New York Times Style Section learns to Love the Gray

The New York Times Style Section has finally discovered Gray Pride. In an article entitled "For Millennial Men, Gray Hair is Welcome", the editors offer this revelation:

"Gone are the days when guys would actively avoid graying hair. For a new generation of adventurous men, dyeing one’s hair gray is gaining traction, appropriating a naturally occurring phenomenon from older men and giving it a millennial twist."

So for men, going gray is officially "trending", and hipsters are now dyeing their hair grey as a "fashion statement." The "Gray Lady" also credits celebrities like One Direction's Zayn Malik, Olympic athlete Gus Kenworthy, and YouTuber Tyler Oakley with bringing the gray look into the public eye.  

Of course, we here at Love The Gray have known this for ages. That well kept, well groomed gray hair is gorgeous on both men and women. And of course, women were already on the forefront of this trend, and the sexism of the NYT's coverage is laid out in this excellent piece on The Frisky: "The Times is a Year Behind on Hair Trends".

"It’s annoying that the 2015 piece on women and grey hair talked about embracing ageing while the men’s piece on grey hair claims that it’s not about embracing aging, it’s just about being fashion forward, making the women’s piece an appraisal of women’s entire bodies while affording men the ability to just have it be about their hair. It’s annoying that the women’s piece got stuck into their “Women in the World” vertical while the men’s piece got put into the Fashion & Style section, as if the topic didn’t belong in the more widely-read section until men were doing it."

And if you're looking for tips on easy ways to color your hair gray check out our post How To Go Gray Fast!

How To Maintain A Gray Beard

Gray Beard Care: 101

This post is for the hirsute hunks, those guys with gray beards looking to keep them stylish and fresh. It seems every guy has a beard these guys. And until the clean shaven look is back in fashion, here's how to keep your beard looking it's best:

1. Use a trimmer!  

It doesn't matter if you're just working the salt-and-pepper stubble, or growing out a full Rip Van Winkle, you always need to shape your facial hair and keep the ends tidy. So an electric trimmer is essential. Adjust the setting for your desired length, use the side razor for edging, and a moustache comb for a nice uniform groom. A fancy Philips Norelco 7300 BeardTrimmer has a handy built-in vacuum, but a more basic Philips Norelco Multigroom 3100 will do you just fine. And for the love of god, please trim your nose and ear hairs while you're at it!

2. Use a brightening shampoo!

There's nothing more unattractive on a man than a yellowing white beard. If you're lucky enough to still have hair on top of your head, that's probably gray too. So pick one of our favorite gray hair shampoos and use it on your face as well to keep your beard looking white and bright.

3. Condition!

Like all hair, your beard hair needs moisture. And since grey hair tends to be more wiry, it's even more important to use a conditioner in the shower. Just remember to rub it on your beard and leave it in there for a couple extra minutes, since gray hair needs an extra moisture infusion. Any old hair conditioner will do, but if you want the Cadillac of hair conditioners try this one from Alterna. 

4. Groom!

And the last step, apply a few drops of beard oil and comb it through your beard at least once a day. Either dry or preferably on a damp beard just after you get out of the shower. It will soften the hair and prevent split ends. We love The Gentlemen's Beard Oil. It contains a mixture of essential oils including vitamin E and evening primrose which help nourish your skin and prevent itching. (Helps with "bearddruff" too! ) They make a nice unscented beard balm as well. You won't believe the difference that using a beard oil makes in how soft your beard will get. The people that you kiss will love you for it! 

THE Shower Head for Gray Hair

Gorgeous gray hair starts and ends in the shower. Not just with the shampoo and conditioner you choose, but the very water you wash it in. Hard water makes gray hair dingy and brassy over time. And if there's chorine in your water it can leave gray hair duller and more wiry. So here's a secret that every Salt-n-Pepper Sexpot needs to know about: replace your shower head!

