How do I get back to gray?

[annsteere]

How do I get from coloring my hair to being my natural color? My hair looks brown but IS solid grey. I've got the roots to prove it.

I've always done the color at home so I don't know much about salons.

I called the Clairol hotline and the woman said "We don't have any product to color your hair gray. You just let it grow out." That can't be the answer I don't see any women walking around with hair that is one solid color at the ends and another solid color from the roots. . . .

What's the economical but visually appealing way to get through this transition?

 

[paula70]

I'm a hair stylist and yes, you must grow your hair out to get it back to the natural grey. If you're color is permanent, that means the color has deposited into the hair shaft permanently. They're might be some "stripping' products out there but I have never worked at a salon that would use them...too harsh. What color is your hair now? IF there is a really big diffence between the grey and what is on your hair now, you can "lowlight" the roots so they blend in while it grows out but other than that you are unfortunately stuck! Good luck!

 

[HALEYSMOMMOM]

Ok I'm going to do a bit of hijacking here, sorry.

Paula- I have hair just like the OP, it looks brown, but the top of my head is actually getting quite gray Although, the brown color is very close to my natural color..As my roots are exposed, you can see gray,and I don't like that. Can I go in and just get my roots covered up, and not all of my (long) hair? Thanks, I don't know much about this, I just want my gray covered. I'm only 33!

 

[FoodLover]

Sadly, I've learned that you are really kind of stuck. If I had it to do over again, I'm not sure I ever would have started dying my hair! I only have about 20% grey but it is noticeable when the roots grow out because my hair is a very dark brown. I've looked into this pretty in-depth and spoken with numerous hairdressers. The consensus is, you have to let it grow out.

In the interim, your best bet is to dye the hair overall a lighter ash brown color so there is less contrast with the grey, and put in ash blonde highlights. You'll have to continue adding highlights as the hair grows out, to minimize the contrast. Over time you'll be able to cut off the darkest portions and ease into going natural. It will take a long time if you have long hair, so you'll probably want to cut your hair as short as you can stand it.

The process should actually be a bit easier for you since you say the natural color is now all grey. As long as the dyed portion of your hair can tolerate the repeated highlighting, you can gradually go lighter and lighter.

The process is much harder when you still have a lot of naturally dark hair, like I do. Personally I've tried growing it out at least 4 times in the last three years and when I get to the 2" root phase I just can't stand it anymore. It's frustrating.

Good luck!

Mary

 

[Jennifer823]

I read an article somewhere about going gray this week. They said in the article to use a semi-permanent color similar to what you are using it now, while your true color grows in, and color it only about every two or three months. Eventually the dye will fade out and your roots will be long enough.

 

[Iott Family]

To the OP, yes, you must grow out the hair to get it back to its original color. If you want to get closer to your natural gray color you can have the whole head lightened gradually to eliminate the darker ends from regrowth but again it is still coloring your hair. I do know some women wait until the regrowth is 2 inches or so and get a trendy short cut to elimnate the colored part and just grow from there. Anything you do will be dramatic. Are you ready for a change????

To the PP with the question about root touch up the answer is yes you can just get your regrowth touched up with color. Some stylists with pull through the color from the root area touch up in the last 5 minutes or so of processing to freshen up the ends color because it can get dull and faded from the sun, chemicals, hair product, etc.

BTW, permanent color is permanent. Lightening the hair puts more stress on the hair than darkening because ligtening requires you to take away color where as darkening just deposits color!

 

[paula70]

Ok I'm going to do a bit of hijacking here, sorry.

Paula- I have hair just like the OP, it looks brown, but the top of my head is actually getting quite gray Although, the brown color is very close to my natural color..As my roots are exposed, you can see gray,and I don't like that. Can I go in and just get my roots covered up, and not all of my (long) hair? Thanks, I don't know much about this, I just want my gray covered. I'm only 33!

