According to hair biology experts and styling experts alike, grey hair is more resistant to color than younger hair because of its texture. The relative lack of natural oils in the hair compared to younger hair make it a rougher surface that tends to reject the color being applied, especially around the roots.
Gray hair tends to be coarser so it doesn't absorb coloring as well. For this reason, gray hair is often considered to be “color resistant”. This is especially true in certain areas such as around the temples.
Gray hair can be colored many different shades, such as platinum blonde, medium brown, or pure black (for this color, we recommend Simply Color Jet Black 1.0).
Brittle, split, and dry hair won't take hair dye the same way healthy hair does. If your hair is damaged, the dye's chemicals will penetrate the hair cuticles differently, and you may end up with patchy or faded color. Prep your hair before you color to make sure all your strands are as healthy as they can be!
Since color change primarily occurs in the cortex layer, if you have a very thick cuticle layer, it may take longer for color change to happen because it's harder for the color to penetrate. The cortex or middle layer has chains of protein formed by amino acids, which give the hair its strength and elasticity.
It's always a good idea to give your roots the most time to absorb color—say about a 20-minute head start from the rest of your hair. After that, you can gently comb the hair color down your hair, adding more color to your mid-lengths and then finally to the ends.
Neutral shades like soft blonde, mushroom brown, light copper, and caramel blonde balayage are the easiest to blend gray into (and maintain over time without wanting to shave your hair off).
Different Shades of Gray Last Different Periods of Time
Gray hair color definitely fades, and some grays fade more quickly than others. According to Matrix Artistic Director and Boston salon owner Michael Albor, you can expect a lighter grey hair color to fade more quickly than a deeper, charcoal tone.
By pre-softening the hair with hydrogen peroxide (we call it the developer) your hair cuticles open so the pigment can be absorbed well. For this, apply the pure developer (hydrogen peroxide) to the grey strands. Use a comb to comb the developer through the areas that need pre-softening.
Wait 20 minutes for the roots to process, then it's time to refresh your ends. “Take sections of your hair, from the top, and apply the colour through the lengths of your hair. When you feel that you've saturated all the ends, leave it for ten minutes, and then shampoo,” Josh advises.
Before Hairprint, Henna was the least-toxic, most natural option for coloring your hair. And it's still a good one. Affordable, available in a variety of colors, and easy to apply, semi-permanent Henna is completely natural, non-toxic, and can even work on gray hair.
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.
Gray hairs are thicker and wirier, so your hair gets coarser as they multiply. You can't do anything to stop graying -- it's something you inherit. But you can tame gray hair with a good hairstyle and special care.
Gray hair is thinner than hair with natural color because its cuticle is thinner. Your hair needs that natural protection from water, ultraviolet rays from the sun, humidity, chemicals, and heat styling. Without that barrier, your hair loses water. So your gray will feel dry, fragile, and coarse.
You want to avoid shades that are too similar to your natural coloring; beiges, creams, off-whites, stone grays, taupes, etc. These colors will only wash you out and emphasize your gray tones.
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.
Typically, white people start going gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late 30s, and Blacks in their mid-40s. Half of all people have a significant amount of gray hair by the time they turn 50.
We recommend shades like Chocolate Brown, Mahogany, Praline and Light Brown to cover grey hair. However, if you are regular with your touch ups, going for darker shades of brown is still a good choice.
Grey and gray are two different spellings of the same word. Gray is more common in the U.S., while grey is more common in other English-speaking countries. In proper names—like Earl Grey tea and the unit Gray, among others—the spelling stays the same, and they need to be memorized.
Box Dyes Are Progressive Hair Dyes
This means that with each use of a box dye, the color continues to deposit onto the hair strand, which can cause brittleness, damage and breakage. As a result, hairdressers dislike these types of dyes as it causes difficulty when trying to achieve desired results.
Hair should not be excessively dirty, sweaty or oily. Dirty hair does not “grab color better” *see next slide. However, you want there to be a natural protective oil layer on your scalp to act as a barrier against the chemicals in the hair dye. Wear your normal makeup routine to your appointment.
Check the pH of your water: whether you are doing a wash or a rinse, be sure to check the pH of your water. If it's hard water, it can also play a role in the dye fading faster. You can always install a filter to help you with this.
Coloring your hair in a salon by a professional stylist on average can take anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, and can even extend to as long as 8 hours depending on your hair's condition, length, natural color, and intricacy of service.