How to Transition From Dyeing Your Hair to Going Gray

Gray or white hair can be elegant.

You’ve dyed your hair ever since the first gray strand appeared, but now the grays are popping up more frequently. Coloring at the salon has become increasingly time-consuming and expensive, while home coloring results can be unpredictable. Hair dyed an unrealistic color may age you even more than gray does, so you decide to go naturally gray. Salt-and-pepper, silver or white hair can be elegant and stunning on women at any age.

Things You'll Need

• Shampoo for gray hair
• Serum with silicone

Instructions

1. Ask a salon colorist to help you make the transition. The colorist may suggest adding highlights or lowlights to the roots. Highlights add silvery tones to dark hair, while lowlights add darker touches to blonde-haired people, blurring the demarcation between the dyed color and the incoming gray. The transition will require patience and might be less noticeable in blondes. At some point, your hair should look as if it has been professionally frosted.

2. Treat graying hair differently than you treat dyed hair. Gray hair may have a different texture; it may be coarser, drier and fragile. Products made especially for gray or white hair may contain bluish or lavender tints that combat yellowing of the gray hair. Some colorists recommend mixing the tinting shampoos with an equal portion of conditioning shampoo to avoid overly tinting the hair. Use a deep conditioner at least weekly. Try polishing products -- like serums containing silicone -- that enhance shine.

3. Get a haircut to allow easy care without excessive reliance on styling tools -- particularly those that use heat. Gray hair may be brittle and easily damaged. Avoid permanents or other hair treatments that can damage fragile gray hair. Keep your hair trimmed until the dyed hair eventually is gone.

4. Adjust your makeup to match your hair's changing color. Try a lighter tone of foundation -- possibly in a creamy or ivory shade -- and switch to subtle eye makeup, avoiding hard black eyeliner.

References

• "Ladies’ Home Journal"; How to Love Your Gray Hair; Mark Garrison
• BellaOnline; Growing Out Gray Hair; Lynn Chapman