Hi! DO you have color in your hair now? If not their is probably grey all over your head and you just don't notice it except for on the top. In this case, doing just the roots would probably not blend well. What I would reccomend is to put in a semi-permanent color. It won't change the original hair color much but it will "soften" the look of the gray. Meaning it would not cover it competely but just a little bit. For example, my mom Dark Brown but is about 25% grey so I put in a golden brown semi-permanent color. It adds shine and a little kick to her natural color and the greys look light golden brown, almost looks like a highlight. We do this about every 8 weeks...it slowly washes out, looks really natural and you don't get the 'line' like a permanent color. Honestly, next time you go for a hct, talk to you stylist about it. I would consult w/ her/him before runing and grabbing a box of something at the store. Hope this helps a little. Good luck!

To the OP, If you really want to grow your hair out to it's natural color don't start doing all kinds of other colors to make it blend or you're just doing the opposite of what you really want...getting rid of color! The only thing I would reccommend to one of my clients is the lowlighting. This is just like a highlight but using a dark color instead. So what I would do is weave a few pieces out and apply a color (with foils) close to the color on the ends now. This way the "line" looks much softer than it would otherwise. Then when most of the original color is gone all you have left is a few lowlights to grow. You may need to do this a couple of time during the process depending on hair length. Probably every 3 or 4 months. It is a tough process of growing out permanent color but if you really want to do just hang in there!

 

[audrabolster]

Grow it out. Or use semi-permanent

 

[Taja]

Not an expert, but someone with the same issues.

My natural hair colour is a combination of light brown, red and blond with red and gold highlights. Impossible to match!

I'm using a medium golden blond to blend the white with the rest of my hair. I let it grow out for five months, but I haven't reached the "magical" amount of white hair that I want to go natural. I broke down and used the semi-permanent medium golden blond last weekend. *sigh*

If you're going to colour your natural grey--remember, it takes colour differently than your regular colour--you want to go several shades lighter and let it blend. Otherwise the line of demarcation is horrendous as it grows out!

I'm too much of a chicken to have the natural colour highlighted. It would look better if I did, but it's a more time consuming and expensive. I'm a little short on both time and discretionary income!

 

[HALEYSMOMMOM]

Hi! DO you have color in your hair now? If not their is probably grey all over your head and you just don't notice it except for on the top. In this case, doing just the roots would probably not blend well. What I would reccomend is to put in a semi-permanent color. It won't change the original hair color much but it will "soften" the look of the gray. Meaning it would not cover it competely but just a little bit. For example, my mom Dark Brown but is about 25% grey so I put in a golden brown semi-permanent color. It adds shine and a little kick to her natural color and the greys look light golden brown, almost looks like a highlight. We do this about every 8 weeks...it slowly washes out, looks really natural and you don't get the 'line' like a permanent color. Honestly, next time you go for a hct, talk to you stylist about it. I would consult w/ her/him before runing and grabbing a box of something at the store. Hope this helps a little. Good luck!

2

Yes, i do have the brown color in my hair now, and the roots are starting to show. I want to know if I can just go back in and have only the roots redone, or if I have to my whole head done again? I already have permanent color. Or should i have semi permanent done all over now? My stylist gives me nooo advice, she just says "whatever you think" Thank you!!

 

[Dashzap]

My hair is pretty salt and pepper (age 44) and I've been considering coloring. Guess I won't after reading this thread.

 

[dimimi]

I'm curious why you would like to go grey? A woman I worked with once was grey and young. Once she colored her hair she looked so much younger. Have you just decided you'd like the natural look? I used to say I would never cover grey...now I do. I think grey hair just doesn't look as pretty and soft. JMO

 

[HunnyPots]

I feel your pain! Although I am only maybe 20% gray at the most, I am sick of coloring my hair. About six weeks ago I stopped coloring and got my hair cut very short with lots of choppy layers. The roots growing in don't show much at all so I am just going to continue to get it cut every few weeks until I am all natural! Then I will be dark brown with silver "highlights"!

 

[Eljay]

Okay, there is one more option.
I'm a professional hair stylist and I have helped some of my clients make the transition back to gray, by using the old fashioned Roux Rinse. This is a water based product that you apply to the obvious gray areas, just to help "blend" the grey somewhat, until you can cut the tinted hair off. It works best on women who color their hair blond or light brown and have gray or white roots.
The Roux Rinse is quite transparent and does not work to blend gray with dark ends.

