How to Color Resistant Gray Hair

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By Karen State
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Coloring your hair is such an instant way to freshen up your look. A nice, rich hair color boosts your complexion and looks so healthy overall!

Many people have very resistant gray hair that they are hoping to cover. "Resistant gray" is hair that does not take to color or dye as easy as regular gray hair. This hair type is a bit harder to treat. There are now products and techniques that allow "resistant gray" to cover perfectly ... leaving you with radiant hair for a longer period of time!

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Let your hair colorist know that your gray is more difficult to dye.
Color products designed for resistant gray

Step 1

If you color your hair, you know how rich and shiny it looks right after having it done. Whether you color at home, or go to a salon, the treatment leaves you feeling fresh and a bit renewed! I have gray hair, and while I love having my hair colored, the color has not always lasted as long as I would like. My colorist and I spoke of my options and I learned that I have a more resistant gray hair ... and having this type of gray is very common.

You will know that you have resistant gray if, a few days after coloring, you notice a substantial amount of gray showing up again. For me...this occurred around my hairline almost immediately. This is not to be confused with regular regrowth that starts to occur about two weeks after coloring. Resistant gray really does not cover fully to begin with and therefore shows up right away.

Luckily, once you realize that your gray is difficult to cover...you can have it treated properly and solve this minor beauty dilemma!
Step 2

I have found that coloring resistant gray is best done in a salon opposed to at home. While salons or spas tend to be more expensive... in this case the results are well worth it. Special care needs to be applied for getting resistant hair to properly take to the coloring process. There are hair coloring products that are specifically designed for such hair. You need to make your colorist aware that you've had difficulty in the past with your color lasting the normal amount of time. (Regular regrowth first starts to show in about two to three weeks... depending on how fast your hair grows. On average, hair grows a half inch per month)

Once you have a specialized color applied... that is made for your type of gray...you will notice far better coloring results immediatly.
Step 3

In addition to your regular coloring, you still have another option. One idea, to further blend away gray, is having highlights and lowlights applied every few months. Such highlights/lowlights will add depth and variance to your overall color and, in general, grays will be less noticeable. This is a way to help blend any regrowth so that it does not stand out so quickly.
Step 4

Lastly, be certain to use a shampoo that is designed for color treated hair. Such shampoos are gentler and will not strip the color away. Regardless of how resistant your gray might be, they are always your best choice for keeping your new color looking fresh and vibrant!

Comments

walker7 said

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on 11/23/2009 Great tips...thanks!

lexajayne said

on 11/17/2009 Excellent advice! I just found all of this out recently when I could have just come to you first! It's all very true. The colorist will actually have color and several methods of application that will make it last longer than doing it yourself. Thanks!