There are basically 3 main ways to transition to naturally gray hair: to let it grow as it is and be patient (a.k.a the “cold turkey” method), to cut your hair very short and regrow it fully gray, or ask your hair colorist to blend your grays with the dyed hair color.
When you've gone gray, or white, or salt-and-pepper, your skin can look washed-out and dull. So use a luminizing, moisturizing foundation, and apply powder only where you absolutely need it, says New York City makeup artist Mally Roncal.
Often people think grey hair will inevitably make them look old, but, as Paul Falltrick, Matrix Global Design Team Member points out, this isn't necessarily the case. "Grey shades can be stereotyped as ageing, but a clean-looking grey is stunning" he says.
One thing to watch out for, though: The texture of your gray hair is probably not the same as the texture of your former color, so you'll need to care for it in a different way. Many grays are wiry and dry, yet can look youthful, shiny and sleek if you give them the proper attention.
The best way to work out which shade of grey will suit you is to find out your skin tone. To find out, check the colour of the veins on the underside of your wrists. If they look blue or purple, you have cool skin tones, so opt for pure white grey tone.
This is when you notice hair appearing to turn grey, when there is a mix of dark colored and grey or white hair. As the person grows older and the body's ability to produce melanin begins to slow down, all the hair in the body turns grey or white and this when you begin to see all white hair.
As a general rule, Mike Liang, advanced colorist at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa in New York suggests going gray when you reach 80 percent non-pigmented or white hair. If your hair starts to feel increasingly dry, brittle, or damaged or you experience scalp irritation, it might be time to ditch the dye.
The Best Style Choices For Gray Hair. Avoid mustard, olive green, camel and rust. These colours tend to make you look like you have jaundice and no one wants that! Instead wear mint, lavender, rose red and taupe, especially close to your face as well as in your makeup choices.
Try a purple shampoo: If you have blonde hair to blend or dingier grays that need brightened, a purple toning shampoo can help. Duenas recommends Aloxxi's Violet Shampoo. “It has a very strong violet pigment that will help fight brassiness and make your gray the most beautiful it can be,” he says.
“Gray hair tends to turn a dull yellowish color that can age you, so try keeping it shiny and bright.” You can do this by using toning, purple-colored shampoos. Popular options include Aveda's Blue Malva Shampoo, Davines Alchemic Silver series, and Joico's Color Endure Violet.
Naturally occurring hydrogen peroxide can also build up in the hair, bleaching the color. Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and African-Americans in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
When you use silver hair dyes, it can last up to 3-4 weeks, depending upon how often you wash your tresses. Using this silver dye, people with light brown, dark blonde hair or dark brown hair can quickly achieve grey shade hair and be able to dye hair dark grey.
Your hair is making you look older if…. Nothing ages you more than hair that is too dark. In fact, as we age, hair should lighten not darken - that is why nature does it for us with those annoying gray strands. Severe dark hair can cast shadows on your face emphasizing lines and wrinkles.
You can still take risks, add fun styling, step out of the box, and change up your hair color if you want. There's no reason to have “old lady hair” just because you're over 60!
A sleek and simple pixie cut is a great way to get rid of damaged hair and will make you look healthier and younger. A short haircut is the best tool to visually balance your face shape and draw attention to your beautiful features.
Kraleti doesn't recommend plucking or pulling the hairs out. “If there is a gray hair you must get rid of, very carefully cut it off. Plucking can traumatize the hair follicle, and repeated trauma to any follicle can cause infection, scar formation or possibly lead to bald patches.”
Some people develop their first strands of gray or white hair in their 30s or 40s, whereas others develop white strands in their 20s or teenage years.
Gray hair grows when hydrogen peroxide builds up in your hair follicle. "This causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out," says Debra Jaliman, MD, a dermatologist in New York and spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. Gray hairs are thicker and wirier, so your hair gets coarser as they multiply.
2. And your hair might feel healthier. While hair dyes and techniques have come a long way since their follicle-frying beginnings, they do still leave some damage. Taking a hiatus from color will help your hair return to its previous state--especially as dyed ends get chopped off.
If you're dealing with a lot of gray hair, you should touch up every four to six weeks. If that sounds expensive—and time-consuming—that's where at-home coloring is key. With it, you can keep the hair color you know and love—without spending a ton.
When should I go gray? That's a question a lot of us ask ourselves as we start getting older. Cosmetologists and colorists, as a general rule of thumb, advise going gray when 80% of your hair is white or gray, or when your hair starts feeling increasingly dry and brittle.