Filtered water will help remove impurities and keep your white hair bright. Our girlfriend with shoulder-length grey hair doesn't even use a grey hair shampoo at all, but swears by her Culligan Filtered Showerhead. It claims to filter 99% of chlorine and leave your hair softer and cleaner. It's only $30 and is easy to install yourself!

Or if you prefer the style of a "rain" shower head, they make a filtered version of that too called the Culligan RainDisc...

Those of you who have tried it, let us know what you think in the comments below!

Clearly, Zayn from One Direction reads our website...

Former One Direction hottie Zayn Malik just colored his hair gray, and we are more than willing to take credit for the change!

Clearly, the former boy-bander must have read our recent post "How To Go Gray FAST"!

Love the Gray, Zayn!  (or should we say, Love the Grey??)

chillin. pic.twitter.com/wenI4RQ1Kj

— zayn (@zaynmalik) August 12, 2015

How To Let Your Hair Go Gray - THE RIGHT WAY!

Last week we gave tips on how to get gray hair FAST. But let's get real... 

We're in this loving-the-gray thing for the long haul, not just as a quick and trendy color statement.

 So if you've been looking toying with the idea of letting your dye job grow out and natural gray grow in, here are some tips to help you along your way to being gray and gorgeous.

COMMIT!

It's finally time to become the sexy silver fox you were born to be.

You've had it with pretending, and wasting money on ridiculously overpriced dye-jobs.

So embrace this exciting new hair chapter in your life!

Remember, you've EARNED it!

Gray hair does not make you old. Feeling old makes you old. 

Be one of those fierce, positive people proving that vitality is an attitude, 

not one of those scared fools thinking they can fight off the grim reaper with a bottle of Nice 'N Easy Medium Ash Brown.

All those silly little woo-girls can only dream about one day having a gorgeous gray mane. For you, that day is now!

Now, run to the nearest open window and scream: 

I'M DONE WITH HAIR DYE AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANY MORE!

BRACE YOURSELF!

It's going to take longer than you think. 
Hair grows about 1-2 inches a month. So calculate how long it will take for your desired length and start mentally preparing. 

At about two months in you're going to contemplate chickening out and racing back to your hairdresser to beg for mercy. Don't do it! It will probably take a good 4-5 months before you have enough gray to see significant growth .

Tell your family and best girlfriends that this is what you're going and that you want their support. Talk with your stylist about what you're doing and ask for suggestions on a good style to wear your hair up. Just don't let them talk you out of letting the gray grow out. You will face resistance, you've been paying their rent with your hair dye!

Accept the grey roots, embrace them. 

They signify that you're on your journey to where you want your hair to be. 

Remember, pepper is no good without salt!

GET A HEADBAND!

Headbands are the solution for many women seeking to cover up the transition area between the dye job and new growth. 
And they work great, so get a few. It may be your new look for a while.

For men, get a buzz cut. Voila, you're gray!

Women, you can do the buzz cut too and rock the short Jamie Lee Curtis look. 

(Haven't you always secretly wanted to have super-short hair anyway?)

USE A GRAY HAIR BRIGHTENING SHAMPOO!

Special gray hair shampoos and conditioners have been discussed extensively on this site. Get used to adding one to your shower routine. Not every day, just as part of the rotation to keep any yellowy dinge at bay. Start with our list of the Best Gray Hair Shampoos.  And don't forget a good conditioner! Gray hair tends to be courser and more wirey, so make sure to condition regularly. 

DESPERATE MEASURES!?

If you just can't deal with seeing gray roots, get a product like hair mascara or a colored hair pencil and color in your roots temporarily. They wash out with shampoo. It's about making you feel good about yourself, and if that's what you need in the short term then that's what you need. Try a product such as Color Wow Root Cover Up, Roux Hair Crayon, or Bumble and Bumble's Tint Powder:


(In your own, current hair color of course!)

We've always felt that it's best to work WITH mother nature rather than against her, so be brave and let's see your gorgeous gray hair! 

