December 11, 2024 • 12 mins
Embrace the journey to your natural gray hair with confidence and grace. What if transitioning to gray could be one of the most empowering moves you make, redefining beauty on your own terms? Join me, Danise Keilitz, as we unravel the intricacies of this transformative process on All About Hair. Drawing upon my 30 years of expertise as a stylist educator and salon owner, I’m here to guide you through five common challenges of going gray, from handling that stark demarcation line to embracing the patience required for a full transition. Discover practical strategies, such as gray blending and hairstyle adjustments, to help you maintain a polished look and manage texture changes.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Transitioning to your natural gray hair can be an
empowering and beautiful journey, but it's not without its
challenges.
If you've been coloring yourhair for years, there are a few
things to consider beforeembarking on this transformative
process.
We're going to discuss fivecommon concerns that often come
up when going gray, along withsome tips to navigate them
(00:22):
successfully.
Welcome to All About Hair, thepodcast for anyone who loves the
hair industry.
I'm your host, denise Kylitz, aformer stylist educator and
owner of four award-winningsalons with over 30 years of
experience.
Whether you're refining yourskills or expanding your hair
knowledge, you're in the rightplace.
(00:43):
Skills or expanding your hairknowledge you're in the right
place.
Join me for expert tips,industry insights and practical
advice to help you thrive in theworld of hair.
This is all about hair.
You've probably seen all oversocial media all these beautiful
, beautiful women growing outtheir gray hair, especially
since COVID happened.
(01:04):
However, there's a lot ofpeople out there that are trying
to grow out their gray hairbecause they see all this on
social media and they're reallydiscovering it's not as easy as
it looks.
You could either go in and paysomeone to get you there
gradually or, in some cases,someone to get you there
(01:28):
gradually, or in some cases onefull day session, because it is
quite the challenge to do so oryou can let it grow out
naturally, and today we're goingto discuss some of the concerns
with growing it out naturallyand maybe give you some advice
on what you can do about that.
So number one the demarcationline.
You know, that line that comesin as your natural gray grows in
the line between your coloredand your natural hair can be
(01:51):
very stark and very noticeable,almost looks like a skunk stripe
, and it could feel prettyawkward for some of you,
especially during those initialstages when you're not used to
seeing roots.
Strategies like blending,highlights or lowlights to help
soften that transition that canreally get you through.
You could also do a grayblending.
(02:14):
It's a very translucent,transparent, kind of
semi-permanent color that whereyour whites are they look like
highlights and where your darksare it looks like low lights,
but it's got a little bit oftone to it.
That could be something youmight want to think about as
(02:35):
well.
Number two time commitment.
Growing out gray hair requirespatience because your hair only
grows like half an inch a month.
So, depending on your hairlength, it could take months or
even years to fully transition.
So embracing the journey andworking with a stylist to
(02:56):
maintain a polished look duringthis time is key.
So say, you have shoulderlength hair and you start
growing it out.
You might want to considertaking your length a little bit
shorter, so you're not dealingwith all the colored parts
versus the gray parts.
Maybe change up your hairstylea little bit during this journey
(03:18):
, or maybe get layers, and thatmight help with that as well If
you're not wanting to do anyblending, highlights or
lowlights.
Also consider number threetexture changes.
Gray hair often has a differenttexture than pigmented hair and
sometimes it's coarser, drier ormore prone to frizz.
(03:39):
So you might notice thatdifference in the two areas of
your hair.
So adopting a moisturizing andsmoothing hair care routine is
essential to keeping your grayslooking healthy and vibrant, and
you might want to considermaybe a hair oil to give you
(03:59):
even some more moisture intocoarse gray hair.
You might want to just put iton where your gray hair is
showing.
You might want to put it oneverywhere.
Number four something you mightwant to consider as well is
social or emotional adjustments.
Yeah, that's a thing.
Letting go of years of haircolor can bring up mixed
(04:20):
emotions, from excitement toinsecurity, and some of you
might feel a little unsure onhow others will perceive your
new look.
Support and styling guidancecan help you feel confident as
you embrace your natural beauty.
So ask your stylist how you canstyle your hair differently.
You don't want to just wear itstraight down, you don't want to
(04:42):
wear it just in a ponytail.
You need some kind of guidanceto help you still feel confident
and feel good and not feel likeyou're not taking care of
yourself, because that's notwhat it is.
So that leads me to number fivestyling adjustments.
So natural gray hair can changethe way you approach your
(05:04):
styling.
