The world of coloring has changed a lot, and so have women’s expectations! In recent years, more and more women have been getting rid of injunctions, particularly those related to age. As a result, they let their natural white hair appear and bow out to regular coloring. If some personalities choose to display their white hair to fight against youthism, like Zazie, Salma Hayek or even Sarah Jessica Parker, there are also women who prefer to cover them. And that’s ok: self-acceptance should not become a new injunction. Everyone is free to leave their white hair visible or not!
For this second category of people, again, the demands have evolved in recent years. According to Aurélie Duforest, Davines technical trainer, we are far from the time when women systematically requested opaque hair colors to cover all gray hairs. Today, the desire for transparency takes precedence in order to avoid the unsightly root effect, even if of course, as the color expert reminds us “it all depends on the percentage of white hair and the client’s wishes”. To find out the most suitable color, a personalized consultation taking into account your hair, your desires but also your habits (such as the number of shampoos you do per week, for example), with a colorist is essential.
Tone-on-tone coloring: ideal for covering 30 to 70% of white hair
What we call a “tone on tone” is a so-called semi-permanent color that fades after 20 shampoos. For Aurélie Duforest, it is the ideal solution up to a certain percentage of white hair and is in increasing demand. “The new generation is moving more towards this type of coloring now”, she explains. Its advantages are numerous: it does not chemically modify the hair unlike permanent coloring, provides shine and transparency and leaves no root effect when the hair grows. If you notice a slight demarcation in the regrowth, it is because you have benefited from an intermediate tone with a more powerful coverage.
For who ? Tone on tone is suitable for all bases and requires maintenance every 8 to 12 weeks depending on the natural color of the hair.
Good to know : Be careful, when we say brunette, we are talking about very brown, Mediterranean hair whose diameter is generally quite thick. For this type of hair, white hair is often thick and the tone on tone does not always work. In addition, to obtain good coverage, you need warm pigments and it is difficult to obtain coloring with cool highlights.
Oxidation coloring for full coverage (more than 70% white hair)
When the hair is completely white or more than 70% of the white hair is present and you want to cover it, there are no 36 solutions: go through an oxidation coloring. This opaque coloring permanently colors the hair, which is why the roots are visible and grow back. Of course, the demarcation will be even stronger on a dark base than on light hair.
For who ? The range of permanent coloring covers all shades. Blonde, brunette or redhead can have access to it but the maintenance will not be quite the same. On a dark blonde, you can go up to 6 to 8 weeks before returning to the colorist. Allow 4 weeks instead if you are brunette.
Good to know : If white hair is not in the majority, the colorist recommends avoiding any oxidation coloring. A tone on tone and a few highlights will cover white hair while brightening the face. These are colors that age well without affecting the pigmentation of natural hair.
Read also :
⋙ White hair: should you choose a darker or lighter color to cover it?
⋙ White hair: how to camouflage my roots between two colorings? Advice from a hairdresser
⋙ Hair colors: which colors require the least maintenance?