Whether your hair is aging early or late in life, graying hair is inevitable. While it is a beautiful part of a long and well lived life that is worth celebrating, some of us prefer to keep that hidden within rather than shining on our head. If that sounds like you, I have a solution on how you mask the gray hairs without overdoing the hair dye. Highlights!
Highlights are the perfect solution to your graying dilemma. I know first hand greying at a young age that gray hair can be a giant insecurity that is a struggle to find a solution to!
Learning how to disguise gray hairs with highlights takes a bit of knowledge upfront. Highlighting gray hair comes in many forms. Depending on your hair color, hair type, and the amount of gray hair you have, certain options will work better than others.
Highlight Options
There are four main options to choose from when using highlights as your means of coverage. Each has their pros and cons, but each is very useful and beautiful when executed correctly!
- Traditional Highlights: First things first, the standard highlight option that we are all familiar with is ofcourse the most common solution. This does take a bit more maintenance than other options as it works from the roots down and is evenly dispersed throughout your entire head. This look incorporates the gray hair with lighter colors to create a mixture that looks effortless and concealing looks that are sure to wow you and your friends.
- Lowlights: Another option that many people are familiar with is lowlights. This is great for darker hair gals, as it makes the spurts of light color blend better against darker hair rather than gray hair harshly set against dark hair. This works through your entire head as well, but it works with darker colors than highlights typically to create a more natural look. Keep in mind that this will also take a good bit of upkeep since it starts at the root and works through the entire head.
- Balayage: The next option is probably the most mispronounced hair method of all styling of hair dyeing, but it is very useful for concealing gray hair. For those familiar with this method, you might be wondering how it can conceal gray hair when it starts at the middle of the ends of your hair. That is actually not the only way balayage can be executed. Simply incorporate that style of hair dying and include a few pieces at the root. This also is much less uniform than other methods making regrowth less obvious resulting in less upkeep.
- Babylights: Lastly, one of the less common hair dye options is babylights. This is a more intricate option that is very subtle yet effective. Think of this as highlights on a miniature scale. This is best suited for those who have gray hairs popping up but not fully covering your head yet. It will mask the gray hair to resemble natural highlights without adding much dye like standard highlights will. This is my method of choice as my hair is only beginning the graying process!
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Highlight Upkeep
Now that we know our options, we can focus on upkeep and aftercare of highlights. For those of you new to highlights, don’t worry! There isn’t too much to worry about! All you need to know are these few easy steps.
- Shampoo: The biggest rule of having dyed hair is having the proper shampoo. Not only will this help maintain your look for as long as possible, but it will help keep that original color without turning brassy. Look for purple shampoo or shampoo tailored for your hair dye of choice. This is a simple switch that will make a world of difference on your hair! It is also a much cheaper solution to keep your highlights bright rather than frequent salon visits. That can get pricey!
- Moisture: Next thing to keep in mind is that when our hair begins to gray, and especially when we dye it, the hairs are prone to dry out more than normal. With that being said, incorporating moisture into your hair care routine is vital to luscious and smooth locks. Try finding a really good conditioner, hair mask, and leave in conditioner for your hair type. This will make a world of difference in the texture of your hair which in turn will make your hair look more youthful, gray or no gray!
- Heat: Last thing to be mindful of is the amount of heat you put on your hair. While we all love our hot tools, they can do serious damage to our hair. Try reducing the amount of times you style your hair with heat, opting for no heat curls or air drying. If you aren’t ready to give heat up altogether, make sure to use a good heat protector each time you style your hair and reduce the heat on your tool to the coolest setting possible. This takes a bit more effort, but your hair will thank you for it!
Now that you have all the tools and knowledge you need, go make the appointment with your favorite hair stylist and say goodbye to those insecurities!
