How to Get the Gray Hair you Want

I know that some may be afraid to go gray, because they are worried they will look old or they won’t like their gray hair once it is grown out, so I want to discuss the different techniques that can help customize your hair to suite you.  I know for me, I love doing different things with my hair, especially with color, so if my only option was to grow out my gray (and we all know what kind of commitment that takes) and accept it regardless of if I like how it turned out or not, well that is a pretty hard sell.  No wonder so many are hesitant to get on board with this.  Let me share with you some of the options you do have to get the look you want.

 Let’s say you have too much white.  This look can be very striking, like a platinum bombshell, but if you were hoping for more of a salt and pepper look, you will need to add back in your darker color.  This gives you that dimension that a more solid white lacks.  This would involve adding in lowlights. What is great about this option is that it is very low maintenance.  The color is added back to the hair in such a way that the demarcation line is hidden, so you don’t need to maintain that, and the lowlights will last as long as it takes for them to grow out.  You can also choose whether you want to add just a few for a more subtle look or more chunky ones for a more dramatic effect.

Let’s say you want more light.  You want to add highlights where it is too dark.  Again, this is a low maintenance process, because you are not going to have to be touching them up as often. In order for you to have them blend with your gray, you would tone them silver, but you could also tone them platinum or even a light blonde for a warmer tone. 

If you don’t like the cool tones of silver, you can add in lowlights that are a warm brown color.  I absolutely love this look and this really gives the hair a vibrant and updated look. 

Another thing you could do if you are feeling daring and really want to kick things up, is dye your hair basically any color you want.  I can’t emphasis this enough, you have to use a semi-permanent/no developer/direct dye option. One caviat is that you can play with this type of dye on your natural virgin grown out hair, but if you still have bleached or dyed strands, you run the risk of staining your hair.  This can be a fun option, but just to be on the safe side, I still would do a patch test first.