Your current wardrobe, yourmakeup or your hairstyle
preferences might need someslight adjustments to compliment
the new tones in your hair.
Now let me tell you a storyabout this.
This actually happened.
Well, it's happened to a lot ofmy clients.
They grow out their gray hairand they're going to think
they're going to love it.
Think about this as we age, ourskin tone changes too.
(05:28):
Okay, so sometimes when we growout our gray hair and it's a
very ashy gray and then you havekind of an ashen, if you will,
skin tone, it doesn't reallycompliment each other.
So you almost feel like, whoa,do I need to wear more makeup?
And you know that goes againstwhat you're trying to do.
(05:48):
You're trying to be morenatural, less maintenance all
over If you're like me, lessmaintenance on your makeup
routine as well.
So what I always suggest is avery, very translucent gray
blending method of taking ademi-permanent color, maybe a
beige, maybe level eight, justdepends on where you're starting
mixing that with clear.
So it's very translucent, maybea beige, maybe level eight,
(06:09):
just depends on where you'restarting Mixing that with clear.
So it's very translucent,putting that all over your hair.
And so what happens is it'salmost like wearing a
translucent pink nail polishvery nude, very sheer.
Same thing, almost likepantyhose If you remember
wearing pantyhose.
(06:30):
You can still see througheverything.
It's still your hair.
It just adds just a little bitof tone to it.
So it really looks a lot betteron your skin tone and the
wonderful thing is is that itjust fades off gradually.
You will never see a line ofdemarcation.
It adds a ton of shine to yourhair and your stylist can
(06:53):
actually play with the tone ofit.
It doesn't have to be beige.
You can actually do it withjust clear color and add maybe
your hair looks a little brassy.
Well then you would want yourstylist to put in some violet
tones in there to balance outthe yellow or the brassiness.
(07:17):
There's all kinds of things.
It's just using the color wheel, it's using common sense and
then mixing it with clear soit's very, very translucent, and
make sure it is ademi-permanent or even a
semi-permanent color.
You do not want to use anythingthat's going to lift your color
(07:37):
out of your hair or lighten yourhair.
You don't want to change thelevel of your hair or lighten
your hair.
You don't want to change thelevel of your hair.
All you want to do is put shine, put a little bit of tone on
top of your hair.
So just think about that, askyour stylist about that.
More and more hairstylists areoffering this service out in the
(07:58):
salon and if you're a stylistand you're not offering it, you
might want to consider it.
And if you have questions onhow that actually works, get in
touch with me.
I do not mind.
Let's review those five concernswith growing out natural gray
hair.
Number one the demarcation line.
Yep, that skunk line.
Uh, you're either going to haveto live through it or have a
(08:20):
strategy like blending,highlights or low lights to
soften that transition whileit's growing out.
The time commitment.
It takes a long time to growout the hair longer than you
probably think.
The texture changes might wantto consider using more
moisturizing and smoothing haircare routine.
Your social or your emotionaladjustments yeah, getting used
(08:41):
to that.
What are you going to belooking like?
Right, what?
How are your friends?
How are your peers going toperceive you?
Um, and styling adjustments youmight want to try a new, fresh
hairstyle.
You know, um, my, I have a twinsister.
Y'all know that, um, and she'sa hundred percent gray and she
loves it and he looksspectacular on her.
(09:02):
If you want to see her hair, Ihave a YouTube video.
I've cut her hair.
You can look through there.
It's on a layered bob orgraduated bob.
She's got beautiful hair and sosometimes just the styling
adjustment of modernizing yourhaircut to go with the gray hair
, it actually makes it even lookbetter, because the last thing
(09:25):
you want is I'm doing this inquotes an old lady haircut with
gray hair.
You don't want that, you'rejust wanting to have lower
maintenance, I'm assuming.
Look, if you happen to live inmy area, I would love the
opportunity if you're ready totake the first step towards
embracing your natural gray,let's create some kind of
customized transition for you.
(09:47):
If you want some moreinformation on that, I have a
YouTube video.
You can contact me.
You can get in touch with me.
You can get on my Instagram.
You can email me, go to mywebsite.
Make sure all those links arelinked below, and I really
appreciate you being here today.
So, as always, always rememberwhen you know better, you do
(10:10):
better, and go out and make it agreat day.
Thanks for tuning in to allabout hair.
Here's what I'd love for you todo next Take a screenshot of
this episode and share it onyour Instagram stories.
