How to Style Grey Hair

The silver stigma we once knew has become a thing of the past; it is now a statement of confidence, coolness and a mark of a life well lived. Hurrah!

Today you will find almost 3 million Instagram hashtags for ‘greyhair’, a further 500k for ‘greyhairdontcare’, almost 150k for ‘greyhairmovement’ and a whopping 2.8 million for ‘silverhair’. Pinterest has reported an uptick in searches for ‘going grey’, as well as a growing trend for ‘grombre’ – a word to describe growing out your natural grey roots, a la Michelle Visage.

 

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A post shared by Salma Hayek Pinault (@salmahayek)

Labelling her greys her ‘white hair of wisdom’, Salma Hayek is just one example of many celebrities that have been celebrating their silver strands. Ru Paul’s Drag Race star, Michelle Visage, has also gone back to her roots with a striking silver against her signature midnight black. In fact, grey is even being embraced by Gen Z’s, who are rapidly updating their platinum blondes to cooler shades of silver and grey.

 

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A post shared by Michelle Visage (@michellevisage)

We ask the experts their silver-slaying advice:

Becky Sutherland, OSMO Ambassador says:

‘If a client wants to embrace their natural grey immediately, a stylist can look to remove any previous colour and then match a shade to the client’s natural grey. I’d advise mixing a few different shades, creating a more natural look and a softer colour blend, which will allow the natural root to grow out and achieve the end goal of a natural grey. This part of the process will take the longest, but once the perfect grey base has been created, each salon visit afterwards will take less time.’

‘Another option for clients wishing to go grey is to simply grow it out. This is a far longer process, but it avoids stripping any colour. Growing colour out can take a good 6 months, if not longer, so they’ll need to be in for the long haul with this option. Clients may want to try a few hair-up styles, wear more hats or maybe even consider cutting their hair shorter.’

When it comes to styling your grey hair, Becky says:

Natural grey hair is coarser as there is less pigment in each strand, the hair follicle produces less sebum too. Because of this, naturally grey hair may feel dry, brittle and unruly.

• To overcome this, encourage clients to opt for a high-moisturising shampoo. The OSMO Silverising Shampoo and Conditioner, for example, is sulphate free and effective in enhancing silver tones. Alternatively, suggest something like the OSMO Deep Moisture Shampoo and Deep Moisture Conditioner, which uses Pataua Oil to leave hair feeling silky, smooth and manageable. Finally, ensure you recommend a weekly treatment, such as the OSMO Intense Deep Repair Mask, to provide the hair with the extra salvation it needs.
• We all know it’s important to protect against heat when styling, so always recommend a heat protector like the OSMO Blowdry Potion – this contains Panthenol Pro-Vitamin B5 to moisturise damaged hair and smooth the cuticle.