Jackie’s Colorful Silver Hair Transition
Inside: Jackie’s gray hair transition story. I first noticed Jackie’s beautiful hair on Instagram, where she posts under the handle @silver.hair.and.long.lashes. Jackie is from Ashland, Ohio, USA.
On November 27th of this year (2019) I will turn 37 years old. This is exactly 20 years from the age of which I found my first silver hair.
Looking back, I don’t recall having an immediate desire to cover this rogue little misfit. The silver hair was hidden nicely all on its own because of the way my hair fell. No one really noticed the silver strands but me.
Not too long after finding that first gray hair, however, I started dyeing my hair.
I started with a color called “medium amber brown”. I remember thinking that this dark, rich color would make my eye pop. It certainly did! But it also made my scalp burn and my eyes water.
When my roots came in, it never really occurred to me to simply do a root touch-up.
Instead, I put the same color over all of my hair which resulted in an even darker shade. In turn, this made my roots stand out even more.
But I continued the cycle nevertheless.
I did it because I liked the way it made me look and feel. For someone who had low self-confidence, any little thing to boost how I felt about myself seemed worth it at the time.
Many, many home dyes and a few color strips later I have come to the conclusion that embracing my natural silver hair is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
No more root touch-ups, no more spending time and money on an unnecessary product, no more putting chemicals on my head!
I’m FREE!
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To be fair, my transition to silver hair was not super easy.
Over time the urge to dye would come back when I scrolled through old photos and reminisced.
I got tired of the cycle eventually, so I decided to strip the color out once and for all.
I used Color Oops because I figured having an unnatural blorange color would be easier than an unnatural brunette color. I powered through it and the end result was worth it.
By the end of 2015, I finally kicked the dye to the curb for good. Once I had all my dyed hair completely cut out, I felt so fresh and new. I felt like ME.
Using Fun Temporary Colors for Gray Hair Helps Curb the Temptation to Dye
Alas, even after finding the support, I found that the urge to dye was still tempting me slightly from time to time.
I was determined this time that I would not break, so I decided to add temporary radical colors right at the front of my hair, which is where it happens to be the lightest.
The first color I added was pink. This temporary color (One and Only Argan Oil Perfect Intensity) was supposed to only last 6-8 shampoos. (For me, it lasted much longer).
Several shampoos later, I decided to add purple. I kept this color for a little over a week and decided to try to help the color along. The results were actually quite lovely and turned a light, frosty blue.
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This color did finally fade out nicely and I kept my silver locks for another 2 months.
Then the sudden urge to try BLUE hit me, and so I did! This was the worst mistake I could have made. For some reason, the blue held tight to my hair and no matter what I did the color would not fade.
Eventually, I decided to order a bleaching product and, man oh man did it do the trick. In fact, it turned my lovely silvers an awful yellow:
I was horrified. I tried so many different ways to get this yellowing to go away. It wasn’t until a silver sister suggested using Schwarzkopf Professional Blonde Me Toning with Schwarzkopf Professional Blonde Me Premium Developer that I found an answer!
This stuff is amazing! It really took the yellow away and helped me continue on with my silver hair journey.
Now, I happily embrace my whites, silvers, and greys and look forward to seeing them spread. I use Matrix Total Results So Silver at least once a week to keep my silvers shiny and bright.
The newest bit of change that I’ve noticed is some cinnamon-colored streaks in the front. I would never have thought that I’d start to get reddish streaks!
What a journey this is!
Support from Family, Friends, and Instagram
My husband was extremely supportive of my gray hair transition, as were the rest of my family.
I cannot recall any negative comments during my transitional time. In fact, most of the people who commented were colleagues who were very happy I was letting my silvers shine through!
They were my cheerleaders and made me feel all that better about making the decision to fully embrace my silver strands.
It wasn’t until February of this year that I found the wonderful silver sisters on Instagram.
This group of folks became a part of my life because I happened upon the Grombre Instagram page. Through that group, I branched out and found so many bold folks who decided to ditch the dye.
Of course, I had already transitioned completely when I found this amazing group, so I simply began to share selfies, really having no real clue how this could help anyone.
