Friday 20 January 2012

Grey or Nay?

image courtesy of ridingwiththetopdown.blogspot.com


It will happen to us all at some stage, and everyone is pretty divided on it!

When you find that first grey hair you suddenly decide which way you are going to go... Are you going to embrace the grey or are you going to sell your soul to make sure nobody can ever find out that you are a silver siren underneath that hair colour? Similar to the way you pull the curtain across to hide that mark on the wall.

Whichever choice you make, there are ways of making sure it's done properly.  Do you want the science behind it?  As we age your hair stops producing melanin which gives the hair it's colour, this in turn means that your hair colour fades.  Nobody as yet knows why our bodies do it, but it's genetic and everyone has a predetermined stage when they will, or won't start turning grey.

That's not to say outside influences don't have an affect.  Diet, toxins, pollution, stress, and environment can all add to going grey sooner rather than later.

But there is good news!!!  I sit on the grey side of the fence.  Since I was about 21 I couldn't wait to go grey. I wanted to have the George Clooney silver fox thing going on.  Unfortunately without the rest of his features, and there are things you can do if you decide to embrace your natural highlights to enhance them and make it look healthy, and even youthful.

A lot of deciding to go grey or not depends on your skin tone.  Pink, olive and darker toned skin tend to really carry off grey quite well.  If you are of a paler complexion, sometimes the grey can add to making you look a little washed out.  Kaz our creative Colourist loves working with grey hair '' There are a thousand options for people with grey hair, lots of people seem to think that they just leave it and their stuck with it, and that simply isn't the case''   we broke it all down into three sections

Condition and Care, Colour, Complimenting



Condition & Care

Your hair texture changes as it changes colour, look towards moisturising shampoo's and conditioners that are  also high in vitamins and moisture.  Substantif from Kerastase has anti oxidant ingredients which don't weigh down the hair.  Conditioners from Substantif  or the Nutrive range in Kerastase are fantastic for giving your hair an instant kick of moisture.



Colour    

If you are going to hide your grey then think about whether you want to compliment, enhance, or hide your grey.  To compliment it you can think about highlights to break up your natural colour and will mix in, giving it a brighter and more youthful appearance.  To accentuate it, think about more subtle full heads of colour which can change the tone of your hair to make it more towards the soft blondes and ivories, or go the opposite way and have ice blue colours to help brighten and gloss your hair.  If you are thinking of hiding it, and you are starting to go grey, (salt and pepper as it's called) then think about having rich browns or multi tones put through to help keep your hair looking rich, and tonal as if to say 'I'm going grey gracefully'.  If you want to hide it then be prepared for the up keep, with visits every 4-6 weeks for darker colours, but if you have foils put through to gently blend out your natural colour then this will help reduce the amount of visits needed and will help you along the way to grey (without the badger stripe on the top of your head!)



Complimenting

 Silver Shampoo is an amazing shampoo not just for blonde people but also for our Grey Goddesses.  It looks like ink, but one shampoo with this product and grey hair instantly looks brighter, and healthier with an amazing tone.  it's enhanced with silver pigments that help enhance the hair and reduce warmer tones.  Also think about your make up, have some professional advice on how your hair and colour can be enhanced by the colour and style of make up you choose.