Ask the Experts: How to Get Grey Smart July 21, 2021 15:30
If you're like most of us, the conversation around what to do about those first few sparkling grey hairs can happen as early as your early 30’s, as you discover the that you too are likely to have to think about how you feel about their sudden appearance
Between the ages of 20s to 60s there is a point we all have to decide how you feel about these shimmering little strands and what you plan to do about them…do you want to hide/ disguise/ blend or ignore them?
Known in the industry for her extensive background in training and education, as well as being a Master Stylist at Morgan & Morgan Hair Collective since 2001, Jennifer Morgan @jennifer.morgan.hair is the go-to girl with any colouring conundrum and her passion and skill set are enviable in the hairdressing community.
Her technical expertise and precision has also seen her in the roles of Artist and Educator for industry heavyweights such as L’Oréal, Redken and Schwarzkopf.
So in this blog we ask her to talk some more about how to manage the greying process
Once upon a time, spotting grey hair meant immediately plucking it or scheduling a colour job to conceal your changing hair hue.
The most common approach is an easy touch-up with permanent hair colour but the challenge with all-over cover is that once you start…it becomes increasingly difficult to stop
It seems like for most of our clients there is an “all or nothing” approach to cover…and increasingly we are seeing clients questioning how long they are going to continue to battle the greys.
If it's just a few stray greys that are on your mind, you may want to hold on to the unique beauty of your natural hair colour. Try just a touch of subtle colour with highlights and lowlights that give texture and life to maturing hair.
Nowadays, it’s become more and more commonplace for those who are actually going grey to embrace it with highlighting and lowlighting techniques (we like to call it White Blending) that can help create depth and contrast.
White Blending help you achieve that middle ground, where you can give your shade a boost with little effort and blend (as the name suggests) otherwise-obvious greys
The blended shades of highlights are easy to keep looking great, since there is rarely an obvious root and highlights are not placed on all areas of your head. Even when your schedule is hectic and you are reluctant to reluctant to colour, White Blending brighten your look without taking too much time precious time out of your daily routines.
Integrating a series of highlights and lowlights can help create a mixture of natural colours for a multi-dimensional ‘do that’s full of movement. This modern technique allows you to embrace your greys in a stylish way!
If you’re a natural blonde…spruce up your grey-strewn blonde with a mix of hues. Ask your colourist to add in highlights and lowlights ranging from pearl to medium blonde. These natural-looking cool ash tones can help neutralise the golden blonde tint to help conceal any greys you may want to blend a bit better.
If you’re a natural brunette…you’ll want to play around with darker lowlights. Think: espresso, coffee, caramel and mocha! When you add to bright highlights to dark hair, it can accentuate the greys that you have.
If you’re a natural redhead…it may be time to implement a series of lowlights and highlights in the gold, copper, strawberry and blonde range. Not ready to kiss your fiery locks goodbye? If you only have a few greys, you can get a glaze to help mask them temporarily.
How White Blending Works
We will simply use foils where grey is most likely to appear. This is around your crown, your sides, and natural part. Often, it's recommended that people create highlights around the face, since that is the main focus of your hairstyle and where greys may be most obvious to people you encounter on a daily basis.
We will work with you to create a cut that's easy to keep up with and works with your new colour scheme. If you have a pixie cut you'll have a different strategy than long, flowing locks. Highlights on short hair can contribute to the illusion of different shades around your head while highlights and lowlights can emphasise long layers.
How to Maintain White Blending
One benefit of using highlights instead of an all-over colour is the lack of obvious regrowth. In general, highlights and lowlights will grow out without any noticeable effect on your overall style. Since highlights are intended to be deliberate variations in colour, they come with a built-in standard of imperfection. When the colour begins to grow out, it is just another colour difference that adds to the overall style.
