem.

Beards


Beards are similar to eyebrows, except that they’re not as close to your eyes (this makes things easier). You can bleach and dye beards just like the rest of the hair on your head. Semi-permanent dye seems to work better on beards than on eyebrows, but that might very well be due to the amount of hair. An eyebrow usually is such a tiny patch of hair that the semi-permanent dye just does not seem to stay as well as with a full beard.

From the brands I have introduced earlier, Manic Panic and Special Effects seem to work best here – use small straight painting brushes for the best results.

Armpits

Works well, but semi-permanent dye tends to bleed when getting wet. Having red armpit hair while sweating and wearing a white t-shirt could lead to weird situations, so permanent dye might be the better choice if you are going for long term results.

Arms, Legs, Chest …

I think it makes more sense to use permanent dye for this, as all semi-permanent products tend to disappear after a few days due to sweat and the fact that people shower daily and wear clothing all the time.

That being said, I have dyed funky patterns into people’s arms and chests and it has been fun.

Pubic hair

Just like for all non-head-hair I think using permanent dye is best. And you know … if you have really sensitive skin, then maybe just don’t do it (or test the product you are trying to use on a small area first).

The dyed hair also grows out really fast.

People I have talked to who did dye their pubic hair generally seem not to have had good experiences with either henna or semi-permanent dyes for practical reasons, and because of the durability of the dye job. Read: Bleeds a lot and fades really fast or doesn’t give a good coverage to begin with.