SHOULD YOU GO GRAY?

Recently, social media has shown a number of celebrity women in their fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond strutting the red carpets at film festivals and movie premieres.

In fact, their cascading, shiny silver tresses have been getting more attention than their show-stopping dresses.

Helen Mirren, Andie McDowell, and Jodi Foster are just a few of the women who are embracing their natural color these days.

Supermodel and best-selling author Maye Musk is a prime example of a woman who is in love with her glorious grays and who refuses to cover it up. Musk has even graced magazine covers like Sports Illustrated, which is typically known for its focus on youth.

During the pandemic, many women who couldn’t have their hair colored because of social distancing rules went gray without much of a choice as hair salons had to close, but when things opened up again, instead of rushing to get their “color” back, they decided to let the gray stay.

If you’re on the fence about going gray, we don’t blame you. It’s a big lifestyle decision—not to mention our culture’s obsession with youth and colored hair.

If you are contemplating going gray, we’re here to tell you that you don’t have to take the leap all at once because there are a number of ways to slowly transition to a gray slate depending on your own personal comfort level.

Read on for our tips to go gray your own way.

So…Should I Go Gray?

Should I go gray at 50 or should I go gray at 60?

What age should I go gray? Should I even be letting my hair go gray at 40? Should I let my hair go gray at all?

These are all very valid and common questions and while it may seem contradictory, we want to tell you that age has nothing to do with it.

The decision is a deeply personal one that only you can answer upon your own reflection and contemplation, but from more of a superficial level, colorists and cosmetologists say that they have a general rule of thumb for going gray.

When you find that about 80% of your hair has gone gray or white, or if you find that your hair is starting to feel more and more dry and brittle—these might be signs that you should stop dying your hair and that it might be the time to consider letting nature take control of your color and to maybe stop dying your hair.

What Are The Benefits Of Going Gray?

Going gray can add a sense of color to your life that has nothing to do with hair color. Many women say they found growing gray liberating.

They no longer fretted about getting themselves to the drugstore or to their colorist to quickly conceal those gray roots coming in when an unexpected event popped up or out of town relatives phoned to say they were popping in.

There’s also a tremendous confidence boost in embracing your gray because you feel like you’ve come to a point in your life where you’re completely unconcerned about the opinions of others.

If anything, women who go gray say that they often get a ton of compliments on their decision to go gray as well as the look of the color itself. In fact, going gray can give you a healthier complexion.

Lighter shades around the face can make for a brighter complexion.

And because gray is considered a cool tone, you’ll be able to wear colors that didn’t quite work before such as hot pinks, purples and cool blues. Also, gray—because of its white and silver tones—gives your hair an attractive multi-dimensional look.

There are some tangible perks to going au naturel on the hair front.

Think of all the money—not to mention time—you’ll save! It’s no secret that women spend a whopping amount of funds on their hair each year—enough for a sizable contribution to an investment or vacation fund!

And of course, your hair can do without the harsh chemicals that are inflicted on it every time you get it colored. Your hair will be healthier and happier, and so will you!

No Need To Rush The Process: Here’s How to Transition to Gray Hair

We get it: letting your hair go completely gray can be daunting! And there’s no rule to say that you can’t make your way to gray in transitions (to be fair, even if there was such a rule we would ignore it anyway).

When it comes to transitioning to gray hair, there’s no one specific way to go about it, and it’s important to note that there are many factors to consider such as your natural color, your hair type, and how much of your hair is actually gray.

If you want to know how to go gray with dark hair, you could have your hair dyed to match your roots. Or you could transition to gray hair with highlights or transition to gray hair with lowlights.

Both of them involve the line of demarcation—that’s the line where your pigmented color meets the grays. If you’re tired of the upkeep of coloring your hair, it’s important to note that both the options do involve a certain level of maintenance as you will need to see your colorist every couple of months.

Ready To Go All In And Go Gray?

If you want to grow out your gray hair as quickly as possible, stop searching for articles on how to go gray faster! Just cut your hair short.

Color experts say that if you have a distinct line of demarcation, cutting off all the hair below it is the easiest method to make hair go gray faster.

They advise googling pictures online of pixie cuts, or even trying pinning up your hair to give yourself a good idea of what you’ll look like with short hair.

Of course, you could just let nature take its course and let your hair color grow out.

This certainly depends on how fast your hair grows and you might not like that in-between process as your line of demarcation goes away.

Another way on how to wear gray hair without looking old is to deal with this is to play around with hairstyles that conceal this during that tricky transition period.

Transitioning to gray hair should be a process that you’re comfortable with. That’s why we highly recommend sitting down with your trusted stylist with whom you can come up with the best course of action that will work for both you and your hair.

The Age-Old Question: Will Going Gray Make Me Look Old?

While we’re age positive, we appreciate and understand that many women are worried about looking older once they go gray. Well, we have some good news on this gray front: this isn’t necessarily the case.

Gray shades are certainly stereotyped as aging but a clean-looking gray is simply stunning, says one high-end hair stylist and colorist.

While aging and looking older is inevitable, the solid, that intense, block color that you have been having for decades may have been stunning at one time, but it’s actually what’s giving you that harsh look you don’t like at this point in your physical evolution.

Hair needs to be multi-tonal, especially as we age and our newfound multi tones and multi-dimensions can actually make us look striking.

How To Go Gray Without Looking Old?

If you’re still concerned by any advanced aging by going gray, hair stylists recommend going against a blunt haircut. A blunt bob cut close to the jawline without layers for example, will look severe and in turn make you look older.

Go for the “lob” instead which is a layered version of the bob. This more subtle version of layers that frame the face will make for a much softer look.

Tone is also important when it comes to gray hair. It’s advised to keep the tone of the hair cool such as ash, silver or platinum. Colorists recommend using silver or purple shampoo and conditioner regularly at home to give a cool vibe to the hair.