Not Going Grey Gracefully

Not Going Grey Gracefully

I found my first grey hair when I was 25-years old.  Closer examination revealed clusters of silver strands across my crown and decorating my hairline.

I panicked, attacked the brightest of the bunch with a pair of tweezers, then rushed out to buy a home colour kit to tackle the rest.

I have been hiding my true colour behind a bottle every 6-8 weeks ever since.  I do know people who have opted to go grey gracefully and they look incredibly elegant and striking, but I have not quite reached that stage of acceptance yet.

I have experimented with deep red, honey blonde, warm brown, very dark brown, very light blonde, highlights, lowlights and orange/yellow stripes.  The latter being a mistake that resulted in months of colour correction treatments and a slow, expensive return to my natural shade of brown.

It was then that I made the decision to stop colouring my own hair at home.

For many years, I enjoyed regular salon visits to have my ‘natural’ tones restored.

My best kept secret is the white stripe that lurks beneath the glossy golden brown mane.

However, when I quit my day job last summer to be able to spend more time at home with my son, certain luxuries had to go.  My argument to the Greek God(zilla) that my bi-monthly salon visits were more of a necessity than a luxury fell on deaf ears.  Especially as they cost almost as much as our monthly food bill.

However, somewhere in the universe there was a Hair God looking down on my silver flecked parting thinking this just won’t do; and his name was Jonathan Long.

Jonathan is the co-founder of King’s Road salon, Lockonego, and one of the most talented hair colourists in London.  He is also the UK Ambassador for nice’n easy’s new Colour AgeDefy collection, which is the first home hair colour to fight the 7 signs of hair ageing.

I was invited along to spend a morning at Jonathan’s salon on the King’s Road, where he told me a bit more about the product and advised on the colour that best matched my natural shade – 6G Light Golden Brown.

Obligatory before shot…

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I was then whisked off to make-up before taking part in a before and after photo shoot.

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While Jonathan was applying the colour to my hair, he talked me through the 7 signs of hair ageing.  As we get older, the pigmentation of our hair matures and covering stubborn greys is not the only factor we need to worry about.  We also have lacklustre colour, coarseness, frizz, unruly hair, dryness and breakage to look forward to –  yipppeeeeee!

So the nice’n easy experts partnered with leading hair care experts at Pantene Pro-V, to develop new nice’n easy AgeDefy using a hair colour technology specifically for ageing hair.

Unlike traditional hair colour treatments, new nice ‘n easy AgeDefy features a breakthrough 3 step regimen, instead of the usual two-step colour and conditioner. 

  1. Age Defy Smoothing Primer – Pre-colour primer surrounds the hair fibre with ingredients to reduce friction and prepare each one for the colourant. Hair is softened helping colour molecules to penetrate the hair shaft more effectively.
  2. Age Defy Colour Crème + Activating Lotion – nice’n easy’s concentrated formulation forms colour deep inside the hair fibre to cover grey for rich and vibrant shades.
  3. Age Defy ColourSeal Conditioning Therapy – powered by Pantene Pro-V – Intensive conditioner provides hair with shine and manageability for perfectly smooth and manageable hair.

It is also pretty simple to do yourself at home.  You don’t need any fancy mixing bowls or brushes, Jonathan applied the colour straight to my hair from the bottle.  He also advised to work the hairline first as the colour needs longer to work here, and then make your way across your parting from the top down.

The colour also does not have that chemical smell that accompanies many other home kits.

After a posh Chelsea blow-dry and make-up retouch, I was ready for the ‘after’ photos.

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Now, this selfie actually makes me cringe to look at, but I wanted you to see the different tones that were visible in my hair after the colour was on.

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And, here I am with the Hair God himself.

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Another selfie, taken in the back of the car on the way home.

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School run glamour

I am so pleased with the colour and will definitely be giving it a go myself in approximately 4-6 weeks time.

  • Available nationwide in 12 shades. RRP £6.99.
  • Gives you up to 100% grey coverage
  • An allergy alert test should be carried out 48 hours before you colour your hair – each and every time.

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Disclosure: I received a consultation & hair colour treatment with Jonathan for the purpose of this review, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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17 Comments

  1. February 18, 2014 / 2:05 PM

    Well i’m sold – you look amazing! Gorgeous colour too 🙂

    • Grenglish
      Author
      February 19, 2014 / 6:57 AM

      Thank you! I do love the colour…

  2. February 18, 2014 / 5:26 PM

    Rawr! Easy tiger! Hubba hubba! I have a um friend who has many grey hairs and who is ummm thinking of not re-dying it but isn’t totally sure yet – I’ll pass this on to me, err I mean her, yes, her.

    • Grenglish
      Author
      February 19, 2014 / 6:58 AM

      Tell your friend that I think she will look STUNNING with her grey grown out 😉

  3. February 18, 2014 / 9:47 PM

    Was only thinking today I should consider cutting costs and dyeing mine at home, then talked myself out of it (call it room for pride on a credit card) but you’re making me re-think, darn it. You look beautiful, of course 🙂

    • Grenglish
      Author
      February 19, 2014 / 7:06 AM

      There is also the option to buy a home colour kit for the savings and ask a friend to apply it on for you if you are worried about missing bits 🙂

  4. February 18, 2014 / 10:00 PM

    we have been on a similar journey… I did the luxury hairdressing dye thing for age, then in a bid to save cash I did the home dye thing until it went horribly wrong. It took months to put right. I’m now back at the hairdressers but cringing each time I’m presented with the bill.
    Your hair looks fabulous. I shall investigate this further.

    • Grenglish
      Author
      February 19, 2014 / 7:08 AM

      I think if you are having a drastic change then hair salon definitely but if you are just touching up roots, then should be fine to slap a bit of colour on at home. Saying that, I am asking my sister to apply mine… 🙂

  5. February 18, 2014 / 11:27 PM

    I’ve stayed away from home kits thinking they’d look naff, but yours is incredibly natural. Sadly I’m well down the path of ageing hair so I need a decent colour. I think I’d have to see your man though to know what my shade is, being fair all I can imagine from a home kit is brassy blonde.
    As for the selfie, impressive cheekbones missus!!

    • Grenglish
      Author
      February 19, 2014 / 7:12 AM

      I think home kits have come on a long way over the years but definitely worth speaking to Jonathan before making any drastic changes. You could never be a brassy blonde!

  6. February 19, 2014 / 6:30 AM

    Wow! You look gorgeous!

    I also want to apologise that I never comment on your blog but I am always excited when a new blog post from you pings in my mail box. I usually read your posts on my iPhone and can’t figure out how to comment or am out in public trying to juggle my phone, a cup of scalding coffee and two little ones bombing around so obviously it never happens.

    What then could possibly be the reason that I have gone to all this effort to actually look you up on the big computer in the dead of night to leave a comment: well, I have tagged you in a bloggy game where you have to answer questions about yourself… I bet you can’t wait to get started 🙂

  7. February 20, 2014 / 12:22 PM

    You look fabulous, and I am so going to have to try this… looks like a great product. X

  8. February 22, 2014 / 2:18 PM

    OMG! I need this – my grey hairs are ridiculous and the salon is soooo expensive, also Hubs is a dab-hand at applying home hair dye 🙂 Oh, and I totally love that selfie that you dislike, very model-esque! xx

  9. Udi Benhamo
    March 6, 2014 / 9:23 AM

    Great article.
    Thanks.

  10. March 7, 2014 / 3:00 AM

    Love the color, and that highlights come through. And that selfie is awesome!

  11. Invisitab
    April 24, 2014 / 9:25 AM

    Hello.
    Great article.

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