How to Get Silver Hair | Step-by-Step Guide

Silver hair is currently trending, and people of all age groups are yearning for this classy look. Follow us in this tutorial to learn how to get silver hair from the comfort of your home. Read on to learn more.

How to Get Silver Hair: A Summary

For those who want to get silver hair, there are many things you will need to do. However, before anything, you must make a decision and be sure of what you want. Before we dive into details, here is a summary of the steps:

1. Make a bold decision
2. Ensure your hair is in perfect condition before the process starts
3. Perform a skin allergy test
4. Consider the maintenance expenses
5. Gather Your Materials
6. Bleach your hair
7. Apply a toner
8. Apply petroleum jelly 
9. Dying
10. Thorough washing
11. Maintenance

How to Get Silver Hair 11 Easy Steps

Getting silver hair isn’t an easy task. After all, it takes a few different steps to gradually lighten hair to get it silver. Before starting, be sure you’re willing to commit all the way to the end.

Step 1: Make That Bold Decision

To achieve gorgeous silver hair, you need first to bleach then dry it. So before you start this journey, be sure you want it, then give it all the commitment. If you’re not sure, you can have a taste of how silver looks. 

To test this, you can try a temporary hair spray that will give an instant silver color to any hair without bleaching. You can wash it off quickly, meaning you can stay grey for just a day to test the look. Silver hair has many colors and styles you can choose from, including:

• Black and silver hair
• Silver grey hair
• Silver ombre hair
• Silver purple hair
• Silver blue hair silver lilac hair
• Silver purple hair

Step 2: Ensure Your Hair is In Perfect Conditions

After you have decided that silver is the way to go, you must prepare. We recommend that you wait for a few months after applying any dye for a new dye job. 

Giving your hair this time will ensure that it is in perfect condition for bleaching. In addition, the bleach will be more effective, since it will have only one color to act on.

Step 3: Have a Skin Allergy Test (Patch Test)

We also recommend an allergy test, or patch test, on your skin at least two days before dying your hair. Apply a small amount of the dye and peroxide behind the ear to do a skin allergy test. 

Testing for allergies is essential because it will help detect any potential adverse reactions affecting your skin and other distant organs.

Step 4: Consider the Maintenance Expense

You must also consider the upkeep or maintenance expenses. Although silver hair gives impressive looks, it is also expensive to maintain. Even if deep charcoal tones do last long, the most sought-after shimmery hues fade quickly. To get silver hair, you have to bleach your hair until the strand is almost white.

If you have a dark color, you will probably need more bleaching sessions to lighten your hair before it’s ready for silvering. Since bleaching can be dangerous to your mane, you will have to give your locks some rest and a recovery period before they are ready to go grey.

Read Next: How to Bleach Hair

Step 5: Gather Your Materials

If you’re ready for silver hair, then you need the following essentials:

• Choose and acquire your appropriate dye
• Bleaching chemicals
• Toner 
• Towel: An old towel for draping your shoulders to protect clothes that might take up the color of the dye or get bleached
• Applicator for even application
• Petroleum jelly

The actual process of silvering hair is very straightforward onward.

Step 6: Bleaching 

The first step of getting silver hair is to bleach. Bleaching removes all the natural color from your hair so you can put on a new color. Since this is an intense procedure, we recommend you not washing your hair before bleaching so that your natural hair oils can protect you from any potential chemical burn.

The number of times you bleach your hair depends on its initial color. The process of silvering hair is relatively easy if you have platinum or blonde hair, since you may not need to bleach at all. However, if you have brown hair or black hair, you may need to bleach it two to three times before applying the dye.

If you are bleaching your own hair, follow closely the packaging direction. You will need to mix a ratio of bleaching powder to an activating agent. If your hair is weak, hairstylists typically suggest diving up the bleaching into several appointments over the course of a few weeks.

Step 7: Apply the Toner 

To make sure that your final grey or silver shade is perfect, apply a toner. A toner is different from a dye and is applied before the final dyeing step. It will do away with any yellow undertones in your hair. For ideal results, leave the toner undisturbed for around twenty minutes.

Step 8: Apply Petroleum Jelly 

No one likes dyes and bleach on the skin. To prevent unwanted stains, apply petroleum jelly to your hairline. It’s an effective way of avoiding stains when using dyes.

It also prevents any skin irritation that bleaching can cause. Even if the bleach doesn’t burn your skin, it can get itchy sitting on your skin for a long time. 

