Gray Hair Color...finding a subtle HAIR COLOR change!!!

I like to change the color of my hair.  My first gray hair appeared when I was around thirty.  I pulled them out while my children took piano lessons and I waited in the car.  Like most women at that age looking older did not make me happy.  I didn't want to be gray.  I wanted to be blond or red...just not gray!  

I am 68 now and for almost 25 years I have been having perms and coloring my hair looking for the perfect look.  It has been a learning process and I would like to share what I have learned.


LET ME COUNT THE WAYS...There are many ways to color your hair.  Hair dressers have become very sophiticate and techniques are so much better than they were the first time I had a "color weave".  I am learning about things that I did not even know existed.  Did you know:

You can bring you color up or down without a total hair dye job.  By adding highlight, twilights or lowlights you can change the appearance of you hair color in such a subtle way your friends may not even notice.  

• Twilights will tone down a hair color if you feel you hair color has that "glow in the dark" shade and you don't like it.  
• Lowlights can take your gray hair color and bring it back to a younger shade without getting rid of all the gray.  I have a friends that does this.  Her hair is blond with gray at the roots.  By using lowlights she hides the gray but does not change what is left of her blond hair color.  
• Highlights will just brighten your hair in a very subtle way.  I found a website that said you can even do this with mascara.  Christian Dior and Revlon both have a product that will work.  It just washes out the next time you shampoo.  

 There are several techniques that will make a bigger statement.

• Veiling is a technique that will bring your gray hair dye or mousy brown dye job back to life. This process actually is done using an all over semi-permanent hair color.  I did this for myself recently when I found my hair so blond it looked almost white.  By adding the semi-permanent dye I brought the tone down to a reasonable level and it has lasted much longer that I thought it would.
• I have a friend that does a chunking process...her husband helps her.  She takes a chunk of hair in the front of her hair but not totally in the bang area.  She usually used a blond to get a highlight in that area.  My granddaughter would like to do this to her bangs and leave the rest a natural black color.  

USE A PROFESSIONAL IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT...In most cases I don't recommend you do it yourself...professionals know what they are doing.   Having said that I will have to confess that I will do things to my hair on Sunday when the beauty shop is closed and I don't think I can wait another day.  I guess that is why I have ideas and opinions and know just enough about the process to be dangerous.  This is my disclaimer if any of you take my advice and it doesn't turn out!   Not everything I have done to my hair has turned out to be a good idea.

WHAT I DO...My hair is gray...really gray.  I use a ten minute hair dye that works beautifully.  By following the instructions I get a dye job that does not totally color my hair and leaves it with highlights as a result.  I don't mind that gray shows up in some places.   I think it looks more natural.  I do not try to make my dark brown/gray hair a color that is so far from normal that it looks fake.  I just don't think that is a good idea.  Any color that has the word "ash" in the color will not have nearly as much red highlight as one that does not have that word.  I think it just depends on what your hair color was originally...something in that same tone will go with your skin color.

TRY IT WITHOUT TRYING IT...Now, if you are ready or are thinking seriously about making a change but are not completely sure, you need to try it without trying it.  On those websites that allow you do a virtual makeover you can see how a new style/color looks on you.  By uploading a picture of yourself, you can try on the hair color of you choice and then make a educated decision.  I love to do this.  It is fun to play around with hair styles and color.  Nothing permanent...it is just make believe.
    
Should you cover your gray and have a change?  I can't give you the answer for that.  I do know that it is a lot of fun.  We are going to Mexico for our fiftieth wedding anniversary.  I am going to get a special hair color for that vacation...just for the fun of it.  There is some beautiful hair color for gray hair and I am going to take advantage of it.   Hair color is a bit like painting your living room...it is not forever.

Have fun!


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