TAKE IT STEP BY STEP

Unless you’re brave enough to go full ‘badger’, a gradual grow-out is the way to go. These tips, adapted from new book Silver Hair by Lorraine Massey with Michele Bender (Workman) show you how…

*Highlights and lowlights can make the grow-out a little easier, offering a smoother tone-transition by blurring the line of demarcation. Although you will still be colouring your hair, chances are you’ll do it less often than when you were covering up all of your silver – perhaps every six-to-eight weeks. *Going lighter can blend the silver while it’s growing out and make roots less obvious. Highlights are great if you have straight hair, or if you’re transitioning from red or a darker base colour, because they bring a lighter colour through the length of your hair, helping you gradually adjust to your lighter, natural silver. Blonde or white highlights with toners can create a twilight-silver or platinum hue. They can also be designed to match the natural silver tone at the root line. *Whereas highlights add colour that’s lighter than the base colour, lowlights colour sections of hair darker than the existing base colour. There are a variety of lowlight applications and many colours that can be considered lowlights. They are often used to tone down and temper over-highlighted hair created either by balayage (a form of painting on colour) or foiling selected strands and colouring them. Lowlights can be used to mimic the natural darker grey tones you may have at the roots to help them blend into the existing colour as you start to allow it to grow out. Some people may use a mix of highlights and lowlights in the weaning-off process until the hair is totally natural, while others may continue using the lowlights intertwined through their silver hair until they are ready to embrace it completely. *In the weeks before you get highlights, lowlights or any colour, it’s important to deep-condition regularly, so your hair is in the best shape possible to receive the colour. Also, your hair is fragile after colouring, especially if bleach is used, so deep-condition afterwards as well.

*A toner, also referred to as a gloss, is a translucent form of semi-permanent dye, used to neutralise or manipulate an unwanted or uneven shade. The difference between hair colour and toner is that while hair colour is like solid paint, toner is like a shellac stain on wood. If you opt for highlights, most often you’ll need a toner as well, because highlights can erase or lift the colour in some areas more readily than others, making your colour appear uneven and patchy in tone. Toners are mainly used on bleached and lightened hair. Like a topcoat of nail polish, a toner seals the cuticle and allows the colour to last longer, often giving richness and shine. *Various factors can determine how long a toner will last. It will fade faster if you have hard water and if you use heated styling tools. Toners are not one size fits all, and it’s crucial to use the right one for your hair colour. Get a toner at a salon first and ask for help in choosing what to use at home.