50 Shades of Gray
Going Gray
Written by Grace Ilasco at Color Lounge
Published on Huffington Post
Gray Is Beautiful and going gray in today’s world has a very modern and vibrant look. There’s a myriad of shades of gray which include silver, pewter, charcoal, platinum, and ice, and we can guide you to the most complimentary shade for your skin tone and hair type. We customize color to match your natural gray color.
We are one of the rare salons offering going back to gray hair color service. So whether you are tired of chasing gray roots or electively choose to go gray as your chosen hair color, we help you transition through a number of processes.
For our Going Back to Gray clients: This will be a transformative lifestyle change for you. Do not be discouraged. We have been making people go Back to Gray Seamlessly since the idea of it came to us a couple years ago by client who has been tired of coloring her hair. Inspired and supported by the book “Going Back to Gray, Looking Great” and a Going Gray forum on the internet, we realize that there is big community of people, especially within the Baby Boomers generation that have been looking for a solution. Going Gray and accepting your natural roots does not have to be something you should be ashamed of. You can Go Gray Gracefully and accept your Natural Beauty! Even the young folks are jumping on the bandwagon. Gray Hair, Silver Hair, is Classy, Sexy, and Beautiful!
How to Transition from Colored Hair to Natural Gray Hair
Cut it off and start over or Color your hair Gray by the experts!
When is the right time to let yourself go… naturally?
If you’ve been thinking about it for months, better yet a year, or many years, but just haven’t jumped the gun because you fear of what people may think about you? Fear of looking old, fear of letting yourself go, fear of looking bad, realization of age, etc., etc.
It is what it is and you should embrace every aspect of your life including aging, but aging gracefully.
Growing wiser, appreciating life, and accepting the joys and struggles of life’s journey.
For decades in history, there has always been a fascination with youth, preserving youth, and the fountain of youth.
The media projects this message over and over again in television, movies, magazines, etc., which gives us a very bad self complex.
We need to change that by highlighting natural beauty and that includes accepting the natural process of our graying hair.
In fact, gray hair, “the granny trend” is in! Specially favored by the young folks who look up to new characters such as Elsa from Frozen, Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones, and Storm from X Men, who sport silver and gray hair as if it was a mystical creation of some powers. So while it is trending, you might as well jump on the bandwagon because now if ever, is the best time to go Gray and accept your natural roots!
Here is how Hair Colorist Grace Ilasco and Sai Hernandez & their team of experts at Color Lounge hair salon in Burbank/ Los Angeles, CA transitions a client who has been coloring their hair for most their lifetime to their natural Gray.
Gray, Silver, White hair lacks pigment. We try to replicate the dark hairs by depositing dark gray or almost black hair color on them and lift the other hairs to a pale blonde, almost white depending on the integrity of the hair. We do this while following the natural growth pattern of your hair.
Sometimes, we make new patterns to add style, depth, or highlight the hair in ways that suite to be more flattering to the client.
We can transitioned clients to Gray in one day, however, you can opt to do it in sessions or several processes. This saves the client from having to live thru the grow out of their hair color, having that unwanted rooty look and also from having to cut their hair very short just to cut the colored hairs off.
Once the process is done, clients will need to maintain their Gray/Silver Haircolor with purple shampoo, conditioner, and sometimes purple rinses. If that doesn’t cut it, then every few months they should come in for a Cool toned Gray or Silver hair toner deposit of color to maintain the cool tones of gray hair. The grayest gray hair and the whitest hair you’ll ever have is your own natural gray hair. The main thing we do is transition you to that immediately so you can wear gray in a fashionable way. Hair color has to be maintained and can turn colors overtime from exposure to the environment.
One thing that makes gray look so bad is if you don’t wear it right. Here are some tips for wearing gray hair gracefully:
Have a great cut! There is no one haircut/ hairstyle for everyone and a style that will suite you is determined by your face shape, hair texture, density, personality, and style. This is something to be determined by you and your hairstylist who hopefully is an expert at hair.
Get rid of frizz. There’s nothing more unattractive than unruly gray hair. This is the one ingredient that can make your hair look old regardless if you have gray or not. Use anti frizz products, blow dry your hair, curl your hair, style your hair, get a brazilian blowout or a keratin treatment, anything to get rid of that unwanted frizz. A sleek style is classy and goes a long way.
Now that your hair is Gray, basically colorless, you must compensate for color in other ways. Wear make up. It doesn’t have to be the whole shabang, but a little bit of lip color or cheeks doesn’t hurt. Wear some color in your clothes whether it be your top or your bottom, but don’t wear gray or black unless you are going to spice it up with some colored accessories or again, back to make up. We have seen the cool tone colors such as blue, green, and purple go well with the gray scheme.
Make an effort! Be fashionable. Don’t get lazy. Just because you went gray and don’t have to color your hair ever again, doesn’t give you the excuse to not give a care about your appearance. Look good, feel good, and most of all, respect yourself!
