30 People Before And After Embracing Their Natural Grey Hair With The Help Of This Hairstylist (New Pics)
Celebrity colorist Jack Martin is a wizard. For the past couple of years, he has been successfully showing that grey never goes out of style: using his own technique, Martin allows his clients to gradually ditch the dye, and the results are magical.
Luckily, he also posts before-and-after pictures of the spells he casts on his clients so we can admire his work too. Continue scrolling to check out the latest makeovers, and fire up Bored Panda's previous articles (here and here) if you missed the earlier ones.
More info: jackmartinsalon.com | Instagram|Facebook
This post may include affiliate links.
I personally love the grey but I call it silver because it's beautiful. Getting rid of the yellowing of some people makes a big difference.
Peter Regan, a hairdresser in Manchester city center, UK, who specializes in permanent hair straightening, precision cutting, and natural-looking color, and is the author of The Hair Colour Book: A Practical Guide To The Theory Of Colouring Hair, told Bored Panda that a person's hairstyle is vital to their self-esteem. "All people want to feel good about themselves when they are out and about. Due to the pandemic, people have not been going out and have been forced to stay at home – now they can get out and be seen again; it's only natural that they want to look their best and a great hairstyle is always top of the list for that feel-good factor," he said.
But the hairdresser also said that whilst Jack Martin's images are very impressive, the amount of bleach required to remove the old color to a level where it can be toned to the "grey look" is excessive and in the wrong hands can do tremendous damage.
"The toners used to even up the color last only for a few washes and have to be re-applied, which brings me to the cost – taking up to 10 hours to perform this service would cost a customer about $1300, including materials. The ongoing cost of re-applying the toner and blow-drying the hair could easily be $80 – $100 every 2 weeks until the artificial color has grown out and the customer’s hair is completely natural."
For this reason, Regan does not expect to see many people in his home country, the UK, choosing this option.
This beautiful client came to me with 4 inches of natural roots and a very dark 6 inches band and brassy middle to ends. I started the long process by cutting the hair about an inch from length and 2 inches from layers , then I used redken City Beats Color Remover to lighten the dark band, I was able to get it up to level 7 copper blonde, then I lightened the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @redken flash light and 20 vol developer leaving her gray roots out for about 3 hours by taking random strands ( more stands in foils than leaving out hair) in foils in thin sections based on the pattern of her grey roots for better blending until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils ( which is very little ) I colored it with redken gel lacquers 7AB ( moon stone) mixed with 10 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look , during processing I had to open each foil and reapply a new lightener mixture to warm areas, then rinsed hair, toned with @redken shade eq 3/4 oz 10T + 1/4oz 10P mixed with processing solution for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, shampooed and conditioned, styled with round brushes.
Total service: 10 hours
Some ladies have heavy grey around their front hair line only the same as this beautiful client of mine so just frame her face with silver strands to blend her hair line grey roots with the length of the hair in an artistic way, this method wouldn’t take a very long time just about 3-4 hours and client will leave very happy. I used @guytang_mydentity shadow roots with 10 vol to tone her hair to match her natural charcoal roots then I created front grey strands to match her roots as well and baby silver highlights in the crown area for a better blending using @oligopro extra blonde with 20 vol and @olaplex for 40 minutes then toned with @wellahairusa blondor toner pale platinum with 6 vol for 20 minutes, Shampoo, cut and style
For quite some time, grey hair used to be a symbol of old age. A taboo. But Regan believes that is no longer the case. "For about the last 5-6 years, quite a lot of women have been getting grey highlights. It should be said that no professional hair color manufacturer produces a grey tint, the hair must be bleached (pre-lightened) and then toned with a color that gives a silvery grey hue," he said. "Toners do not last for more than a few washes and must be re-applied regularly creating an ongoing cost to the customer. In the USA, for example, some businesswomen have been getting grey highlights because they felt it made them look more mature and they would be taken more seriously."
Also, because of the lockdowns, Regan himself has noticed that some people who were covering their grey hair have stopped and had their hair cut a little shorter and are embracing their natural color.
A lot of people, stylists, and clients always ask me to post a photo of how my silver transformations look like after a few weeks or months, this beautiful client came to me for a silver transformation over 3 months ago then came back last week for toner and trim. The client was extremely happy with the way it’s holding, it looked very natural and you can’t see any line of demarcation between her natural roots and the rest of her hair that has been worked on previously, she got lots of compliments but she followed carefully all maintenance steps I asked her to do, purple shampoo, shampoo once a week with cold water, eliminate the use of hot tools, use a deep conditioning mask once a week, use @k18hair leave-in repair mask. I hope this post answers a lot of people’s concerns about the upkeeps and the fading process. I will do another post to explain the formula I used for toning
I will show this one to my hairstylist... let´s see if miracles can be performed, LOL
This beautiful client came to see me from Seattle Washington. I didn’t expect her hair to be a level 4 dark brown, when I did the consultation via text her hair appeared to be lighter.
