Dealing With Gray Coverage

Coloring gray hair can be difficult because it reacts differently than normal hair. Each formula has to be specifically made in order to get the most natural result. A lot more chemistry comes into play due to gray hair not containing any pigment.

Hair with 75% or more of gray grabs color differently and if the color is not fully balanced with enough with warmth, neutral and cool then it will look muddy and hollow.

My client has always struggled with her hair looking "DULL" and I was determined to figure out why and how to fix it.

Her hair is about 80% gray and we always color the roots and add in some dimensional pieces. When natural hair is lightened it always pulls warm but when gray hair is lightened there truly is no pigment and so since their is no warmth it looks dull and almost greenish.

Do your gray clients tend to fade warm but in a greenish way? That is because it is hollow.

Balancing the hair so that it looks natural and shiny:

Greenish means hollow and so it needs a pigment in the red family to counteract the green to fill in the hair to give it a warmer feel. If pure warm tones (yellow and orange) are applied that will help the hair to be shiner but it will still be hollow because the green tint is still there.

On my client I used pastel pink, 09g and 09n to give her a nice warm glow.

Redken Pastel Pink (.50) + 09g (.20) + 09n (.10) Processed on wet hair for 15 minutes

Pastel Pink to balance out the green.

Gold to add warmth and shine.

Neutral to ensure that the hair doesn't go too pink or doesn't go brassy.

Every time your client sits in your chair you should be analyzing how their hair has faded, what pigments are there and what pigments are missing. The same formula will not work every single time. You need to be flexible in adjusting your formulas so that way your clients can have the most natural hair.

Listen to your clients and learn the concerns that they have with their hair. Address the concerns first and educate them on why things happen and how you are adjusting it.

I have an additional post on client consultations all about the questions to ask your clients to best determine what the client is looking for so that way you can achieve the best possible results.