Best Gray Coverage

Hello Antonio,

I'd be very grateful if you'd answer my question.

I've got a few premature greys, which seem very resistant to color. I've been getting my hairdresser to cover only the greys in my natural black-brown color, whilst applying highlights all-over. Despite my hair taking on both the various blonde and red colors used to high/lowlight, the greys don't seem to take on color at all! The only time they seemed to do so was when I was put under a heat lamp. I've been using permanent color all along. My hair type is fine, dry and frizzy, with a scalp tending towards oiliness.

Many thanks.

Thank you so much for writing. First of all, this seems like a lot of work for premature gray hairs. Not only is it an expensive process, it seems like it may not be the best approach...

Let me say it’s hard to give advice without seeing your hair but I can still provide some direction.

Generally, when we approach a "few grays" it’s with a demi-permanent color (maybe even semi-permanent) . With heat it can provide some coverage without being too harsh on hair. 

However for certain hair types even a few grays can be very hard to cover so permanent color might be the right choice.

The other challenge is transforming your hair so it’s as dark as your natural color. There's one problem, your hair now has some gray in it, so taking your hair dark is only making those few grays stand out even more. (I guess this is why you are doing highlights.) I recommend staying away from highlights for about four months and just making your single process color lighter. It will be up to your hairstylist to formulate a color that can control the orange tones, it can be done. The advantages are as follow...

1) It’s cheaper than highlights

2) You won't have to highlight as often because your hair will be lighter.

3) It’s way more gentle on your hair.

4) And your grays will be less noticeable.

Wouldn't it be great to just go in to the salon every 4-6 weeks for a single process and every 12 weeks for highlights?

Next the permanent color under the heat lamp concerns me.... It already has ammonia and peroxide so it should cover your gray, if it’s not covering it means the formula or color brand may need adjusting. Although some permanent hair color's can be used with heat, I just don't use them...

Overall the care of your hair is most important. So you may need to accept that your natural color may not be the best color to aim for. Let me know if you have any more questions.


Stay tuned for the responce and feel free to continue asking questions.

Posted by Unknown at 8:45 AM - 0 comments

Can You Get Great Hair Color from a Box?

While visiting a friend in Sparta, NJ (a lovely town on the water), my friend’s niece asked if I could give her a few highlights. I said yes so we started the day by picking up some hair color. Off to Pathmark to see what they stocked!

Of course there were tons of hair color products, all showcasing beautiful models boasting shiny, lustrous hair on their boxes. Staring at those images of healthy, damage-free hair, I wondered how many women who  bought the color actually achieved those results? The color I chose was by L’Oreal Superior Preference (LB01- Extra Light Ash Blond Cooler.) It is one of the few brands that offers an ash blonde, high lift tint. Choosing a color that was ash based was important to achieve more beige highlights.

My friend’s hair is a level 4 with faded ends (about 1 shade.) Her hair was mainly all natural, apart from the leftovers of a relaxer on her ends that was done over a year ago. Sporting virgin hair, she only wanted to add a few natural highlights, to keep it very natural. This product is meant to be used as an all-over color. But since I was working with virgin hair, it could be easily used towards highlights.

I mixed the color (which was very easy) and quickly foiled her hair while sitting in the backyard. Within 10 minutes I began to see results. I closely watched the color become lifted and 20 minutes later…we were happy.

She is as sweet as she is pretty.

Let me say that this is not a "do it yourself post." I do not encourage readers to color their hair at home themselves using an off-the-shelf product (especially for highlights).  It's almost impossible to guarantee good results, as there are too many “what if” scenarios to consider. And as a professional, I’ve seen too many clients with damaged hair (and egos) sit in my chair. The product maybe high quality, but without an expert’s knowledge, it's a recipe for, well, not great hair color.

If you know someone who does hair and you are looking for a product in a hurry, I would say this L’Oreal product may be an option once used correctly.

Remember the biggest ticket for a hairstylist is a color correction, generally caused by someone trying to color his or her own hair.

Posted by Unknown at 2:25 AM - 0 comments