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.
Try a toner. Whether it's an at-home toner like Overtone or one from the salon, this is a great way to bridge the grow out gap. A toner provides an overall wash of color making hair look more gray/silver as well as softening (if not erasing) that pesky “line of demarcation.”
Washing your hair less often (and using silver, blue, or purple shampoo when you do), limiting heat styling, and using a heat protectant like Hairstory Dressed Up Hair Protector will help keep the dye from fading too quickly.
So, what is gray blending? Basically, it's like gray camouflage. It's a low maintenance color technique that hides the gray by adding in other colors that are similar to your hair's natural shade. This way it appears less gray, silver or white and creates a smoother transition to these lighter shades.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
If you cut your hair into a pixie cut, the average length of time to grow out your gray roots is 3-6 months. If you want to keep your hair shoulder-length or longer, it can take about 2-3 years depending on the rate of hair growth.
By far, the easiest way to go gray is to get a short cut. The silver will naturally blend in with your hair color as your hair grows — if you even want to grow it out. Jamie Lee Curtis has had this short, chic cut for years!
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.
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.
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.
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.
It depends on the shade of grey. With a white-ish grey you might get away with putting blonde on it; if you're a steely grey it won't cover it. Highlights might be better; you could blend the grey in for a silver-blonde look.
Instead, grey blending helps make your grey hair look more natural, controlled, and all-around aesthetically pleasing. If you've noticed a bit of salt in your pepper but don't want to have to dye your hair regularly, grey blending is the perfect way to control grey hair.