The TRUTH About Silver Hair

The trend that has been circling the hair world for the past five years has been the one and only Silver Hair. We have seen the fabulous work of Guy Tang making even the average person off the street think to themselves, “I kind of want to give silver a try!”


But I must be honest, silver is the Everest of hair color. It takes time, money, and patience. It is not for everyone. Silver is a commitment, so to help you make the decision I’ve got a list of things to consider before entering the silver world: 


1. How far up the color scale are you going to have to go?


You have to think about the color level your hair is currently. Silver is going to take some serious effort and patience. When you lighten your hair you have to go through the stages of pigmentation. If you are at a level 6 you have to through levels 7, 8, 9, and 10 to be even close to silver. Silver hair can only be achieved at a level 10 pale yellow.

2. It will take several appointments 


Unless you have natural blonde hair, you can expect to pay for 2-6 hair appointments to get your desired result. Hair has natural undertones your stylist is going to have to battle to get silver. You must be patient. I’m serious. As a stylist, I am not willing to sacrifice the integrity of your hair to achieve silver in one day.

3. You are going to need to invest in some good products


As much as all of us love Target, their products are not going to be enough to keep your hair healthy and strong during this process. You will need shampoo and conditioner that can keep up with the processing your hair will go through. You will most likely need to invest in some good Violet Shampoo as well to keep brassy tones away. It doesn’t stop there; you will need good leave-in products to protect your hair from heat damage if you plan on styling your hair, and to top it off I would also recommend getting a hair masque. Each time you see your stylist you will be changing your hair in dramatic ways, and to avoid completely destroying your hair you will need to put in the extra work.

4. Please don’t try this at home


As a general rule I will never recommend a client trying to color their own hair. There is a reason only hairstylists are allowed to purchase professional hair color: It is not because we want your money, it is because the products sold to the general public are not equipped to do the type of service you are looking for. You need a trained professional to help you. If your budget is tight, try your local beauty school; I’m quite certain any school would love the opportunity to use you as a model to help students learn.

5. If you have used non-professional hair color, expect this process to take longer


Color build up will cause this process to take longer, and you may not get the result you’re looking for. If you have used box color, all hope is not yet lost, but it will cost you more and it will take a harder toll on your hair, so be prepared.

6. Be gentle on your hair outside the salon 


A major mistake people make when doing dramatic transformations on their hair is neglecting it outside the salon. If you style your hair with heat everyday it would be wise to alternate days on which you use heat. This is a fun opportunity to learn some braiding techniques, which Pinterest has no shortage of! Investing in a satin pillowcase is a good idea as well. The fabric is gentle and prevents your hair catching and breaking on the fabric.

7. Ask the salon if they use Olaplex 


Olaplex is a new innovative product which makes lightening your hair less damaging. Again, it may take extra time and money, but it is 100% worth it!

8. Rock that look!


We live in a unique hair color time. ANYTHING goes. So GO FOR IT! The wonderful thing about hair is you can change it and have some serious fun with it!

Article by Sarah Clark