20151116

Gray Hair & How To Take Care Of It?

So now that I've shown how to GET GRAY HAIR, I'd like to tell you how to maintain it. As I told in the first post, gray hair color is probably one of the most time, money and effort consuming color that there is. I've had black, pink, light brown, dark brown, orange, white and blond hair and as a naturally brown haired person, everything that has something to do with bleaching is very frustrating at times. However I was and am very obsessed with the color gray - I just love it, so it was only natural to try it out as a hair color.

First thing you need to know, is that you're gonna need to spend a lot more time in the shower after you've obtained the gray hair, because keeping it good looking is almost as hard as getting it. The gray colors only attach to blond/very blond hair. If there are any traces of brown or extreme yellowness, the gray color will say "NOPE" and run away. Sometimes I had to bleach my roots 2 times before the gray color actually stick. And as we know, bleaching is not good for your hair. SO keep that in mind before even thinking about dyeing your hair gray, because IF your hair is naturally very dark and/or it's not in good condition, the multiple bleaching can actually cause your hair to fall off and you're left with very damaged, dry and short hair. This happened to my sister ones when she recklessly bleach and dyed her hair over and over again - and did not listen to my warnings.

But now I'm going to show you the products that I use on my gray hair, that keeps the hair and also the color in a good shape! (You can also use some of these products on any hair color, because most of them are not meant for just gray hair).



STEP # 1 
A good silver shampoo is what you're gonna need! This is by far the best one that I've bumped into and the price is reasonable. I usually let it affect about 2 minutes before rinse. It might leave a touch of lilac in your hair if you're not careful. No gloves needed. Just wet your hair and take a good amount of the shampoo and leave it for a moment and rinse off. This actually washes your hair so you don't need to wash you hair with a normal shampoo before using this ( like you need to do with some other silver shampoos). I also like that fact that it comes in a pump bottle! So L´ORÈAL Professionnel Silver shampoo, expert series. You can find it from hair saloons and special hair stores.


L´oreal paris Silver Shampoo, expert series.

STEP # 1.5
You don't always have to use a silver shampoo, you can also use a regular one, but I would recommend to get one that treats your hair. I found this shampoo very lovely! It smells really nice and it immediately makes your hair more soft and silky. Because in order to keep your hair gray, it needs to be moisturized. No color will stick to dry and damaged hair. You can find this shampoo in basically any shop and it's very cheap. So no extra money spent there and I think it's a good value for money. (Pantene PRO-V, repair and protect shampoo)

Pantene Pro-V repair and protect shampoo

STEP # 2
To keep the color gray, you need to add it at least on every third wash. I usually add some color on every second wash. Sometimes I'm too lazy and add it only on every third wash, and it immediately shows on my hair! This is the best product to add in the shower for some extra color! I already talked about this in the first post, so I'm not gonna blabber about it too much now, so just go check out the older post from HERE. This gives a really cool and nice gray color and it's so easy to apply and use. Just leave it on after shampooing for about 5 minutes and rinse. Instead of using this, you can also use the WELLA color fresh 7/19 or other quick fix colors that do not contain ammonia. (Gray Color treatment - EVERY ANNADONNA).


Gray color treatment, EVERY annadonna

 STEP # 3
I basically don't use a conditioner too much, because I found this! It's a GARNIER Respons, Caring Mask. It's really cheap, around 4-6 euros and it's extremely durable! I've had mine for over two months and I use it on almost every wash. It has Avocado and Shea Butter and it smells amazing! I didn't see any difference in my hair for the first two weeks, but after that I noticed that my hair was in so much better condition! It was less course and electric and very soft and silky and more glossy. I recommend this to everyone! But especially for those who color their hair and use many heat tools like curlers and blow dryers. You can basically find it from bigger stores. Pppsssttt! This series also has a shampoo, that's also SO LOVELY! I recommend it. It's very similar to the Pantene's shampoo and they're both amazing.

Garnier Respons, Caring Mask with Avocado and Shea Butter.

A creamy, easy to apply texture.
 STEP # 4
After showering, when your hair is still damp, apply this dry oil to your hair! It also smells amazing, moisturizing your hair leaving it less frizzy and dry and also reduces electricity in your hair. It does not come off as oily and dirty, but shiny and extremely soft! This one has a Vitamin E in it. It does not have any heat protection aspects to it, so use a proper heat protection product before blow drying or using any curlers etc. I really recommend this if you live in a cold country and your hair tends to get really electric because of the cold and dry air. This is a durable and cheap and easy to find. I payed maybe 7 euros from it and i've had it for many months now, and there's still over half left. ( PANTENE PRO-V, Dry Oil).

PANTENE Pro-V, Vitamin E Dry Oil.
 STEP # 4.5
This is also a wonderful dry oil! It's a bit pricey, and you can only find it from hair saloons and stores. (at least in Finland) It's KMS California TAME FRIZZ dry oil. This smells also very good and it's durable. It gives an intense shine and moisturizes and this one has a heat and humidity protection in it. I add it to damp but also on dry hair to give some extra shine. I really recommend to use some sort of dry oil. This one was a bit more expensive, it was 22 euros. But I think it's worth it!


KMS California Tame Frizz dry oil.
 STEP # 5
Last step, is to use some gray hair colors to really volume up the grayness of your hair. I just found this new color from Finland and I'm not yet sure if it's sold in anywhere else? I think it's made in Poland, but it still could be a Finnish color. But I really liked it! I bought two of these from an exhibition, and it only costed 10€/2 packs. So really cheap! It has ammonia in it so I was quite cautious with it, but the color came out really nice! Like deep, ash gray. This is a permanent color so it should stay a bit longer than the other ones. The color is not as dark as it seems on the package, but it's really nice. One of the best ones I know. But once again, the hair needs to be quite blond before using this. (AROMA INTENSE, Permanent Silver Blond Color).
AROMA INTENSE, permanent Silver blond. 

A bad picture of the instructions. But as you can see, this does not affect
on dark hair - only on very blond hair. 

So this is my guide to good and healthy hair and color! You need to use a bit more time if you want a healthy hair. One good product is Virgin Coconut Oil. It's natural and does not contain ANY chemicals. You can use is as a conditioner in a shower and also as a mask. Just apply it to your hair in the evening, sleep on it and wash it off in the shower next morning. The coconut oil is very oily so use a plastic film or bag on your hair or cover your pillow with a towel - otherwise everything is oily. Also put your hair up on a bun, for preventing a huge mess - it's also better for you hair to sleep with a loose bun, because it prevents friction and tangles. (and it also adds some volume to yous hair!). Once I bleached my roots 2 times in one day at a saloon and my scalp was SO ITCHY and burning. I rubbed a whole lot of coconut oil on my scalp and slept on it and in the morning my scalp was completely healed! You cannot use coconut oil as a dry oil, because it leaves you hair so oily looking that it's almost disgusting. So you need to wash/rinse it.


I hope this helped you and leave a comment if you have any questions or critics!

XXX, 
TOKI

SMOOCH!! 

When I grow up I want to be a ZOMBIE. 

It seems that I always have this Marvel shirt on, when I take photos...
FYI it's not my only shirt. :D lol