Tag me at Denise Keilitz so Ican see you're listening.
Sharing helps more peoplediscover the podcast and if
(10:31):
you're really enjoying the show,please leave a review on Apple
Podcasts.
It really helps others find us.
Thanks again, I'm DeniseKeilitz, and remember when you
know better, you do better.
See you next week.
Transitioning to your natural gray hair can be an
empowering and beautiful journey, but it's not without its
challenges.
If you've been coloring yourhair for years, there are a few
things to consider beforeembarking on this transformative
process.
We're going to discuss fivecommon concerns that often come
up when going gray, along withsome tips to navigate them
(00:22):
successfully.
Welcome to All About Hair, thepodcast for anyone who loves the
hair industry.
I'm your host, denise Kylitz, aformer stylist educator and
owner of four award-winningsalons with over 30 years of
experience.
Whether you're refining yourskills or expanding your hair
knowledge, you're in the rightplace.
(00:43):
Skills or expanding your hairknowledge you're in the right
place.
Join me for expert tips,industry insights and practical
advice to help you thrive in theworld of hair.
This is all about hair.
You've probably seen all oversocial media all these beautiful
, beautiful women growing outtheir gray hair, especially
since COVID happened.
(01:04):
However, there's a lot ofpeople out there that are trying
to grow out their gray hairbecause they see all this on
social media and they're reallydiscovering it's not as easy as
it looks.
You could either go in and paysomeone to get you there
gradually or, in some cases,someone to get you there
(01:28):
gradually, or in some cases onefull day session, because it is
quite the challenge to do so oryou can let it grow out
naturally, and today we're goingto discuss some of the concerns
with growing it out naturallyand maybe give you some advice
on what you can do about that.
So number one the demarcationline.
You know, that line that comesin as your natural gray grows in
the line between your coloredand your natural hair can be
(01:51):
very stark and very noticeable,almost looks like a skunk stripe
, and it could feel prettyawkward for some of you,
especially during those initialstages when you're not used to
seeing roots.
Strategies like blending,highlights or lowlights to help
soften that transition that canreally get you through.
You could also do a grayblending.
(02:14):
It's a very translucent,transparent, kind of
semi-permanent color that whereyour whites are they look like
highlights and where your darksare it looks like low lights,
but it's got a little bit oftone to it.
That could be something youmight want to think about as
(02:35):
well.
Number two time commitment.
Growing out gray hair requirespatience because your hair only
grows like half an inch a month.
So, depending on your hairlength, it could take months or
even years to fully transition.
So embracing the journey andworking with a stylist to
(02:56):
maintain a polished look duringthis time is key.
So say, you have shoulderlength hair and you start
growing it out.
You might want to considertaking your length a little bit
shorter, so you're not dealingwith all the colored parts
versus the gray parts.
Maybe change up your hairstylea little bit during this journey
(03:18):
, or maybe get layers, and thatmight help with that as well If
you're not wanting to do anyblending, highlights or
lowlights.
Also consider number threetexture changes.
Gray hair often has a differenttexture than pigmented hair and
sometimes it's coarser, drier ormore prone to frizz.
(03:39):
So you might notice thatdifference in the two areas of
your hair.
So adopting a moisturizing andsmoothing hair care routine is
essential to keeping your grayslooking healthy and vibrant, and
you might want to considermaybe a hair oil to give you
(03:59):
even some more moisture intocoarse gray hair.
You might want to just put iton where your gray hair is
showing.
You might want to put it oneverywhere.
Number four something you mightwant to consider as well is
social or emotional adjustments.
Yeah, that's a thing.
Letting go of years of haircolor can bring up mixed
(04:20):
emotions, from excitement toinsecurity, and some of you
might feel a little unsure onhow others will perceive your
new look.
Support and styling guidancecan help you feel confident as
you embrace your natural beauty.
So ask your stylist how you canstyle your hair differently.
You don't want to just wear itstraight down, you don't want to
(04:42):
wear it just in a ponytail.
You need some kind of guidanceto help you still feel confident
and feel good and not feel likeyou're not taking care of
yourself, because that's notwhat it is.
So that leads me to number fivestyling adjustments.
So natural gray hair can changethe way you approach your
(05:04):
styling.
Your current wardrobe, yourmakeup or your hairstyle
preferences might need someslight adjustments to compliment
the new tones in your hair.
Now let me tell you a storyabout this.
This actually happened.
Well, it's happened to a lot ofmy clients.
They grow out their gray hairand they're going to think
they're going to love it.
