Embracing your grey hair

 

 

I never thought that I could look glamorous whilst in the process of growing out coloured hair and embracing my greys. But my amazing hairdresser Michael Charalambous proved me wrong.

It has been eight months since I stopped colouring my hair. The good news is that the silver coming through is a great shade and also my strands are in a lot better condition that the rest of it. Overall, my hair is a lot softer and less brittle than it was after lockdown. I have also noticed that it is less frizzy.

 

 

 

 

 

“We need to add more layers at the back to get rid of that rigid line,” said Michael on inspecting my hair. “The grey strands will blend in better with the colour and it will bring out your natural curl making it easier for you to style. We are also going to change the parting from the side to the centre. It’s more modern and will look better with the colour.”

Michael set to work weaving his magic with the scissors and before long I had the most fabulous cut and blow-dry. As I have so much baby hair I also had a fringe which Michael tells me is bang on-trend. 

 

 

 

 

More shaped and shorter than I had been for a long time, I actually left the salon feeling fabulous. No mean feat when you are going through a transition of going grey from dyed hair.

What is more I received a lot of compliments on the new look (even one from a complete stranger in a shop) ranging from "you look five years younger" to "what a beautiful colour your grey is".

It feels liberating not having to go to the salon every seven weeks and having to use powders in between – I preferred them to the sprays which always made my hair look too matt and heavy – to cover up the roots.

The coloured strands fading over time will be an issue that l will have to deal with but, hopefully, as my hair grows fast it will not be too much of a problem. I also have the advantage of having Michael Charalambous as my hairdresser. He seems to have the solution for all my hair-related problems.

 

By Daralyn Danns

 

For inspiration visit nyumbasalon.com or follow on instagram.com/nyumbasalon 

 

 

Silver, the hair colour of the moment

 

Silver may be the hair shade of the moment but there is a difficult period to get through when you decide to go cold turkey and want to revert to your natural hue after years of colouring.

I was at that in-between stage where my hair was suffering from colour fade and the grey roots not looking as if they belonged.  You know it looks bad when a friend asks you: “When are you going to get your hair done?”

Luckily, I had an appointment booked a couple of days later with my mane man, Michael Charalambous. I felt happy visiting Nyumba, Michael’s salon once again as it feels so Covid secure. Not only are there screens to make it easier for social distancing, Michael was also wearing a mask and visor plus the sanitiser for the brushes and scissors was in full view so you knew that everything had been cleaned after each client. 

 

 

As soon as he saw me he explained that we had to change the haircut slightly so it would be better for me to wear it curlier and the grey would blend better with the rest of the hair.

“By taking it shorter, adding a couple of layers and subtly angling it to get rid of the strands that had been damaged from colouring, it will be much easier for you to manage,” he said.

When it comes to my hair, Michael has always been right. Every cut I have had I have always been extremely pleased with. His advice about colour has, too, always been spot on. So when he says embrace the silver trend, I know that is what I have to do. I know for my hair’s health, it is the right thing to do.

Michael pointed out that my tresses do not like colour. As your hair is strong and has a lot of melanin in it (I still have quite a bit of my natural black strands), the dye used will have to be stronger and left on for a considerable period of time for it to take. The years of colouring have taken their toll on the condition which is why you are getting so much frizz, he explained.

I had noticed this in lockdown. The new hair coming through was a better texture than the coloured strands. Putting colour on top of colour to combat the fading, which I had, would ruin it. I realised it was time to heed Michael’s advice and embrace the on-trend grey.

In no time at all, Michael wielded his magic with the scissors and I was transformed. I felt chic with my French bob and what he called my silver low-lights.

I saw the same friend just after I left the salon. “You look 10 years younger,” he exclaimed.

Having a hairdresser like Michael is the best weapon anybody can have in the quest to keep looking good no matter what age you are!

 

By Daralyn Danns

 

For inspiration visit nyumbasalon.com or follow on instagram.com/nyumbasalon 

 

 

Post lockdown hair

Before lockdown my trusted mane man, Michael Charalambous suggested that I grow my colour out and embrace my greys. I was shocked. “No way", I said to myself.

Four months later I was agreeing with him. Lockdown made me realise that colour-faded hair is not a good look on anybody. Michael had also pointed out that regular colouring takes a toll on the condition, whether you use permanent or temporary colorants.

Before

I have been going to Nyumba by Michael Charalambous since he opened the salon in 2003. What I have always admired about him, besides his amazing ability to wield those scissors, is the fact that he is always honest and has never tried to sell me products or a service that I did not need.

Although the shape was still good, the ends of my hair were extremely dry and were crying out to be cut. As much as I wanted it to be done, I was petrified to go to the salon because of COVID-19. (I was once rushed into hospital with a virus and although I had excellent care, it is not an experience I would want to repeat.)

My new hair hero Vitapointe Leave In Conditioner (£2, Boots) was keeping my locks well-moisturised, but it had got to the stage where they needed to be cut. My first outing in months was to Nyumba. 

After

On my daily walks I had passed other salons that did not look like places you would want to enter in the current situation. So, I was rather nervous going to Nyumba, in London’s Sloane Square. I need not have been. He had been as meticulous with the salon as he is with his cutting. Michael had made sure that it was not only safe but was as warm and welcoming as it was before the pandemic.

As the centimetres were whisked away, I noticed that my natural colour was working with my skin tone. Michael added that my hair would be in much better condition. Shiny instead of matte. I left the salon feeling like a new person.

Lockdown also highlighted the fact that while you can find cheap hair products that work better than expensive brands, a great haircut is priceless.

By Daralyn Danns

For inspiration visit nyumbasalon.com or follow on instagram.com/nyumbasalon