Hair Colour
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28.07.2021
10 Tricks to Help You Color Resistant Gray Hair
By: Zara Kenyon & Anette Svensson
Not all clients choose to cover up their grey regrowth. Salon's are getting more and more requests for a seamless transition to grey, as silver locks rise in popularity. However, for those occasions when your client does want their gray hair covered, you need a few tricks up your sleeve to tackle stubborn, colour-resistant strands. We’ve got you covered – literally – with 10 pro-approved tricks for colouring resistant gray.
1. Use a Permanent Colour
If your client hopes to cover up truly stubborn, colour-resistant grays, a permanent colour pigment is going to offer the most concentrated result. Try Illumina Color for a multi-dimensional finish and Koleston Perfect for pure and saturated coverage. They each boast a host of natural-looking hues to disguise greys on a blonde, red or brunette base.
2. Add a Dose of Pure Naturals
Take permanent Koleston Perfect to the next level by adding a Pure Naturals shade to your formula. Choose shades between 2/ and 8/ in level of depth, ranging from warm golden hues to cooler tones. On hair that is especially hard to cover, choose XX/0 or the new XX/02 for a cooler result. Mix with your target colour, using ⅓Pure Naturals for hair that’s 30-50% grey and ½ Pure Naturals on locks that are 50-100% grey.
3. Choose the Right Developer
When covering stubborn greys, you should mix your colour 1:1 with the Welloxon Perfect developer. Just make sure you’re using the correct volume, opting for 6% (20 volume) to cover greys or reach one level of lift, 9% (30 volume) for two levels of lift, and 12% (40 volume) for three levels of lift. If you’re simply trying to make those greys blend in with your client’s base colour, we recommend reaching for the 6% (20 volume) bottle. It will be like those silver strands never happened.
4. Saturate Stubborn Silver Strays
Don’t be afraid to load colour onto the most stubborn grey hairs. Use your tint brush to saturate unwanted regrowth, making sure you paint sections front and back for full coverage. Try the brickwork application method for an even result, using fine sections to avoid the risk of banding. Once you’ve finished retouching the whole head, you can even go back to more resistant strands and add extra colour. More is more when it comes to giving stubborn strays the brush-off.
5. Start With the Most Resistant Patches
Grey hair doesn’t grow in one uniform pattern – that would be too easy. Often, you’ll find clients have uneven distribution of greys, with some sections proving more stubborn than others. So if you know your client has resistant patches, make sure you apply colour to these sections first. This will mean these hairs have color on them for longer, giving you extra pigment power.
6. Develop Colour Under Heat
If your client is short on time, book them in for an Express Touch-Up service, which sees colour developed under a Climazon to speed up development. Without heat, colour can take 30-40 minutes to cover stubborn greys, but with higher temperatures, you’re looking at 15-25 minutes. Just make sure you double-check the results before you rinse.
7. Get Inspired by Formulas
There’s a giant portfolio of grey coverage inspiration to be found on Instagram, featuring some of the most satisfying before and afters we’ve seen. Case in point: here are three we’ve uncovered that show just how pigment-packed Illumina Color and Koleston Perfect can be in the face of resistant greys.
Colouring Grown-Out Resistant Greys
Image Credit: @emma_douglas_hairdressing
Even the longest, deepest and most resistant grey roots can be tackled with Illumina Color. “The sheerness and shine [make it] my fave,” says salon colourist Emma Douglas.
Coloring Grays on Dark Hair
Image Credit: @laila.wella
Bye bye, regrowth. Grey hair can appear more prominent on dark brunette hair, but resistant roots are no match for Koleston Perfect 3/0 + 2/0 + 6% (20 volume).
Colouring Resistant Greys on Ash Blonde Hair
Image Credit: @juditsz_hair
From rooty and brassy to fresh and cool, this ash blonde balayage is a transformative triumph. The formula? Illumina Color 6/ + 6/19 + 6% (20 volume), applied to grey roots for full coverage.
8. Blend Away Greys with Highlights
Coverage isn’t the only solution for hiding stubborn silver strays. You can also blend gray hair with highlights to make natural regrowth appear less visible. Try this trick with BlondorPlex – which is infused with our WellaPlex No. 1 Bond Maker – and weave it next to and on top of grey strands for some clever camouflage. Bonus: those shimmering ‘lights give hair a youth-boosting, multi-tonal finish too.
9. Go Lighter Through the Ends
Speaking of multi-tonal locks; it’s important to consider how porous hair is from root to tip. Usually, the root area grabs colour less easily, while dry ends can really soak it up. That means, if you’re using an intense pigment to cover up grey regrowth, you may want to use a lighter formula for the mid-lengths and ends, so the hair here doesn’t end up darker than the roots. Adding flashes of brightness around the hairline is also ultra-flattering, helping your client’s complexion positively glow. And who wouldn’t want that?
10. Boost Moisture with Hair Masks
There’s a reason stubborn grey strands tend to be coarser and wirier in texture. As well as losing pigment over time, hair gets a reduced supply of natural oils from the scalp. That’s why, for youthful-looking hair, conditioner is just as vital as colour. So, once you’ve tackled stubborn greys, recommend clients maintain radiant hair at home with a mask. Our go-to is the Oil Reflections Reboost Mask for a weekly deep moisture boost.
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