While salons around the world are slowly reopening, that doesn’t mean it’s quite safe to go yet if you’re in a high-risk group for COVID-19.
That means there’s been A LOT of home hair care recently – as well as a lot of sitting back and seeing what happens when we give our tresses a break.
Now, for those who don’t mind embracing the grey, white, and silver, stylist Jack Martin is a great source of inspiration. He’s been helping women make the leap for years.
And while this does take place in a salon, these 20 transformations might give you the push you need to embrace the inner silver goddess that might be manifesting in quarantine:
1. From red to knock ’em dead
Going grey all over actually does require a lot of work to lift the color from the bottom part of your hair.
If your hair is dark, you really need to know what you’re doing so you don’t damage those ends with bleach.
That’s part of the reason Martin explains his process in detail with each client.
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This beautiful client flew from Michigan to come to see me for gray hair transformation to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair, I started the long process by lightening the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @wellahairusa blondor with 20 vol developer mixed with @olaplex leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by taking very thin sections one section starting from where her artificial color starts and one section starting from her roots until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with @guytang_mydentity 7 shadow ash mixed with 10 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look, during processing I had to open each foil and reapply a new lightener mixture to warm areas, then rinsed hair, toned with wella blondor pale platinum with 10 vol for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, Olaplex number 2 for 20 minutes, then shampooed, conditioned, cut and styled with round brushes. Total service: 10 hours #behindthechair #modernsalon #americansalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #Irvine hairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist @behindthechair_com @modernsalon @american_salon #olaplex @wellaeducation @cosmoprofbeauty @saloncentric #silverfox #silverhair #greyhairdontcare #greyhair #wella #wellahair #mydentity
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Mar 7, 2020 at 9:12am PST
2. One last trip to the salon
This woman wanted to stop coloring her hair so she had Martin match her roots and leave it at that.
She looks so much more glam with her new look! And she won’t have to worry about roots ever again.
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Monday transformation. This beautiful client came to me from north California seeking gray silver color to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair, I started the long process by removing the artificial dye using @malibucpro cpr for 40 minutes then @pravana color extractor for 20 minutes, then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @wellahairusa blondor with 20 vol developer mixed with @olaplex leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by taking very thin sections for faster lightening process until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with @wellahair color charm 3A/148 (blue/green base ash brown) mixed with 10 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look, during processing I had to open each foil and reapply a new lightener mixture to warm areas, then rinsed hair, toned with wella blondor pale platinum with 10 vol for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, Olaplex number 2 for 20 minutes, then shampooed, conditioned, cut and styled with round brushes. Total service: 9 hours #behindthechair #modernsalon #americansalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist @behindthechair_com @modernsalon @american_salon #olaplex @wellaeducation @cosmoprofbeauty @saloncentric #silverfox #silverhair #greyhairdontcare #greyhair #wella #wellahair
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Sep 16, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT
3. Face-framing
Some greys grow in around the face first.
If you’re not ready to go grey all over this is a fantastic in-between look.
In fact, she looks even younger now!
4. From competing to complementary colors
When blondes go grey it can be a tough color combo to pull off, especially if your hair is not naturally light.
This client’s hair looks so much more deliberate and stylish after she returned to her roots.
5. Big and bold
This woman is lucky to have such luscious hair to begin with.
Now that it’s fully silver she’s positively glowing.
And the long hair keeps her looking youthful.
6. Not all grey is grey
Heading towards grey doesn’t mean you can’t go slow or still keep some blonde in your hair.
This in-between color is a marvelous way to keep people guessing about whether you’ve gone grey or are lucky enough to rock the platinum blonde.
7. Embrace it early
This woman decided to go straight for silver the minute those strands started showing up.
Her process took 8 hours, so if you’re going to do a major color change on a lot of hair, you need to plan ahead so you don’t end up needing to cut it all off.
