Hi,

I'm 43 years old and have been coloring my hair for 20 years. My hair dresser says that I'm about 90% gray. The maintenance to keep it covered is difficult... having to color about every 3 weeks now. I feel that I would like to let it go gray, but don't know how without looking aweful for several months. It is not very long, but I still don't want the root line while it is growning. Hoping you can help? Melanie

I'm afraid your only options are to let the coloring wash out of your hair altogether and you let it get grey naturally, or you can find a grey dye for it.

There is nothing you can do to increase gray hair. If you don't like the way your hair looks right now, a trained stylist can lighten your hair and use a white and blue toner to achieve an all over gray effect. If lightening your hair is not an option, try to be patient and your hair will gradually go gray to the level you want.

When I was transitioning between coloring to going back to my natural color my stylist recommended using the wash in colors or semi permanent until I got the old color long enough to cut out. Then the color gently fades away and washes out when you discontinue using it.

Some semi-permanent colors may leave a permanent on light or porous hair. If your hair is gray, a semi-permanent color will tend to grab the color and stay for a long time. So be careful when using semi-permanent colors.