Let us know how it goes in the comments below!
Love yourself, LOVE THE GRAY!

How To Go Gray - FAST!

With hot silver foxes like George Clooney and Dame Helen Mirren flaunting their gorgeous gray manes, and young stars like Kelly Osbourne and Kylie Jenner dyeing their hair silver just for fun... It seems everyone is going gaga for gray hair! 

Now that gray is having it's day, even those folks unlucky enough to have naturally dark hair want in on the trend. And thanks to modern science, anyone can go gray in minutes! 

After years of shaming people into dyeing away the gray, the beauty industry has realised they can make a fortune with silver-coloring products, so suddenly it's hip! Go figure!

Here are some of the top products currently on the market to turn your hair grey:

1. Crazy Color Semi-Permanent Hair Color in Silver

Sold in an iconic pink bottle, Crazy Color has one of the largest selections of bold hair dyes. If you have dark hair, you must first beach it before adding any color. Add this trendy Crazy Color Silver color cream and you'll stay gray anywhere from 3-9 weeks.

2. La Riche Directions in Silver
La Riche makes a popular silver semi-permanent dye as well, and theirs is vegan and not tested on animals if that's important to you. Again you'll need to bleach or pre-lighen your hair first, and one tub of La Riche Directions is enough to cover shoulder length hair. 




3. Stargazer Semi-Permanent in Silver

Stargazer is a fashionable brand that comes from the UK, and advertises that it's free of peroxide or ammonia. It costs less per bottle than the Crazy Color or La Riche, but the shipping charges from the UK may make the price difference a wash.

4. Pravana ChromaSilk in Silver

If you're looking for something more permanent, Pravana is one of the most popular brands of permanent hair colorings on the market. Their Pravana ChromaSilk line blends pure silk amino acids which they say helps drive the color deeper into the hair with keratin amino acids to keep the hair strong. They recommend using their Vivid Conditioner after pre-lightening your hair to help the color adhere better when you dye it.

 

Caution is necessary when using hair dyes. If you have never dyed your hair before do some research, read the reviews, and maybe even hire a professional! For some excellent tips on the entire process check out this article from Buzzfeed. 

And once you use a product to color your hair gray, don't use a shampoo with sulfates or you'll wash out the dye. We review one especially for gray hair here.

At one time it may have seemed revolutionary to write tips on actually trying to get gray hair, but whether it's natural or from a bottle our message remains the same: Love the gray!

Product Review: Pravana Pure Light Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner

We have reviewed a lot of purple shampoos designed to brighten silver tones and eliminate brassiness, so when we heard about Pravana's "Pure Light Brightening Shampoo and Conditioner" claiming to be the first sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner formulated for silver hair... we admit we got a little excited.

Some people avoid sulfates in their shampoo because they believe the chemical dries hair out and strips away natural oils. Fair enough. But sulfates are also what lather and actually clean your hair. They're pretty much in every shampoo in your shower right now, under names such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate. Go have a look. We'll wait. This product lists an ingredient called "sodium lauryl sulfoacetate." We're not chemists, but is that all that different?

So it would make sense that Pure Light is not all that great at cleaning. Plus it doesn't wash out easily. We did like the texture it left our hair, and did make it shiny. 

And we never thought we'd say this about a purple shampoo, but this one might be TOO purple! If you leave it on too long, you will stain your hands, stain your shower, and of course look like a dreaded "blue hair" old lady or worse a Star Trek character. If you choose to use this shampoo, it would be best to water it down and not leave it in too long. It did brighten our gray, but not as well as some of our faves.

Pravana's Pure Light might be something to consider if you're someone with chemically dyed silver hair who is doesn't want to risk washing it out with sulfates. Or if you're a blonde trying to fight off brassy tones. Or if you have gorgeous white or grey hair and just want to try something new... then go right ahead. Just follow our precautions, and be sure to tell us what you think in the comments below!