5 top tips for gorgeous white and grey hair
If you’re anything like us, you will probably have come across some lovely helpful people suggesting that embracing your natural colour means you’ve ‘let yourself go’. (unless you’re a silver fox of course, but that’s a whole other story).
In reality, while your colour is natural, by now you’ll have found that white and grey hair has its own particular quirks and can need some tlc for it to look its best and for you to feel great about it.
So, here are our White Hot top tips:
1. Texture taming
Has the texture of your hair changed? Hair without pigment can feel coarse and wiry and refuse to lie down. Or it feels a little thinner and prone to looking fluffy. A deep conditioning mask every now and again can help make coarse hair feel more manageable, or, if your hair has taken on that ‘cotton wool’ feeling, a styling product can help add texture and definition. For this, we’d recommend our Shooshing Crème - it gives oomph and texture in a flash, and is our Founder Jayne’s go-to product. For stray greys along your parting, why not smooth in a few tiny drops of Lifeshine Oil for a glossy finish.
2. Great cut
Is now the time for a complete change? You’ve bitten the bullet and embraced a new colour and now few things are more important than a great cut. Work with a stylist who doesn’t put you in an ‘older lady’ box and understands you and your hair, seeing it as a modern colour choice. From all the pictures our customers share, we love natural, un-done looks that are a million miles away from the ‘grey styles’ of old. Whatever anyone says, there are no rules on length, so long or short you might tweak with a few extra face-framing layers or go all out for a new look. No dye doesn’t mean game over!
3. Keep bright
For many reasons, you may find your hair takes on the dreaded yellow tones. Any blonde hair from your original colour - we all have a mix of black, red and blonde - is the last to lose its pigment, so it could just be a natural part of your transition. Or, it could be the fact that white and grey hair simply shows the dirt more than hair that still has its pigment. Strong sunshine, chlorine, smoke, pollution, whatever the culprit, the good news is you can help banish these yellow tones and brighten up your white simply by using a ‘purple’ shampoo. If you’ve ever wondered “why purple?” it’s because purple is opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so it naturally counteracts the yellow tones. Our Brilliant Shampoo has a gentle touch of violet pigment and gives your hair an occasional brightening boost. If you wash your hair every day, we’d recommend using it once or twice a week.
4. Hot watch
While we’re on the subject of yellow-y tones, let’s talk about heated stylers. Lots of us are wedded to our straighteners or tongs, but the bad news is that applying such powerful heat directly to white and grey hair can give your hair a dull, brassy hue. It may not be as quick or simple, but there are other ways to smooth, straighten or curl hair, without using heated stylers. Ask your hairdresser for a mini tutorial in creating or adapting your style, so that you can kick the habit of going straight for the straighteners. Blow drying your fringe in opposite directions straightens out the kinks and a handful of velcro rollers can be whipped into your hair for a few minutes while you’re in the shower or doing your make-up.
5. Suck it up
White and grey hair is more porous than hair with its pigment and sucks up cosmetic colours like a sponge. So if you’re over zealous with your bronzer or blusher brush, you might find you give your hairline or fringe a rosy pink hue along with your skin. Stick your hair into a soft head band when you’re doing your make-up and keep an eye on colour transfer from face to hair on especially hot days.
Of course, the main thing is to enjoy your new colour. It’s no doubt taken you a while to get to your natural white and grey, but now you’re here, it can really feel like a fresh new beginning on the style front. Your new colour palette might introduce you to colours that just didn’t work with your dyed hair and you might want to switch up your jewellery or glasses to compliment your new hair. There may be days when you might wish for your old colour back (for me it’s usually when I’m very tired and looking in the bathroom mirror first thing in the morning!) but that’s more than compensated for by the freedom of natural hair. You’re not planning your life around a dyeing schedule, you can enjoy feeling the wind in your hair without wondering if your roots are on show and you’ll no doubt start getting more compliments on your hair colour now than you ever did before. And last but not least, you’re in the exclusive club of vibrant, dynamic White Hot women who know there’s more to life than hair.