Regan said there are a few important aspects of a naturally grey hairstyle. "First, the color should complement the person’s complexion because as the hair lightens with age so does the skin, and the two go hand in hand. This is why it is not a good idea to use too dark a color when covering grey. Next is the fact that there will be no re-growth to deal with every 4 weeks. And finally, the cost element is reduced."
The hairstylist also highlighted that there is actually no such thing as grey hair per se. "They are white or colorless, they look grey because they dilute the color around them. There are two types of white hair – resistant and non-resistant. Resistant white hair is very smooth and glossy in appearance as the cuticle (outer layer) of the hair is tightly flattened. Non-resistant white hair, on the other hand, is slightly coarse in texture and a little wiry looking. Obviously, it is easier to style resistant white hair as it is already smooth. Non-resistant white hair is easier to color as it accepts the color more readily as the cuticle is not flattened," he explained.
At the end of the day, your hair is your choice so do whatever you want with it. But get all the information before you go nuts. Experiments can backfire.
Lots of people wonder why I don’t over-style the hair for the after photo. I like the after style to be simple, natural, something that the client can do at home, I am a big fan of the round brush, not a fan of the curling iron or flat iron, if you master the round brush you can do wonders for the hair. I convinced lots of clients to switch from hot tools to a simple round brush and a dryer and they agree with me that their hair feels much healthier and their color stays for a longer time. If you ever have to use hot tools make sure to use heat protectant and lower your heat settings to less than 350
This gorgeous client came to see me from Salt Lake City, she has naturally red head and she was coloring her hair red for years, she started getting grey and wanted to embrace het grey and stop coloring her hair completely. I tried to give her strawberry icy blonde silver to match her roots pattern and as you see in the photos she looks amazingly beautiful.
Products used:
Lightener: @redken flash light with 20 vol in foils
Toners: 1- to cancel some of the red stands that left out of foils and make it more of strawberry blonde I used redken gel lacquers 8NA with 10 vol developer.
2- to cancel the yellow used redken shade eq 3/4 10T + 1/4 10 VV with equal amount processing solution. Total service time: 7 hours
Dark boxed to white silver. This beautiful client came to me from Scottsdale AZ seeking white silver color to blend and match her natural white roots so she can stop coloring her hair dark color, total service was 8 hours, one day, one session. I started the long process by cutting about 2 inches of the length and gave her layered bob because I always believed in building the house then paint it, then I started removing the artificial dye using @joico color eraser for 20 minutes , then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils by taking very thin sections using @redken flashlight lightener with 20 vol for 4 hours, after hour and half I reopened each foil and reapplied a new lightener mixture on the warm areas until I reached the lightest pale blonde, rinsed hair, then toned with @pravana 10.07 mixed with zero lift developer for 30 minutes. shampooed, style with round brushes
This beautiful client drove from Arizona to come for a complete transformation. For this transformation I started by cutting the hair and layer it to get it ready for coloring, I then used @schwarzkopfusa blondMe with 20 volume to create my balayage strands using a combination of backcombing technique slicing and baby highlights roots to bottom in foils until I reached level 10 pale blonde. Rinsed hair and toned blondMe ice toner with 7 vol cancel all the yellow tone in the blonde strands. Style with round brushes. The total time for this transformation was 6 hours.
This transformation took about 9 hours, one session. The before hair was extremely stubborn and fragile but with patience, skills and good products I was able to do it
This beautiful client had almost black hair with lots of damaged areas due to previous over processed highlights that has been covered again with black color. Goal is to give her icy blonde color to blend with her 80% grey roots. First I cut about 3 inches from the bottom and relayered around the face. Then used @matrix color eraser to lift the hair to a level 8 golden blonde, then I lightened the previously colored areas by taking thin sections In foils using @lanzahaircare l'anza cream decolorizer which is an amazing lightener with an oil base that will condition the hair while it’s lifting it, mixed with 20 vol for 3 hours until I reached my desired light level. Rinsed hair then toned with @matrix color sync sheer acidic toner steel with 6 vol developer for 20 min, rinsed, Shampoo, condition and style with round brushes. Total service time is 8H.
Warm brassy brown to ash blonde Balayage. For this transformation I used @schwarzkopfusa blondMe with 20 volume to create my balayage strands using a combination of back combing technique slicing and babay highlights roots to bottom for the face framing until I reached level 10 pale blonde, while blonde processing I used @schwarzkopfusa igora royal 7.1 on the rest of the hair that was left outside the foils to tone the Cooper brown to more natural to ash brown. Rinsed hair and toned blondMe ice toner with 7 vol cancel all the yellow tone in the blonde strands. Style with round brushes. Total time for this transformation was 5 hour
For this beautiful transformation, I used @schwarzkopfusa blondMe bond enforcing lightener with 20 vol by taking very thin see-through sections in foils leaving her natural roots untouched, after about 75 minutes I remixed another fresh lightener mixture and reapplied on the stubborn warm areas until I got an even lift pale yellow blonde level 10. Rinsed hair and toned with 3/4 igora royal absolute silver mixed with 1/4 blondMe lilac mixed with 7 vol blondMe cream developer for 30 minutes.
