Gone is the image of aging and neglected white hair! Pepper and salt had already won its letters of nobility before confinement but since we had to learn to live without our hairdresser, it is worn without complex… Two experts tell you how to appropriate this new color and how to take care for your white hair.
On social networks, a new anglicism is all the rage: #goinggrey, to understand “turning salt and pepper”. Born in the United States, but recently present in France, this trend embodies the return to naturalness of women who assume their age, by adopting a look that no longer goes through the coloring of their hair, whether gray or white. A mini-revolution, when you know how much white hair is still taboo in our society, where you have to “look young” as long as possible. But also no doubt a new right to seduction that goes beyond traditional codes… Switching to salt and pepper has another advantage : it is much less constraining. We can indeed do without coloring, with the regular maintenance that it requires, because the hair grows back quickly.
Is this for me?
This color softens the features and brings more character, without necessarily giving an aging or neglected image. Because it’s more natural, women can be themselves, without having to “cheat” with coloring. That said, the appearance of gray hair can be done in several ways. Some women have very marked white roots, with one or two locks located in the front. In others, the distribution is much more diffuse over the entire head. This is why, at the beginning, it is preferable to be advised by a professional, in order to have a harmonious result.
Whether the salt and pepper color suits different styles of women, it is not suitable, however, for all types of hair. If they are too curly or fluffy, it will not be suitable, because this texture reflects the light less well than the others. However, gray hair needs a lot of shine. Similarly, the proportion of white hair is decisive. If there is too much “pepper” and not enough “salt”, it is advisable to wait until they are a little more numerous. And therefore to continue to hide them using a traditional coloring.
How is the transition going?
Deciding to let your gray hair grow and no longer hide it is not necessarily easy. Women often dread this transition phase. Because the hair can quickly take on an anarchic appearance, where naturally white regrowth and always colored locks mingle.
Depending on the length of the hair, the “zebra” period can last from six months to a year. At the end of this period, we obtain a uniform set, either pepper and salt, or all white. But there are solutions to accompany this transformation in a much more comfortable way.
What if we stop coloring?
#1 We subtly veil the lengths. Every 6 to 8 weeks, the colorist can thus do custom-made work almost wick by wick in order to create a fade. Its objective is to unify the whole by attenuating the “bar effect” as much as possible. On browns and chestnuts, it can perform a micro sweep in dark shades (grays and bluish blacks, for example). While on the blondes, on the contrary, it will rather draw mini veils of light clarification on all the lengths.
#2 The ends are regularly cut. We think of it when natural locks appear. The first instinct is often to go from long to short, quite radically. It’s not an obligation. More and more women are opting to wear their hair long, with a messy bob or loose lengths. Be that as it may, short or long, white hair turns yellow on the ends, because it easily oxidizes in the air. They are “refreshed” every 2 to 3 months.
Once the transition period has passed, the hair gains freedom! Coloring becomes unnecessary. This does not mean that maintenance should be neglected, quite the contrary. Find out how to take care of it, in this slideshow.
Our experts:
- Delphine Courteillehair stylist L’Oréal Professional
- Julie Bennadji, hair stylist Balmain Paris Hair Couture
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