Celebrity Hairdresser Offers Tips for Transitioning to Grey Hair

Many individuals are opting to embrace their natural grey hair rather than covering it, a trend that celebrity hairdresser Sarah Bower says requires a strategic approach. Bower, an expert in grey blending, emphasizes working with a client's natural growth and color to achieve a lower-maintenance look.

"Rather than doing an all-over permanent hair color, you’re working with highlighting, lowlighting and possibly leaving sections are really white and that you don’t want to color," Bower explained.

Allowing for Regrowth

Bower recommends allowing a significant regrowth period of 10 to 12 weeks before making any major decisions about transitioning to grey. This extended period allows both the client and the stylist to accurately assess the natural grey or white hair present. "A 10-12 week regrowth area is what’s required; you need to have a clear idea of what you’re blending and the route to take," she stated.

This step is crucial because, as Bower noted, "I’ve had a lot of people who aren’t actually as grey as they thought they were." Understanding the natural shade of grey can influence the best approach for blending.

Realistic Expectations

Bower also stressed the importance of managing expectations, particularly in the age of social media. "There’s quite a lot of unrealistic stuff on Instagram and TikTok," she observed. Her goal is to keep clients true to their natural hair color rather than undertaking drastic transformations.

This realism extends to the distinction between going grey and going fully white. "People often bring in pictures of women that have no colour on their hair - but this doesn't happen naturally for everyone's hair as they age," Bower said. She often guides clients on why a grey blend may be more suited to them than a completely white look.

Age and Maintenance

Contrary to common assumptions, the decision to go grey is not solely age-related. Bower has clients in their thirties who wish to transition, often motivated by a desire for lower maintenance hair. "A lot of the time it isn’t necessarily down to age, it’s people that have had enough with colouring their hair and lots of women want a lower maintenance hair colour," she explained.

Technique Over Highlights

Bower advises against relying solely on highlights for grey blending. Instead, she advocates for techniques like lowlighting, which involves adding darker, grey tones to the hair. This approach is particularly beneficial for individuals with overprocessed, bleached hair. "Lowlighting means putting darker, grey tones back into the hair often for people who come in with overprocessed bleached hair," Bower noted. She added, "A lot of people want to stay darker and look grey, not just with loads of bleach highlights."