Every woman goes grey differently; some when young, some when older, and some not at all. Here at Josh Wood Colour we want to help you on your grey journey, whatever the path may be. Whether you want to celebrate grey, or never see one again in your life, we can help. This is why we're sharing real women's grey stories, and today we talk to Tracey, 44, who started colouring her hair as soon as she spotted greys - but didn't like the results.
"Gone are the days of the changing of colours from red, to black and blonde! It seems that as a young person everyone colours their hair instead of embracing their natural colour, then as it goes grey, we just want to look natural again.
"I think I would like to add some natural, sun-kissed baby highlights around the front, near my face, but aside from that I really like how it looks. I haven’t always been okay with the natural colour, though. I used to colour my hair very dark with permanent at-home kits, and I think I’ve finally realised what suits me. It used to be too severe, the colour built up badly on the ends, and I didn’t look good.
“I started colouring my hair literally the moment the greys arrived; I was way too young to embrace the grey! I used to dye my hair at home to cover them, but because I just went for ‘the darkest shade’, it then was too severe, and in contrast the roots showed more. Back then you could only ask a shop assistant's opinion, there was nothing like Josh Wood Colour where you could get advice from a real expert.
“I literally hate my greys, if I left my hair for a few months I would literally look dire. I have what I affectionately call two ‘badger streaks’. They are so hard to cover and seem to be quite resistant to colouring, hence wanting the baby highlights to try and make them more inconspicuous!
"I’m bad at leaving it too late before I book in with a hairdresser, then feel yuck for weeks. Also, I generally enjoy the dentist’s chair more that the hairdressers - I get stressed and worried! My hair means so much to me as I’m sure it does to every woman.
“Hindsight is a wonderful thing! If I could go back in time, I’d never have coloured my hair from a young age and I’d have let it evolve naturally to see what happened over time. Fortunately, I finally know what suits me, and gone is the black, severe hair that I thought I needed to cover the grey.”
Josh says...
"Step one of your hair routine, whether you colour your hair or not, should always be caring for it. You mention your dream hair would be thicker, so our Radiating Shampoo for Brunette Hair would be perfect - it'll keep your hair looking and feeling fresh; it also contains UV filters (like you'd apply SPF to your skin) to stop the effects of sun damage on your hair.
"We all love a bit of the old faithful dry shampoo, and I think you'd really get on well with ours. It's tinted, so not only does it freshen greasy roots and add volume, it disguises roots and rogue greys. The Lighter Brown shade would be a good match for your roots.
"Finally, if you'd like to boost your natural colour without going back to at-home colouring, our Shade Shots are a semi-permanent tinted gloss that will add shine and a subtle tone to your hair. We suggest the Cool Me Down shot for you, which will help remove any unwanted warmth from your hair. You simply add equal parts to our Everything Mask and use as instructed, as often as you feel necessary."
How can I find my perfect routine?
If you'd like to know your perfect Josh Wood Colour permanent box colour kit shade, simply email a photo of yourself that shows your hair to hello@joshwoodcolour.com and an expert colourist at the Josh Wood Atelier will get back to you with the results as soon as possible (alternatively, you can message us on Facebook!).
Once your hair is coloured, maintain it with our care routine - you can choose from our shampoo & conditioners to find the perfect combo for both your hair colour and condition. Top up your hair's moisture and shine with a weekly Everything Mask - your one stop shop hair mask, perfect for any hair type. You can also tone your hair with our Shade Shots. Choose between warm or cool and brunette or blonde, mix with equal parts Everything Mask and apply as instructed. You can top this up whenever you feel you need to.
Between dyes, you might want to maintain your regrowing roots and greys - we have a range of semi-permanent root concealers that last up to three washes, meaning your regrowth will never have to show. All of our tinted root concealers come in shades corresponding to our box colours; simply purchase the same shade as your permanent kit.