Over time, I began to find kindred spirits in all these incredible people.
We’re all here to support one another while our journey and self-revelations come to fruition. I’ll be forever grateful for all the support I’ve received.
Conclusion
The single most important person through all of this, I must say, is my mom. I can literally say “I got it from my mama” regarding my hair and if I’m lucky I’ll grow up to be just like her (in more than one way)!
I truly hope that all who are starting this journey hold tight and find the cheerleaders they need. I for, one, will be happy to send a kind word of encouragement!
Please do me a favor and share this post to social media, as it helps me grow my audience and spread the word about our Silver Revolution! And remember to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and Pinterest Feed for more gray hair tips and product recommendations. Thanks!
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Related Posts:
Joni’s Grey Hair Transition
Young and Grey in India
Frankie’s Awesome Transition to Gray Hair
Katie ~ I absolutely love April 2016! In the end ~ I actually love it😁 The gray/white looks great on you! ❤️
Thanks, it’s not me but the subject of my article, Jackie :-). She looks great in gray!
you are so gorgeous 😍.
your haircut looks so feminine.
I also had trouble with yellowing in my silver hair. I found shampoos & conditioners which are for hard water. I used this & added a dime size bit of Blue Hask for blondes, washing my hair with this, leaving it for about 3 min. then rinse!! All SILVER beautiful hair. I wanted to share, in case this would work for someone else!
Thanks for the tip, Vicki!
Yes it really works because I want it to stay white grey now yellow thank you for the video ❤️
ty for sharing
Can you tell me what shampoos and products you use for hard water to combat the yellow? Thank you 😊
Hi, Jo!
For hard water, if you don’t have a whole house water softener, I would invest in an AquaBliss shower filter. Just make sure to replace the cartridge every 30 days. That will make the biggest difference.
Also, clarify your hair once a week – I use Malibu Undo Goo for that. And then add a little Silvering Tonal Control to your favorite clear or white shampoo to combat the yellow. I prefer it to purple shampoo – it’s not as drying. Hope that helps!
Check out this post for more suggestions: Dealing with Yellowing Gray Hair
You mention the Schwarzkopf toner and developer but you don’t mention exactly how and what you did! Pray tell! Which toner colors which level of developer? Details please. I have naturally curly hair that has probably 4” of virgin white/gray and then the rest is previously dyed blonde. Hoping to strip the blonde and tone it to blend better with roots.
Love reading these! I found my first white hair at age 16!! Started coloring my hair in my early 20’s because by then I had so much silver hair I looked 15 years older than I was!! Like a lot of you I made the decision when Covid forced our wonderful hairdressers out of work and we were left with 4 inch roots!! I wear my hair very short so it only took about 3 cuts when they were back in business to hat to my current Snow White crown!! Love it and funny enough people don’t think I am as old as I am now!!
Great post Katie. Dying my hair forever, I cannot wait to start getting more grays/whites! My blond has always taken on an orange hue which I hate!! I say, “Grow out gray, I’m ready for ya!” You’ve taken the baggage off if a lot of our shoulders! God Bless❣️
Sheila from St Paul
I’m so glad, Sheila!
Loved this story..I too am tired of dyeing and want to go to natural gray..this was very inspirational..thanks
You’re welcome! So glad it helped.
Katie, just want to say you have inspired me. I’m 51 and and tired of paying every other month to cover up the grays. I’m gonna let the grays come in. BTW you are beautiful also love the fun pops of color. PS I told me daughter you were 17 when you saw your first gray she said she has you beat. She had hers at 14 and with dark hair they really show.
Your silver looks beautiful on you. Trying to embrace my grey. My original color was red and my grey is dirty blond. I’m trying to add brightness to front like you but don’t think I can ever be that bright. Maybe doesn’t work on my hair. Have to have dark hair to begin with I think.
Katie, I just wanted to say how much I love your gray hair. I think I’m going to cut my hair short and let it gradually go gray. I’m 58 and only have a couple of gray patches, but I think they will look cool with a pixi cut. Thanks for the inspiration!
You’re welcome! Enjoy your new cut!
