Sharon Osbourne debuts new grey hair: How you can make the transition

A hairstylist gives his top tips on embracing natural grey or white hair.

Sharon Osbourne has taken the plunge and dyed her hair a natural silver-white colour, after 18 years with her iconic red locks.

The 67-year-old’s new look was revealed on Instagram by celebrity colourist Jack Martin, who posted a before and after picture of Osbourne.

Martin posted that it took him eight hours “to get her to a platinum blonde so she doesn’t have to committed to colouring her hair once a week anymore”.

This isn’t the first celebrity Martin has styled. Recently, he helped Jane Fonda make the transition from blonde to silver, and she debuted her new hairstyle at the Oscars to present the best picture award.

Embracing your natural colour can be daunting, particularly if you’ve been dying your hair for years. Once you’ve made the decision, it will take a bit of time and effort to keep your hair healthy.

“Transitioning from coloured to grey hair can be quite a lengthy process,” says Irish stylist Leandro Santos Santana, owner of Decode Hair by Leandro. “Much like going from a dark brunette base to blonde, it takes several appointments in the salon and regular maintenance at home to ensure your hair looks and feels its best.”

It’s good news if you’re already blonde like Fonda, because the transition will be that bit easier. “You can start to add babylights into your hair with different lighter shades of blonde and silver hues, and over a few appointments your hair will be light enough and incredibly close to the silver hue you desire,” Santana explains.

Darker hair will require a bit more love and attention. “One option is to let your natural roots grow out as much as possible and have your hair cut shorter,” says Santana. “Pixie cuts in particular are a popular choice and will allow you to become grey quicker than if you have longer hair that requires a lot more colouring to reach this shade.”

The other option is to make regular highlight appointments at the salon to lighten your locks, then bleach your hair to the shade you want it to be. “This can be costly and will take around six months to a year to achieve the lightness you desire,” says Santana – not to mention the bleach could potentially damage your hair.

Once you’ve got your hair colour to where you want it, it’s all about maintenance. “A silver shampoo and conditioner are a must to keep the hair free from brassiness and the grey/silver tone looking its best,” explains Santana.

“Hair masks and treatments are also important to avoid hair from drying out or becoming further damaged, as the hair would have gone through a lot of bleach and colour to get to the stage it’s at.”

Even though you need to take care of your hair, you’ll no longer need to worry about dying it periodically or constantly getting your roots touched up. If you want the colour to pop you might consider getting your hair toned once in a while, but otherwise you can sit back and enjoy your natural-looking locks.

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