Three years ago, a client came into colorist Jack Martin's California salon with a dilemma. She told him that she had been dyeing her hair from gray to brown with at-home box color every three to four weeks for years. Now she's retired, spending more time in nature, and no longer interested in fussing with her color that often. Could he help?
Martin accepted the challenge. Together, they decided to dye her hair silver, which would give her natural gray hue slightly more polish while still letting her skip frequent trips to the salon or hair-dye aisle. She loved the results. Martin posted the transformation on Instagram (pictured above) three years ago, but it's starting to get more traction recently for good reason: He's an expert in silver and gray color transformations.
"My clients with natural gray hair come two or three times a year, instead of every few weeks," Martin tells Allure. It's an appealing degree of flexibility, with the added bonus of letting you lean into your natural gray.
The transformations are typically done over one 10-hour-long session. As Martin explained on Instagram, he starts by using a color extractor to remove any remaining artificial color. Then, leaving the gray roots intact, he bleaches the rest of the head to prep hair for the new silver color.
Next — and this is the trick — he bases the new color on the hair's natural gray pattern. He asks clients to come in with three to four inches of their roots grown out, so he can study how their hair is colored naturally. He then re-creates that pattern for the full head of hair. "Some clients have salt and pepper mostly in the front, and the back is darker, so I match that and add some dark to it," he explains. Ten hours later, clients leave the salon with an elevated version of their natural hue.
See a few more of his gorgeous gray and silver transformations:
It can feel empowering to embrace your natural shade, especially when it's helping to fight any stigma associated with gray hair. Silver and gray hair make a powerful statement, and thankfully, there are colorists out there who want to help folks embrace it.
More on hair color:
- You're About to See These Hair Colors Everywhere in 2020
- Kim Kardashian Has Ombré Hair Now
- "Raspberry Bourbon" Is New Way to Add Rich Red Highlights to Brown Hair
Now, look back on 100 years of hair:
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