Hair Styles | Short, Prom & Celebrity Hairstyles | Hair Care- The Hairstyle Blog

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Do you dye gray hair now and want to go natural?

As baby boomers age, the questions come in more and more . . . “once I’ve started do I need to dye gray hair forever, or, how do I stop?”

“Do I Dye Gray
Hair Forever”

Judy asks;

“I have been using the lightest color of blonde on my hair for the last 10 years waiting for my hair to go white. I am now ready to go white but don’t know how to stop using the coloring and just let it grow out without looking freaky. Is it just a dream that I have that I can strip out the blond and it would be naturally beautifully white? I am 67 and have been coloring forever and don’t know what is under it all, naturally it was dark brown. Some of that is still peeking through (roots) in the back.”

Naturally dark brown hair has a tendency to turn to beautiful gray hair or white hair however, genetics play a role here too! If you were fortunate enough to see your parents through the process of going gray, it will give you the best road map to how you may gray naturally. I’ve found that most women turn gray or white in the same way their Mother’s and Grandmother’s evolved.

You are not in a ‘dream’ world believing that a beautiful white is an attainable goal, however you may need a little help to get it there. It sounds like you are not seeing ‘roots’ in the front, and if that’s the case, you should be able to get to white more easily. You’ve already seen that some of your natural dark brown hair color is still coming in the back and that can make for a gorgeous natural contrast.

Here are a couple of suggestions to consider for transitioning your blonde hair to white or gray hair.

• Shorten your hair as much as possible where it is still comfortable for you. Shorter hair will make for a quicker transition and keep your hair healthier in the process.

• Start a process to lift the blonde out by gently bleaching in many foils with fine sections.

• Repeat foils in 4 to 6 weeks and tone with a violet based gloss or color shampoo to reduce any yellow
• Cut hair and repeat foils till hair is white.

If you have any dark roots in the front and on top it means your hair has not turned completely gray or white yet. You could bring your hair to it’s natural color by following these steps.

• Cut hair short for a quicker blending of old hair to regrowth
• Foil in low-lights with semi-permanent hair color that matches your regrowth. A semi-permanent hair color will stain the gray and the foils will reduce lines of demarcation as your natural hair color grows in.

An experienced professional hair colorist will see the natural hair color you have coming in now and be able to determine your best options. If your hair colorist is unsure of how to get you through this, do some due-diligence and find one who is knowledgeable and confident. Don’t assume everyone who colors hair has the knowledge to do this. If you suspect hesitation on their part . . . look elsewhere.

Whether you dye gray hair now or, you are thinking to dye your gray hair in the future, here is an article on going gray with some more ideas of how to survive the transitioning.

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Healthier Hair with Alternative Products

My clients are often torn between choosing to have healthier hair by leaving it natural  and using harsh chemicals to color their hair. Chemicals used in hair coloring products and the fumes produced are just plain yucky to both the client and hairdresser. There are now healthier hair coloring products on the market for those who are fed up with fumes, chemicals and un-healthy hair.

“Healthier Hair Products don’t Cost any More”Organic Color Systems is just one of the brands that offer a healthier hair alternative to traditional hair coloring products. Organic Color Systems contains no ammonia and no parabens as well as other chemicals that can cause negative reactions for both the client and hairdresser. This particular brand also offers a perm that has organic ingredients and is ammonia and thioglycolate (a common ingredient in many hair color products) free. I spoke to Matthew, from Organic Color Systems who answered a few of my questions regarding their hair colors.

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Kristle: Will Organic Color Systems cover resistant gray hair?Matthew: Organic Color Systems is used in 30 countries, has been around 12 years and has been covering gray for all that time and for all those hairdressers. Organic Color Systems uses a moisturizing oil base in their hair color which helps to soften resistant grays so that the color can penetrate.

Kristle:  Is Organic Color Systems  a better choice than other hair color lines for someone sick from cancer or other illnesses?

Matthew: Although Organic Color Systems cannot recommend a hair care product for any particular person, they did say that their product is a less toxic hair coloring product than others. They also will supply an ingredient list by request so that anyone suffering from an illness can check with their doctor.

Kristle:  Does Organic Color Systems offer the same amount of lift and deposit as traditional hair color systems such as Redken or L’OREAL Professional?

Matthew:  You will  get the same lift or deposit as traditional hair color systems with a few adjustments.

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Matthew also told me they market their hair colors to professionals at a comparable price to other leading hair color product manufacturers. He says they are priced right in the middle, which is good news as it shouldn’t cost any more to get this color service compared to any other!We should be seeing more and more of these healthier hair alternatives that offer less toxic chemicals in products available soon.  Maybe your hair salon already has a healthier hair care product offer for you . . . be sure to ask the question!!

You can find out more about Organic Color Systems on their website

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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Black hair color looks like “shoe polish.” Help!!

Annette writes:
“I have used black hair color on my hair at age 54. What was I thinking? It seems risky to highlight hair that has been colored black. I would like to highlight this black hair color to break it up and get rid of this ‘shoe polish look’ and I am currently using a harsh shampoo to fade it slowly. What do you suggest, since my gray re-growth will be coming in soon making it look worse? Help!”

“Black Hair Color Issues”Kristle  answers;
Annette, let me first say that you are not alone with this black hair color dilemma. Black hair color looks harsh on many people and good on a few, but many people continue to make the mistake of coloring their hair black at home. There are a couple ways to fix this solution:

• Black Hair Color Solution 1:Have a professional stylist heavily highlight hair with a lightener like bleach and then tone the lightened strands to a very dark brown, giving the hair an overall lighter appearance. Unless your hair is already quite damaged from previous chemical treatments, this process shouldn’t ravage your hair. Just be sure to fully explain to the stylist what you have done to your hair and what you are trying to achieve as an  end result.

• Black Hair Color Solution 2:If you want your black hair color gone and replaced with a lighter hair color, another suggestion might be to try a hair color remover. A hair color remover is best done by a professional stylist, although you can pick up a DIY version from your local beauty supply store. The hair color remover works to break up the hair color molecules and lightens hair. You then need to recolor hair to a desired hair color. For DIY readers out there, I would suggest using a shade of hair color that is one shade lighter than what you want to achieve in the end.

The reason I first suggest getting this process done by a professional is that hair color remover can be unpredictable in the outcome. It needs to be applied evenly and watched closely as to when it should be taken off the hair. You need to lift out the right amount of color from your hair and deposit a color that works with your new strand hair color.  A professional has experience with this type of color correction and can control the hair color more so than if you were to do it at home.

Annette, as far as your gray hair re-growth is concerned, I would first suggest choosing either solution above for a temporary fix for your black hair color. Then, as your gray grows in, use a demi-permanent hair color, like Redken Shades, to color the re-growth. This will blend in grays as they appear, while allowing the rest of the color to grow out.

Keep in mind that whenever you are doing several chemical processes like this within a short span of time, it is a good idea to also do a deep conditioner or protein conditioning treatment for your hair to maintain the integrity of the hair. Try one like Joico’s K-Pak Deep Penetrating Reconstructor, which leaves the hair feeling soft and revitalized.

Barb has an black hair color article that might help as well.

Got a question, war story or comment about this topic? Click on the "Leave Your Comments" link at the very bottom of this article. Some of my best ideas for future articles come from reading reader comments. I'd love to hear from you!

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