Over time, in our hair, our natural color coexists with white or gray hair. These can appear quite quickly without us realizing it at first. This is a completely natural and genetic phenomenon: “white hair is due to the natural and gradual loss of the ability to produce melanin in your hair follicles”, explained the dermatologist recently Dr Danny Guo on TikTok. If you have one or two here and there, you can occasionally pull them out, “this will not impact the number of white hairs” informed dermatologist Dr Geeta Yadav, known by the pseudonym @geetayadavmd on TikTok. On the other hand, they will grow back white… Be careful, however, not to sensitize or irritate your scalp.
Reverse balayage: discover this ideal coloring technique for gray and white hair
If your gray hair is multiplying, you can choose to nicely blend them with a coloring technique called Reverse Balayage, which can be translated as “reverse sweep”. This is a trend spotted on TikTok and highlighted by the media Popsugar. This technique goes the opposite way sweepingby using shades darker than its natural color, instead of lighter shades.
“The idea is to blend the client’s natural color, or a tone that you and your colorist agree on, into previously highlighted hair to create a faded, layered look from root to tip,” says Giancarlo Carollo, colorist at Marine Robinson salon in New York. This allows you to darken subtly and naturally, perfect for fall and winter.
White hair: reverse balayage, perfect for blending it elegantly
Reverse balayage is a perfect alternative to coloring to obtain a harmonious result, without completely hiding your white hair. According to the site Dessangeit is particularly a good choice for making a “smooth transition to 100% natural” because it offers “an ideal contrast to gray and white hair”. So “reverse balayage is for women who want to boost their natural color which is starting to fade without completely denying their base color. The advantage of this type of balayage is that it adapts to all lengths and also to mature hair“.
If you have gray or salt-and-pepper hair, Dessange recommends to choose reverse balayage with ash brown undertones. “A few black highlights will accentuate your salt and pepper in a very elegant way.” On the other hand, if your mature hair is white, the salon advises instead to turn to ash blonde highlights. “It will blend perfectly with your natural color and brighten your face,” can we read.
White hair: how to stop coloring gently?
As we have seen, reverse scanning is a good transition method. If you eventually want to stop coloring and keep your hair white or gray, you can also let your hair grow, it takes time but you can take advantage of it to have fun with different hairstyles. Another solution is to opt for coloring in an increasingly lighter shade or decide to cut very short to keep only the part of the hair with a natural shade.
Read also :
⋙ Gray hair: here is THE new trendy balayage technique, ideal for enhancing it
⋙ What is the ideal frequency to wash your hair depending on its type? A dermatologist answers
⋙ Silver smoke: the ideal trendy color to take on white and gray hair