How to Hide Gray Hair

Once you reach a certain age, gray hair starts coming out of nowhere—it’s like a slap-in-the-face reality check that you are, in fact, getting older. It happens to everyone, but that doesn’t make it any easier. While some people choose to embrace silver strands, there are many others who would prefer to keep them hidden for as long as possible. And if you can, why not?

What causes gray hair?

Just as aging skin cells cause fine lines and wrinkles, as your hair follicles age they produce less color. This is a result of less melatonin—the pigment responsible for determining your hair color—which then makes your hair appear gray or white. And once you hit a certain age, these pigments stop being produced entirely, so as your hair grows out it is completely devoid of color.

But there’s more to this equation: Even though genetics play a factor, your hair color can also be affected by nutrition and lifestyle. Nutritional gaps in your diet that have you missing out on the key vitamins and minerals that are known to keep hair healthy, such as vitamins B, D, E, and A, and zinc and iron, mean your hair may not be getting what it needs for its growth and repair cycles.

Other environmental factors and lifestyle habits that affect your hair include smoking, which can cause damage and shrink hair follicles; too much sun; and hair-care routines such as using harsh shampoos, applying too much heat with a flat iron or very hot blow dryer, and using color treatments that include bleach.

Studies also indicate that stress can be a factor in the loss of cells that produce melatonin, causing premature graying. Simply put, when our bodies experience stress for whatever reason, it often damages healthy cells. It has also been found that these changes to your cells are permanent when they accumulate over time, so if you’re stressing out after noticing some gray hairs coming in, that stress will only cause more.

At what age do you go gray?

Mostly, the melatonin in your hair and the actual start of graying is determined by your genes, so if your mom or dad went gray at an early or later age, there’s a good chance you will, too. On average, once you hit about 35 years old you may start seeing hints of gray or white as the melatonin in your hair follicles begin to decline. By about 50, you’ll likely see at least half your hair color has turned gray or white.

The best ways to hide gray hair

At Kinder Beauty, we’re confident that you look stunning as you are, and we fully support you if you choose to rock gray hair naturally. But if you’re not quite ready to embrace the silver lifestyle, we’ve got a few easy and low-maintenance tricks that may help make those colorless locks less noticeable.

1. Opt for strategically placed highlights

If you’re just starting to go gray, one of the most effective ways to mask them is with strategically placed highlights. If your gray is just starting to show at the roots, adding highlights with your natural root color will help blend the hard line where your natural color is and your gray begins. You can do this with a semi-permanent color that fades over a few weeks, or a permanent solution that covers the gray completely.

During your transition to fully gray, there are many highlighting techniques that work to help blend them, such as balayage, which works by hand-painting sections of your hair to help combine the gray; highlights and lowlights, which are a blend of light and dark shades that distract from your new gray growth; and babylights, which are a low number of thin strands of highlights. Choosing the right technique will depend on your natural hair color and how much gray you have, and a good stylist will be able to guide you in choosing what works best for you.

2. Change your hairstyle

Not into using hair dye? If coloring your hair isn’t an option, try changing your hairstyle. This change can be as simple as parting your hair differently. If you part your hair on the opposite side you normally do, you’ll see less gray because there’s less regrowth under there. As well, next time you visit the hair salon for a routine cut, chat with your stylist about styles that can de-emphasize your gray—going shorter is often a good option if you want something that’s easy to maintain, and a modern cut with clean edges that you trim regularly can help you feel better about embracing gray hair over time.

And once your hair has become fully gray or white, talk to your stylist about ways to keep it looking healthy. Gray hair tends to have a different texture altogether, and may even start turning a dull yellow as you age, so taking care of your hair is critical. You may want to add curls to emphasize the shine, and switch up your shampoo to one that tones with purple to keep your silver bright, such as Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo.

3. Use makeup as a quick fix

You can also tackle grays with a quick makeup fix that temporarily disguises gray roots. For a special event or a night out, try applying a small amount of face primer to your roots, followed by eyeshadow in a hue that best matches the rest of your hair color.

For a longer-lasting, at-home solution, there are also products specifically made to touch up your roots. These are often powders and sprays with easy applicators to brush or spray on color at your roots, such as Organic Colour System Root Remedy. Other quick fixes include root touch-up products such as dpHUE Root Touch-Up Kit, which uses permanent cream hair dye to cover up to one inch of root growth.

Sources:

• Serum iron, zinc, and copper concentration in premature graying of hair | Europe PMC
• Smokers’ hair: Does smoking cause premature hair greying? | National Library of Medicine

Nicole Axworthy is a Toronto-based writer and author of the vegan cookbook DIY Vegan.