In the year of COVID I started my gray hair transition when my hairdresser (Terri) of 30 years was forced to shut down. When I finally was able to go in for an appointment in late June 2020, I had made the decision to go gray. To assist the transition, Terri pulled my blond dyed hair through a cap and bleached out the color. She then applied a gray toner which lasted about a week. I have gone in a few more times to have gray toner. My last appointment I decided to stop all color treatments since they were temporary. What I did do instead was have my shoulder length hair cut to a short bob so as to allow a quicker gray transition. I have concluded it will take two years to go totally gray. I wanted to add, KATIE, you have absolutely beautiful eyes. Your artistic application of your eye makeup is stunning. Please let me know if you ever decide to do tutorials on eye makeup. Merry Christmas and Happy 2021 New Year.
Thanks, Patricia! I think you must mean Jackie, the woman in this post? I will let her know! She is much better at putting on eye makeup than I am!
I have decided to stop dyeing too. Last time I colored was August 2020 so yes, I am just starting my journey. I have gotten so tired of fighting to keep the root line away. Besides the dye has been really making my scalp burn! I’m going cold turkey. YIKES! So I’ll be going from my dyed medium brown, with some noticeable roots, to embracing my silvers. I have my support team, small but mighty and encouraging. Thanks for the inspiration.
I had premature gray in my 30s inherited from my mom. I had died it for years several different colors. It was expensive to maintain and after having breast cancer and chemo it started to fall out. I had my head shaved and I loved the ease of that. When it grew back in it was white as snow. Plus I read an article that said we should stop dying our hair because the chemicals are bad for us. Haven’t touch a box of dye since. I get comments and it’s the best decision I ever made. ??
Hi, I keep thinking about taking the plunge and stop dying my hair but I find I am scared to look older than my years. I am ultra violet and don’t tend to stray too far away from this, then the next thing….. yes, you’ve guessed it, I colour it back. I’d like to do it but I’m not very brave, is there any advice you can give me ? I started with grey hair at the age of 18, so did my siblings and my daughter.
Thank you
Hi, Shirley! My advice to you is to join a Facebook Gray Hair Support Group and lurk there for awhile. Look at the photos and stories posted by other women who have gone gray. It’s inspirational, especially when you see how few women look older than their age with gray hair! That’s a total myth and needs to be sent to the trash where it belongs.
The Gray Book is a really supportive of women of all ages.
This is the time to try it Shirley ?
It’s all the rage and so very inexpensive – FREE! What do you have to loose! I don’t regret my nature color of “platinum” halo around my face and mixed through out. Change your response to everyone- tell them it’s “platinum” ?
I have natural curly hair that I have been wearing in a pixie. My natural color is very dark brown/black. I have been coloring my hair for over 25 years (I am 70). I ave not been able to have a hair cut or color since early March. I have decided to go silver. I have about 2-2.5 inch out growth that is white, sliver and salt and pepper. I also think I will stop blow drying my hair. I am tired of fighting with my curls. I have been told by many people that they wish they had curls. I guess we don’t appreciate what we have!
Yes, I to have been thinking of letting my hair show it’s nature color. It’s colored a med/dark brown. I’ve been having it colored for many years. I’m 67 and now with the 2020 lock in, I’m even more wanting to go natural. Just use good silver shampoo.
Wow yr hair looks amazing I too have stopped colouring my hair and at the moment it’s mainly white on top my problem is lme allergic to hair dyes even tried the no ammonia types but want a nice glossy hairstyle now any help will be so grateful TIA linda
I’ve recently become a follower of yours . I’ve been following fifty sister too , such a lovely woman. I used to have naturally blue/black hair & it was the bane of my life as even from childhood as most thought it was dyed, I must add I have fair skin too with a few freckles b. As the years rolled on the greys started to show through. I would colour it a light brown but recently I thought what the hell & i stopped colouring it. I’m very lucky as my silver is a really nice colour I’m told and I use Fanola purple shampoo which makes it an even more standout shade & I get many compliments. I live in Australia and look forward to coming along with you as you encourage and inspire women across the globe. Take care Best wishes Cass x