A few days ago a friend of mine asked my opinion about letting her hair go grey. Other women are probably wondering the same thing. I’d like to share with you, my answer.The reason we think that we might look old with grey hair is that for the most part, the only people who have grey hair are…well, upward of 50. But our human mind associates grey hair with old people. That’s the first problem. It’s in the mind of the observer. We can’t change the brain’s hard wiring.
The second problem is that the color grey doesn’t really flatter our skin tone. That’s why most people with grey hair look kind of washed out and sallow. It just doesn’t DO anything for you. It doesn’t really flatter people unless they are so dog gone good looking that it doesn’t matter what color their hair is. Like some models that you see in ads, or movie stars, right? That’s because they are models and movie stars! Like this woman to the left; she’s a professional model because she is drop-dead gorgeous. Models and actors are hired by ad agencies and film production companies to look beautiful. They have professional stylists and makeup people and hair people fussing them and fixing them for hours before they are in front of a camera!
My recommendation, for most mere mortals, would be to slowly go toward an ash blond color for your hair. Ash is a whitish blond rather than a yellow blond. This color will look appropriate for you and go WITH you and your skin tone in a flattering way. It won’t look fake or artificial. It will flatter you while not looking too fussy.
How does that sound? I welcome your comments.
Marian Rothschild, AICI FLC is a Certified Personal Image Consultant in the Denver, CO area with Look Good Now. Please visit her before and after page to see the benefits of her services. Are you tired of being stuck in a style rut but don’t know what to do to update your look? Let me share how I might be of service to you. I help busy men and women put together their complete head to toe look to feel confident, attractive, and genuine for every situation. Call to see if we’re a good fit; 720-933-9247.
I’m a little different on this topic, since I believe that hair color is probably one of the easiest things there is to alter by will, visualization coupled with ease and relaxation and good appetite. Eat like a pregnant woman, not to be full IOWs. The programing we receive is that it’s all genetic, expected and impossible to alter. Not buying it.
In point of fact ‘gray’ is a medium stage of change. We can have ‘salt and pepper’ and so on. Yet look at Peter Graves, famed as ‘Mr. Phelps’ on Mission Impossible. No one would say he looked ‘old’ nor hesitate to vouchsafe his was a handsome visage. The image at the top of this page shows a beautiful face with ease and grace. Who would say anything other than: a real beauty!? She’s beautiful.
Pure white hair, I have found, is gorgeous when the face shows contentment, suppleness and beauty of inner warmth and confidence. My mother was blond until she turned 16, then her hair spontaneously went brunette. She colored her hair for a while as she aged until she was sure every hair was white, then stopped. And her hair is gorgeous.
The model is gorgeous but more important than that fact is that her eyes are dark brown. Brown eyed women almost always look great with grey hair. Their skin is darker and they can really pull it off. Lucky!!
I am a hairdresser and colorist at Salon Salon in Boulder and agree with Marion in that often times all grey hair can wash a persons skin tone out. I have a few clients with all white hair and the perfect solution for them is to do a full set of highlights with an ashy blond and also some very light shimmering buttery tones. The effect is a beautiful sheer blond. Stunning and beautiful.