| Resistant Gray: Friend Or Foe? |
| Karen Marie Shelton |
| Date: 5/30/2002 |
Introduction
Cher and Elizabeth Taylor went platinum while Hillary Clinton and
Diane Sawyer added sizzling shades of gold.
Barbara Walters continues to prove that brains and many shades
of blonde are a stunning mix. What do all these celebrities have in common?
They are transforming their encroaching gray strands with
fabulous shades of gold, honey and platinum.
Going blonde has become one of the hottest trends for
befriending those pesky grays.
Should you flaunt your gray or hide it with a hot new shade?
A consumer poll at HairBoutique.com recently asked visitors
whether they would cover their gray or not. While 43% said they would
flaunt it, 52% said they would definitely hide it and 5% had no
opinion.
Master hair colorist Henry
Amador of The Elite Group (954-779-2821),
in Fort Lauderdale Florida, reported “the hair industry is seeing a
lot of baby boomers who are currently putting their focus on dealing
with their stubborn gray hair. This
gray banishing trend includes men as well as women”.
Although many consumers want to hide their gray, it is not always
as easy as it seems. While
going for a lighter shade of pale like Cher or Elizabeth is definitely
a hot option, Henry warned that “gray hair can be very tricky to
deal with because gray hair grows in with the rest of the hair in a
different texture”. Henry
explained, “because it basically has no pigment, gray hair has a
very coarse texture that is tough. Consequently it is difficult
to apply color to gray hair that is not pre-treated”.
One of the most common complaints about coloring gray hair is that
the color does not take well or doesn’t last more than a few days.
As Henry explained, “part of the trick to coloring gray hair
is to pre-soften those tough wiry gray hairs”. The way that he
recommends you pre-soften stubborn gray hair “is to apply a 20%
peroxide to pop open the hair cuticle and soften the hair so that it
will easily accept any color that is applied. Henry applies the
peroxide, combs it through the hair, leaves it on for 5-10 minutes,
depending on the client, and then rinses it off. Then he applies
the desired color”.
Should everyone pre-soften their gray hair?
Although every person’s gray hair is different, Henry noted,
“if someone is 50% gray they will definitely need to pre-soften
their hair.” If they
don’t, he warned, “any color that is applied will not cover well
because of the texture of the gray hair”.
Dealing with resistant gray presents a number of options including:
- Complete gray coverage
- Partial gray coverage
- Adopting a completely new color
- Maintaining existing color
Henry notes, “while
you can color the gray completely, you can also just cover the gray
and not color the complete head”.
Many colorists
employ a wide range of creative approaches for dealing with gray.
Haircolorist
Barbara Lhotan of Renaissance Salon in Smithtown, New York,
“likes to create a series of multi-dimensional highlights and
lowlights that provides soft contrasts and offers roots that blend
naturally as they grow into the mix”.
Barbara also “likes to custom design gray coverage to work
with the lifestyle, budget and needs of her clients.”
Whether you decide to go with a new hue or maintain your natural
color sans the gray, there are many options for dealing with gray.
Before you decide your best gray banishing plan discuss the
following factors with your colorist:
- Initial
color costs and maintenance
- Long
term care requirements
- Your
individual lifestyle requirements
- Climate
and environment impact
Morphing into a new shade might sound exotic until you factor in
the regular maintenance costs, daily upkeep and the time commitments.
Can your budget cover monthly touch-ups?
Will you be required to purchase special color
maintenance shampoo and conditioners that maintain your new color?
Even more importantly, is your home climate known for accelerating
color fading? These
are all important issues to address before you take action.
Should you tackle your resistant grays at home?
Home hair coloring may appear to be a lot less expensive than a
trip to the salon. However,
if you have a color disaster, the color correction costs and stress
can wipe out all of your do-it-yourself savings for an extended period
of time.
When you prefer a home remedy, Henry suggests, “you should select
products and shades that tend to be very gentle, very nice and very
temporary”. Although he
likes the temporary shades from Clairol,
Henry recommends that you focus on “finding a good general color
that allows you to “try on” a hair color without permanent
changes.” If you like
the temporary results you get at home, you can go to your colorist and
have more permanent color applied with no harm done to your hair”.
Whenever possible, solicit the advice of your trusted stylist or
colorist before you undertake any permanent gray coloring. Clairol
currently offers consumers the Loving Care and Lasting Color brands
which works to “blend away gray” without impacting your natural
color. Both products are
considered a temporary product that works best for people with up to
50% gray.
If your hair is more than 50% gray you will probably require a
superior permanent hair color product like Clairol’s Revitalique,
which promises 100% coverage even on the most resistant grays.
L’Oreal and other home hair color manufacturers offer other
product options. Whatever color product you select, always read the labels
carefully or call the toll free help line to make sure you have a
product that will work with gray tresses.
What should you do if you want to go to a bleached blonde hue like
the stars? Henry warns,
“you should be leery about bleaching your hair at home”.
Henry suggested “you leave bleaching and heavy chemicals to the hair
specialists. If not used properly, bleach can burn the scalp or cause
all sorts of other potential problems”. |