The modern grandma has violet gray hair
New trends for gray hair 2018!
AFTER adding violet gray
Meet Sandy, a cool grandmother that started with beautiful hair that looked like white sun cotton. She knew that she wanted a change for her gray hair. How could you not when you see the magazines showing multidimensional grays. Turning gray early in her years left her wondering how would she look with a low light of darker gray or a silver color added? She sought Indulge Salon, York, Pa for advice.
To see more pictures of the in between process click here
Many women have come to Indulge Salon, York, Pa in search of wanting their hair to be totally bleached out then toned gray only to find out how high maintenance the color ended up being until their own gray grew out. The growing out process can take many months of growth to finally end up with white gray hair or blended gray hair. In many cases of growing out, the natural hair and the previously colored hair doesn’t look that attractive and would need to be managed with a deposit only color on the ends to blend hair.
As a salon stylist, we are always faced with the concerns of keeping the integrity of highlighted hair, darker hair that has to be lightened light enough to choose the right tone for the right result for the client’s skin tone.
In many cases gray hair or lightened hair for that matter richly depends on the how light we can make the hair within one sitting. More often than not, we have to set up many appointments that are lengthy in time in order to achieve a safe lightening environment in order to tone to the gray hair wanted.
We have many choices to choose from when it comes from color manufacturers that deposit only that lasts only for a few days or as often as the hair is washed because it will wash out still leaving the hair feeling soft and healthy. Once the gray hair is applied to the hair whether it’s permanent or demi permanent the hair will be changed on a molecular level. If someone doesn’t like the gray hair after it’s been done, this removal is another conversation.
Other choices are from permanent color that will stay in the hair longer however; the color will or could fade over a period of 4 weeks similarly to a fabric that is worn regularly. The hair has many spaces in it that could alter the outcome of the result. For this reason, our professional stylists have to make decisions based on these assessments.
My best advisement is to schedule a consultation to review the photos that you are interested in having of the gray hair. You might need a darker base at the scalp that requires a longer process time plus the time it may take to lighten the ends of the hair. Just know that if your hair isn’t able to lift enough to apply the gray color of interest, you will have to come back for another appointment to resume the lightening again. The important factor is to keep the hair healthy.
The appointment
We arranged for her to have a consultation about giving her an alternative color that will gradually wash out so that if she didn’t want the new gray color permanently then she could allow the color to fade away. As an authority on the 50,000 shades of gray in our salons, we pride ourselves on the options for all gray hair. Some of the options that we have to discuss before choosing the colors are:
- texture of the hair. If the hair is coarse we have to choose a color that will moisturize the hair. If the hair is fine gray hair, we have to plump up the hair with the right gray color. If we use a color that is to heavy as a cream, it could weigh it down causing a gray that looks a bit darker than what you had expected because it saturates the hair.
- Porosity is the ability of the hair to absorb moisture. If the color absorbs to much color, the hair may look darker than what you want.
- Style – what type of hairstyle/haircut do you want to compliment your gray hair. We have to evaluate where we are going to accentuate the eyes, the cheekbones, the jawline.
- Positioning of the gray hair to enhance a fringe, a bang, the edges, the overall look
- keep the existing hair color or change it totally
To answer the questions for Sandy’s hair, we chose to do a multi toned gray hair that had hues of violet, darker grays around the perimeter and a few on the top.
Prepping from white to gray hair
Starting off with white gray hair as the foundation to consider adding violet gray with multi dimensional low lights of dark gray will give the illusion of natural gray hair 10 years her youth.
We need to make sure the low lights of gray hair will be sitting in the right place within her hair to enhance her eyes, to enhance her facial structure.
The texture of her hair is taken into consideration based on the ability of the hair to absorb moisture either giving a shiny lighter look or a opaque look. Her hair is coarser which will take in the base pigment that could go too dark. We didn’t want the gray hair to go to dark because our goal is to be more natural looking without having the re-growth of potential roots causing you to come back every 4 weeks. She wasn’t interested in this type of gray hair color maintenance.
Gray hair process
Once we decided on the color tones that we were using, we talked again about the consequences if she doesn’t want it anymore. We proceeded by foiling the hairs that were choses to be darker gray and violet gray. The rest of the hair was toned with a semi permanent shine that had some violet to it that gave an overall appearance of gray youth.
The color processed for 20 – 30 minutes to allow the pigment to work properly. After we had finished, we had used a color post that closes the outside layers of the hair from an alkalinity to an acidic level that is closest to our natural level. Once she had finished processing totally, we combed it out to review the amount of dimensional pigment that she had as a result. See more of the processes on FB here.
The gray haircut
Once the cut strategy was set in place prior to the color service of graying her hair. It is important to note that the colors will either enhance the haircut or distract from it. Our goal is to always give the best balance. We cut a stunning one length bob that framed her face with a slight layer giving her swing and movement when she moves her hair.
A haircut that is designed with the gray hair minded client would give a youthful appearance to a mature woman. A gray colored tone on a younger person gives a sexy edgy look. Keeping a good shape to a haircut is essential every 4 – 5 weeks.
After care
This essential part of the service is very important to keep the color fresh over the weeks ahead. We have after care conditioner that is gluten free, good for the hair that is designed to replenish the gray pigment that gradually washes out of the hair. If the hair isn’t replenished, the gray hair will revert back to the lightened state with a yellowish tinge or a left over pigment that may or may not be desirable. A color will have to be done again unless you would choose not to have your hair colored. Gray hair is stunning and can change to 50,000 shades of gray. I find this challenge a beautiful experience.
Want this experience? Call us at 717.846.4424
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