Gray Hair is the New Platinum

By: Alexandra Tunell

Courtesy Getty

If you still belong to the school of thought that says gray hair is a scary thing to be hidden as best as possible for as long as possible, we’re here to say you’ve probably been living under a rock. To catch you up: Joan Didion is the face of Celiné’s Spring 2015 campaign, Iris Apfel was tapped for Alexis Bittar’s, former BAZAAR editor Linda Rodin modeled for The Row last year and a whole crop of celebrities (Nicole Richie, Rihanna, Zosia Mamet, Kelly Osbourne, Kylie Jenner) are dyeing their hair shades of gunmetal, silver and ashy blonde. We asked colorist Aura Friedman at Sally Hershberger Salon how to pull off the trend.

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"I get requests for gray all the time—it’s edgier and more unexpected than doing platinum," says Friedman, who has become fashion’s go-to girl for wild color transformations. "Cool tones work really well on Asians and fair-skinned girls with light blue eyes; the gray really enhances the color. They’re complete opposites, but it works on both." In terms of the process, though, going gray is no different than going platinum, she says. "You have to lift the color to as pale of a yellow as possible, then add the gray tones, which is hard because the hair cuticle is wide. If your hair is already colored and you’re trying to strip it all the way down, the best thing to do is consult a colorist and make sure your color can withstand the intensity of going platinum because it’s a brutal process for your hair." If you’re more of a DIY type and already have bleached hair, Friedman says it’s easy to go gray at home: Tone it gray with regular toner, then put on a layer of Pravana Vivids Silver or Manic Panic Blue Steel—or a combination of the two—mixed with conditioner to make it lighter and take out some of the blue.

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Preserve gray color by only washing your hair once a week—”it easily rinses out every time you shampoo,” says Friedman—and using a treatment like Nexxus Color Assure Pre-Wash Primer before getting in the shower and cleansing with a violet shampoo and conditioning with a rich color-protecting mask. Regular glosses will keep the color looking fresh longer, but when it does start to fade, it won’t be the worst thing. “Gray evolves beautifully into this nice icy blonde shade; you don’t have to worry about it looking yellow.”

Philip Kingsley Pure Silver Shampoo, $30, philipkingsley.com; Courtesy Philip Kingsley

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