LAST NOVEMBER, Sameer Sadhu dyed his black mop a mauve so rich it would make Barney the dinosaur jealous. Though Mr. Sadhu, 34, a New York music executive, said he woke up one morning yearning to try a loud shade, his purple plan wasn’t totally out of the blue. His wife had been contemplating dyeing her hair and he guesses she “put a little seed” in his head that eventually took root. He and his colorist decided lavender would best complement his skin tone, said Mr. Sadhu, who is South Asian. While the hue handily hides his grays, he’s more stoked by the “sense of adventure” it inspires.

Mr. Sadhu has joined a growing flock of men whose dyed crests resemble birds of paradise. These adventurous gents treat their hair like an accessory, switching colors—aqua! chartreuse! beet red!—as easily as some guys change sneakers. Other men pursue a more low-key dye agenda, opting for approachable, natural-looking shades that diminish—or enhance—their grays.

Once deemed tacky, taboo or a pitiful sign of a midlife crisis, coloring has become a viable and desirable option for men. Demand from male clients has “doubled or tripled” in the past two years, said Los Angeles colorist Daniel Moon. “It’s become a thing,” added Jackson Heller, the New York colorist who orchestrated “Gossip Girl” star Evan Mock’s flamingo-pink buzzcut (pictured). Guys are experimenting at home, too. A 2021 report from research firm Mintel estimated that 38% of U.S. men use some form of DIY hair color, whether it’s permanent or temporary—an increase from 34% in 2019.

Actor Evan Mock with his pink buzz at a New York gala in March.

Photo: Getty Images

The dye-curious—that is, those eager to address grays but wary of looking like a Lego man—should aspire to resemble Sgt. Salt ’n’ Pepper himself, George Clooney, advised Mr. Moon. Instead of eliminating your grays with black or brown dye, zhoosh them up by adding darker and lighter shades of silver, which will simulate Clooney-caliber depth. Eric Chan, 34, a New York real estate manager, uses a gentle black wash that mutes his grays but lets them “show through a little bit.” It looks persuasively natural and fades in a few weeks, he said, calling it “a nice option” for special occasions.

Meanwhile, bold, unnatural coloring has lost its punk-rock connotations, said Mr. Moon. It’s another traditionally “feminine” look that men now casually adopt, along with nail polish, earrings and crop tops. This might be an organic extension of what Mr. Heller calls an “obvious shift” whereby men visit high-end salons instead of barbershops. Come for the trim, stay for the tint.

Mr. Moon and Mr. Heller apply dye to clients in finance, academia and other traditional milieus, but find that the clients who choose wild hues skew young and creative. Several of Mr. Sadhu’s corporate friends told him they’d like pastel hair like his but worry it could unnerve, even scandalize colleagues and bosses. “It’s more normal than ever to have pink hair, but…I don’t know if that would fly at Goldman Sachs, ” said Mr. Heller.

‘Euphoria’ actor Dominic Fike at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., in March.

Photo: Getty Images

Besides Mr. Mock, brightly topped celebrities include sapphire-haired “Euphoria” star Dominic Fike, plus myriad musicians: At this month’s Grammys, Diplo, J Balvin and the Kid Laroi looked like they’d been dunked headfirst into vats of Gatorade before hitting the red carpet.

Guys have been coloring their tresses for centuries, said hair historian Rachael Gibson. She noted that Tutankhamun’s tomb is decorated with engravings of men with cerulean wigs. The Romans used natural recipes to prettify their locks, she said, grinding up bugs to achieve an iridescent shimmer or applying gold dust to see if life is better as a blond. In ancient Rome’s hair salons, which catered only to men, coloring would have been a “standard” service, she added.

One notable downside: Coloring is a commitment. If you get it done professionally—which we recommend to avoid color catastrophes like the dreaded Fanta-orange blond—you’ll need to visit a salon roughly every two months. If you desire a vivid buzzcut like Mr. Mock’s, it’s every two weeks or so. In between, you might need to use hydrating hair masks and leave-in conditioners, said Mr. Heller.

That said, Mr. Sadhu stressed that dyeing your hair, while somewhat high-maintenance, is not a forever decision. People overthink it and assume it’s “more permanent than it is,” he said. His take is: “What do I truly have to lose when I do this?” Nothing but some pesky grays.

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