BEAUTY: take the plunge and reveal your natural grey

Giving up hair dye and growing out your natural silver doesn’t have to be daunting. Stefani Zupanoska explains how.

The growout phase

Like laugh lines, grey hairs are a symbol of a life well lived. Going natural is a positive move; however that doesn’t mean you make the decision to do so lightly.

Going grey is commonly explained as a loss of pigment in the hair shaft. As your follicles stop producing melanin, your hair pigment fades and you go grey. While the greying process is simple, the acceptance process is not.

Yes, at the initial stage you will get that harsh regrowth root line and this can be the most challenging part. Regrowth is especially noticeable with darker hair because of the contrast – blonde is more forgiving.

To help you through the grow-out phase, consider tweaking your haircare routine to let your grey hair shine through. Try root cover-ups. They come in pens, sprays, gels and powders, and are non-permanent options that won’t hinder your grow-out process and wash out easily. Hair stylist Anthony Nader recommends using a fine tooth comb and gliding the teeth from the roots up to an inch from the scalp to better camouflage.

Playing around with highlights or lowlights also helps the transition. “Growing out your existing colour can be smooth sailing, provided that you still have a few splashes of colour sporadically placed from the roots to your ends so the demarcation line isn’t as obvious,” says Anthony. He also recommends high or lowlights to be in the shade that matches your existing colour. This helps to avoid a two-tone look.

It’s important to remember that the grow-out process won’t happen overnight. “If you want your grey hair to look as seamless as possible, give yourself a 12-month period so that your new natural hair grows in,” says Alexander Fuchs, Global Education Manager at La Biosthétique. “Once you have achieved your desired grey, give your hair a decent cut to expose more of your natural grey.”

Caring for your grey

Grey hair is often finer and drier, so in order to keep your grey hair looking shiny and well maintained you need to alter your haircare products.

Anthony recommends swapping in a blue or purpletinted shampoo or conditioner to help neutralise your hair colour. “Purple or blue shampoos inject that silver or mauve pigment to make your grey strands appear brighter and wash away any gold or brassy overtones you may have from the sun,” he explains. But don’t go overboard. Overuse of a purple-tinted shampoo can make grey hair look darker and muddy, so it’s best to limit to once a week.

Your go-to shampoo should be a hydrating and volumising formula full of antioxidants to prevent your hair from drying out. “Formulas which contain hydrolysed wheat protein hydrate and strengthen hair at the same time”, says Alexander. Other ingredients such as nourishing avocado or olive oil can also be very effective.

As grey hair lacks melanin it is more susceptible to sun damage. So just like your skin, you need to protect grey hair against the sun. A simple way is by using a UV protectant spray.

Finally, incorporating a scalp or hair mask into your hair routine is a great way to lock in moisture and condition your tresses.

They should be used on a weekly basis to start with and then twice a month.