Grey hair used to be something women avoided. Now – thanks to the likes of Kristen McMenamy and British Vogue’s own Sarah Harris – it’s a look they aspire to. But it’s important to do your research before jumping on this particular trend. Which shade of silver will suit you best? Can you avoid using bleach? And how intensive will the upkeep be? We here at Thrive have ferreted out the answers to all of these questions and more in its ultimate guide to grey hair.
Silver, ash, pewter – call it what you like – grey hair has well and truly shaken off the stigma long attached to it. Now, it’s a statement of confidence and intent. Whether you look to the red carpet (Rihanna, Lady Gaga, various Kardashians); the screen (Salma Hayek in The Hummingbird Project, Game of Thrones’s Daenerys Targaryen, or the silver wig Chrissy Teigen has adopted for an upcoming US TV show); the fashion crowd (British Vogue’s Sarah Harris, Erin O’Connor, Jan de Villeneuve); or even the world stage (Christine Lagarde and Princess Caroline), you will see women of all ages embracing a hair colour that for many years was seen as a sign of “letting yourself go”.
Today, you’ll find around 1.7 million posts using the hashtag #greyhair on Instagram, and a further 1.6 million #silverhair posts. Not to mention the popularity of #grombre, a portmanteau coined in celebration of natural grey roots. Pinterest, too, has reported an 879 per cent spike in searches for “going grey”. So, if you’re tempted to find your own perfect shade of grey, there’s never been a better time – but it’s important to do your research first. Here, we ask three experts to break down everything you need to know before taking the plunge.
What causes grey hair?
Whether you’re a brunette or redhead, the colour of your hair is dictated by melanin-making pigment cells in the hair follicle. As we age, these pigment cells start to decline and, with it, our hairs take on a new colour: grey or white. It’s dictated, mostly, by our genetics – with different races also experiencing colour changes at different ages – but external factors such as stress, poor nutrition and hormones can also affect when we go grey.
Grey hair… should you go there?
First things first: “Grey doesn’t suit everyone,” warns Josh Wood, founder, and CEO of Josh Wood Colour. “Some people can’t wear grey clothes because it makes them look dead. It’s the same with hair.” So, if you are not naturally going grey and can’t wear the colour, this is something to consider.
“If you are going grey naturally and want to embrace it, I require that my clients grow out their existing hair colour to a certain extent before committing to the look all over, so they must be OK with this transition period,” says Tracey Cunningham, a Redken brand ambassador and colourist to the likes of J Lo, Charlize Theron, Drew Barrymore, and Jessica Biel.
Heavy tonal coverage is less popular than before, according to both Wood and Jones, who report a rise in strategic highlights and colour treatments that brighten locks, rather than blanketing hair tip to root. “People are asking for different ways to conceal grey, rather than covering it completely,” says Wood. “Grey is a very extreme look,” he warns. “[It] doesn’t mean you are notcolouring your hair. People who wear grey [hair] are tweaking their grey for it to look brighter, more sparkly, modern and even.”
If you are not going grey naturally but still want to try out the trend, you will first have to lift or bleach the hair to de-pigment it, before colouring it, “especially on a dark base”, explains Wood. “It’s generally a two-part process: bleaching, then toning using a grey or silver toner.”
“Know that this process can take several hours and ensure that you are seeing a professional, as you want to avoid as much damage to the hair as possible,” adds Cunningham. “If you’re already naturally blonde, your colourist may be able to only highlight before applying a gloss like Redken Shades EQ. Either way, going grey is a commitment and requires both time and upkeep.”
How long does the whole process take?
It all depends on your starting point and how extreme you want to go, but regardless, you should expect it to take a long time. Bleaching can be an aggressive process and it can take up to two days if you have dark or previously coloured hair. “Removing hair colour is more difficult than removing natural pigment,” says Wood.
“If you have long, dark hair, you are probably looking at a two-day cycle, rather than a six-hour session. Thin hair is generally weaker, but sometimes is easier to lift. I would recommend a strand test before committing to any colour, including grey. This is a simple test any salon can do that will test your hair’s sensitivity to bleach and colour,” advises Siobhan Jones, L’Oréal Professionnel guest artist and Rose & Wild Hair owner and creative director.
“Getting the right tone [of grey after bleaching] is another long process and can take up to nine months to get right,” says Wood. It will involve playing with toners and finding the right balance for your hair and skin tone.
… And how long will the colour last?
If you are used to having your hair coloured very infrequently, the necessary maintenance might come as a surprise. “I would expect grey to last around four weeks, max,” says Jones. “The challenge with grey is that when it fades, it just doesn’t work [so you need to maintain it religiously]. I would recommend getting your colour done, roots and all, every six to eight weeks. And in between that, getting a colourwash every three to six weeks,” she says.
Such an intense routine can be quite damaging to the condition of your hair, so the London-based colourist recommends using Smartbond, L’Oréal’s in-salon treatment, at every opportunity. “Not only does it look after the strength of your hair while it is colouring, it also helps prevent breakage and has a really nice cosmetic finish, so your hair feels smooth and looks shiny, which can be particularly difficult to achieve with grey.
”What are the drawbacks?
