Making a decision to grow out your hair colour to your natural grey/white hair is big one. For some that process is more gradual taking several years which can include an emotional adjustment to the new brighter look. For others it is a dramatic transformation that takes place in the hands of a Professional colourist. In this blog I share several options that you could try if you or your clients have decided to take this step toward non-typical hair colouring.
The gradual approach as the name suggests is a slow transition over time where you gradually lighten your permanent hair colour until it gets to the point where moving to your natural grey/white is seamless. This works well on a high percentage of white hair rather than grey hair that has a lot of natural pigmented hair in the mix i.e. salt & pepper. In between hair colour applications allow the hair to fade, great to do in summer or you can increase the number of times you wash your hair. When the roots have grown, match the regrowth colour mix to the lighter faded colour. Avoid any of the new mix going onto the old colour as this will only darken it further and set you back months in your progress as colour on top of colour goes darker. If you need to refresh the ends use a semi-permanent colour for a great shine and tonal boost that will completely wash out. Click here for more information on semi-permanent colour.
Be patient, with some regrowth applications the colour will be the same, especially if there has not been a lot of fading in-between and on occasion it will feel like the colour move is quite big. As the hair colour gets lighter you could shift to a more translucent demi-permanent colour bringing you even closer to the end goal. Click here for more information on demi-permanent colour. Eventually when light enough you will have the choice to stop the regrowth application altogether and continue with just a semi-permanent until any demarcation has faded away and you are colour free.
This is the approach I used with my Mum, she wanted to grow to grey but was unsure if she would like the lightness; having been a very dark brunette her entire life. On her bob length hair, it took about two years but hardly anyone noticed the gradual changes and by the time we got light enough to stop colouring, she was ready physically and emotionally to move to her lighter whiter self.
The dimension approach involves bringing different lightness and darkness into the hair, this works very well on a lower mix of grey/white hair i.e. salt and pepper. You can jump straight in with this approach by adding highlights and lowlights to break up the artificial colour in the lengths and ends while softening the regrowth. If the hair is mid-length to long, I tend to use a slightly more gradual plan as this allows the client to get familiar with how the cool grey tones and reduced colour appearance will suit them. I have had more success with clients sticking with it, as the preparation allows for a period of adjustment and conversation. For about 2-3 applications prior to adding the dimension I move the client to a cooler version of their existing colour at the roots using a demi-permanent colour and avoiding any colour overlapping onto the older permanent colour to encourage fade. Then working with foil highlights and/or lowlights I mimic the distribution of white and natural pigmented hair. The highlights are toned using a cool silvery/blue ash imitating the natural grey-ish appearance of the hair. I like to use demi-permanent colours throughout this process with the lowest developer possible to avoid any lightening of the natural melanin.
I used this approach on my own hair, it took my shoulder length hair about 2 rounds of highlights/lowlights with approximately 6 months in-between which I supplemented with light silvery and violet-purple tones using a semi-permanent colour. I loved the purples and violets so much I have stuck with them even today.
The transformation approach this is where literally you start the day one colour and finish up looking like you have never coloured your hair; the results are immediate. This is detailed work and the hair does need to be fully assessed before starting the process. I like to see the client well before the planned transformation day for a thorough consultation, take a few test strands, mentally prepare her for the day of the transformation and her responsibility in maintaining the look. I prefer to work on a large regrowth so I ask the client to use a temporary powder/spray to hide their root until they have at least a 3-4cm regrowth, that way all of the work I am doing is literally off the scalp.
I like to begin with a colour remover that is anti-oxidant based (e.g ascorbic acid) to start shifting some of the old hair dyes and it has the added benefit of giving the hair a deep clean. Once the hair is dry, I take out my bleach/lightener with plex added and in foil imitate the natural distribution of white to naturally pigmented hair; I only want to lighten where the hair is naturally white. A clean uniform palest yellow is key, you may need to reapply the bleach/lightener if the lift is not sufficient. Do check out my blogs on bleaching, the science and the art-form for more information.
Once the clean lift has been achieved, there are so many different toners available, I tend to stick with demi-permanents if the hair is more salt and pepper as it also allows the option to refresh when needed without impacting the natural melanin. Permanent toners are great if the hair has a high percentage of white hair as you can create very interesting tonal characters that work well balancing the natural white hair and the newly lightened ends. The tonal directions should be cool and there is plenty of scope by playing with different options and combinations ranging from blue ash for bolder steel-grey, grey ash for a smokey looks and violet ash for softer silvery effects, I like to work all of this out beforehand on the test strands I took during the consultation. These are labour and product intense transformations that need expertise and time to create. They are expensive too and should be consider an investment they same way you would cosmetic surgery after all it is just as impactful. Do check out @jackmartincolorist on Instagram for more ideas and product combinations when working on these large transformations.
Like all big transformations the aftercare is critical in ensuring the quality of the hair’s integrity is maintained long after. Even though the hair looks very naturally grey/white it is at this stage still coloured. I always stress quality aftercare, like regularly strengthening the sensitive hair with treatments containing a plex and using Colour Care shampoo and conditioner at home. Additionally, and probably one of the most important is to protected the hair from UV damage as this will cause the hair to turn yellow but also the grey/white hair is not as effective at protecting your scalp; wear a hat!
The crop approach is not for the faint hearted and one where the results are immediate. Allow the coloured hair to grow out 2-3cms and then cut/shave the hair down to this length. All of the artificial colour is gone and it will take about 1 year for the cropped hair to grow to about chin length. Imagine all the great looks you can try while growing the hair down, you may even decide to stay short for a while.
The grow-it-out approach is simply not to colour the hair anymore and let it grow out by itself. Both the coloured hair and the natural grey/white hair are visible together. I have to admire these amazing women; they are displaying their journey for all to see. Fortunately, there is so much support out there and accessible to all through SoMe. Pinterest showcase many boards on Growing out Grey Hair, there are the private blogged journeys like Katie, group journeys like Instagram’s @grombre (grey ombre) #silversisters and videos such as Nikol Johnson’s My Gray Journey on YouTube. These offer nothing but moral support and empathy for those long months in-between. As Professionals we can help too with clients who wanted to grow out their colour. I have often recommended semi-permanent colours to blend the contrast without any commitment or impact to their natural hair colour, especially on those special occasions where they want to look great. I also like to suggest different styles more suited to growing out the grey that could include wearing their hair a little shorter than usual, more textured or layered and even some curly and wavy styling tips all to ease the in-between phase.
Whatever approach has been decided upon there are thousands more in the same situation and it is made easier with Professional support to share triumphs and frustrations, you would be surprised at how many Professionals discourage and flatly refuse to help. Be there and don’t miss out on the next stage of a client non-traditional colour journey.
Some personal tips having gone through this myself. There are no shortcuts when it comes to Mother Nature and how fast your hair will grow, so plan long-term. Be realistic there is no guarantee the grey/white hair will be uniform or look like one of the grey beauties on SoMe, so have some different ideas of what the end look could be. Once you reach your natural grey/white that does not mean your colouring journey has ended, the hair still needs help to look healthy and flatter.
In my next blog I look at how to embrace the grey once you get there.
Caroline
