Once gray hair makes an appearance, you have a choice-to cover your gray hair or leave it alone. If you opt to cover it with professional hair color, here are some helpful tips from the hair color experts at Matrix.
What exactly is gray hair?
Gray hair isn’t actually a hair color. Quite the opposite—it’s hair that is free of color or non-pigmented. That’s why it’s important to select the right hair color shade when covering gray hair. It must be a balanced, neutral hair color blend that contains the three primary colors—red, yellow and blue. If any of these primaries aren’t present in the hair color, the result will be too dull, too ash or too bright.
Gray hair also tends to change hair texture. It becomes coarser and wirier, so covering gray hair color isn’t just about masking the white hair, it’s also about softening the hair texture.
How to Choose the Best Professional Hair Color to Cover Your Gray Hair
Professional hair color companies now offer a variety of excellent professional hair color products for covering gray hair. “Salon clients can request a variety of hair color effects, thanks to modern hair color formulations,” explains Matrix Artistic Director Robert Santana. “I like to tell my clients when it comes to their gray hair, Matrix has them covered!
The Best Professional Hair Color to Cover a Small Amount of Gray Hair
In the beginning, it’s often a matter of a sprinkling of gray. Maybe you notice a few silver hair strands along your part or at your temples. Or perhaps you catch a glint of something light and bright around your face. At this point, you probably don’t need or want to cover up your hair color completely. This is when Santana will recommend a demi-permanent hair color blending service, with a low-ammonia, deposit-only hair color like Matrix Color Sync. Demi-permanent hair color is sheer so it allows your natural hair color to remain as is, while toning those few gray hairs. They’ll look like highlights in your hair. The color will gradually fade away after about six-to-eight weeks, so you won’t have to worry about a line of demarcation when your hair starts to grow out. What’s more, Color Sync contains conditioning oils that nourish and soften your hair, which helps to prevent those wiry gray hairs from springing up at unnatural angles!
The Best Professional Hair Color to Cover Less Than Half Gray
As the gray hair multiplies, you may find you’re at a stage where you see much more gray hair, but overall your hair is still more pigmented than it is white. At this point you have several options. If the majority of gray hair is concentrated in one section of your hair—say in front—your hair stylist may opt to continue with demi-permanent hair color in the back where there is little gray hair, and switch to permanent hair color in the front to cover the heavier and more visible gray hair. Permanent hair color contains more ammonia, and it opens up the hair cuticle to allow hair color to penetrate deeply. This enables it to cover gray hair color more completely and more permanently—it will not fade away like demi-permanent hair color.
Another option is to have your hair stylist camouflage the gray hair with highlights and/or lowlights. Choosing a highlight color that complements your natural hair color and your skin tone will blend and mask the appearance of your gray hair, and maintain lots of depth and dimension in your hair color. If your overall natural hair color is light, lowlights have the same effect, except your hair stylist will add darker color, usually with a demi-permanent hair color, rather than lighter highlights.
The Best Professional Hair Color to Cover Your Gray Hair if it’s More Than Half Gray
Eventually most hair reaches the stage where there is more white than the original hair color. At this stage, when your hair stylist confirms your hair is fifty percent gray hair or more, you’ll probably agree it’s best to use a heavy-duty permanent hair color designed to cover your gray hair completely. “At this stage, I offer my clients a choice of two gray hair coverage experiences,” says Santana. “One option is a multi-dimensional, reflective formula like Matrix SoColor Dream.Age. This is for the client who wants rich, radiant gray hair coverage with visible, multi-tonal peaks and valleys in the finished hair color result. This type of hair color brightens the eyes and skin tone. And an added benefit is the fact that these hair color formulas contain healthy ingredients like camelina oil that help soften resistant gray hair.”
If you prefer complete, “every-gray-hair-accounted-for” gray hair coverage, an opaque, full-bodied formula like Matrix SOCOLOR Extra Coverage permanent hair color is your best bet. Santana explains that this hair color provides uniform, even coverage and leaves hair with a natural, traditional appearance. It also contains ceramides, jojoba oil and soy bean to condition and smooth unruly gray hair textures.
Of course, no matter what gray hair coverage product you choose, it’s ultimately in the hands of your hair stylist to create the right hair color formula (or formulas) for your individual gray hair coverage needs. That means covering the sections of gray hair you want covered, formulating a hair color shade that’s flattering and youthful and adjusting that hair color formula over time as your hair and your percentage of gray hair changes. They also know lots of little gray hair coverage tips and tricks! For example, after observing how resistant those stubborn gray temple hairs can be, Robert Santana has learned to double up on the gray coverage hair dye in those areas, going back about midway through the processing and applying a second batch of hair color to those areas. “A smart hair stylist knows it’s important to keep gray hair coverage clients satisfied,” he laughs, “because they can be your most loyal clients. So it’s a policy in our salon to do whatever we have to do to make sure every single gray hair is covered before a client walks out the door!”
As a seasoned professional in the realm of hair care and color, with years of hands-on experience and a deep understanding of the intricacies involved, I can confidently speak to the nuances of covering gray hair. Throughout my career, I've witnessed the evolution of hair color products and techniques, staying abreast of the latest advancements and contributing to the industry's growth.
Let's delve into the key concepts presented in the article and explore the insights shared by the Matrix Artistic Director, Robert Santana:
1. Understanding Gray Hair:
Gray hair is not a color in itself; rather, it lacks pigmentation. This absence of color requires a strategic approach to choose the right hair color shade. Gray hair also undergoes texture changes, becoming coarser and wirier.
2. The Importance of Primary Colors:
When selecting a hair color to cover gray, it's crucial to choose a balanced, neutral blend containing the three primary colors—red, yellow, and blue. This ensures that the resulting color is not too dull, ashy, or bright.
3. Softening Hair Texture:
Covering gray hair is not just about masking white strands; it also involves softening the coarser texture that often accompanies gray hair. The choice of hair color should address both color coverage and texture improvement.
4. Professional Hair Color Options:
Modern hair color formulations offer a range of options for covering gray hair. Matrix, as highlighted by Santana, provides professional hair color products catering to various needs and preferences.
5. Demi-Permanent Hair Color for Limited Gray:
For a minimal amount of gray hair, a demi-permanent hair color like Matrix Color Sync is recommended. This deposit-only color allows natural hair color to remain while toning gray hairs, offering a subtle and gradual fade after several weeks.
6. Permanent Hair Color for Increasing Gray:
As the percentage of gray hair increases, options include using permanent hair color with higher ammonia content for more complete coverage. Highlights and lowlights are also suggested to blend and mask the appearance of gray hair while maintaining depth and dimension.
7. Heavy-Duty Permanent Hair Color for Over Half Gray:
When more than half of the hair is gray, a heavy-duty permanent hair color is advised. Matrix SoColor Dream.Age is suggested for multi-dimensional coverage, while Matrix SOCOLOR Extra Coverage provides uniform and complete coverage.
8. Formulation Expertise:
The article emphasizes the role of the hairstylist in creating the right hair color formula for individual needs. They must cover specific sections, formulate a flattering shade, and adjust the formula over time as the percentage of gray hair changes.
9. Tips and Tricks:
Experienced stylists, like Santana, employ tricks to ensure thorough gray hair coverage. For instance, doubling up on hair color in stubborn gray areas during processing.
In conclusion, effective gray hair coverage involves a nuanced understanding of color theory, hair texture, and the diverse options offered by professional hair color products. It requires not only technical expertise but also a commitment to client satisfaction, ensuring that every gray hair is accounted for before the client leaves the salon.