“The bleaching process will dry out your hair,” says Jones. “If you naturally have oily hair, bleaching it might make your life easier because you won’t have to wash it as often, but it will also make it much coarser. On a positive note, if you comb your hair, it can hold much better. But, if you are used to soft and silky hair, it won’t really feel that way after bleaching it, so do bear that in mind.”
Your hair will be weaker as a result of the lifting process, so you will have to look after its condition much more than ever before, both with at-home and in-salon treatments. “Maintaining any colour, but especially grey, requires a product regime that supports keeping the tones in the hair and stopping it from fading,” explains Wood. “I wouldn’t go without a form of heat protector on at all times,” adds Jones, who recommends Kérastase Ciment Thermique.
Available at Lookfantastic.com.
There’s also a risk your hair may fade to green. “Because your colour has natural undertones to it, it will often lift quite yellow, which, when you add the grey toner – which has blue undertones – can, on occasion, turn green. Or, more likely, it will fade to green,” explains Jones. “In those instances, I would go for a grey with more violet undertones – something more pearly or lilac – which will fade better and undercut the green. A more steely silver colour can still be achieved, it will just need more upkeep.”
Which shade is right for you?
Grey is the new blonde in that there are so many hues to try, and finding the best one for you all depends on your skin tone and eye colour, the experts say. “If you have light eyes then you can go for a lighter, silvery grey all over,” says Jones. “If you have darker eyes, then you’d want to opt for a darker shade or try for an ombre effect – darker at the root and lighter at the tips. Lighter grey is harder to wear, so might require you to rethink your make-up or style,” she adds.
“It is also about how much grey you want to see,” says Wood. “It is as much about proportion as it is colour.” Think of Erin O’Connor’s sweep of silver, compared to an all-over approach. “It’s important for colourists and clients to set up a consultation prior to any colour service that requires a drastic change,” Cunningham adds.
Can you go grey without bleaching your hair?
Celebrities often resort to wearing wigs on the red carpet as a way of making a statement without risking their hair’s health. If you want to try out the look but don’t want to risk the investment, a wig is the only way to play with colour without damaging your hair.
“There are some darker grey shades that don’t require bleach,” says Wood, “but in my experience when someone is considering going grey, they want a bright flurry of grey/white, not a dark, heavy grey.”
How do you care for grey hair?
“The thing about grey is, you never want it to look dull,” says Wood, who has designed an at-home gloss called Shade Shot Gloss in Icy Blonde, which can be used once a week to “keep the sparkle in greys”. “[Grey hair] can look like a Brillo Pad in a second: dense and dark and dull. For me, grey is always about keeping it light and effervescent, and clean and shiny and silky.”
Because washing your hair will draw the colour out with each rinse, Jones recommends not washing it more than is strictly necessary. “For me, investing in products that mean you don’t need to wash your hair as often is key. Things like dry shampoos – I like Kevin Murphy’s Doo.Over – will keep your colour going for longer.”
Available at Lookfantastic.com.
When it comes to at-home care, Cunningham recommends using a pigmented shampoo and conditioner – like Redken Color Extend Graydiant – to keep hair from developing orange or yellow undertones. “Pigmented shampoo and conditioner will strengthen hair and neutralise any brassiness in-between salon appointments,” she says. Jones favours Kérastase’s Blond Absolu range, which has a purple shampoo and a rich mask with purple toner in it.
“For an in-salon treatment, I’d recommend a KeraTriplex Treatment by Paul Mitchell, which you can apply between colour washes or whenever you have a blow-dry,” says Jones. “Also remember: your hair is at its weakest when it is wet, so you don’t want to excessively blow-dry it when it is soaking. Instead, rough dry it first, get it to 90 per cent dry, then go in with a brush or comb. And use a heat protector on your hair at all times.”
6 of the best products for grey hair
Bleach Fade To Grey Conditioner
With anti-green stain technology, this conditioner will help keep grey hair grey, and not yellow.
Available at Cultbeauty.co.uk.
Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask With Rare Prickly Pear Oil
To counteract the wiry, brittle feel that often accompanies grey hair, look to a reparative mask to help fortify and soften each strand. This one contains prickly pear seed oil, which gets right into the hair and repairs from within. A must-try whatever your hair type or hue.
Available at Lookfantastic.com.
Bumble & Bumble Bond-Building Repair Treatment
To help look after just-coloured hair, look no further than Bumble & Bumble’s Bond-Building Repair Treatment which contains a honey complex to help fortify weak strands and reinforce the hair’s structure from within.
Available at Lookfantastic.com.
Aveda Botanical Repair Intensive Strengthening Masque Rich
For shine and a soft-touch feel, look no further than this strengthening hair mask, which contains butter and plant lipids to deeply moisturise and bolster each strand of hair.
Available at Lookfantastic.com.
Philip Kingsley Pure Silver Shampoo
For brighter grey that won’t tarnish with exposure to sun or environmental smog, use this purple-tone shampoo (and it’s accompanying conditioner) every time you wash your hair.
Available at Cultbeauty.co.uk.
L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Neutralising Cream
An illuminating cream conditioner for grey (or white) hair, this delivers violet and blue pigments to neutralise any tone that isn’t grey – yellow is a big offender.
Available at Lookfantastic.com.
