Hair Dye

[Mpickett]

I'm a 4-H kid and this year is my second year showing a steer at the County Fair. Last year I had a red calf so hair color didn't mean much to me, but this year I have a black one but he is alittle sunbleached and he also has a red mother, so he naturally has some red color in him. I was wondering what everyone thought as far as if I should worry about the red hair for show? or if it's not that big of deal since it's just a county fair?

Thank you!

 

[iowabeef]

I would check the rules for your county fair and if they allow it, I would dye the calf. 

 

[firesweepranch]

It really depends on you and how competitive you or your fair is. A good option is cheap Walmart black dye (they are about $2.50 a bottle out here). We use about three bottles per animal, mixed with Kleen Sheen. Leave it on for awhile (we actually left it on overnight and rinsed them the morning we left for the show). Really, I like the performance of Sullivan's Black Velvet the best, it lasts longer and has a deeper more rich black color to it for us. But for a county level fair you can go ahead and try! Do it the day before you show if you can, so the dye is fresh. We used the cheap stuff for a big show out here two weeks ago and the hair color has returned to a sun burned look, so it did not stick very long.

Good luck!

 

[Mpickett]

Thanks guys
I'm not really sure what the rules are and i'll look into it.  but I know some people do it, whether theyre suppose to or not lol. I'm not exactly sure how I would go about it though at the fair because we show three different days and I'm not sure how some people would feel about me dying my steers hair, even if it's "legal" to do there.

 

[iowabeef]

If you are going to do it, I would do it at home before you go.  It will last during the fair. 

 

[Mpickett]

Even through being washed at least 3 times, if not more? I guess it is hair dye and it does stay in peoples hair for awhile

 

[dn91]

Make sure to get the dye from sullivans I think it's called black velvet, it stays in three times longer than the other stuff I used

 

[iowabeef]

We use the cheap stuff from Dollar General and die about every two months......that is rinsing daily and showing about every other weekend.....it will stay in.

 

[lebf]

We use the cheap stuff from Dollar General and die about every two months......that is rinsing daily and showing about every other weekend.....it will stay in.

which one from the dollar store do you use?

 

[iowabeef]

Whatever is on sale at the time.

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

If you are showing the animal multiple times, I would recommend the black velvet from Sullivan's. It doesn't seem to be as hard on the hair if you have to do it a couple of times in one show season. If you do go with the human hair dye, I suggest Revlon in soft black. It is cheap enough and gives you black without the purple or blue tint you can get with some black dyes. FYI, if you half a sensitive hided animal, the human dye can sting and make a quiet calf a bit jumpy during the process, especially a pain when trying to do flanks and bellies! Best of luck!

 

[Ms Ray]

when using the human hair dye do you still mix it with Clean sheen?  do you dye before or after you clip?

 

[Boot Jack Bulls]

when using the human hair dye do you still mix it with Clean sheen?  do you dye before or after you clip?

We've done it both with and without Kleen Sheen. It really depends on condition of the animal's hair. The Kleen Sheen does stretch the dye, so you do not have to use as much, but if the animal is really bleached out, you may want to use less or no Kleen Sheen. If you decide to go without Kleen Sheen, I would recommend using the conditioner that comes with the dye as well. It may seem like you are over-conditioning it at the time, but in a couple days when you want to show, you will be glad you did. If you don't the hair can become very dry and damaged, and it will take bottle upon bottle of Revive to get back to where you started. Also, a deep conditioning seals in the color, so it won't fade or wash out as fast.

As far as wether to do it before or after clipping, I have not noticed that it matters either way. Timing your pre-show clip is more important, so schedule around that. I would recommend dyeing at about 5 days prior to show and not using a lot of soap when washing the first day or two after dyeing to let the color set.  If you have not dyed hair before, I would suggest trying it on an inconspicuous spot on the animal's non-show side a week or two prior to your target show just to get a feel for which dye and application process work well for you.

 

[DLD]

If at all possible, dye after you clip.  The dye will help alot to blend the appearance of different lengths of hair together, and help cover up spots that were clipped very short.  If you dye a really hairy one before you clip,  you'll need to do it again afterwards if you want it to look it's best.

 

[Sparkle]

Def. dye the hair. Clip first then dye and dye again if needed. We have dyed many times. I do not like to cut the dye with anything, apply it with a brush and leave it in 45-60 min.. It will last longer that way through many washes. We have used Sullivan's and various dyes from Wal Mart. Just make sure that when you get dye from another source other than Sullivan's that it DOES NOT have a blue hue to it. OR your calf may turn out to be deep dark BLUE.


Good luck. Try it out several weeks before you show.

 

[coachmac]

For us it can depend on the hair as to how well dye takes.  We do the same thing every time and the majority of the time it works, BUT....there are some calves that dont take the dye like others.  They look good short term, but the more you wash and rinse, the more the red tint comes back.  Whatever you use, rinse WELL!  Any dye can burn a calves hide and even when done "correctly" there are times it is hard to avoid.  We condition the tar out of them after the rinse to wash out the dye.  We use the packages from the boxes, infusium 23 leave in, sheen, mane and tail, vinegar, and the kitchen sink if it helps the hair and hide.  Most people have a method that works for them and their stock.  Good Luck at your upcoming show, no matter how the dye job comes out.