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This beautiful client came to me with hair that had multi different light and dark brassy colors, she was seeking gray silver ashy color to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair every 3-4 weeks, total service was 8 hours and one session, I started the long process by cutting her hair to a shorter bob with layers, then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @redken flash lift power 9 with 20 vol with @olaplex leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by foiling the hair based on her root gray pattern very thin sections for faster and even lifting until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with redken gels 1/2 5AB + 1/2 7Ab mixed with 10 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look. I Then rinsed hair, toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9b + 1/2 oz 9v mixed with 2oz Cristal clear and 3 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets, rinsed, shampooed, conditioned, cut about 1 1/2” of the ends and did some layering. styled with round brushes. Total service: 8/9hours #behindthechair #americansalon #modernsalon @behindthechair_com @american_salon @modernsalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #balayagehair #balayageombre #balayagehighlights #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #redken #silverhair #redken #opaplex @saloncentric #saloncentric #saloncentricpartner
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Apr 21, 2020 at 12:41pm PDT
8. Granny chic takes years off
Some women go grey very early.
And while we don’t know this woman’s age, we can say that taking the plunge to go grey now makes a bold and beautiful statement.
9. Not just for mere mortals
Martin’s work is so well-known that is draws in celebrities as well, such as Jane Fonda and Sharon Osbourne.
When Osbourne decided to stop dying her hair and embrace a bold, white look, she knew exactly who to call.
This is such a massive improvement on the “before” photo – but as soon as we saw this post our first thought was “wow, that takes a lot of bleach and time.”
And, indeed, this was a 10-hour process.
Lifting color is an art form.
11. You don’t need to wait
This young woman had no grey to begin with but understands that silver strands are on-trend.
We’re loving this transformation!
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Pearl ash blonde. Total service time was 8 hours. Hair was black virgin. All color brushes and foils used in this transformation are by the amazing @framar Formula: first I did a balayage with back combing technique just middle length to roots to create more blonde areas on the Middle to ends of the hair used @oligopro extra light with 30 vol and @olaplex to achieve pale blonde level 10, had to remix new lightener after 1 hour and apply it to each foil in the stubborn areas, and spray water and towel dry on areas that already been done so I won’t over process the hair, no heat at all, total time for lightener 2 hours. Rinsed hair , towel dried, then toned with redken shade eq 1/2 9 p ( pearl )+ 1/2 9V platinum ice with equal amount clear and processing solutions for 20 minuets on blonde hair areas, rinsed again, applied Olaplex number 2 for 20 min, shampooed, cut and styled with 2 inches curling iron. #olaplex #behindthechair #modernsalon #americansalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #balayagehair #balayageombre #balayagehighlights #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist @behindthechair_com @modernsalon @american_salon @balayageombre
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Jan 15, 2020 at 4:00pm PST
12. Make it shimmer
We love the way her grey was growing in to begin with, but this full-on transformation to ice queen is just astonishing.
And, most importantly, it looks like the client loves it too!
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Black colored hair to ashy blonde. This beautiful client came to me from The bay area seeking grey silver color to blend and match her natural gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair black color, total service was 12 hours, and I can say that was the hardest project I have ever done in my whole career just because her ends were extremely dark and it took me for ever to lighten it but I had to choose between reaching my goal with damaged results and reaching a blended blonde with healthier hair and like you see I choose the second option. I started the long process by cutting the hair to a semi A-line bob with layers because I always believed in building the house then paint it, then I started removing the artificial dye using @pravana color extractor twice for 20 minutes each process, then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils by taking very thin sections using @oligopro with 20 vol and @olaplex for 4 hours, after hour and half I reopened each foil and reapplied a new lightener mixture on the warm areas until I reached the lightest pale blonde, rinsed hair, pre-toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9V + 1/2 oz 9B + 1 oz clear mixed with 2 oz processing solution for 20 minutes, rinsed, dry hair 70% then apply @wellahairusa pale platinum mixed with 6 vol and brass kicker applied on the whole hair only leaving her natural roots out for 30 minutes. Then did Olaplex number 2 for 20 minutes to reconstruct the hair, shampooed, style with round brushes. #behindthechair #modernsalon #americansalon @behindthechair_com @american_salon @modernsalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachbalayage #silverhair #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist #olaplex #greyhair #greyhairdontcare @wellaeducation #oligopro @saloncentric @cosmoprofbeauty
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Nov 21, 2019 at 9:30am PST
13. Maintenance is key
Grey hair can be more susceptible to the elements (like sunlight and hard water) than other colors, making it turn brassy.
