By Daniel Markey

Unfortunately, most men’s hair will grow gray over the years. For some of us, it happens a lot earlier than others. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with a silver fox in his late 70s. That’s cool as hell. But I’m 32 and have a salt and pepper mane (more salt than pepper these days).

Whether you’re in your twenties or seventies, if you don’t like your grays, there’s not much you can do besides expensive color treatments. Or is there?

That’s what our team of beauty researchers and reviewers set out to find out. Are there fast and easy ways to instantly transform your gray hair that doesn't include a professional salon visit?

Recently more brands are releasing shampoos, foams, and dyes that can help you transform your grays after one use to a darker look.

But how do you know which ones work and which are duds? Well, we’re here to help! Let's get started...

Effectiveness: 95%

Safety: 100%

Price: $

Overall: A+

Mane’s Hair Coloring Foam focuses on a quick and safe way to transform your gray hairs to shades of brown and black without messy kits or expensive salon visits. The foam works instantly and last for up to 20 washes before fading. We learned about Mane when they offered a 50% discount code SECRET50 when they first launched. Since then, they’ve sold out of the Hair Coloring Foam every other week. The best part? It works on your head, beard, and even eyebrows. This is a must-buy!

SAVE 50% with CODE SECRET50

Effectiveness: 80%

Safety: 100%

Price: $$$$

Overall Value: B+

Simpler is a hair coloring product that promises an easier way to transform those grays. Similar to Mane with just a few more tools and attachments, it uses safe ingredients and can be used up to 4 times before needing to replace. While we liked the initial product offering, we didn't find the dye to last as long as we'd like, and had to reapply quicker than Mane.

Effectiveness: 80%

Safety: 85%

Price: $$

Overall Value: B+

dpHUE offers a strong conditioner and semi-permanent hair color solution. Use it like you would any conditioner for a safe and effective way to re-ignite your hair color pigment. The color lasts up to 10 washes while helping keep your hair healthy. We found the conditioner to help make our hair feel stronger and healthier, but the colors did not pop as much as we hoped.

Effectiveness: 75%

Safety: 80%

Price: $

Overall Value: C

COLOR WOW won't exactly dye your hair, but instead help the colors of your hair look more vibrant. So if you're only dealing with a small amount of grays, you can use COLOR WOW to help your hair color pop without dyes. This is a good product for anyone who still wants a natural look.

Effectiveness: 95%

Safety: 99%

Price: $

Overall Value: A+

Another great product from Mane, the Hair Coloring Foam helps reinvigorate hair follicles and return grays to their natural color without using dyes or foam. . Mane says they use a “science-backed formula that stimulates melanocytes, the cells which determine color vibrancy in follicles, to return individual hair strands to their original color.” A great choice if you're trying to avoid dyes but want to return to your natural color.

While we believe we recommended some great foams and conditioners to help temporarily transform and reverse gray hairs in men, we believe Mane’s Hair Coloring Foam is the absolute best option for instant results. We wanted to talk further with our investigative reporter Mark Herring who helped create the rankings list and how he discovered the greatness that is Mane.

Personally, I’m a bit of an anti-product guy. Bar of soap in the shower and some toothpaste. My girlfriend only recently pushed moisturizer on me, haha. It’s not that I don’t believe in any of the stuff (hell, I research and write about it all the time). I just never thought I needed most of it. My skin is fairly clear and never had many issues with acne or anything like that. That said, the one thing that always bothered me was my gray head of hair. It runs in my family, my dad, brother, and cousins were all gray by their 30s, so I figured it was my turn, too. 

So when I was put on assignment to find alternates to expensive salon visits to cover my grays, I was happy to test some things out. Unfortunately, not a lot made the cut. Too many products felt, smelled, and contained strong chemicals that felt more like medicine than solutions. And worse, they didn’t really work that well. 

I sort’ve gave up.

But then it seemed my best friend, who I trust with my life, had dyed his hair. I asked what salon he visited, but he said he did it at home.

I couldn’t believe it. That’s when he shot out of his chair and grabbed the Mane’s Hair Coloring Foam. He said he tried a few things but that Mane was the only brand that he felt like actually delivered. I was skeptical, but when he showed me a photo of his hair before use, I was blow away. His hair had turned several shades darker, but looked natural. Even more impressive, the photo was from two weeks ago. He said the foam instantly transformed his hair and only started fading after about twenty shampoos.

I asked him to let me borrow his Hair Coloring Foam but instead he told me to buy my own like a real adult LOL. Thankfully, he gave me the secret 50% off discount SECRET50. So I ordered two bottles immediately.

I received the package two days later and used as instructed. After washing your hair, work the foam into your hair and let sit for about 15 to 20 mintues before rinsing out. Pretty simple. 

While I waited the 15 to 20 minutes, I did my research on Mane to see if they were providing a safe product.

Unlike other hair dyes that require several steps, Mane has combined the main ingredients that help bring out the most naturally looking hair color into one foam.

p-Phenylenediamine

This is the primary coloring agent that provides the specific shade you desire.

Hydroxyethylcellulose

This thickening agent helps dyes adhere to your hair and stay for over 20 washes.

m-Aminophenol

Secondary dye agent to create an even richer color to your hair, helping keep grays from being exposed too early.

Mane's Hair Coloring Foam also includes ingredients to help balance the pH of your hair to prevent damage.

So, finally, after rinsing, I decided to check if I could see results… and wow! The areas of my hair that were previously gray looked just as they did 10 years ago! Even better,  my hair felt fuller and stronger than it had in years. I was simply amazed at how good it looked and felt.