Gray Hair Trend: Embracing the Natural Gray of Your Customers

Times have changed and now clients have finally embraced gray and white hair! In fact, it is one of the top trending looks, though not only for people with natural grays wanting to enhance their natural color. Thanks to social media, we have seen stylists across the globe be flooded with requests from clients wanting this sophisticated, edgy, and fashionable color.

At Revlon professional, we are happy to see that clients are loving the look that was once considered to some as a source of dread. We believe that every hair color should bring a sense of confidence and show some creativity. With that in mind, we have tips that will give you confidence and help any type of gray hair look and feel it best. This way your clients can wear their gray hair color with pride!

Why does hair go gray in the first place? Regardless of age, most of us will get some gray hair eventually due to a loss of melanin that tends to happen slowly over time. However, it can also happen more suddenly due to your genetics, environmental aggressors, stress, medication, and as a natural part of the aging process. Once your hair follicle completely loses this melanin, the hair will begin to turn white or gray, giving that ‘salt & pepper’ effect. This tends to happen when a percentage of the hair has retained pigment while some of the hair has turned or begun to go white. That said, let’s take a look at how to keep your clients coming back for services and help them embrace their grays!

Enhancing Their Natural Grays

Not everyone will end up with 100% white hair as every person is unique. To avoid the brassy yellow tinge that happens to the majority of gray and blonde hair, the best bet is to use professional products that are proven to help achieve and maintain that beautifully true and neutralized gray tone. Fortunately, there are many new products available that allow hair colorists to treat and care for gray hair properly in the salon, whether it is to enhance natural grays or to add tone and pigment for that flawless gray colored look. We recommend Color Excel Gloss by Revlonissimo™, a gentle ammonia-free* acid toning range that goes beyond neutralization and toning with a new, exclusive in-salon service that beautifies natural gray hair.

A Shimmering Palette for Flawless Natural Grays

The Color Excel Gloss by Revlonissimo™ – Revlon Professional shimmering palette softly tones and gives uniformity to gray hair, reducing its typical oxidative appearance. Perfect for neutralizing yellow residues on natural gray hair, these selected shades allow you to offer the latest express, low-commitment service for extra shiny natural gray hair. Just select the most suitable in-salon service shade according to your client’s needs and expectations and book them in for a fresh consultation every few weeks to help guide them on the changing needs and endless possibilities that come with stunning gray tones. Do not forget to recommend an at-home maintenance routine to ensure their new color will stay moisturized and brass free until the next time they are in your salon.

These four shades from Color Excel Gloss by Revlonissimo™ offer a visible toning and neutralizing effect that is required to beautify any gray tone. The pigment will gently enter the hair fiber and deposit color with no base lift.

In-salon service shades:

• .123 Nude Satin – Elegant and cool Icy Nude tone.
• .22 Intense Iridescent – The timeless elegant pearly shade with a violet touch for medium neutralization and toning.
• .11 Silver Ash – Perfect for strong neutralization, this titanium silver shade creates great uniformity for all Gray Hair %.
• .821 Mushroom – The modern and sophisticated shade to neutralize and blend for up to 60% Gray Hair.

The Gray hair Journey  

• To help clients on their personalized and ever-changing gray hair journey, they’ll need a visible and lasting toning and neutralizing effect from Color Excel Gloss by Revlonissimo™. In addition, they should use professional care and styling products that are formulated with direct dyes that coat the outer layers of the hair surface and wash off over one or more shampoos. We recommend choosing from these Revlon Professional shampoos and hair care products that will help maintain pigments.
• RE/START™ Strengthening Purple Cleanser – Revlon Professional – The Strengthening Purple Cleanser for anyone with blonde, bleached, white, or highlighted hair who wishes to neutralize brassiness, strengthen hair, and maintain a cool blonde color. Maintains the results of the Beautyfying Gray Hair toning service done with Color Excel Gloss.
• RE/START™ Color Anti-Brassiness Purple Drops – Revlon Professional – Perfect for clients who wish to remove yellow tones to prevent brassiness in their white, blonde, or gray hair. The purple drops can be mixed with hair care products for customized toning on light hair. Just mix the chosen number of drops with shampoo, conditioner, or mask and apply.

For the lightest blonde (color level 9) , silver, and grays, mix 1-2 drops of RE/START Anti-Brassiness Purple Drops with 10 g of Strengthening Purple Cleanser.

• Eksperience™ Color Protection Blonde & Grey Hair Cleanser – Revlon Professional – A delicate, sulfate-free hair cleanser infused with violet colorants that moisturize the hair fiber while helping to fight yellow tones in order to keep light shades looking naturally bright for longer.
• For extra neutralization and ultra-luminous effects, follow with our semi-permanent DIRECT Nutri Color™ Filters cream with intense COLOR, CARE and SHINE. This at-home color care treatment has intermixable shades that can be adapted to help clients on their gray hair journey. We recommend the following four shades from the Nutri Color™ Filters Metal-Ice Toning Filters and the Nutri Color™ Filters Toning Filters Family

At-home services:

• 1011 Intense Silver
• 1022 Intense Platinum
• 1002 Pale Platinum
• 821 Silver Beige

To use, just apply the luminous cream and leave it on for 3 minutes for a color refresh or for up to 15 minutes for deeper toning. Using professional styling products that protect color against heat and fading is always recommended to deliver extra moisture to natural white, silver, or gray hair and ensure it retains moisture to reduce breakage and achieve a healthy, radiant shine.

Now that you know how to recommend some of the top care and style tips for your gray-haired clients, check out this step-by-step guide on how to beautify grays using Color Excel Gloss by Revlonissimo™. If you want to maximize your talent as a hairdresser and continue to learn with us, take a look at our 24/7 online educational platform, Revlon Pro Always On, where you can get professional training on how to develop your business, learn new tricks and trends from our Revlon Pro ambassadors, and increase the value of the services you offer.