Just because you no longer have to dye your hair doesn’t mean there isn’t upkeep (such as purple shampoo).
But as you can see, a little effort means maintaining your beautiful new style.
14. Now it pops
Just look at the way this silver hair makes her lips pop.
This look is great if you like to be bold with a bit of color on your face.
15. Half a day grey
Whoa! This looks amazing and took 12 hours to complete!
You can’t expect this kind of makeover to come from a box OR to come cheap and easy.
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This beautiful client came to me seeking gray silver color to blend and match her natural gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair dark boxed color, total service was 12 hours. I started the long process by removing the artificial dye using @malibucpro cpr for 45 minutes then @pravana color extractor twice for 20 minutes each process, then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils by taking very thin sections using @wellahairusa blondor with 30 vol and @olaplex for 4 hours, after hour and half I reopened each foil and reapplied a new lightener mixture on the warm areas until I reached the lightest pale blonde, rinsed hair, pre-toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9V + 1/2 oz 9B + 1 oz clear mixed with 2 oz processing solution for 20 minutes, rinsed, dry hair 70% then apply @kenraprofessional 10MS ( metallic silver ) mixed with 6 vol and applied on processed hair only leaving her natural roots out for 30 minutes. Then did Olaplex number 2 for 20 minutes to reconstruct the hair, shampooed, cut long layers, style with round brushes. #behindthechair #modernsalon #americansalon @behindthechair_com @american_salon @modernsalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #balayagehair #balayageombre #balayagehighlights #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist @wellaeducation #olaplex @balayageombre @balayageartists @balayagedandpainted #greyhairdontcare #greyhair #silverhairdontcare #grayhairdontcare #silverhair
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Jul 1, 2019 at 12:02pm PDT
16. No more multicolored mayhem
There’s a lot going on in this “before” photo.
But after this client’s transformation, she looks more glam – and more youthful!
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This beautiful client came to me from Las Vegas with hair that had multi different light and dark brassy colors, she was seeking gray silver color to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair every 3-4 weeks, total service was 9 hours and one session, I started the long process by removing the artificial dye using @malibucpro cpr then @pravana color extractor for 45 minutes each process, then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @wellahairusa blondor and 30 vol developer mixed with b3 @brazilianbondbuilder leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by foiling the hair based on her root gray pattern very thin sections for faster and even lifting until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with guytang mydentity dark shadow and 6 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look . I Then rinsed hair, pre toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9b + 1/2 oz 9v mixed with 2oz Cristal clear and 3 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, dried hair then applied @kenraprofessional silver metallic 10 SM with 6 vol for 30 minuets, shampooed, conditioned, cut layered bob and styled with round brushes. Total service: 9-10 hours #behindthechair #americansalon #modernsalon @behindthechair_com @american_salon @modernsalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #balayagehair #balayageombre #balayagehighlights #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist #brazilianbondbuilder #kenra #redken #silverhair @wellaeducation #btconeshot19_colortransformation @oneshothairawards #btconeshot19_overalltransformation
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Apr 9, 2019 at 1:48pm PDT
17. Embrace the change
Sometimes those silver roots come in with a vengeance!
This is definitely a change for the better.
