should you keep it or should you cover it up?
Over the years I have tried many different options on women with gray hair .......of all percentages. Now that I am having my first few grays pop up, the question is becoming a little more personal. But what I will teach you is what I have learned from all of these women over the years.
1. Women that have very dark hair Level 5 thru Level 1 (Level 1 being black and Level 12 being platinum) ........constantly battle the question over covering it or letting it go gray. Why? The regrowth once the percentage of gray gets over 40% is tough. After 2 weeks you feel like you need to think about re-doing it. That way you can never let your hair color "go".....out of your thoughts! When it pops up after 2 weeks, the "line of demarcation" becomes so distinct - that you really have to decide one way or the other....
2. So with approx. 1 woman per month, she decides to go gray... getting the old color OUT...is a treacherous task. Can anyone say : VANISH??!! and with the formula needed to cover these silver haired vixens, the job is 2 X as tough! But is doable. Many times I will have to cut an inch or 2 off the bottom, but gray it turns out after about 1 week of procedures. The pay-off is you never have to color again.
What I will say about this decision is...almost every single person decides to go back and re-cover the gray .......and I am not sure if it is just because of where I live and Malibu being Celebrity-central...?? So please write in your comments at the end, if YOU have gone "all-silver-all-the-time" and let us know how you like it???So with those results being so vivid in my mind , I know for right now that all I want to do is cover my few little gray hairs up...I don't know what I will do when those few hairs become "MANY"... but for now I happen to know a person who knows exactly how to cover gray hair - and it lasts 6-8 weeks when it needs to be done because of re-growth. If you are having problems with your formula for covering gray hair, remember.,,,these 3 tricks:
- Use permanent hair color only
- Do NOT shampoo your hair for 48 hours after you color hair.... ( just rinse when finished coloring hair, the only reason Stylists shampoo your hair after coloring is to either (a) start the color fading right away or (b) poor education.
- Always mix a Neutral Color and a Tonal category. Using the "neutral" or (N) color to "fill" the gray hair ( gray hair has no color in it) with a base . Then adding the tonal color you wish to become.
I have yet to discover a method to recover the gray beneath the scalp !! ha ha... That will probably be the next thing on the hair color market..."We have now discovered how to color your hair "IN" your head.." How many of you would want that product?
Be sure to write your comments below I will post them as soon as I delete all the spam this Blog attracts for some reason ... promise!
"Would you use a product that guaranteed to cover your gray hair before it grew out of the scalp?
KC
Killer Chemist
Can you explain how after you use Vanish you take the hair to gray? THAT seems like a true feat of coloring magic, I have always read that was impossible, you are some kind of genius!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I wrote my ideas improperly....but let me tell you what I meant. I would always tell someone trying to go back to gray...to let their hair grow out for 6-8 months ( even longer if they feared losing length).
DeleteI would have them hit the shampoo train and stay on it for the entire time.. then we would Vanish out as much of the color as possible then tone and place a few low-lights while the color continues to grow out...
Firstly, I'll introduce myself.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Andrew. I am a 19 year old Oriental male, with natural level 1 black hair, but I have been maintaining silver/grey hair (bleach and tone, of course) for about a year and a half now. (I would add a link so you could see my hair, but i'm not quite sure if links are allowed in the comments section, are they?)
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In the society that we live in, everyone seems to value deep, luscious tones when it come to hair colour. Highly pigmented hair colour is associated with youth, health, vitality, and beauty. We are bombarded with so many images from the media that enforce this idea. Personally, I think there is something so beautiful about a lack of pigmentation. It's rare to find a person that would rather a grey sky than a clear blue one.
When one is only starting to get grey hairs, covering the few grey hairs is no problem, but when the line of demarcation starts to become more noticeable, I think that is the time that one should accept the fact that they have grey hair, and embrace it. One should make the most of their grey hair, enhancing it to make it just as fabulous as any other head of coloured hair.
I think the best way to embrace grey hair is to colour the hair a shade of grey that has the same tonal value as the natural growth. This is because I have noticed that especially with grey hair, the contrast of the white hairs against the pigmented hair makes the overall head of hair look rather dry. In doing this, you'll have uniform colour and even light reflection, which will make the hair look smoother and shinier.
The even colour and shine will give you a more youthful and healthy appearance, the line of demarcation won't be as noticeable, therefore it won't make it look like you're trying too hard to mask the fact that you're ageing.
Ageing isn't something that should be feared. With proper education, and the right tools, one can age with beauty and grace.
Kind regards,
Andrew.
Bravo Andrew...Bravo
ReplyDeleteKC
I think grey is gorgeous. Like Andrew says, covering it up only calls attention to the fact that someone is aging and makes wrinkles and skin discoloration stand out. I also think women look more graceful with grey/white hair when they are older than with dyed hair.
ReplyDeleteI'm not really sure what level I am, my hair is naturally a bright coppery red. I thought I would go white/grey, but as I'm getting older, my roots are getting darker. In some strands almost a red tinted black.
Why do you say to cover gray with "permanent" color only?
ReplyDeleteI am 48 years old and about 20% gray. I've been using permanent color for the last 3-4 years (done in the salon) and my hair is SO damaged it will no longer hold my natural wave, it's all frizz. My stylist says it's fine. Of course she applies product and a little iron and it looks lovely. I'm frustrated and on the fence between letting it grow gray or using a more mild semi-permanent alternative to do myself every 5-6 weeks. What do you think?
The "BRAND" of professional hair color matters as much as the difference between a PORSCHE and a VW.........which are both cars....
DeleteBUT, one is like driving on a cloud and in the finest most beautiful leather in the world, and the other, will.........WELL........ get you where you want to go !
Plus, both cars are made by the same company.
I have never used a hair color that does anything but make the hair look better, provided u follow proper directions,
KC
It makes sense not to shampoo the hair after coloring. So what do you put exactly conditioner perhaps?
ReplyDeleteI'm a female, age 50, who decided to ditch the color at age 48. By that time, I had been coloring for 30 years - most of that time every 3 weeks or so - because of the amount of gray. To say that the decision has been freeing would be an understatement. As you pointed out, once one passes the 40% mark, it's a constant struggle to keep the gray covered. I found that I was critical of my hair, and thus myself, every time I looked into the mirror. Right after coloring - Just a bit too dark. A week after color - just right. Two weeks after color - the gray creeps back in. It was a vicious cycle.
ReplyDeleteMaking the decision was the easy part. Finding a stylist who would love me through it was hard. Getting support from other women in my life was next to impossible. It was as though simply by changing my hair color, I was suddenly aging THEM by 20 years. Almost every one of them took it upon themselves to further shake my personal confidence by telling me it would age me, that it would look drab, that it would look like I didn't care about myself. Somehow they thought that I would suddenly start dressing in orthopedic shoes, ratty sweaters, and stop living my life. (My husband was shocked at how women unsupportive women are to each other.)
My suggestion is that if you are a stylist, help your client transition through the grow out period and don't predict that she will eventually recolor. Tell her stories of women who have successfully transitioned. Recommend products that support her such as purple shampoos and clear glosses. If you are a friend, support your friend. Her decisions about her hair do not affect you. If you are a woman (or a man) considering going gray, embrace it. You are the same person - just a little more sparkly.
Well said, and thank you!♡^^^^
ReplyDelete