My gray hair TRANSITIONING Journey
to NATURAL gray (silver/white) hair
Speaking as a mature stylist..
literally, quite naturally
I have become a gray hair expert...
Many years of professional experience in this area
came as a result of helping my clients
down a path I'd not yet ventured
as you can see in my own photos below
Hair color is such a personal choice
whether it be fully embracing gray hair
or finding a balance
using lower maintenance
hair color techniques
which extend the time between
necessary salon visits.
MAYBE YOU'RE DARING
AND READY TO JUST GO FOR IT..
TRY A PIXIE CUT.. A BUZZ CUT..
are you ready to just cut the old color off?
OR..
WOULD YOU RATHER GROW IT OUT GRACEFULLY..
making gradual color shifts
less drastic changes
while you are adjusting to the change
and need the help of an experience colorist?
The process can take anywhere from 6 months to a few years
combined with regular haircuts,
depending on the length you want to keep it at
because the truth is the old processed hair color
will need to be eventually, ALL cut off
to get to the lowest maintenance possible.
You can transition by way of a gentler, graceful process.
Using deposit only hair colors & glazes
which reduce brassiness
if looking good along the way
to avoid the harsh and drastic skunk line
that happens when you do nothing to enhance the color
during the grow out period.
A method I like is to add a few pops of gray
in key areas
by toning blonde highlights silver
These can be partially maintained at home
between salon visits.
I recommend blue-purple staining conditioner
usually once a week.
It all depends on how porous your hair is,
the condition of the processed hair
how often you wash your hair.. the shampoo you use.. etc, etc.
If you are still reading this,
please know I understand
it's a big decision
and I remember how tired I was of dealing with my roots
when what was once a 6 week thing,
now was increased to every 2 weeks .
Who has the time for that?
I consult with my clients who are interested in
reducing the upkeep
and can give the options
based on where you are now
to reach the desired end goal
using inspiration photos to learn preferences..
your likes and dislikes.
If not wanting to go gray
there are other interesting options
I began to see gray and white hair
as a base to create "highlights'
instead of requiring bleach
color glazing
over cool white or gray hair
to a warm tone
such as a pale shade blonde
(which means less contrast with the incoming white hair
and therefore a far less obvious root line!)
or maybe a golden brown, auburn... you name it..
depending on your coloring
a natural toned glaze will compliment
warmer skin and eye color.
Or if you prefer cool tones, like I do
accenting the natural gray
with dark contrasting lowlights.
The photo below shows my dark colored hair...
literally, quite naturally
I have become a gray hair expert...
Many years of professional experience in this area
came as a result of helping my clients
down a path I'd not yet ventured
as you can see in my own photos below
Hair color is such a personal choice
whether it be fully embracing gray hair
or finding a balance
using lower maintenance
hair color techniques
which extend the time between
necessary salon visits.
MAYBE YOU'RE DARING
AND READY TO JUST GO FOR IT..
TRY A PIXIE CUT.. A BUZZ CUT..
are you ready to just cut the old color off?
OR..
WOULD YOU RATHER GROW IT OUT GRACEFULLY..
making gradual color shifts
less drastic changes
while you are adjusting to the change
and need the help of an experience colorist?
The process can take anywhere from 6 months to a few years
combined with regular haircuts,
depending on the length you want to keep it at
because the truth is the old processed hair color
will need to be eventually, ALL cut off
to get to the lowest maintenance possible.
You can transition by way of a gentler, graceful process.
Using deposit only hair colors & glazes
which reduce brassiness
if looking good along the way
to avoid the harsh and drastic skunk line
that happens when you do nothing to enhance the color
during the grow out period.
A method I like is to add a few pops of gray
in key areas
by toning blonde highlights silver
These can be partially maintained at home
between salon visits.
I recommend blue-purple staining conditioner
usually once a week.
It all depends on how porous your hair is,
the condition of the processed hair
how often you wash your hair.. the shampoo you use.. etc, etc.
If you are still reading this,
please know I understand
it's a big decision
and I remember how tired I was of dealing with my roots
when what was once a 6 week thing,
now was increased to every 2 weeks .
Who has the time for that?
I consult with my clients who are interested in
reducing the upkeep
and can give the options
based on where you are now
to reach the desired end goal
using inspiration photos to learn preferences..
your likes and dislikes.
If not wanting to go gray
there are other interesting options
I began to see gray and white hair
as a base to create "highlights'
instead of requiring bleach
color glazing
over cool white or gray hair
to a warm tone
such as a pale shade blonde
(which means less contrast with the incoming white hair
and therefore a far less obvious root line!)
or maybe a golden brown, auburn... you name it..
depending on your coloring
a natural toned glaze will compliment
warmer skin and eye color.
Or if you prefer cool tones, like I do
accenting the natural gray
with dark contrasting lowlights.
