Is Your Beard Turning Ginger? Causes + Styling Tips

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Learn to maintain and style a red beard (or conceal it if you prefer)

Co-authored by Timmy Yanchun and Marcus Pruitt, BS

Last Updated: March 4, 2026 Fact Checked

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Genetic Causes

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Other Causes

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Changing Your Beard Color

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Maintenance

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Best Styles

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Rarity

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Embracing Your Beard

If you’re looking in the mirror and see a few patches of ginger in your otherwise dark beard, you may feel like it’s cause for concern. There’s no reason to worry, though—a beard that turns red or ginger is a common phenomenon. Read on as we explain the genetics and other causes behind a ginger beard, how to conceal or style it, and more!

Why is your beard turning ginger?

Ginger beards are caused by the recessive gene MC1R. The gene can activate after puberty as your facial hair comes in, causing some parts of your beard (or the whole thing) to turn red. Melanin and testosterone levels, age, and environment also influence the color. Ginger beards are normal and nothing to worry about.

Section 1 of 8:

What are the genetics behind a ginger beard?

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The MC1R gene is responsible for red hair and red beards, and even if you aren’t a redhead, you can still carry the dormant gene.^{[1]
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Research source} In those with ginger beards, this dormant gene can be awakened after puberty when your facial hair starts to come through, resulting in light patches of ginger hair or a full ginger beard, depending on the gene’s prominence.
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Your melanin levels can also cause a ginger beard. There are two types of melanin that influence your hair color. You’ve got eumelanin, which results in black or brown-colored hair, and pheomelanin, which results in red hair (and ginger beards). If you have higher levels of pheomelanin than eumelanin in the hair follicles of your beard, you’re going to have a more ginger-colored beard.^{[2]
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Section 2 of 8:

Other Causes of a Ginger Beard

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Environment Sunny environments where you’re regularly exposed to UV-rays can also cause your beard to become ginger through a process known as sun bleaching. The more your hair is exposed to the sun, the more the eumelanin breaks down within it, allowing the pheomelanin to shine and create that ginger color.^{[3]
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Age As you age, usually into your 30s and 40s, your hair produces melanin at different rates, influencing the pigment of the hair on your head and beard. As a result, your beard can potentially change from a warm brown to a vibrant ginger color once you get past your 20s.^{[4]
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Testosterone The amount of testosterone you produce can influence the texture and density of your hair. When you produce a lot of testosterone, your hair becomes thicker, darker, and coarser, and when you produce less, the opposite happens.^{[5]
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Research source} As your testosterone levels stabilize or change as you age, the pheomelanin underneath may shine through more prominently and give you that ginger-tinged color.

Section 3 of 8:

How to Change Your Ginger Beard

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Dye your beard. If you want to hide the ginger in your beard and it isn’t too prevalent, look into a beard dye that matches your natural hair color and dye it. Dyeing your beard is a commitment, but it will help stave off those red hair follicles if they’re getting on your nerves.
- Before dying your beard, hair colorist Matt King says to “use beard oil first to create a little bit of a barrier between your skin and the color that you’re about to put on.”^{[6]
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  Matt King
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- After dyeing your beard, facial hair specialist Marlon Rivas says, “Don’t wash it as much because you want the beard dye to last longer.”^{[7]
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  Marlon Rivas
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- You’ll still want to wash your beard after dyeing it, of course, just less frequently so you’re not reapplying the dye (and its chemicals) to your skin super frequently.
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Regularly trim your beard. If you don’t want to commit to dyeing your beard, you can take a pair of trimmers to it to get rid of the ginger hairs. If you still want a beard without such a strong red tint, you can opt for stubble. If you prefer not to have any red in your beard, though, you may want to go for a clean shave. Besides, the baby face is in right now!
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Look into a concealer that matches your hair tone. If you want to keep your beard but need a temporary color fix, grab a matte, waterproof concealer that matches your skin tone and apply it to the ginger areas of your beard. This works best if the ginger hair is on parts of the beard that border the skin, or else it may make your beard look patchy.

Section 4 of 8:

How to Maintain Your Ginger Beard

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Regularly wash your beard. The key to having a good beard is cleanliness, so make sure to wash your beard every other day (or more frequently, depending on your lifestyle). When washing, Rivas says to use a shampoo designed for your beard and face, as they’re made to be gentler on the skin.^{[8]
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Marlon Rivas
Facial Hair Specialist

