Nowadays there are many women who would like to leave their gray hair, take that step of not using dye and show off their hair naturally. The problem is that there is an inconvenience that clearly makes them back off, having to live with the contrast of the undyed root with the rest of the hair until their hair grows completely.
Hairstylist Ana Martínez, hair stylist and education manager of Oh my Cut!, explains that there is no reason to live with that root and that there are techniques that allow for a smoother and more progressive transition. The trick is to blur that line so that the growth looks lighter and not so marked.
This is the best way to let gray hair grow without root effect
Some women decide to just let their hair grow and assume that they will have two-color hair for a long time. This is an option but it is not at all flattering and obviously it will take years to have at least a half head of natural hair.
“The demarcation between coloring and gray hair can be very visible, especially when you wear dark hair coloring, since the contrast with natural gray hair is much greater,” explains Ana Martínez. Although this is where new techniques come into play that help make the contrast between the roots and dyed hair not so obvious.
Nowadays, gray hair is not only treated with a dye, but rather integrated and blended. It plays with the light base of the gray hair itself and takes advantage of that to our advantage. In this way, you support the process and help make going gray less seem so tedious.
Now, if you are already planning to make the transition to gray hair, the expert recommends “waiting approximately two or three months before beginning the transformation work. This time allows enough root to appear so that the professional can observe what our gray hair really looks like.” For this reason, “one of the most common mistakes is to do the last coloring just before starting the transition,” says Martínez.
Different ways to achieve it
First of all, according to the expert, you have to know what effect you want to achieve. Since depending on what you are looking for, one job or another will be done.
Transform hair until you recover natural gray hair
The first alternative is what the expert defines as a transformation towards gray hair. In this case, the purpose is to leave the dyes behind and gradually recover the natural hair color.
This change does not have to be done in a single session. As Martínez explains: “It is a longer process, since it will depend on the color you wear, the amount of artificial pigment accumulated and the percentage and distribution of your gray hair.”
The starting color also influences the duration of the process. If the hair is dyed in light tones, the transition is usually easier, since it is easier to approximate the color of gray hair. But “when we start with a dark color, you will probably need several sessions to eliminate pigment and achieve the desired tone without compromising the quality of the hair,” says Martínez.
Therefore, achieving a completely white or gray tone in a single session is not always the most appropriate option. In many cases, making the transition progressively allows you to take better care of your hair's health.
Integrate gray hair to avoid the root effect
Another option is to opt for integrating gray hair. In this sense, instead of hiding them, they are played with as if they were just another few highlights. “Seek to mix our gray hair with the rest of the hair in a natural way, without covering it completely,” explains the expert.
The purpose is to progressively soften the contrast between dyed hair and natural gray hair. Thus, “the transition is smoother, you avoid too marked a demarcation and reduce the need for such frequent maintenance,” says Ana.
One of the ways to achieve these results is by using more highlights and less foundation. In this way, the gray hair is not completely covered and the finish is more three-dimensional and the hair gains an optical effect of greater density.
Also very interesting are semi-permanent colorations or color baths that are conquering many women for this purpose. “By leaving the gray hair more translucent, the contrast decreases and, as the color disappears, the difference with the natural root softens. The gray hair itself can be perceived almost as a reflection within the hair,” explains the stylist.
Wicks have become great allies
Highlighting techniques have evolved a lot and if we talk about highlights for gray hair we also find specific options. The use of strategic highlights to camouflage the first gray hair is being widely used in hair salons, but also to avoid the root effect.
The goal is not to simply lighten the hair or highlight, but to visually break up that “part.” Martínez explains that “these relief effects can be combined with semi-permanent coloring in certain areas to further soften the differences in tone.” In this way, the gray hair progressively blends with the rest of the hair, preventing it from standing out as a clearly differentiated fringe.
In DAP | They order some tripe to take away in a bar in Malpica (A Coruña) and threaten to file a complaint because they contain chickpeas
