Lighter Locks

Lighter Locks

WHY AND HOW THESE WOMEN LET GO OF HAIR COLOR.

When the time is right, the decision to go gray can be liberating. Four women share how they made their decision to go gray, what products they use, and tips on caring for their beautiful, natural color.

30+ Years of Gray

Alba Brookins started coloring her hair in her 30s. Later that same decade, she decided to stop coloring her hair, and let it grow out. Her decision made sense to her from a scheduling and cost effective standpoint.

Alba knew it was time to stop coloring when she began noticing that she needed to make an appointment to have her roots done before her next scheduled appointment. The increased frequency of having her hair colored was no longer cost effective to her. Alba has been wearing her beautiful, natural hair color for 30+ years and she loves it! She does very little, and it’s easy to maintain. A perm is the only maintenance she requires.

Perfect Timing

February 2020 was the last time Tami Patterson colored her hair. Her next appointment was scheduled in March around the time when everything was shutting down. Her decision to stop coloring was one she had been considering. Going to the salon was not a relaxing experience for Tami and because her hair didn’t take and hold color for a long time, she found she was going every three weeks.

During that time, Tami did research, and had encouragement from family and even her hairstylist. She looked into products specific to gray hair, and how to maintain and care, which she shared with us. Aveda’s Blue Malva shampoo and conditioner specifically formulated to neutralize yellow and orange hues. Aveda’s Smooth Infusion StylePrep Smoother to help with frizzing. Aveda’s Volumizing Tonic for extra volume and lift. Heat Relief Thermal Protector & Conditioning Mist by Aveda to seal in moisture and minimize frizz. When using heat styling tools, Tami also suggests turning down the heat to protect and reduce damage. Belula Boar Bristle Brush to infuse shine and smooth hair. And a hat to help keep gray hair healthy from the sun’s damaging rays.

Liberated from Color

Madonna Wilson had been coloring her own hair for over 20 years with a semipermanent color product, which usually lasted just over a month. Because this treatment eventually washed out, she found her gray hair was slowly showing through more. She was inspired by a younger friend who went fully gray. When Madonna stopped coloring her hair, she found what was left of her natural and semipermanent color was looking more like highlights. This made the transition to go gray fairly easy. Her hair was also long at that time. When she had her next scheduled hair appointment, she found a shorter hairstyle that instantly cut out color that was left, leaving her with her natural gray tones.

Madonna noticed that the texture of her hair changed after she stopped coloring. It acts differently, and she is still adjusting to the change. Every three months, Madonna has white highlights added in the front by her bangs to help blend with her natural color. She’s pretty low maintenance when it comes to products and feels liberated that she doesn’t have to color her hair often anymore. Madonna uses an anti-frizz product by Redken called Outshine 01 and a Hydrating Mask by Verb to help with smoothing and frizz. HOW NOT TO LOOK WASHED OUT — Madonna also did research on going gray. Her concern was looking washed out. She found that changing up her clothing color helped, and for her she wears more blues and black. She also applies a foundation, lipstick, and mascara to complete her look.

A Longer Transition

About 6 years ago, Cathy Bauer was tired of having her hair colored every month. For Cathy, the process took about 6 years of blending in low lights to even out her white, gray, and natural hair colors. This process also made her hair more uniform in texture.

Today, Cathy continues to go to the hairdresser about every 6-8 weeks to have low lights put in her hair, which is not as expensive. She’s also changed up the colors in her wardrobe. Cathy says not everything goes with gray and wearing a complementary color near your neckline helps. Since she has multiple colors and tones in her hair, she’s wearing more pastels. She freshens up her current wardrobe by throwing on a new, complementary scarf that changes up the color. Cathy prefers Nexxus products. For shampoo she uses Nexxus Clean & Pure. For smoothing and flat ironing, Cathy uses Goldwell Smooth Control and will place this in her hair before blow drying. Cathy has thin hair so she applies a little at a time to make sure it doesn’t weigh down her hair. For volume, Cathy uses the velcro style curlers and Goldwell hairspray.

Story and Photos by Melissa Donald

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