CHOICE 2: You’re going to have your gray covered professionally

This is a no-brainer. If you’ve been going to a colorist all along, they may make some adjustments to your coloring process, or offer other tricks of the trade:

Highlighting

Lifting color from selected strands throughout hair to create a lighter or warmer effect. Can be subtle or chunky. Involves expert placement of foils and careful timing.

Lowlighting

Also called “reverse highlighting.” Adds deeper color to selected strands to create depth and texture. Provides a subtle-to-dramatic tonal effect different from those accomplished with glazes or permanent color.

Clarifying

The use of a special residue-removing shampoo or treatment to lift product build-up from the hair. Used to slightly lighten hair, brighten tone, or restore shine.

Glazing

The use of a demi-permanent color, to add a sheer, translucent tone and lustrous shine to hair.

Area Coloring

The placement of color in pre-determined sections, providing rich definition and depth. Not a “whole-head” effect; not a “selected strand” effect.

Most of these special effects are best left in the hands of professionals, and can be used to either camouflage gray or boost and brighten it. We’ve demonstrated many of them in the book, with befores and afters. We’ll also feature some of them in upcoming Great Gray pages of this website.