There is absolutely no shame in wanting to hide your grays. Missing your natural color, wanting to put off going gray a little longer, whatever your reason may be, there is no reason you should feel pressured to go gray until the time is right for you. So, if you want to color your hair, color your hair, girl.
But the question remains then, how do we best take care of our colored grays? It certainly isn’t the easiest task we’ve ever been faced with, though certainly not the hardest either. While it remains somewhere in the middle of the scale from mildly annoying to downright impossible, let’s look at ways we can tip the scale in our favor and make this a little less of an inconvenience in our daily lives.
Use the right color
It doesn’t matter if you’re box dying at home or going to the salon. What matters is the quality of dye being used on your precious strands. Typically, the more expensive, the better the quality, but that isn’t always the case. Gray hair can also be incredibly stubborn and resist the color you put on it, due to its coarse texture and lack of natural oils.
To avoid this happening, try to only use dyes with hydrating ingredients, and if possible, those formulated specifically to cover and nourish gray hair. That way, the harsh chemicals in the dye are at least putting some moisture back after they strip away the natural oils in your hair. You can also try dying gels which allows you to color and style simultaneously.
Color Safe Shampoo
Another way to protect your color and your grays is by using only color-safe shampoos when you wash. These shampoos and conditioners are specifically formulated to hydrate and replenish any dryness you may be experiencing as well as protect your color from fading. Regular shampoos have a propensity to strip both the bad and the good oils from your hair, and with that they’ll take any artificial color out of your hair. This not only strips nutrients from your hair, but also causes you to have to color treat your hair more frequently.
Reduce the frequency of treatments
Which brings us to our next point: reducing how often you color your hair can help to save your strands, and you, quite a bit of headache. As we mentioned earlier, gray hair doesn’t take color very easily the way you may be used to, and on top of this, when you dye your strands, you are also damaging them. Chemicals, like ammonia, found in most hair dyes, dry out your hair and scalp, leaving your hair brittle and susceptible to damage. You may be tempted to get treatments often to cover those suborn grays, but coloring less often can help protect your hair and give you, and it, time to recuperate between treatments.
Condition, a lot
Not to beat a dead horse here, but dying your hair can really strip your strands and follicles a lot of precious nutrients. The easiest way to help your hair recover is by using a deep conditioning treatment once a week. Hair masks are also great, if not better, option as they are typically designed to soften and strengthen your hair. The Hair Redemption masque from Better Not Younger is packed with vitamin E, mango, avocado, and other incredibly hydrating and restorative ingredients to help your hair look and feel its best no matter what happens to it.
