The pandemic trend for flaunting your grey hair has taken off with many celebrities and influencers championing the look. Andie MacDowell’s appearance on the red-carpet last year with a stunning mane of greying curls caused a media stir, inspiring many women to follow her lead.
Some people love their naturally grey hair but despite its growing popularity, many of us still dread the first appearance of those silvery strands, says Sarah Gubbins. But love it or hate it, there’s plenty you can do to ensure your hair looks polished, chic and modern.
What causes grey hair?
“One of the main culprits is melanin – or lack of it”, explains Sarah. “As we get older, we produce less melanin. The colour of our hair depends on melanin, so as it decreases, the colour in our hair does too and it starts to look grey. Although for me age was not factor finding white strands through my dark hair in my teens.”
Does stress cause grey hair? The jury’s still out on that one says Sarah. However, one thing’s for sure – your genes will play a part. If going grey is a family thing, it will probably happen to you sooner rather than later.
Grey just got cooler…
Going a gorgeous natural grey also means you’ll need to review your choice of haircare products.
First of all, just to explode a couple of grey-hair myths: grey hair isn’t ‘dead’ and it probably won’t be coarser but the texture may be different than your other hair. Grey hair may feel dry because as we get older (when our hair usually starts to go grey) we also produce less of the oil that helps to make hair shiny.
So, what to do?
“Grey hair can also be quite fine, so a volumizing shampoo plus an intensive moisturising conditioner could work really well combined with a weekly at-home hydration mask,” says Sarah.
She adds, “Grey hair lacks pigment which makes it more prone to sun damage so it’s important to use UV protective products throughout the year. I like System Professional Solar Oil but do ask your stylist for their advice and recommendation. Protect it from chlorine too, wet your hair before entering a pool and always rinse immediately you leave. Wet hair won’t absorb as more pool water as dry hair! Counteract any yellowy tones with a purple shampoo such as Olaplex no.4P. It’s specifically formulated to make silver hues clearer and brighter – again, ask us about which products will be best for you.
Not sure about the natural grey thing?
We’re definitely neutral on this one says Sarah. We love our clients’ naturally grey hair, but we also love colouring and highlighting those greys to achieve a different look altogether. Since most people tend to start showing natural grey hair at the temples, face-framing highlights can easily blend greys with colour so there’s no harsh line. It’s your choice entirely, and if you’re not sure, book a complimentary colour consultation (call 061337455 to book) and we’ll chat through your options.
I often recommend grey blending to my clients when they first start to see grey. It’s a popular option which blends greys with lowlights and highlights for a really natural look. This is lower maintenance than a solid colour as your roots won’t grow out so obviously and the greys blend in with the mix of light and darker colours. In a similar way to balayage highlights are blended in to break up blocks of colour and ensure your hair looks multi-dimensional
If you’d prefer to go for a full cover up and opt for a solid colour (ask us for advice) to hide those silver strands, we’ve root top-up options for home use between appointments.
Add some colour to grey days…
If you decide to follow Andie MacDowell’s stunning lead and go grey, remember you don’t have to live with the shade nature gives you. It’s rare to be naturally blessed with a beautiful natural silver colour, and we can give nature a little help to enhance your natural grey tones. Ask your stylist for their recommendations.
In other news
Our fabulous salon assistant Shannon Maher is hoping to qualify in the coming months as a stylist and she needs your help! We are looking to collect a file of models, all hair types for colour/highlights and cutting for supervised training. If you would like to be a part of Shannon’s education journey, we would love to hear from you.
Our online booking offer of a complimentary in salon Lipid Booster Infusion when you book your colour and or cut online will continue. This offer is available for the month of October and extends to online booking only (not available on rescheduled appointments, offer on cut/colour appointments, online booking only) basecolourandco.ie/booking/
As always, we are happy to carry out a free consultation and make recommendations. Call 061337455 to book your complimentary colour consultation. And, of course, we’ll also make sure you’re safe with an allergy alert test.
