2020 brought us a lot of things: mask style preferences, extra time with our immediate loved ones, empty Netflix queues, and an insurgence of grey hair!
Despite being Salem's resident "Rainbow Maker," keeping folks' grey at bay is still my number one service request.
Believe it or not, there are quite a few strategies on how I like to address grey hair with my clients (if they want it gone). So the next time you're talking with your stylist -- or trying to figure out what to with this sudden influx of grey -- it might be helpful to discuss some of these options.
Tony! Toni! Tone!
This strategy is by far the most unorthodox. When we think toners (glazes/glosses/whathaveyou), we usually think brightening/refining blonde highlights. What if I told you we could still use these on virgin silver hair?!?
These gentle, acid treatments will add shine and smooth out the wirey texture (or frizziness) that silver hair can have....and I would recommend this option for someone who is anywhere from 0-50% grey.
What we'll do is treat your silver hair as a "highlight" and choose a color that is lighter than your peppery strands to "stain" what's grey. Cream toners will deliver a sheer pigment to the hair that's lighter than your chosen color, but will leave alone any hair that's darker than what we've mixed up.
Because toners just barely penetrate the hair shaft, these glosses gently shampoo out over time not causing any discernible grow out. Yep, I'm gonna say that again.....this technique avoids that problematic "roots" issue!
I love how commitment-free this strategy is, and how great it is to give yourself a little extra sprucing before an important event (remember those?) or formal photos.
This is definitely the technique with the shortest-lived results (4-8 weeks depending on how often you shampoo), but it also doesn't lock you into a regular maintenance schedule.
Be sure to check back with the second and third installments talking about how to address the grey you don't want....or even maybe how to enhance the ones you DO!