Step 9: Apply the Dye

Before applying the dye, ensure you are ready and understand the information on the pack. You must follow all the manufacturer’s instructions.

To make the process easier, subdivide your hair into small sections. Then, apply the dye to one area at a time. Ensure you drape your shoulders with a towel to prevent cloth staining.

Step 10: Washing 

Clean your hair thoroughly with tap water and remove any excess dye, then move on with a professional shampoo. Use lukewarm water if you can to avoid shocking the hair with frigid or hot water.

After washing, apply a hair nourishing conditioner or a deep protein treatment to give your hair a glossy look once you blow-dry.

Step 11: Maintenance

Silver hair looks beautiful, but, unfortunately, you can experience difficulties maintaining it. For example, silver hair can fade or turn yellow. The bleaching process required to turn it silver can be harmful to some people. But with appropriate care, you’ll enjoy minimal silver hair brittleness, fading, and dryness.

Washing and Cleaning 

After dying, wait for one week before washing it. If you have artificial hair, shampoo it immediately after bleaching. You should also condition it after dyeing. After this, leave it unwashed for one week to replenish lost oils and prevent brittleness and dryness.

Before you wash your silver hair, ensure you condition it evenly with coconut oil. Leave it intact for an hour before washing it. You may use a hair mask instead of coconut oil. For the best results, be sure to use cold-pressed and unrefined coconut oil. 

Be sure to use only sulfate-free, color-safe hair conditioners, and shampoos. Focus the conditioner on the middle and the endpoints of your hair. On the other hand, focus shampoo on the scalp and the roots of your silver hair. 

Deep condition your hair bi-weekly with a mask for color-treated hair. First, clean your hair with a shampoo. Then rinse it before you apply a mask. Use cool or lukewarm water whenever you wash your hair because hot water can damage your hair.

Although washing hair is very crucial, take care not to overdo it. Limit washing to twice a week. The lower the frequency of washing, the longer the hair will last. If your hair isn’t that oily, wash it once a week.

Protection Against Heat Damage

To keep your hair vibrant, you must avoid or limit heat styling. Instead, air-dry it. Heat drying will not only destroy your hair but will also make it fade faster. In essence, the use of non-heat styles keeps your hair healthier and enhances its lifespan.

Use low-temperature conditions during stylings, that is, adjust the curling iron, flat iron, and dryers. You should use a heating setting between 149 degrees and 177 degrees on your curling iron. You should straighten or curl dry hair since curling when wet damages it. Using a heat protectant when drying will confer more protection.

Apply a protectant, such as serum, cream, or sprays when your hair is still wet. But ensure that the protectant dries off entirely before proceeding. Lastly, if possible, try a non-heat method of curling or straightening hair.

Maintenance of a Consistent Color

To maintain a consistent hair color, alternate between color depositing and color-safe products. Frequent use of color depositing products might change the hair color. We recommend using a color-safe conditioner once or twice a week and a color deposit once every two to three weeks.

Typically, salons will give you purple shampoo to take home after dying your hair. This is a tinted shampoo that works similarly to a toner every time you use it. However, buying purple shampoo at the salon all the time does get expensive. We recommend searching for them online and purchasing in bulk. 

Use a temporary silver rinse to even the color. Since rinses wash out the color, apply them immediately after washing when the hair is still damp. If the depositing products are not adequate, consider using toning treatment.

Things to Consider

As far as silver hair is concerned, there are the things you must do and others that you should avoid when silvering your hair. 

Things to Do 

• Adequate cleaning as instructed 
• Use sulfate-free shampoos and hair conditioners, purple shampoos are the best for this
• Regular hair conditioning
• Use heat protectants 
• Protect your hair from heat damage by washing it with cool or lukewarm water
• Use low-temperature curing conditions
• Let a hairstylist lift your hair
• Use a purple shampoo
• Ensure your hair is in perfect condition before you dye

Things Not to Do 

• Avoid using box dyes
• Avoid washing your hair daily
• Don’t wash your silver hair with hot water 
• Avoid too frequent use of color depositing products

So, How Do You Get Silver Hair?

Having silver hair can be very demanding, since it needs patience and commitment. To maintain silver hair, clean it adequately, strive to maintain consistent color, and protect it from heat damage.

Adequate maintenance based on these three principles will enable you to enjoy silver hair without worrying about breakage, yellowing, thinning, and fading.

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