"When you've gone lighter and lighter to camouflage your silver roots, so that you're almost white, that's a sign," says Nitz. "If you're going so light with your hair color that it only slightly differs from what's growing in, it makes sense to stop coloring."
In the end, it's about the way you feel about yourself inside and out! Some women choose to put down the dye bottle at 30 and others continue well into their nineties. It's a matter of preference and a choice only you can make.
And your hair might feel healthier
While hair dyes and techniques have come a long way since their follicle-frying beginnings, they do still leave some damage. Taking a hiatus from color will help your hair return to its previous state--especially as dyed ends get chopped off.
When should I go gray? That's a question a lot of us ask ourselves as we start getting older. Cosmetologists and colorists, as a general rule of thumb, advise going gray when 80% of your hair is white or gray, or when your hair starts feeling increasingly dry and brittle.
Some women may begin going gray in their 30s or 40s. But for others, the process may begin as early as when they're 20 years old. For some women, hair can be a form of self expression. When it begins to turn gray, some women think nothing of it or even realize that they love their new silvery strands.
Don't assume that grey hair makes you look older
Hair naturally loses pigment as we age, but stylist Paul Falltrick points out that the notion that grey hair makes you look older is increasingly becoming a misnomer: "Grey shades can be stereotyped as ageing, but a clean-looking grey is stunning" he says.
Gray hair is one of the universal signs of advanced age. More likely than not, at some point in your life, your hair will start to go gray. Some individuals can maintain hair color well into their older age, but most do not.
If you add the right hair colour, your 'grey' hair will act as highlights, giving you a completely new look that will get you noticed for all the right reasons. Professional colourists usually recommend a darker shade for your roots and a lighter shade that matches your natural hair for the rest.
Apply Hair Color With Foils
If you're trying to transition to gray hair, you want to avoid an all-over dye job. Instead, have your colorist apply your hair color with foils — much like applying highlights, except you won't be lightening your hair. This will simply help you transition between the two shades seamlessly.
If you're really itching to have any dye gone, you can replace highlights with lowlights in a shade close to your natural color every six to 12 weeks until the highlights have disappeared. Alternately, you can slowly transition your hair by glossing it to replicate the color of your roots.
As we said before, going blonde makes grey hair that much easier to cover, as blonde hair and white hair are quite close to each other in aspect. If the natural hair is quite dark (level 6 and below) you will need to use bleach first and lift the whole hair.
Permanent hair dye typically lasts for between four to eight weeks before it grows out or fades (more on that below).
Lighter hair color makes you look younger – but the tone you go for is paramount. If your skin has warm undertones, stay away from cool, ashy tones, and add some warmth to your look with golden highlights. Go for shades like honey to give your complexion a healthy, youthful glow!
Your scalp health will improve.
"Letting your hair go gray is an effective way to avoid exposing your scalp to toxic ingredients of hair dyes," says Monica Davis, a professional hairstylist and founder of Hair Scream. Instead, your scalp will be calm and free of any rouge dye stains.
“The best way to start the process is to partner with your stylist and ask about adding lowlights to your hair or using a toner with more depth,” Stenson says. “This is also a great time to talk to your stylist about ways to soften the “line” and continue the grow-out a little more subtly.”
Grey blending is a subtle way of handling your greying hair. It is an approach that blends the grey with colours similar to your natural hair tone. It's an option that allows you to embrace and enhance your greying hair, rather than hiding it. Your natural hair colour is the inspiration for the final effect.
Aside from the time investment of a salon session, there's how long it takes to fully transition to gray hair, which is anywhere from six months to a year, Ferrara says. "Some people won't have the patience, so they choose to color their hair again," she notes. "But it's super-rewarding if you can stick it out."
Caramel, honey, gold, copper, and strawberry give a healthy brightness that makes us look and feel younger. (Framing your face with lighter shades draws the eye away from any complexion concerns, as well.)
It depends on your skin tone and your shade of gray. Brilliant white, glossy platinum or shiny silver hair is pure genetic luck. It helps if your skin has warm golden undertones or is a rich color. When gray grows in dull, ashy or muddy, it needs help, especially if your complexion is ruddy, sallow or very pale.
“Stick to black, navy, pure white—never ivory—and all the jewel tones like sapphire, royal blue, ruby, fuchsia, magenta, purple and violet,” says image consultant Sandy Dumont, who has wardrobe-advised individuals and corporations for over 30 years. You'll also want to stay away from certain shades.
Scientists still don't know why some people turn gray early, late, or not at all, although they suspect genes, nutrients and possibly the immune system play a role in depleting melanocyte stem cells.
Normal aging is the biggest culprit.
Dermatologists call this the 50-50-50 rule. "Fifty percent of the population has about 50% gray hair at age 50," says Dr. Anthony Oro, professor of dermatology at Stanford University.
"While it's a natural part of aging for most of us, not everyone automatically turns gray when they hit the age of 50," she says. "Some people in their 80s don't have gray hair yet, while others get white hair in their late teens," she adds.