Gray Hair: What to Do When It First Appears?
The first gray hairs appear around age 35 on average, sometimes much earlier. Hide them, color them or embrace them: there are several options. Here is our advice for handling their arrival with ease.
Where do gray hairs come from?
It's a natural part of hair aging: melanin, which gives hair its color, gradually disappears. Several factors can bring it on sooner:
- genetics;
- lifestyle and smoking;
- emotional shock;
- harsh hair products.
Should you pull out gray hairs?
No. The idea that pulling out one gray hair makes ten grow back is a myth, but pulling it out is pointless: it grows back anyway, often coarser. It also disrupts the hair's growth cycle and irritates the scalp. Better to ask your stylist for advice.
Temporary solutions, without color
Hair mascara
Apply it strand by strand where gray hairs appear. Choose a shade close to your own for a natural result. It lasts all day and washes out with shampoo. If applied poorly, it can leave marks in the hair.
Root touch-up spray, powder or gel
The spray is used like a dry shampoo, a few centimetres from the roots, and covers gray hair in seconds. Like powders and gels, it is a short-term fix.
Hair color to cover gray hair
Permanent color
This is the most effective way to cover gray hair, especially once it reaches 50%. The more gray hair there is, the stronger the developer the hair color needs.
Tone-on-tone or demi-permanent color
Ammonia-free with a low developer, it is gentler than permanent color and leaves hair shiny. It covers up to 50% gray hair without changing your natural color, and fades after six to eight weeks. In a shade close to your own, it looks natural.
Balayage
Balayage colors fine strands that blend into your natural base and brighten your hair. Gray hairs blend in discreetly. A touch-up two to three times a year is enough to keep the effect.
Tannin smoothing on gray hair
Tannin smoothing, or tanninoplasty, is an organic treatment that restructures and strengthens the hair. On gray hair, it's a two-in-one solution: it straightens and colors at the same time.
Made with natural ingredients, it contains keratin, collagen and oils that strengthen the hair. It also acts as a color corrector and prevents yellowing on blond or highlighted hair.
Embracing gray hair
White and salt-and-pepper hair is increasingly sought after. It lends itself to a classic look as well as a bolder one. You can play with tones or blend gray hair into a balayage. Either way, care for it so it stays shiny.
Can gray hair be prevented?
Early graying can be linked to a health issue, a vitamin deficiency, emotional shock or lifestyle. Avoiding smoking, eating well, keeping a healthy routine and choosing natural hair products all support hair pigmentation.
Our stylists will advise you on the color or straightening treatment best suited to your hair.
