Talk to your stylist.

The first step in finding the right stylist is to ask around. Look for someone who specializes in coloring gray hair, and preferably has experience working with clients with similar hair types to yours. If you have a friend who has been getting her gray hair colored for years, ask her who she trusts and then go visit that person!

If you don’t know anyone who can recommend a good stylist for this type of work, then go online or call around to salons until you find one that fits your needs. When calling salons it’s important that they understand what your needs are and how they plan on meeting them—for example: “I want my gray roots covered without damaging my natural color.”

Once you’ve found a good fit for yourself (or perhaps even before), make an appointment so that both parties can get comfortable with each other ahead of time—and hopefully even make some lasting friendships!

Talk to your doctor.

You can’t just color your hair without talking to a doctor first. Talk to your doctor about any medications you are taking and any health conditions that might affect the color process.

Tell your doctor about your plans for coloring your hair before asking them for advice about the best product for you or if there are any risks involved with using a certain type of dye.

Understand the pros and cons of coloring gray hair.

There are many pros and cons to coloring your gray hair. If you decide to color your hair, keep in mind that it can be time consuming, may damage your hair and can be expensive.

Pros:

• Can make you look younger
• Fun activity that can be done at home or the salon

Cons:

• Time-consuming (for example, if you apply dye yourself) or expensive (if you go to the salon)

Consider baging it.

Bagging your hair is a fairly simple process, as long as you’re careful. You’ll need to section off the gray parts of your hair with clips and then apply a lightener on top of them. The next step is to wash it out and let your hair dry, but don’t shampoo or condition yet! You’ll want to leave it like that for about 30 minutes so that any remaining color from the previous dye job can sink into those sections. Then, once again with gloves on (so you don’t stain yourself), apply some dye over those parts and let dry for another 30 minutes before washing out again (and using conditioner if desired).

If done right, bagging will leave you with beautifully-colored roots without having to worry about damaging any of your precious gray strands while they’re still growing in.

Skip the peroxide.

Do you want to look like you just stepped out of a salon after getting that gray hair colored? If so, one of the best ways would be to skip peroxide.

Peroxide is a chemical that’s used in many hair dyes and bleaches to lighten your natural hair color. However, using it regularly can damage your hair over time in several ways:

• It may cause brassy tones or discoloration if too much is used. This means that your gray roots will look more orange than silver—definitely not what you’re going for!
• Peroxide can also strip away some of the color from your strands (which we all know isn’t good), leaving them duller than before.

Do not use hot water on colored hair.

One of the dangers of coloring your gray hair is that hot water can strip the color. If you use hot water, it will also dry out your hair and cause breakage. Dry, brittle strands are more susceptible to split ends and breakage, so it’s important to keep them moisturized with products like leave-in conditioner or a deep conditioning mask once per week. This will help prevent damage as well as keep your hair healthy enough for coloring.

If you’re using a permanent dye on your grays, do not wash with hot water! Instead, warm up some cool water in the sink and pour it over each section of dye-treated hair before rinsing thoroughly with cold tap water (or lukewarm if necessary). This will help preserve both the integrity of the color itself as well as its vibrancy over time by preventing excessive heat from damaging its molecules prematurely. Use caution when applying this technique though: if too much heat is applied while coloring gray areas then they may bleed into other parts which aren’t meant to be colored!

Use color-safe shampoo and conditioner

Color-safe shampoo and conditioner are the key to keeping your color looking good. The purpose of these products is to avoid stripping the hair of its natural oils, so you don’t have to worry about damaging your color with them. However, this does not mean that they are the same as standard shampoo and conditioner for color-treated hair (which also won’t hurt your color). The good news is that most brands sell both types of product at the same time!

To get started using a color-safe shampoo, follow these steps:

• Wash your hair with color-safe shampoo as often as you would in regular use (every few days or every day).
• Rinse thoroughly and apply conditioner to ends only; leave roots dry.

Use a hair treatment once a week.

Using a hair treatment once a week is one of the best ways to keep your hair healthy and get it back to its full potential. Not only will this make your hair feel great, but it also helps protect it from damage. You don’t have to spend a fortune on treatment either; there are plenty of affordable options out there that do the job just as well as those high-end brands.

In general, deep conditioners are made up of three main ingredients: protein, moisture and oils. Protein creates strength in your strands while moisture keeps them hydrated without weighing them down or leaving behind residue. Oils work as emollients that coat each strand with nutrients while also protecting against breakage caused by heat tools like blow dryers or straighteners (which we’ll talk about later).

When using a deep conditioner for gray hair specifically, look for something labeled “gray coverage.” These formulas contain more dye than traditional treatments so they’re more effective at covering up grays without affecting their color too much. Before applying any type of treatment regularly though — whether it’s gray coverage-specific or not — always test an area first just in case you have allergies or sensitivities!

Protect against heat damage.

After you’ve got your color done, make sure you’re protecting against heat damage. It’s always smart to do a cold water rinse after washing your hair and use a heat protectant product before styling with curling or flat irons. If possible, try to get away with using lower heat settings on your tools as well. You can also take shorter showers and use a shower filter if there’s no way for you to decrease the overall time spent under the showerhead each day.

Don’t wash your hair too often.

Shampooing too often can strip your hair of its natural oils and leave it dry. It can also cause your color to fade more quickly.

This is especially important when you’re coloring gray hair, because this method of coloring requires that you keep dye on the hair for longer than normal (up to 20 minutes) to ensure that all of the white is covered. If you shampoo too often, even though they may look darker at first, the color will eventually wash out.

Coloring gray hair can be done in a way that is safe for your hair

• Understanding the causes of gray hair
• Knowing the benefits of covering gray hair
• Knowing the risks of covering gray hair
• Knowing the different ways you can cover gray hair
• How to protect your hair