The photo below shows my dark colored hair...
2018: I was still coloring my hair
I was asked when I decided to make a change..
so I decided to share my own hair color journey here
a slow process towards incorporating
lower maintenance gray highlights into my own hair.
Going back to the age of 19
I had a few strands of gray hair..
so it wasn't ever a big shock the heavier it got
and
it wasn't a big deal to color it starting at that age
as I liked the body it gave my naturally fine (limp) hair.
Fast forward to 2018.. After 10 years of helping other ladies through their own journey of embracing natural hair color changes.
One day someone asked me
why I hadn't "embraced' my own graying hair?..
In 2018, I was 56
and getting very tired of the color upkeep..
if I didn't like it .. could always color it back.
so finally decided to just try it
by not coloring for about 2-3 months
(I didn't want to walk around with skunk roots, so used
a dark hair powder to darken it cosmetically)
so I decided to share my own hair color journey here
a slow process towards incorporating
lower maintenance gray highlights into my own hair.
Going back to the age of 19
I had a few strands of gray hair..
so it wasn't ever a big shock the heavier it got
and
it wasn't a big deal to color it starting at that age
as I liked the body it gave my naturally fine (limp) hair.
Fast forward to 2018.. After 10 years of helping other ladies through their own journey of embracing natural hair color changes.
One day someone asked me
why I hadn't "embraced' my own graying hair?..
In 2018, I was 56
and getting very tired of the color upkeep..
if I didn't like it .. could always color it back.
so finally decided to just try it
by not coloring for about 2-3 months
(I didn't want to walk around with skunk roots, so used
a dark hair powder to darken it cosmetically)
During the growing out phase I used a color matching mineral root powder to cover the white hair!
I wasn't yet sure about continuing
and choose a conservative approach
just cosmetically covering incoming white roots
with a water resistant,
natural mineral hair powder in the shade of dark brown.
Shampooing, every 3rd day,
I marveled at the amount of white hair
Then eventually adding dark colored streaks
to break up the nearly solid white..
My hair looked far too limp and lifeless..and yes thin...
pink scalp showing at the part line wasn't attractive.
That's the curse of fine hair.
Being a natural dark brown all my life,
I still prefer the contrasting color
with dark color underneath
rather than
salt & pepper thin hair which I felt looked dull and dingy
The dark root powder
gives the illusion of thicker hair
so I still use it.
See how it looked below.
I've played around with incorporating my natural gray
and using hair color too.
and I really like that instead of monthly root touchups,
I now do quarterly color touchups
strategically
to create contrast and add depth,
... using the dark powder at my roots
for the thickening effect,
creates a modern "rooted" look.
and choose a conservative approach
just cosmetically covering incoming white roots
with a water resistant,
natural mineral hair powder in the shade of dark brown.
Shampooing, every 3rd day,
I marveled at the amount of white hair
Then eventually adding dark colored streaks
to break up the nearly solid white..
My hair looked far too limp and lifeless..and yes thin...
pink scalp showing at the part line wasn't attractive.
That's the curse of fine hair.
Being a natural dark brown all my life,
I still prefer the contrasting color
with dark color underneath
rather than
salt & pepper thin hair which I felt looked dull and dingy
The dark root powder
gives the illusion of thicker hair
so I still use it.
See how it looked below.
I've played around with incorporating my natural gray
and using hair color too.
and I really like that instead of monthly root touchups,
I now do quarterly color touchups
strategically
to create contrast and add depth,
... using the dark powder at my roots
for the thickening effect,
creates a modern "rooted" look.
2020: "Modern Gray" Enjoying "au natural" white highlights.
Instead of an average 12 times a year,
my color touchups are reduced down
to an average of 4 color sessions per year.
my color touchups are reduced down
to an average of 4 color sessions per year.
2023 decided to see what my hair looked like all gray.. but I've since added dark lowlights again for the contrast in 2025
I have tried letting all the dark color grow out
and didn't love it..
maybe because it's not ALL white
it's a blend of salt & pepper
anyway maybe it doesn't look bad in the above photo,
but it simply felt too limp without any color
and I felt a bit washed out.
(I'll have to find a more recent picture to add here
as its somewhere in between the last 2 photos)
and didn't love it..
maybe because it's not ALL white
it's a blend of salt & pepper
anyway maybe it doesn't look bad in the above photo,
but it simply felt too limp without any color
and I felt a bit washed out.
(I'll have to find a more recent picture to add here
as its somewhere in between the last 2 photos)
Figuring out what looks best..
is part of everyones growing out and "color transitioning" process.
There are options!
Consider booking a consultation..
I'd love to help you on your own journey.
is part of everyones growing out and "color transitioning" process.
There are options!
Consider booking a consultation..
I'd love to help you on your own journey.