Going Grey Gracefully

By Luke Hersheson

pic istock

All About The Grey

Contrary to what most people think, grey hair isn’t actually a colour, it is in fact a combination of normal pigmented hair and hair that has lost its pigment entirely making it appear white. If you have an entire head of white, this means you have lost the pigment from every single strand of hair. People often think that dark-haired women turn grey earlier than their fairer counterparts; actually this is just down to the white strands being more noticeable against darker hair than against paler. Also, you can forget the old wives’ tale that if you pluck out a grey hair two more will grow in its place – it’s nonsense.

Beat Brassiness

It’s a common misconception that hair becomes coarse as it goes grey; actually, it’s most likely to become thinner and drier because it’s probably that you’ll also be producing less sebum than before. Look after your grey hair much in the same way as you did before; you can colour it and perm it just as you once did. Perms and smoking can occasionally turn grey hair slightly yellow but this can be corrected with blue- and purple-based shampoos, which will neutralise the brassiness.

The Big Reveal

If you’re ready to put down the dye and embrace your new colouring I suggest waiting until all of your hair is grey in tone. Even with the best intentions, patches of grey here and there is never a good look in my book. Maintain your bottled colour until you’re ready for the big reveal.