Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Grey Hair (#4 is Harder Than it Sounds!)
When I finished my book Grey Hair & You, I came to the realisation that the greatest prejudice against grey hair in women comes from women themselves.
There is an incredible number of women who believe they look younger with dark hair. I have yet to figure out why that is. In reality, dying your hair can be too harsh once you’re past a certain age.
These same women believe, along with many of their sisters, that grey hair makes them look older. This is true for some women because they fail to consider the two most important factors in dealing with the challenge of grey hair.
There are just two considerations – yes, only two.
Your One Shade of Grey Hair
White-looking hair is fabulous; scaffold-grey is not. Simple, really.
Of course, white hair isn’t white; it’s clear in colour. The difference between the white and the grey hair is caused by the pigments eumelanin (dark) and pheomelanin (light).
More often than not, you will find both eumelanin and pheomelanin in hair. In grey hair, though, that’s largely unlikely as eumelanin is the more common.
The range of colours produced by melanin is limited to shades of yellow, brown, red and black. Grey hairs contain only a few melanin granules spread throughout the hair, and those granules are likely to be eumelanin.
White hairs contain no melanin at all: their whiteness is an optical effect, due to the way in which they reflect the light.
Make-Up Changes and Grey Hair
Silver or grey hair is an excellent backdrop for a complete make-over in the make-up department. Since grey hair can make you look washed out, using warmer tones in your makeup will make you look and feel brighter!
Charlotte Tilbury Luxury Eyeshadow Palette
This is the perfect time to have fun in some of the major department stores. Also, remember that in this instance, less isn’t always more. You can afford to be a little heavier handed when you have grey hair but please, do not forget to use blusher-without-sparkle – you want to look brighter, not like a Christmas Tree.
In Grey Hair & You I have included an entire chapter on Makeup Tips For Looking Great With Grey Hair. I’ve also added a chapter with Tips for Colouring Grey Eyebrows, which isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Steel Grey
A colour always deserving of special mention, steel grey is often reminiscent of scaffolding! Loved or loathed, trying to colour any hair that is predominantly non-pigmented usually results in a flat-looking colour.
Since grey hair is technically hair that has no pigmentation, a natural look calls for some variation in the shades – as it does with any hair colour. This can be achieved by using translucent dyes which leave the hair’s true colour variations visible under the added shades.
If you actually want steel grey hair, you can achieve it with foils – small, random strands throughout the hair – and a dye which will provide you with steel grey. Your best bet is to consult a professional colourist who can recommend the right colour application.
Instant Santa-White Hair
Snow-white hair is almost impossible to achieve unless you’re prepared for some torture. Really, it’s best to wait and hope your genes do the right thing.
In reality, you can’t make the snowy white colour of Santa’s hair because he is 100% grey. His hair lacks any pigmentation whatsoever and is therefore slightly translucent.
To get somewhat similar results, you may be able to lighten your hair to the lightest possible hue, and then tint it using a platinum blonde tint. Also, you will have to use a toner (which is purple but doesn’t look purple).
However, the operative word here is may: the effect you accomplish largely depends on the colour of your natural hair. So, you should definitely see a colourist!
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Does grey hair make you feel invisible? Have you changed your makeup to go with your grey hair? Do you see grey hair as an opportunity to re-style and re-invent your look and even, to some extent, your persona? Please join the conversation!
My hair a natural dark brown color, but now I’m in my early 70’s and have a lot of grey, would have loved to have it come in white, but that’s not what it wanted to do. So , now for years I go to the beauty shop and have a half weave with low lights. A rich brown color. I would like to just leave my hair to do it’s own thing, but I look washed out and mousy. The low lights bring back some luster. But this is quite an expense, and it’s kind of getting old, having to pay so much to get the luster going. But my hair looks pretty good, and the darker richer low light are blended in with my natural color. I’m open to alternatives.
After reading the article and comments,I just say be happy with what you have,and feel fabulous.I went grey in my 50’s and always got positive comments about the colour.
I had been dyeing my hair since my early 20s when grey started appearing. Therefore I knew when my hair grew after having cancer treatment in my 40s it would be grey..
At first it was a lovely striking shade of silver and I maintained it by using one of the purple tinted shampoos on the market. Unfortunately after about 18 months it started becoming a mix of pewter and black, not flattering and it really did make me look 10 years older than 47.
I now maintain a warm blonde tone with a few highlights across my fringe for contrast. It makes me feel confident now I’m in my early 60s. My hair has always been short and I’ve kept the same classic pixie cut since I was a mature undergraduate in 1993. It’s easy to maintain, I get my hair done professionally every 5 weeks. It’s my big treat to myself.
My hair is white! I don’t recommend the method I had to use, because I don’t was stricken with cancer, the chemo and radiation treatments made my hair lose its color completely. I love it actually, get heaps of compliments all the time. Wish I could show you 😄 lives in Australia