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Gray Hair – A classic color back in style!

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Young woman with stylish gray hair in a bob

For some people gray hair is something to be avoided at all costs, but when fashionistas like Daphne Guinness and Pixie Geldof start rocking silver locks on the red carpet, it’s time to rethink our approach to granny chic!

This is definitely not a look for gals who prefer to blend into the background (unless the background is a retirement home), but for the fashion forward style pioneers amongst us, here’s everything you need to know about gray hair.

Who’s doing gray hair?

Kelly Osbourne with gray hair, a pale face and red lips

High profile celebrities including Kate Moss, Kelly Osbourne, P!nk and Lady Gaga have all embraced the gray hair trend, prompting one fashion mag to declare that gray is the new blonde!

And when Calvin Klein and most recently Maria Barros send their models down the catwalks with stylish gray dos, fashions last taboo has most definitely been broken.

Is it for me?

The key to success with gray hair is that is should never ever look natural, in fact when it comes to gray, the faker the better! The younger you are, the greater the impact, and for fashion forward teens or twenty somethings gray hair will give you the real wow factor.

That’s not to say the rest of us can’t enjoy a little gray this season, but there are more subtle ways to embrace this trend.

How do I get the gray look?

Pixie Geldof with short gray hair

The trick to pulling off the all over gray look is to team it with a short, edgy haircut, as seen on Pixie Geldof.

If you’re still worried about appearing old before your time, add a streak of neon blue, pink or green (or all three!).

Of course all over gray isn’t for everyone, and Daphne Guinness is an eyecatching example of how to use gray as an accent color. The trendsetter mixes gray with black streaks to achieve a fabulous fashion look.

For a more everyday style, you might take inspiration from Kate Moss who used gray highlights against a natural blonde shade to create a subtle, multi tonal color. Kate’s silver streaks were about as far from granny chic as I can imagine, proving there is more to gray than meets the eye!

Gray Hair – Salon vs Home Color

As with all the extreme color options, its usually better to consult a professional before taking the leap. From what we can see the major home color brands have still to catch up with the trend for gray – most of their products are designed to cover it up, not bring it out!

Our advice is to choose your salon carefully (think cutting edge and youthful) and make sure you take in a photograph or clipping of the look you want to achieve.

So what are you waiting for hair color lovers, lets reclaim gray for a new generation!

The Essential Home Hair Color Kit

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basic kit for hair coloring

The great thing about home hair color kits is that they contain everything you need to dye your ‘do within one neat little box.

However to maintain the effect you can expect to touch up your roots at least once every 8 to 12 weeks, and there are some cheap and easily available items that can make that process so much less of chore.

Ladies and gentleman, may we present our essential home color tools…

1. Plastic wrap

Plastic wrap to be used for hair coloring

Plastic wrap, or clingfilm, is the one essential we would never be without. Use it to wrap your hair once you have applied the dye and you can get on with life while the product does its job, without splattering a CSI worthy trail of fluid across walls and furniture.

Another great tip is to wrap your basin (and any other vulnerable surface) in film BEFORE you start mixing or applying the hair dye – once you are done you simply remove the film and with it any excess product that may have gone astray. Voila, a clean bathroom with no scrubbing!

2. Hairdressing Clips

Set of four hairdressing clips

You can pick these up from most drug stores – in fact the cheap plastic clips are perfect for dying hair as the plastic won’t be corroded by the chemicals in the product.

Hairdressing clips are invaluable for those of us with longer locks, use them to divide your hair into sections and you’ll find it so much easier to work the dye through every inch of your hair. Miss a spot and you’ll have to start the whole process again, or limit yourself to hair styles that cover the offending area!

Similarly, a basic plastic comb for working the dye right to the ends of your hair is another worthwhile investment – the product will be more effective without the hassle of getting dye out of your regular comb (just make sure you can tell the two apart).

Remember, if you clip your hair up during application you are less likely to drip product on yourself or your surfaces.

3. Gloves

Plastic gloves for hair coloring

Ok, we know that all the major brands of home hair dye kits include plastic gloves, and the quality of these have dramatically improved over the last few years, however the fact is gloves are useful at the application AND at the removal of the dye.

Most of us prefer to have the full use of our hands for the twenty minutes in-between, and is there anything worse than putting on cold, wet, sticky gloves once the application time is up?

The obvious solution, invest in a box of latex gloves.

They have a thousand useful household applications, from balloons to homemade chicken costumes, and until HairColorCode gets our “two pairs of glove per kit” campaign off the ground, having your own supply is the best way to keep your mitts nice and cosy.

4. Petroleum Jelly

Oh petroleum jelly, is there anything you can’t do? Apply around your face, on your ears and around the nape of your neck, and even if the dye lands on your skin, it won’t stain.

5. Old Towels/Rags

Towels for hair coloring

This may sound obvious, but if you are going to be coloring your hair on a regular basis it is well worth having a set of dedicated towels, rather than risking your best Egyptian cotton or throwing your fluffiest bath sheet to the lions.

If they get stained, no problem, if you spill a little product on the floor, use them to mop it up. No tears, no sweat.

6. Timer/alarm clock

I don’t need a timer, I’ve got one on my cellphone/designer watch, right? Sure, if you want to put expensive electrical items in the firing line of a product which is designed to stain! You can pick one of these up for a few dollars and in the long run it may save you a fortune.

So that’s it, everything you need to make dying your hair a walk in the park. If you’ve got any other great ideas to help take the effort out of home coloring, we’d love to hear from you on [email protected]. Til next time, happy hair!