You can buy Roux Rinse at Sally's Beauty Supply, which is nationwide, I believe and they do sell to the general public. It shampoos out. I recommend applying it to the gray hair with a cotton ball. It's not a perfect solution, there really is no perfect solution for this problem.
Good luck!

 

[HALEYSMOMMOM]

Yes, i do have the brown color in my hair now, and the roots are starting to show. I want to know if I can just go back in and have only the roots redone, or if I have to my whole head done again? I already have permanent color. Or should i have semi permanent done all over now? My stylist gives me nooo advice, she just says "whatever you think" Thank you!!

Hi does anyone have an answer to the above question? Thanks so much, just a yes or no and I will leave everyone alone

 

[Liberty Belle]

My hair is pretty salt and pepper (age 44) and I've been considering coloring. Guess I won't after reading this thread.

I'm thinking the same thing. I'm 40 and just find a stray grey piece here and there (and I just pull them out when I do), but do not want to "go grey." I don't think I'll mind it when I'm older, just not yet.

Maybe the answer is to just highlight? I've never had that done (though I've done it myself at home with peroxide - and had lots of compliments!).

 

[Matt'sMom]

How do I get from coloring my hair to being my natural color?

Lots of options. Women have done anything and everything from just toughing it out and letting it grow, to lowlights and highlights, to using temporary color, to even shaving their head or going with an ultra short cut (so as to get past the 'growing out' stage asap).

For plenty of ideas, and to see photos of beautiful women who went back to embracing their natural gray, visit: http://goinggraylookinggreat.com/index.php/great_grays/index

Check out the pages of personal stories within the 'great grays' section. Lots of wonderful info & photos of women going through the stages of growing out their natural color. Then be sure to also visit the 'transitioning' section of the site for ideas of how to get from here to there.

I personally chose to just stop using artificial color, cold turkey, and let my natural hair grow out. I didn't want to fool with the lowlights or temp color, as doing so can significantly prolong the growing out process (can take a year or more). I wasn't comfortable with getting a very short haircut--I had long, dark brown hair, and was not ready to change both the color and length too dramatically. So I waited until I had about five or six months of fresh growth coming in, then went in and had the last remnants of artificially colored hair chopped off. At that point, my gray was long enough to try a hairstyle very similar to the one that Meryl Streep wore in "The Devil Wears Prada". Less than two months later, I have already grown my hair out to an attractive, slightly layered, shoulder length style.

I won't tell you that growing out my hair, and having to deal with the two-toned color for a few months, was fun or easy. There were times when I got a few odd looks--but I also got more than a few positive compliments as well. And I am so glad now that I did it. My hair feels better than it has in years! It is so much healthier, softer, less frizzy & easy to style.

 

[annsteere]

My colored hair is a light ash brown. According to my roots, my natural color now is 100% grey.

I'd like to say some highbrow thing about "affirming my natural look and rejecting the culture's defintion of youth as beauty in women" but the real reasons I'm thinking about this are:

- one less thing to fiddle with in life

- health concerns. Yet another dear friend was diagnosed with cancer last week. The idea that I am risking my health in order to make my hair look brown strikes me as having the brains of a Barbie doll.

THANKS for your suggestions. I think I will try the semi-permanent color in a lighter shade. I already wear my hear fairly short and will probably have a slightly-shorter-that-usual cut done in Sept. and Oct. to hurry this process along.

 

[it's kelly]

Haleysmommom, I also am a hairstylist and my advice to you would be to have your stylist ONLY touch up your roots with a semi permanent. She does not need to go thru your whole head again, also ask about going a 1/2 shade lighter then what the permanent she used so it blends a little better to your natural and you won't get the 'band'. It should also help you to squeeze a little more time between touch ups. Hope that helped.

 

[Iott Family]

Hi does anyone have an answer to the above question? Thanks so much, just a yes or no and I will leave everyone alone

I think the answer to your question is back on page one, but the answer is yes you can just color the roots. its called a touch up.