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This beautiful client came to me from Arizona seeking gray silver color to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair, I started the long process by removing the artificial black dye using @malibucpro cpr for 40 minutes then @pravana color extractor for 20 minutes, at this point her hair got from level 2 to level 7-8, then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @oligopro extra blonde and 20 vol developer mixed with @olaplex leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by taking very thin sections for faster lightening process until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with guytang mydentity dark shadow mixed with Pravana 3N and 6 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look, during processing I had to open each foil and reapply a new lightener mixture to warm areas, then rinsed hair, pre toned with redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9B + 1/2 oz 9V + 1 oz Cristal clear (00) mixed with 2 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, dried hair then applied Kenra silver metallic 10 SM with 6 vol for 30 minuets, Olaplex number 2 for 20 minutes, then shampooed, conditioned, styled with round brushes. Total service: 10 hours #behindthechair #modernsalon #americansalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist @behindthechair_com @modernsalon @american_salon @redken
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on May 8, 2019 at 1:48pm PDT
18. Pulling off the band-aid
It can be hard to say goodbye to your color when those first bold greys grow in – especially if you’ve been maintaining red hair all this time.
But this client just went for it – and boy did it pay off!
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This beautiful client came to me from new hampshire with hair that had multi different light and dark brassy colors, she was seeking gray silver color to blend and match her gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair every 3-4 weeks, total service was 9 hours and one session, I started the long process by cutting her hair to a beautiful layered bob then I removed the artificial dye using @malibucpro cpr then @pravana color extractor , then I bleach the whole head starting from where her gray roots starts in foils using @wellahairusa blondor and 30 vol developer mixed with @olaplex leaving her gray roots out for about 4 hours by foiling the hair based on her root gray pattern very thin sections for faster and even lifting until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, at the same time all the hair that was left outside the foils I colored it with guytang mydentity dark shadow and 6 vol for about 30 min to create that salt and pepper look . I Then rinsed hair, pre toned with @redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9b + 1/2 oz 9v mixed with 2oz Cristal clear and 3 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, dried hair then applied @kenraprofessional silver metallic 10 SM with 6 vol for 30 minuets, shampooed, conditioned, cut layered bob and styled with round brushes. Total service: 9-10 hours #behindthechair #americansalon #modernsalon @behindthechair_com @american_salon @modernsalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #balayagehair #balayageombre #balayagehighlights #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist #kenra #redken #silverhair @wellaeducation #olaplex
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Aug 6, 2019 at 9:06am PDT
19. White-hot
For those lucky enough to have those bright white roots grow in (as opposed to a duller grey they might not like), it’s much easier to embrace the bold color.
Besides, there was no covering these up for long!
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This beautiful client came to me seeking gray white color to blend and match her 100% gray roots so she can stop coloring her hair dark brown boxed color, total service was 9 hours, I started the long by bleaching the whole head starting from where the dark brown starts sin foils using @oligopro extra blonde and 20 vol developer mixed with B3 leaving her gray roots out for about 3 hours by taking very thin sections for faster lightening process until I reached level 10 pale yellow blonde, rinsed hair, then pre toned with redken shade eq 1/2 oz 9B + 1/2 oz 9V and 1 oz crystal clear 00 with 2 oz of processing solution for 20 minuets to cancel all the yellow from the hair, rinsed again, dried hair then applied @kenraprofessional silver metallic 10 SM with 6 vol and a dot of blue booster for 30 minuets, shampooed, conditioned, cut layers and styled round brushes. #behindthechair #kenra #americansalon #modernsalon @brazilianbondbuilder #brazilianbondbuilder @behindthechair_com @american_salon @modernsalon #tustinhairstylist #tustinsalon #tustinhair #irvinehair #irvinehairstylist #irvinesalon #irvinebalayage #newportbeachsalon #newportbeachhair #newportbeachhairstylist #newportbeachbalayage #balayagehair #balayageombre #balayagehighlights #orangecountysalon #orangecountyhairstylist #beverlyhillshair #beverlyhillssalon #beverlyhillshairstylist #oligopro
A post shared by ᒍᗩᑕK ᗰᗩᖇTIᑎ (@jackmartincolorist) on Jul 28, 2019 at 4:10pm PDT
20. From brass to sass
Brass is a dirty word in hair color but we love red.
Still, there’s a time when all that upkeep isn’t quite worth the struggle anymore.
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