This beautiful client came to me Northern California with hair that had multi different light and dark brassy colors, she was seeking gray silver ashy color to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair every 3-4 weeks, total service was 8 hours and one session, I started the long process by cutting her length about 3 inches with layers and face framing, then I weaved the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @redken flash lift power 9 with 20 vol leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by foiling the hair based on her root gray pattern very thin sections for faster and even lifting until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with redken gels 1/2 5AB + 1/2 7Ab mixed with 10 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look. I Then rinsed hair, toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9b + 1/2 oz 9v mixed with 2oz Cristal clear and 3 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets, rinsed, shampooed, conditioned, styled with round brushes.
Total service: 8 hours
When fixing damaged hair color it’s very important to take very thin sections, then you can easily use a lower volume developer and no heat at all, that will save the hair integrity tremendously and the blending will become seamless.
Products used for this transformation.
Lightener: blondMe bond enforcing up to 9 with 20 vol.
Toner: BlondMe 3/4 steel blue with 1/4 lilac mixed with 6 vol.
low lights: igora royal slate grey mixed with 6 vol.
Total time: 6 hours.
A lot of people,stylists and clients asked me to post a photo of how my silver transformations look like after few weeks or months, this client came to me for silver transformation 4 month ago then came back yesterday for a toner and trim. Client was extremely happy with the way it’s holding, it looked very natural and you can’t see any line of demarcation between her natural roots and the rest of her hair that has been worked on, she got lots of compliments but she followed carefully all maintenance steps I asked her to do, purple shampoo, shampoo once a week with cold water, eliminate the use of hot tools, use a deep conditioning mask once a week. I hope this post answers a lot of people’s concerns about the upkeeps and the fading process
A lot of people,stylists and clients asked me to post a photo of how my silver transformations look like after few weeks or months, this client came to me for silver transformation 5 month ago then came back last week for a toner and trim. Client was extremely happy with the way it’s holding, it looked very natural and you can’t see any line of demarcation between her natural roots and the rest of her hair that has been worked on, she got lots of compliments but she followed carefully all maintenance steps I asked her to do, purple shampoo, shampoo once a week with cold water, eliminate the use of hot tools ( style only with dryer and round brush after applying heat protectant). use a deep conditioning mask once a week. For this toning service I used @schwarzkopfusa blondeMe toner ice mixed with a squeeze of 3 inches of Schwarzkopf igora royal absolute silver toner with 7 volume developer (oil formula moisture maintenance). I hope this post answers a lot of people’s concerns about the upkeeps and the fading process
Thursday Transformation. Products used:
Lightener: @schwarzkopfusa blondMe with 20 vol.
Lowlights: igora royal 6-12 mixed with 10 vol.
Toning: Igora vibrance 95-21 with 6 vol developer.
Brassy fragile hair to healthy strong icy silver. I started the long process by cutting the hair about an inch from length and 2 inches from layers , then I lightened the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @lanzahaircare cream decolorizer and 20 vol developer mixed with @olaplex leaving her gray roots out for about 3 hours by taking random strands in foils in thin sections based on the pattern of her grey roots for better blending until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with guytang mydentity dark shadow mixed with 10 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look , during processing I had to open each foil and reapply a new lightener mixture to warm areas, then rinsed hair, pre toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9B + 1/2 oz 9V + 1 oz Cristal clear (00) mixed with 2 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, dried hair then applied @matrix sheer acidic toner ( steel ) with 10 vol for 20 minuets, shampooed and conditioned, styled with round brushes.
Total service: 8 hours
Well, it seems that trying to keep the "younger" color actually ages the person, while the silvery tones rejuvenates the person.
So true!they all look a lot younger in the after picture! I wonder if this is cause the hair are shiny from the salon.... maybe daily it won't seem like that?
Load More Replies...Nice - and I love that the lengths are kept! I don't like the automatic short hair on older ladies -trend here.
It's not automatic, but it's common. After decades of wearing one's hair to please others, older women find short hair SO much easier to deal with, and cooler. There's a real freedom in not caring how sexy your hair is anymore.
Load More Replies...Well, it seems that trying to keep the "younger" color actually ages the person, while the silvery tones rejuvenates the person.
So true!they all look a lot younger in the after picture! I wonder if this is cause the hair are shiny from the salon.... maybe daily it won't seem like that?
Load More Replies...Nice - and I love that the lengths are kept! I don't like the automatic short hair on older ladies -trend here.
It's not automatic, but it's common. After decades of wearing one's hair to please others, older women find short hair SO much easier to deal with, and cooler. There's a real freedom in not caring how sexy your hair is anymore.
Load More Replies...