Get Silver White Hair

People with different hair colors and gray hair
Photo: Bigstock
Q: How long does it take to get silver white hair? I'm not sure how the process works so can you explain it?
 
A: Your question is not really clear… Silver white hair can happen naturally, (due to ageing), as well as having your hair colored to this color. I’ll explain both instances.
 
Some people start to go gray very young… some people even report finding gray hairs before they hit their twenties! Most people start noting gray hair in their late thirties and onward. There is no cut and dry method to say how or when your hair will go gray, though. Mostly, people who had naturally dark hair, find that their hair goes gray very gradually and has a “salt-and-pepper” mixture of light and dark gray hair.
 
As one gets older, the light gray hair will increase until all the hair is gray. Even so, most people who had naturally dark hair will end up with a darker overall gray color than those who had naturally light hair. People who had naturally light hair tend to end up with the overall silver gray hair that you refer to. If you have a darker gray hair, you can always have it highlighted and washed with a silver shampoo rinse to increase that light, soft-gray appearance.
 
If you’re referring to a colored, or artificial silver gray color, then the process obviously looks a lot different. Silver gray or super light ash hair is very much the in-thing at the moment (although this hair color never seems to be out of season either!).
 
In this case, it depends slightly on how light your hair is naturally. If you already have very light, ashy-under toned hair, you can simply have your hair toned at your salon with a purple wash, or with a semi-permanent very ash or pearl toner. These usually have an intense violet undertone, which gives the hair that silvery gray color.
 
If you have dark hair, your hair will first have to be bleached, (often called a bleach-bath), to lighten the color of the hair. Just keep in mind that this can be very damaging when done at home. Even at a professional salon, there will be a level of damage, and you’ll have to buy the right products to take care of your bleached hair.
 
Once the hair has been bleached to a satisfactory level, the stylist will be able to apply the toner to achieve that silvery gray color. Keep in mind that the darker your hair is naturally, the more often you’ll have to color your re-growth.
 
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See also:
 
Going gray
 
Speed up the change of hair from gray to white
 
Changes in hair when we age