"Can you make me look younger?" Men ask me this all the time. Here's my answer - I can make you look more handsome! Gray hair just needs a little bit of tweaking to look better. You can choose to be a silver fox like Bill Clinton or Richard Gere (the "bad boys" of the political and activist sets) or you can model yourself after the salt and pepper look of George Clooney.

The calibration depends on how much gray you already have. To get the salt and pepper look,
salons offer a semi-permanent wash that only targets the gray, so you'll get a highlighted effect. When it grows out, the line of demarcation is less obvious, so it grows out gracefully. This process liberates you from being an indentured slave to your salon! According to Boston professional stylist, Peter Huang, view link "The last thing you want to do is cover your gray with a solid permanent color - there's too much maintenance because it doesn't fade well, so you're stuck with it."

Also, the shade of gray you have is a factor - the ideal is a silver tint. One of my clients, a local business executive has hair worthy of Samson, but it's a yellow-gray. When dark hair turns gray, it transitions through a brassy stage. Peter suggests using a violet based color correcting shampoo, "Color Glow" from the Goldwell line (available at professional salons) that is geared toward removing the brassiness. This will get you the most flattering shade of gray!

So, try something new! When you have some vacation time, try a subtle change like this! Take a week and see how it looks, see how you feel! Let us know how you feel! Post a comment to this blog if you've tried this or are thinking about it. If you enjoyed reading this blog on Looking Good after 50, by makeup artist, Vicki Morgenstern, at view link BOOM IT to share it with the rest of the Eons community.