Meryl Streep for Vanity Fair
You’re looking at yourself in the mirror and suddenly you see something that doesn’t quite fit into your colorful mane: a silver gray hair. Going gray is a process, but realizing it’s happening can feel very sudden. You may know immediately that you want to cover your gray hairs with dye, or you may consider embracing your new look. Believe it or not, you can still achieve a glamorous and fashionable hairstyle without completely disguising your gray.
Generally speaking, your hair turns gray when the production of pigment in your body stops. The lack of copper in our bodies speeds up the aging process and every hair has its own course, which is the reason behind why it’s possible for one hair to become gray before the rest of it.
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So what can you do about it? As one of the best hair salons in New York City, dealing with gray hair is a part of our everyday life. If your hair is already colored, a great alternative would be to start working with semi-permanent color so that when the hair grows out, the color would also wash out slightly and the outgrowth would be less remarkable. In previous posts, we’ve talked about the nutrients that can boost your mane and if you want to slow down the aging process of the hair, kale, walnuts and dark chocolate are three foods said to do that. But there are also a couple of other things you could do when the silver gray hair suddenly shows up. We asked our colorists Lucio Galano and Rocco Crisci for their best advice.
Manon Crespi
“The changeover to gray hair color could be a tough challenge, especially if your hair is long. If a client has dark hair, adding lowlights would be a good option to consider for an easier transition. You would add your base color into the gray hair, so to break the line of demarcation between regrowth and colored hair. A client who is naturally light could stop doing a base color and just do highlights to transition. The process of becoming gray is individual and cannot be the same for all. Therefore, I highly recommend all clients to come in for a consultation. As hair turns gray when we get older, the texture also changes. Embracing not only your grays, but also the new texture, will require looking for a new hairstyle and changing your choice of products”.
– Lucio Galano, Color Director, Soho
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“When a client is deciding upon becoming naturally gray or not, it’s important to remember that each person’s process is individual. To find out what tone works for you, you would have to play around with different shades of gray. A good alternative would be to lift your hair with a double process and then add a smoky ash tone. However, it’s important to remember that you would have to go through the process little by little if you want to maintain a healthy mane. Keep in mind that you might have to lift your natural color a lot to achieve the look you want. Hair looks gray because it still has some dark pigment in it and adding a smoky ash tone creates a more natural look. I also highly recommend my clients to use a purple shampoo and conditioner in between visits to the salon to maintain the cool tone they wished for.”
– Rocco Crisci, Color Director, Brooklyn
Going gray is a process, and you may have to make some changes to your hair routine, but we’ve got you covered. Schedule your consultation with us today HERE (Brooklyn) and HERE (Soho).