WHY GRAY HAIR IS GREAT

For most women, leaving their gray hair as nature intended has always been akin to conceding a move up in dress size; it's something we put it off until there really is no hiding place left. However, with our increasing awareness of what harm chemicals can do to our bodies—as well as the environment—a lot of women are preferring to work with what God gave them in as natural and as simple a way as possible. When it comes to their hair, they're seeing just how gorgeous it can look when they don't apply harsh chemicals and artificial color to it.

As women age, it's not only our hair that changes color and texture; our skin tone does too. The hair color that suited us in our twenties will undoubtedly look false in our 40s. One of the advantages of leaving your gray hair untouched is that it will be the most suitable color for you, however much you might want to protest otherwise! Some women, however, prefer the transition from their original color to gray

to last a little longer than is natural and there are a number of ways that gray hair can gradually be introduced and complemented.

One of the best—and where your hair's concerned, kindest—options is highlights, which will maintain color while at the same time allowing some gray to show. The beauty of highlights is that there's no harsh re-growth as there is with a one tone color, so they are relatively low maintenance. However, for best results highlights should be applied by an experienced colorist, and this means regular, and probably expensive, trips to the hair salon.

If you have only a spread of gray and want it to blend in with your original hair color, then consider lowlights. These can be thought of as highlights in reverse, using a color darker than your natural hair color. Choose a shade that's very close to your natural hair color to "blend out" some of the gray. As with highlights, re-growth is not at all harsh as lowlights color around 30 to 50 percent of the hair; however, they should be re-applied every eight weeks. The less contrast between colors—your natural color and the color you're applying—the less noticeable the re-growth will be.

A semi-permanent vegetable color is an option if you want to try something at home for your gray. It doesn't contain ammonia or peroxide, so won't damage your hair, and will fade after about eight washes. Choose a color that's a few shades lighter than your natural hair color; your gray hairs will be lightened in the process and as such look like highlights.

A demi-permanent color is a combination of a semi-permanent and a permanent hair color. Although it gradually fades after a number of weeks, there is a little re-growth with this type of hair color as it fades slower than the rate at which your hair grows. But this is another option for an "in-house" hair treatment that will complement and enhance your gray

Avoid completely covering all gray hair: permanent dyes really are a last resort. It's difficult to achieve a natural looking result with one tone hair color. If you really do want to cover all your gray then choose a color a few shades lighter than your original hair color and have highlights applied on top. This is a hair treatment that should be left to the professionals, though.

And if you just want to embrace your gray and do no more than wash and go, there are shampoos and conditioners made specifically for gray hair that can bring out its very best. These contain bluing tints to prevent the yellowing effect that sometimes blights gray hair and which is caused by pollution and smoking.

Gray hair is wiry so is best kept short or shoulder-length. A classic bob style can really show gray hair off. Remember to condition gray hair regularly: as we age, our hair—as well as our skin—needs more moisture.

Copyright BossHairstyles.com

del.icio.us  •  digg  •  furl  •  reddit  •  stumble