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Cover Gray Hair & Natural Looking Result
Q: I have naturally light red hair, with about 25% gray. My color has also faded over the years. I would like to cover the
gray and match my color as closely as possible. Could you recommend a haircolor product that would give me a natural looking result?
Many of the colors I have looked at on the shelf have appeared to be too vibrant or dark. I noticed a new product
from {brand name deleted} called Natural Match, but did not see anything like my natural color.
A: As a rule, we avoid recommending specific products and brands on Hairfinder, because we want to be as objective as possible. We are not
affiliated with any product manufacturer and avoid offering even indirect endorsement of a brand name or product line so as to avoid
even an appearance of bias.
However, I can definitely advise you on the best method for achieving a natural-looking
gray-coverage for your hair color. All you need to do is visit your local beauty supply store and pick up a haircolor formula that is
two levels lighter than your natural color. {Take a moment to read a previous posting about choosing haircolor to cover gray, found
here.} You will also need to purchase a developer (most haircolors use hydrogen peroxide developers in strengths of 10-volume to
30-volume or higher) that will be combined with the haircolor in equal parts before applying the color to the head.
Because all we are intending to do here is cover your gray, you want to use 10-volume peroxide,
which will develop (activate) the color without lightening the hair. {When you buy haircolor kits in a supermarket or drugstore, they
come with the haircolor and developer packaged together. They often include a separate conditioning agent for use after coloring. The
difference in buying professional products is that you have to buy the components separately.} I recommend using a cream developer for
better control over the color application. The cream developer makes the mixture less runny and therefore less likely to drip all over
you.
By selecting a color that is shades lighter than your natural hair color, you are effectively
converting the gray hairs into “highlights”, blending them into the hair as a whole. You should also note that because you are using a
deposit-only formulation, the haircolor is going to darken the natural color slightly in the process. If you used a color that was
exactly the same as your natural color the result would look too dark, and the color would be more one-dimensional.
When buying your supplies, be sure to get gloves, a color bottle, and a plastic cap as well as the
color chemicals. Don your gloves, mix your haircolor and developer in the color bottle, and shake it well to mix the color and developer
thoroughly. Apply the color quickly and evenly all over the hair from scalp to the ends. Once the color is fully applied, cover the
hair in a plastic cap and leave it in place for 20 minutes.
Once the 20 minutes are up, remove the cap, and being rinsing the hair, wet the hair and massage it
into a lather as you rinse the color out of the hair using warm water. (It’s generally easier to have a friend assist you in applying
haircolor since a separate person can see all of your head better than you can.) After the haircolor is rinsed from the hair, you can
either shampoo the hair, or simply apply a moisturizing conditioner to the hair and rinse the hair again using cool water. The
conditioner and cool water rinse help to seal the cuticle layer of the hair and lock in your color.
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