Think about this as we age, ourskin tone changes too.
(05:28):
Okay, so sometimes when we growout our gray hair and it's a
very ashy gray and then you havekind of an ashen, if you will,
skin tone, it doesn't reallycompliment each other.
So you almost feel like, whoa,do I need to wear more makeup?
And you know that goes againstwhat you're trying to do.
(05:48):
You're trying to be morenatural, less maintenance all
over If you're like me, lessmaintenance on your makeup
routine as well.
So what I always suggest is avery, very translucent gray
blending method of taking ademi-permanent color, maybe a
beige, maybe level eight, justdepends on where you're starting
mixing that with clear.
So it's very translucent, maybea beige, maybe level eight,
(06:09):
just depends on where you'restarting Mixing that with clear.
So it's very translucent,putting that all over your hair.
And so what happens is it'salmost like wearing a
translucent pink nail polishvery nude, very sheer.
Same thing, almost likepantyhose If you remember
wearing pantyhose.
(06:30):
You can still see througheverything.
It's still your hair.
It just adds just a little bitof tone to it.
So it really looks a lot betteron your skin tone and the
wonderful thing is is that itjust fades off gradually.
You will never see a line ofdemarcation.
It adds a ton of shine to yourhair and your stylist can
(06:53):
actually play with the tone ofit.
It doesn't have to be beige.
You can actually do it withjust clear color and add maybe
your hair looks a little brassy.
Well then you would want yourstylist to put in some violet
tones in there to balance outthe yellow or the brassiness.
(07:17):
There's all kinds of things.
It's just using the color wheel, it's using common sense and
then mixing it with clear soit's very, very translucent, and
make sure it is ademi-permanent or even a
semi-permanent color.
You do not want to use anythingthat's going to lift your color
(07:37):
out of your hair or lighten yourhair.
You don't want to change thelevel of your hair or lighten
your hair.
You don't want to change thelevel of your hair.
All you want to do is put shine, put a little bit of tone on
top of your hair.
So just think about that, askyour stylist about that.
More and more hairstylists areoffering this service out in the
(07:58):
salon and if you're a stylistand you're not offering it, you
might want to consider it.
And if you have questions onhow that actually works, get in
touch with me.
I do not mind.
Let's review those five concernswith growing out natural gray
hair.
Number one the demarcation line.
Yep, that skunk line.
Uh, you're either going to haveto live through it or have a
(08:20):
strategy like blending,highlights or low lights to
soften that transition whileit's growing out.
The time commitment.
It takes a long time to growout the hair longer than you
probably think.
The texture changes might wantto consider using more
moisturizing and smoothing haircare routine.
Your social or your emotionaladjustments yeah, getting used
(08:41):
to that.
What are you going to belooking like?
Right, what?
How are your friends?
How are your peers going toperceive you?
Um, and styling adjustments youmight want to try a new, fresh
hairstyle.
You know, um, my, I have a twinsister.
Y'all know that, um, and she'sa hundred percent gray and she
loves it and he looksspectacular on her.
(09:02):
If you want to see her hair, Ihave a YouTube video.
I've cut her hair.
You can look through there.
It's on a layered bob orgraduated bob.
She's got beautiful hair and sosometimes just the styling
adjustment of modernizing yourhaircut to go with the gray hair
, it actually makes it even lookbetter, because the last thing
(09:25):
you want is I'm doing this inquotes an old lady haircut with
gray hair.
You don't want that, you'rejust wanting to have lower
maintenance, I'm assuming.
Look, if you happen to live inmy area, I would love the
opportunity if you're ready totake the first step towards
embracing your natural gray,let's create some kind of
customized transition for you.
(09:47):
If you want some moreinformation on that, I have a
YouTube video.
You can contact me.
You can get in touch with me.
You can get on my Instagram.
You can email me, go to mywebsite.
Make sure all those links arelinked below, and I really
appreciate you being here today.
So, as always, always rememberwhen you know better, you do
(10:10):
better, and go out and make it agreat day.
Thanks for tuning in to allabout hair.
Here's what I'd love for you todo next Take a screenshot of
this episode and share it onyour Instagram stories.
Tag me at Denise Keilitz so Ican see you're listening.
Sharing helps more peoplediscover the podcast and if
(10:31):
you're really enjoying the show,please leave a review on Apple
Podcasts.
It really helps others find us.
Thanks again, I'm DeniseKeilitz, and remember when you
know better, you do better.
See you next week.
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