Expert Interview}
- Shampoos designed for beards are available online and at local big-box stores. If you’re shopping in person, check the store’s website before going in to make sure it’s in stock.
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Keep your beard moisturized with beard oil. Ginger beard hair tends to be a bit coarser and drier than other colors. Whether you’re embracing the ginger beard or getting rid of it, it’s important to use beard oil because, as professional barber Jacob Joseph says, “Beard oil is going to hydrate your [hair] follicle at the scalp level,” which will keep your beard and the skin underneath hydrated.^{[9]
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Jacob Joseph
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- Professional barber Timmy Yanchun says to apply beard oil whenever your beard is dry, massaging it from the root of the hair to the tip.^{[10]
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  Timmy Yanchun
  Professional Barber
  
  Expert Interview}
- Yanchun also says to make sure the beard oil is “paraben-free, sulfate-free, and as organic and natural as possible.”^{[11]
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  Timmy Yanchun
  Professional Barber
  
  Expert Interview}
- Using products with natural oils like argan and jojoba can help make your ginger beard look more vibrant.
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Use a beard conditioner with UV-protection to stave off sun bleaching. Overexposure to the sun can cause your ginger beard to fade, so protect it by applying a beard conditioner with UV-protection after every wash. The UV-protection will help keep the damaging UV-rays at bay, prolonging the shine of your ginger beard.
- Alternatively, wear a wide-brimmed hat that covers your beard when you go out on sunny days.
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Get a regular trim to keep things clean. The frequency of beard trimming will depend on how quickly your hair grows, but you’ll generally want to check the mirror every morning and take a pair of clippers to your beard whenever you notice straggling hairs or anything out of place.
- If you’re not confident in your ability to trim your beard, Yanchun suggests going to a barber for a regular trim. You can even work with them to figure out a beard style that works best for you!^{[12]
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  Timmy Yanchun
  Professional Barber
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 5 of 8:

Best Ginger Beard Styles

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A goatee is a slim, sleek style that is perfect for showing off your ginger beard. It doesn’t require too much patience to grow, but upkeep will be a weekly thing, at least. That’s nothing to sulk at, though, as you’ll have an awesomely clean beard that shows off your ginger follicles in all of their glory.
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Ducktail beard A ducktail beard is a beard that tapers into a pointed end like a duck’s tail. If you’re looking for a style that accepts your different-colored hair and proudly shows it off in a unique way, go with the ducktail beard. The presence of a pointed tail is already unique enough, but when you throw some ginger into the mix, you get a sharp look that catches all eyes.
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Viking beard The Viking beard is a long, sharp beard that tapers into a point towards the end. If you’ve got some ginger hairs on the point of your beard (or better yet, your whole beard is ginger), this style is a great choice. It will require lots of maintenance to keep clean, but in return, you’ll get a cool, sharp style that gets everyone’s attention.^{[13]
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Thick, tapered beard A thick, tapered beard is the perfect blend of length and cleanliness. You get the sharpness of a fade and the fullness of a long beard, which work together to accentuate the glamour of your ginger hair follicles.
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Long, full beard{endold} If you want to truly embrace your ginger beard, grow it out and go for a long, full beard. It will take some patience, as long beards tend to take months to grow into something full and defined, but once it is grown, it will be a show-stopper that instantly catches the eyes of onlookers.

Section 6 of 8:

What is the prevalence of ginger beards?

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The exact percentage of people with ginger beards is unknown, but it’s very low. Less than 2% of the world’s population has red hair, so it can be assumed that the percentage of people with ginger beards is even lower. This still equates to about 140 million people, though, so while rare, the chances of you coming across someone with ginger hair (or having it yourself) are not zero.^{[14]
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Section 7 of 8:

How to Embrace Your Ginger Beard

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Remind yourself that it’s a sign of your heritage. Having ginger hair is hereditary! It means you had someone in your bloodline who carried the gene for red hair, so even when it shows up in your beard, remind yourself that it’s a gift from those who came before you and something to be proud of.^{[15]
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- Having red hair is commonly linked with Celtic ancestry, with 10% of Irish and Scottish people sporting red hair and up to 40% carrying the gene.^{[16]
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- A ginger beard is something people don’t see very often, and it makes you unique!
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Use it as a conversation starter. If you notice someone staring at your ginger beard, wondering “Why does that guy have a red beard but brown hair,” use that as an opportunity to strike up a conversation by saying something like “I know, crazy right?” You may even be able to make a new friend out of the interaction!

Section 8 of 8:

Final Thoughts

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A ginger beard is caused by a recessive gene, and it’s a totally normal phenomenon. While a ginger beard may seem like a cause for concern when you first notice it, it’s nothing to worry about. It’s caused by your genes (specifically the MC1R gene) and influenced by your age, environment, and other factors. That makes it something to be proud of, as you’re wearing your heritage on your face!
- If you do want to take matters into your own hands and get rid of it, you can choose to dye your beard, shave it off, or use concealer to cover the ginger spots.
- If you want to embrace your ginger beard, you can opt for different styles that highlight it, like the ducktail and the goatee.