How to Color Gray Hair and Make It Last

Table Of Content

• Three Easy (and Low-Maintenance) Ways to Cover Gray Hair
• Caring for your grays
• Get Enough Vitamins and Nutrients
• Where Does Gray Hair Appear on the Scalp?
• Makeup can help tackle surprising gray roots
• Can gray hair be reversed?
• Hairstory - Hats and Hair: Does Wearing a Hat Damage Your Hair?
• Use a Toning Shampoo

Actually, if you have any health or beauty concerns—gray hair or otherwise—it's important to speak with a medical professional. Physicians, such as board-certified dermatologists, can give insight into the matter and make sure it's not a more serious underlying issue. As for a non-permanent color option, you can choose from application methods such as a touch applicator, spray, or powder. If you prefer a more targeted application, Garnier Express Retouch has a cushion applicator that makes blending easier.

Three Easy (and Low-Maintenance) Ways to Cover Gray Hair

This is your excuse to invest in a luxurious silk or satin pillowcase. The way that you sleep truly does have an impact on the health of your gray hair. I always wear my hair in a topknot secured with a silky hair tie to keep my hair from pulling on my pillow. Secondly, I use a silk pillowcase that protects my hair while I sleep.

Caring for your grays

The best thing you can do is to stay healthy, eat a well-rounded diet, and lower your stress levels as much as possible. If you're struggling with embracing your grays and running through hair dye, this could be good news. Pinpointing the gene, they say, could potentially help scientists discover ways to prevent or slow graying hair in the future. While factors like smoking and some vitamin deficiencies could lead to premature graying, researchers now know that genetics play a big part.

Get Enough Vitamins and Nutrients

In the case of Good Housekeeping Institute Beauty, Health and Sustainability Lab Director Birnur Aral, Ph.D., she did a little bit of both. "My roots grew about an inch, and I started noticing the salt-and-pepper pattern of my natural hair and toying with the idea of going gray." Read on to discover the essential steps to make sure your natural grays make the sort of statement you want. Some common recommendations for dealing with grey hair can actually be harmful.

Where Does Gray Hair Appear on the Scalp?

Gray Hair: What You Need to Know about Causes and Possible Prevention - Coveteur

Gray Hair: What You Need to Know about Causes and Possible Prevention.

Posted: Thu, 08 Oct 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

And, for this crowd, we have a few tips on the best low-maintenance ways to do it. You’ve probably found a range of home remedies that promise to help darken hair that has turned grey on the internet. Most include ingredients that are designed to act as a natural dye, like black tea, henna, coffee, and potato peels. However, DIY remedies can produce mixed or unexpected results, especially if you already have color in your hair. Often, they will result in a warm red or orange hue, rather than the natural tone you were hoping for. While one stressful event won’t immediately shock your hair completely white, research shows that stress can lead to more greys.

Since gray hair is missing this pigment-making protein, it means it’s also much more susceptible to UV damage. A recent study points out that without this protection, the UV light melts the cortex, making the hair more brittle and damaged. So just like your skin, you need to protect gray hair against the sun. A simple way is by using a protectant spray like Rene Furterer Solaire Protective Summer Fluid. Environmental and nutritional factors may also be credited for graying, especially premature graying. “Stress, smoking, and an unbalanced diet are a number of the reasons why we may start experiencing premature graying,” explains nutritional expert for Maple Holistics, Caleb Backe.

Can gray hair be reversed?

"Since gray hair tends to be drier and wirier, moisture is essential for keeping it smooth and soft," says dermatologist Dr. Iris Rubin, the founder of SEEN. "I suggest haircare products that provide extra hydration without leaving the hair feeling heavy or looking flat—and without pore-clogging ingredients, especially in those with acne-prone skin." If you are looking to blend or temporarily cover your gray hair, celebrity stylist Bradley Leake recommends Color Wow Root Cover Up ($35). "I love this product to temporarily cover gray. It’s sweat-proof and waterproof and easily comes right out with a shampoo," he says. "[It] allows you to cover or just blend your hair in the most natural way."

Hairstory - Hats and Hair: Does Wearing a Hat Damage Your Hair?

"It is unclear why, but the biological process that affects the color of the hair likely also affects the structure of the hair being produced as well," says Zeichner. That can be a major positive, especially for those of us whose hair can’t hold a curl or a wave to save our lives. SEEN's haircare line is sulfate-free; Byrdie editors have also had shine-boosting luck with sulfate-free shampoos from NatureLab Tokyo, Alterna Caviar, and Leonor Greyl, among other brands. And while there is freedom in having nothing to hide, sometimes we may need a little help with the transition to gray. If you’re ready to quit, talk to a doctor or another healthcare provider. They can advise you on how best to go about this and connect you to helpful resources.

Gray Hair: Everything You Need to Know About Causes and Hair Care - Allure

Gray Hair: Everything You Need to Know About Causes and Hair Care.

Posted: Thu, 29 Nov 2018 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Because smoking can lead to prematurely greying hair, ditching the cigarettes can boost your chances of maintaining your natural hair color for longer. If you want to learn how to stop grey hair naturally, your best bet may be to focus on leading a less stressful life. A study by researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found evidence that grey hair caused by stress can turn back to its original color if the stressor is removed. There are many reasons people experience graying, but a lot of times it simply comes down to natural aging and genetics. This means that it just happens because it’s a commonality within your family genes. Check when your relatives or parents went gray and see if it matches with your timeline.

When you spot your first gray hairs, step away from the tweezers. While it may be tempting to pull out a silver strand or two, doing so can actually get in the way of your gray greatness and make your hair appear thinner. "Plucking, in some cases, can cause inflammation of the root of the hair, leading to damage to the follicle, helping the hair look like it's coming in thinner," says Zeichner.

"Additionally, the Epres Bond Repair Treatment ($48) is an incredibly easy and effective solution that treats and repairs damaged hair, leaving you with healthier, stronger hair." Although your genetics will determine the actual start of graying, once you’re 35 years old, your aging hair follicles are likely to produce a white or gray hair to replace the last hair that died. So far, there are no natural remedies that can slow down the hair-graying process.

Go for highlights or a brass break.If you aren’t majorly gray, getting highlights might be the best option for you. “Colorists can go heavier in those areas [where there’s only a few grays] to really make them look like highlights,” says Tresch. ”This is very low maintenance.” Tresch also says it’s also great if you don’t like the idea of lifting your base color. To keep highlights looking fresh, use color-preserving shampoos and conditioners like the Kenra Color Maintenance Shampoo and the RUSK Sensories Brilliance Color Protection Leave-In Conditioner. Another option for barely-there gray hair is to get a brass break.

Touch up your roots and any problem areas, then finish with an all-over gloss to seal. An at-home option for making the switch to full natural silver is dyeing hair gray. "There is now at-home hair color available in silver and gray shades that can dye pigmented hair gray and make the transition faster and easier," says Wizemann. Similarly, a product dedicated to strengthening pigmented and gray hair types, and even bolstering growth, is one worth investing in.