Best Tips to Maintain and Dye Dark Grey Hair Color

#GrannyHair has been a major hit and still is among the coolest, favorite hair trends. What started as just another beauty trend on Pinterest has become one of the most popular trends on practically all social media platforms. Everyone is going grey-men, women- basically everyone is just looking for that badass-kylie Jenner’s granny hair-esque.

Old is gold, yeah? This color is no longer considered granny hair-despite the style being fondly referred to as this, it’s rather considered one of the coolest beauty trends.

Is dark grey trendy?

And with the growing popularity of this color, trend-the enchantment milieu the style has cultivated will most definitely continue to grow.

Tips for going grey

Whatever style you are looking for-angelic, romantic, rebelliously edgy or elegant and classy-professionally or DIY dyeing your hair will get you there.

The advantage of going to a professional colorist is you will be able to get enlightened about the different shades of gray, maybe even see a wider selection of strand samples as well as get a professional recommendation for what look will best suit you.

However, the disadvantage of getting it professionally dyed is the price which tends to increase as the transition progresses.

But you can opt to try a DIY from the comfort of your own home. Basically, all you will need is to apply a temporary color dye and bleaching products.

Typically, to get the best grey hair results, it needs to be extremely light blonde more off-white. Therefore, in case you have naturally darker one, the process will be more intense and it may become damaged in the process.

Additionally, it’s important to follow the instructions below prior to dyeing your hair dark grey:

• Do not dye your hair for at least 6 months prior or you could let it grow out any previous dyes for as long as possible. Okay, bleaching doesn’t count as dying since it doesn’t add any pigment to your hair-BUT, it’s in your best interest to let it rest before going grey.

• Make sure you deep condition your hair 1-2 weeks before bleaching. Bleach dries out and damages hair but a deep conditioning treatment in advance will definitely reduce dryness and hair breakage.
• Do not wash it within 48 hours prior to the bleaching process. Washing your hair strips it off the natural oils, which are essential for protecting your scalp from damage or irritation while undergoing the process.
• Be mentally prepared to cut off some length-bleaching causes hair to break and become damaged, cutting off dead or split ends or parts that have previously undergone dyeing may be necessary to ensure it remains healthy.

How to dye your hair grey

Okay now that we are in the know and have already decided that going gray is definitely for you. Let’s get to it:

stage 1: protection

apply your oil preference to cover your entire hairline, including the nape of your neck to protect your skin.

stage 2: preparation

• Part the hair into 4-6 sections and form small buns with the sections.
• Wear some protective gloves-latex or latex-free gloves depending on whether you have a latex allergy.
• Ensure you have a towel near you.
• Depending on your preference, ensure you have an applicator brush or bottle.
• Mix the color or bleach right before application and not way beforehand.

stage 3: bleaching

This is/should be the first stage in case you are getting it dyed professionally.

Depending on your natural hair color, you may be required to bleach it a number of times. Ideally,  it should be as light as possible before going grey.

It’s recommended to go light in stages over a few months especially for those with darker hair which has a prior color processing history.

It’s vital not to overdo or hasten the bleaching process to avoid getting fried ends rather than breakage- which can easily be fixed.

Bleach will most likely leave some yellow undertones.

Stage 4: toner

In order for the grey hair dye to be true, it needs to be applied to white-silver under toned hair. Depending on its tone after bleaching, a toner will be necessary to get rid of the yellow or brassy tones.

Normally, the toners are blue or purple based to neutralize the yellow.

Stage 5: dye

After bleaching and toning it, it’s finally time to go granny!

Best at home dyeing products

If you are dyeing your hair at home, you can use products such as:

• Pravana Chroma Silk Vivids Silver
• Eugene Perma Blush Satine in light or dark steel grey

How to maintain dark grey hair

You thought managing blonde hair was difficult? Wait until you decide to go gray!  As much as the gorgeous pewter hair seems too beautiful not to be tried, it’s among the extremely high maintenance colors that exist. However, you can follow the tips below to ensure it remains beautiful;

1. Do not wash it during the first week after bleaching. Bleaching strips it and your scalp of natural oils, washing your hair gets rid of these natural oils causing it to become dry and susceptible to breaking, therefore, worsening its state.
2. Avoid washing it too often if you want to keep its color looking vibrant for a longer period. Minimize your wash days to at least 1-2 days maximum within a week; alternatively, you can use dry shampoo in between washes.
3. Minimize the number of times you use heat styling tools on your hair and when you do, always use a thermal protector. It is already damaged from the bleaching process; heat styling it every day only worsens its current condition.
4. Dark grey hair dye just like other dyes tend to fade quickly. However, you can easily fix this by using a color-depositing product to ensure this color remains true in between visits to the salon. This color cannot and will never be a permanent hair color unless of course its natural, otherwise, it will more likely than not fade(rather significantly) with every wash.

5. Applying silver, purple or color depositing products and let your hair absorb the product for as long as possible or until you attain your preferred color. Moisturize it as often as possible since bleaching tends to dry hair out.
6. Make sure you use products (especially, shampoos and conditioners) that are color safe and sulfate free. Products that contain sulfate will strip out the color quicker, but in case it is over toned- blue or purple- you can use sulfate-rich shampoos (e.g. those formulated to treat dandruff are a good bet) to quickly get rid of the unwanted tones.
7. And as it grows out, do touchups (at least every 4-8 weeks) if need be or rock the darker roots, whatever you are comfortable with.

There is no doubt that the grey hair is totally replacing the blonde hair color trend. So, if you want to try it out, lightening it is a must- especially if you have slightly darker one. Keep in mind that you should use the best of products to avoid weakening it. If possible check its sensitivity before going grey. An allergy test will also be ideal. 

Sources and references 

• https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/grannyhair/
• https://www.pinterest.com/pin/22095854399416081/