The many ways to handle grey hair
THE SIGHT OF YOUR FIRST GREY HAIRS USUALLY MEANS MAKING A DECISION: DO YOU LET THEM COME NATURALLY, OR WOULD YOU RATHER HOLD THEM OFF A LITTLE LONGER? HAIRDRESSERS SAY THERE’S MORE THAN ONE WAY TO HANDLE GREYING HAIR.
Sooner or later, everyone winds up going grey and while for a few lucky people that comes late on, for others, the process begins in their twenties.
Few people greet their grey hair with excitement, but steady on and take your time as there are plenty of options out there. First of all, you can try anti-grey lotions and treatments for the scalp. Stylist Jens Dagne recommends his clients start out with these when they first spot a grey strand or two.
These lotions protect “against further rapid depigmentation of the hair and reactivate new pigments at the hair root.” He says you will see the first indications it is working in around three months. Anti-grey shampoos promise a similar effect.
Others start out by concealing the grey. If you get a good colour, it will cover the grey and last for around ten to 15 hair washes, says Antonio Weinitschke who works for a German hairdressing group.
Otherwise, go for highlights or streaks in your hair, as these are less stressful for your scalp, compared to other colouring options, as a foil is laid between your hair and your scalp.
Visually, also, highlights help when it comes to grey, particularly if you have darker hair. Being a few shades lighter than your natural hair colour, they
Few people greet their grey hair with excitement, but there are plenty of options out there. First of all, you can try anti-grey lotions and treatments for the scalp. Stylist Jens Dagne recommends his clients start out with these when they first spot a grey strand or two.
make individual grey hairs that shine through a bit less noticeable, according to Weinitschke. Also, rather than colouring all your hair, you can have highlights or streaks in several shades, just like your normal hair colour, which is also made up of many shades. Colouring is also an option but this only makes sense when you have a fair amount of grey, says Weinitschke. Compared to a toner, colouring penetrates deep into the hair structure so it lasts longer.
You can colour your hair almost any shade, but it is best if it suits your skin tone, which tends to get paler with age. Dagne says the older his customers, the lighter their hair colour should be.
Light and soft-looking tones are a soft focus for aging skin, he says. “Dark colours often make us look older than we already are — and women then wind up wearing more make-up,” he adds.
The main disadvantage with colouring your hair is when the roots start to show. His clients usually come back four to six weeks later for re-colouring, says Weinitschke. His solution is to apply the colour in a weaving motion so the contrast between the two shades is more naturallooking and less stark.
He lifts a selection of strands of hair with a comb and only colours these, creating a sunkissed effect as the lighter strands contrast with the original hair colour.
But yet others simply accept the grey hair as part of life to be celebrated like any other. The good news being that grey and white hair — natural or coloured — have been in fashion for some time now, a look that even supermodels are rocking on the catwalks.
Vogue fashion magazine recently described grey hair as a style trend and classic look for the future. However, your grey hair needs special care to stay shiny and smooth. Sunlight and other environmental influences may give it a yellow tinge, says Weinitschke.
Also, unpigmented hair is far more unruly, so this can mean more maintenance for longer hair. So take good care, and seek out shampoos for silver hair and the right conditioners that will counteract any yellowing, for example.
Colouring is also an option but this only makes sense when you have a fair amount of grey. You can colour your hair almost any shade, but it is best if it suits your skin tone.