Clairol Research says that 64% of women are determined and committed to dye their
gray hair – no wonder 50 is the new 40! Be that as it may, more and more women are
choosing to embrace those silver strands as they take their permanent place on the
crown. Men are too. GQ magazine called “gray the new black.” Whichever you choose,
here are two approaches to teach you how to gray gracefully or dye trying.

Gray hair can appear at any age. It’s not always a sign of growing old, it’s caused by a
reduction of pigment (gray hair) or total loss of pigment (white hair), and the real reason it
happens remains somewhat of a mystery. What to do with your gray hair, however, is no
mystery at all.

If you choose to embrace gray as your color of choice – bravo! You face two challenges:
the first is how to blend your gray, especially if it comes in patches or if it’s coarse or fine
– both of which do not hold color well. Your colorist is the key to going gray with style. You
will find that adding medium and ash tones of your natural hair color will help blend
incoming gray until you reach a point where you can be color-free. Adding a gloss to your
color will also help maintain a healthy shine as gray hair is often dull.

Because gray hair has less natural oil, your second challenge is yellowing. To help, your
colorist can add violet tones to your lowlights to neutralize the yellow tinge. You should
also use a shampoo with bluish-purple tint formulated specifically for gray or graying hair.

If you are a fight-it-all-the-way guy or girl, your challenges will be how often you have to
color to maintain your look and whether or not your gray hair grows in course or fine. If you
have either too course or too fine gray, you will most likely have to make friends with your
colorist. He or she can treat your hair with all over color or streaks of caramel or blonde
that disguises the gray. If you’re one of the lucky ones who can treat your graying at home, look for products designed to cover gray hair. Your commitment to color can vary
depending on the number of gray hairs you have. A few strands here and there can be
colored with a clean mascara wand and the off-the-shelf color of your choice. For
moderate graying, a demi-permanent color will cover-up and blend the gray. If you need
all-over coverage, look for a color closest to your natural color and go for permanent hair
color. For root touch ups, look for products that are designed for use on the roots and
won’t leave a line between old color and new. Add gloss or glaze created to keep color
treated hair shiny and vibrant.