How To Seamlessly Transform Your Hair With Gray Blending
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One of the best trends in hair is gray blending. It's born out of the simple desire to embrace natural color and let their grays be seen.
In a time when so much of our world is a facade, and many of us hide parts of ourselves deemed not good enough or desperately try to mask every fine line and sign of aging, more people are simply saying no. Gray blending is for everyone, but it's especially liberating for women who experience more pressure to dye their hair. While men are often seen as debonair and even more attractive when their locks turn lighter with age, Inc reports that many women fear letting their hair go gray can negatively impact their careers.
Gray hair is not only a symbol of how far we've come in life, but it's also beautiful. Gone are the days when only grandparents had silver hair. It's not uncommon for people in their 20s and 30s to grow a substantial amount of gray. Not everyone wants to be enslaved to dyeing their hair every few weeks — although there's nothing wrong with it if that's what you want! — and a lot of people just adore the highlighted gray look.
Besides the desire to be our authentic selves, there are many reasons why going gray is beneficial (via Women's Day). For starters, you save money and time at the salon. You also protect your scalp from ongoing chemicals.
What gray blending can do
Gray blending is a way to help transition from dyeing your grays to embracing them and blending them right into your natural hair using highlights and lowlights (via Vegamour). Of course, you can also just stop dyeing your hair and let your natural color take over but that takes an incredible amount of time, not to mention patience.
Gray blending helps your natural grays happily coexist alongside your darker hair and present a unified highlighted look (via Wella Professionals). It's a wonderful way to let your grays grow out without looking unkempt or messy.
Some people actually want more gray in their hair than they currently have. Colorists can add chunkier strands up front and on the sides. Others desire a more evenly distributed blend of light and dark so gray blending helps achieve a balanced look. For this look, you can ask for thin strands of both light and dark.
Find an experienced colorist
The key to transforming your hair effortlessly using gray blending is to find a colorist who is skilled at doing it. It takes a certain amount of experience to achieve the exact highlights and lowlights that blend seamlessly (via Glamour).
"I require my clients to grow their roots about 3 to 4 inches," colorist Jack Martin told Vogue. "This is because I want to see the pattern of their gray clearly so we can mimic it and match it to a tee."
Even with professional help, it may take some time to achieve the exact color you want. Martin advised adding what he refers to as glamour streaks. "They're beautiful silver, face-framing pieces that make the color more impactful and brighten the face," he said. "It's very easy to maintain and instead of the client having to come every few weeks, she can come every three to four months to touch it up."