Some men can’t wait to see the beginnings of gray hair. They feel like it is a right of passage and makes them look more distinguishable. Some men wear their gray/white hair with pride and wear it well. We think of the men in media that have made gray hair sexy…George Clooney, Anderson Cooper, Michael Douglas, Richard Gere, the list goes on and on. But not all guys embrace their newly changing colors. And they don’t have to! Some feel it makes them look older than they are or aren’t one of the lucky ones whose hair turns with a even pattern, it’s more patchy and haphazard. Some have lighter hues that totally wash out their skin tone and leave them looking like they never leave the basement or see the sun. Think of the gentlemen who start the noticing it as early as late teens or early twenties.

Fortunately, there is an answer if gray hair isn’t your jam.

What is gray blending exactly?

We hear about it from our Barbettes, in the shop promos, and it’s even on our menu. But… what is it?

Simplest answer: when hair color starts to change from your natural color to lighter grays and/or white, we color portions of that lighter hair into darker slate colors. That way it appears less white and it is a smoother transition into the new lighter shades. So essentially adding more pepper to the salt. It will also create more of an even pattern and add more depth to the hair. When more depth is added to the strands it will also add more color to your skin and you won’t appear so pale, washed out.

There are a few options here at Groom for Men for our gray blending techniques. It ranges from permanent color to a stain that lasts 3-4 weeks. Permanent will have the greatest coverage and maintain it’s color until it grows out or gets cut off. Demi-permanent will give you 50-75% gray coverage, which means that the pigment that is going into the hair will not have as much depth to it. It will also not leave a heavy line of demarcation as it grows out as a permanent color will. It will last in the hair 4-6 weeks. Which means it is not as much of a commitment as permanent color. The lightest commitment would be our stains. This product leaves no line of demarcation and lasts on the hair 3-4 weeks. The whole process takes 15 minutes. This will coat the hair and not penetrate the hair strand, with every shampoo it lightens. All of the options above don’t fade brassy or warm. They stay on the cool side of the shade chart.

Depending on how much you are looking to cover, there are again a few options. We can low light your hair with the darker hues in foil packets with fine, skinny slivers of sections to naturally blend.

For a less all over compact look, we can free hand and paint it into the hair to create heavier streaks.

To get complete coverage we would apply it to all the hair and the whole head will become a little darker.

It all depends on the desired result that is discussed during your consultation with your Barbette. If you have any interest or more questions, give our desk jockeys a call! 

414-298-2076 // 414-962-2076

<3,
G

(all images from google)