Gray Pride

Friday 09th, September 2011 / 16:18
Gray Pride

There is a growing trend in hair in these days and it’s not what you think.  Women are embracing gray as their color of choice and they will not be ignored is what I learned when I recently spoke at a Health and Wellness seminar for Emerson Hospital.

“But wait- you’re a colorist, Wendy!”  Yes, that’s what I thought when I was asked to present. But after extensive investigation (I became quite the expert on gray hair), I learned some amazing statistics:

  • More than 40% of Americans have some gray by their 40th birthday
  •  Over 70,000,000 women are now over 40.
  • Fully 1/3 of the population will be age 50 or older by 2010

The options are very clearly mapped out for women who chose to cover their gray:

  • Permanent, Semi or Demi Permanent  hair coloring
  • Gray-Blending Glaze
  • Highlights/Lowlights

But due to certain factors such as, health concerns, financial concerns and being just plain tired of the upkeep, more and more women are choosing gray.  Whether it is growing out from years of coloring or allowing natural progression of growth, this is where my guidance comes in:

  • Adding highlights or lowlights can help “blur” the line of demarcation as the hair grows out.
  • If you choose to stop coloring cold turkey, visit your stylist for more frequent trims to help remove color product.
  • To replace lost moisture and protein, schedule deep-conditioning or gloss treatments when you have your monthly trim.  These treatments can add shine or neutralize that green or yellow cast caused by medications, hard water or other elements.

What I have learned from the beautiful “Silver Sisters” that I met at the Emerson Hospital seminar, was that they want to be stylish and trendy with their haircut but feel “bullied” or “pressured” to color whenever they sit in their stylists chair.   I say “run don’t walk” from that stylist if they are not open to discussing all of the options you are interested in.  A Gray –Friendly salon should be supportive and knowledgeable about transitioning and treatments for gray hair as well as colored.

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