I'd never had my hair a "crazy" color. It was scary. How silly does that sound? I was horrified to do this to my hair. So why do it? Well...YOLO.
I have been coloring my hair (in salons and at home) for YEARS. Like ten plus years. Literally since I was in high school. And the last eight years, I've spent my time as a redhead. So here I am...with eight years worth of red dye penetrating my hair and I want to go silver.
Awesome.
Not only was I worried about the process itself, I was worried about how I would look. I have a pretty neutral skin tone, but I'm super fair. So I thought I'd either look like a corpse or some kind of mermaid witch.
Even though I'd been coloring my own for years, I couldn't fathom doing this myself. I'd never bleached my hair and I was terrified. All my salon babes had been raving about this salon exclusive product, Olaplex. Basically this is some sort of voodoo miracle product. When you bleach/color your hair, the risk of damage/breakage is present. Olaplex drastically reduces this risk. I'm not a professional, so I don't really understand that magic that is Olaplex. What I do know is this product makes it possible to really push your hair to the limit while maintaining health and integrity. So even over processed hair can undergo change with little risk of severe damage.
For good reason, Olaplex is only available to licensed hair care professionals working in a salon. This is something you can't try at home even if you wanted to.
I was already scared about this huge change I was making, so no way would I try to do it myself. I knew that I wanted Olaplex used during this process, so I knew I was going to have to seek professional help. Even though I'd colored my own hair dozens of times, this wasn't something I was willing to risk. I love my hair and I didn't want to hurt it too badly. Plus, I knew with all those years of red dye, it would be a difficult transition.
I selected a stylist in town based on recommendations...and I stalked her Instagram and checked out her salon's website before I made a full commitment. Sam didn't disappoint!
She was definitely the right decision. She made sure I was comfortable with the entire process and explained each step to me so I was completely aware of what was happening. Thanks to her, I was able to transition from red to gray!
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| Photos by Sarah Nix |
It was literally an all day thing...over six hours in total. BUT we did it all in one day. You could totally break it up into two sessions, but I wasn't willing to walk around as a blonde for any period of time.
Now that I have this hair, there are some specific maintenance requirements. But even with those, I am still in so much LOVE with my hair! I am so glad I made this change. It was completely worth it.
The maintenance involved with silver hair is a little different from other color maintenance. Here's what I do:
I only wash my hair once or twice a week (you should try it...it's awesome) but when I do, I wash and rinse in cold water. Which sucks, but it's so much better for color treated hair. I also use a purple shampoo. I really like Daddy-O from Lush. Purple shampoos keep blonde and gray hair from getting brassy, or yellowing. I also use Lush's Rehab particularly on my ends to keep my hair from getting dry. I finish with Lush's American Cream conditioner.
My stylist also gave me a tube of the color we used (Pravana Silver) to mix with my conditioner at home. Which I do every time I wash my hair. It's not going to wreck your hair either, because you're only leaving it on for a few minutes. It's just a good way to keep your color looking good between visits. Any type of pastel or jewel toned colors are going to fade a little quicker than more natural colors, so adding some color to your conditioner really helps maintain your color!
I also purchased Olaplex 3 from my stylist which is kind of like a hair mask. I use this every 3-4 shampoos. You put it on your hair at least 20 minutes before you plan to wash it. My stylist even recommended to put it on the night before and sleep with it in your hair for maximum treatment. This "hair perfector" is something you can use on an "as needed" basis. My hair isn't that dry, even after bleaching, so I don't feel like I have to use it that often.
It took me no time at all to adjust to my granny hair, something I worried about. I get so many compliments on my hair so I feel confident that it was a good change to make. The only makeup change I made was switching up my brow colors! I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow. The change was simple: Auburn to Taupe. I feel like my hair sets my eyes off and makes my lipstick appear more vibrant!
The main thing I can not stress enough...SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP!
I've watched several tutorials on making this transition at home, but I can honestly say that it's nowhere near as safe as doing it in a salon. Especially when the transition is drastic. I don't regret a penny of the money I spent making sure this was done the right way. I encourage you to do the same!
Change is good, my pretties!
Now that I have this hair, there are some specific maintenance requirements. But even with those, I am still in so much LOVE with my hair! I am so glad I made this change. It was completely worth it.
The maintenance involved with silver hair is a little different from other color maintenance. Here's what I do:
I only wash my hair once or twice a week (you should try it...it's awesome) but when I do, I wash and rinse in cold water. Which sucks, but it's so much better for color treated hair. I also use a purple shampoo. I really like Daddy-O from Lush. Purple shampoos keep blonde and gray hair from getting brassy, or yellowing. I also use Lush's Rehab particularly on my ends to keep my hair from getting dry. I finish with Lush's American Cream conditioner.
My stylist also gave me a tube of the color we used (Pravana Silver) to mix with my conditioner at home. Which I do every time I wash my hair. It's not going to wreck your hair either, because you're only leaving it on for a few minutes. It's just a good way to keep your color looking good between visits. Any type of pastel or jewel toned colors are going to fade a little quicker than more natural colors, so adding some color to your conditioner really helps maintain your color!
I also purchased Olaplex 3 from my stylist which is kind of like a hair mask. I use this every 3-4 shampoos. You put it on your hair at least 20 minutes before you plan to wash it. My stylist even recommended to put it on the night before and sleep with it in your hair for maximum treatment. This "hair perfector" is something you can use on an "as needed" basis. My hair isn't that dry, even after bleaching, so I don't feel like I have to use it that often.
It took me no time at all to adjust to my granny hair, something I worried about. I get so many compliments on my hair so I feel confident that it was a good change to make. The only makeup change I made was switching up my brow colors! I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow. The change was simple: Auburn to Taupe. I feel like my hair sets my eyes off and makes my lipstick appear more vibrant!
The main thing I can not stress enough...SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP!
I've watched several tutorials on making this transition at home, but I can honestly say that it's nowhere near as safe as doing it in a salon. Especially when the transition is drastic. I don't regret a penny of the money I spent making sure this was done the right way. I encourage you to do the same!
Change is good, my pretties!
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