Wow, thank you all! My stylist has well earned my confidence, however your comments really add to my comfort with the decision. There is still some discoloration, but it is much less obvious. I do think I can live with it, until it grows out. I will do the clarifying treatments my stylist gave me to see if they can keep the yellow tones and brass at bay.
Angie, thank you very much. Sometimes thick, wavy hair can be very difficult. I think my stylist has figured out how to tame it.
Thank you, Tina. The toner (last applied in just a few sections, in January) is what was discolored. We are not sure why that happened, but happen it did. Today I had a clarifying treatment that removed residue and product build up. It brightened my hair a lot.
Thank you slim cat, Barbara Diane, suntiger, Nemosmom, JAileen and minaminu.Keeping up with appointments makes a big difference in the shape and motion of my hair. Long hair, just growing longer without attention does not work well for me.
Thank you Cardiff Girl. Most of my inspiration photos are of longer, layered gray hair. If my stylist said to go shorter, and start over, I would. I’m glad we found a way to keep most of the length.
Spot on, Carla. Without the brazillian blowout, my hair takes on a life of its own and humidity does not help. When shorter, my hair could resemble a Chia Pet. My stylist is so good about knowing where to keep some length and weight and where to lighten up with layers.
Karie, thank you! Overall I have liked my transition to gray hair shades a lot. Over the last few months, as the discoloration was really showing, I have not been too happy with the color. A clarifying treatment helped get me back on the right path, I think.
JenniNZ, I can understand your confusion. When I first began the transition, we added in heavy highlights to blend in the grays. Then we stopped highlighting and applied toner to the places that needed adjustments. Over time we applied less and less toner and very strategically, only on the sections that needed some corrections. We began to notice that the sections with toner were the places that turned a darker rusty color. We decided to stop toning and just let my hair grow out. The yellowish tones, about half way down my head were probably due to product build up. I was using all the Brazillian Blowout products (shampoo, conditioner, smoothing serum) and had been for years. I asked my stylist if she thought those could be contributing to the yellow tones. She said it was possible, so I began using purple based products once a week and stopped using the BB products. The gray/ white hair on the top of my head is what a few months without the BB products looks like. Soooo, yes, still my own hair, but due to toners and products I ended up needing a bit of an overhaul. We had not done a clarifying treatment before, because it would shorten the time for how long the BB would last (usually 3-4 months). I think I am better off without the BB, if the upkeep products turn my hair yellow.
Thank you Style Fan and Ms. Maven. You are so kind.
Thank you, Sal. Haha, I want it all: good looking hair, but no fuss when I have a chance to be outside, getting my hair wet or needing it out of my face. I am feeling soooo much better. Thank you. I really needed to wrap up the school year and have a bit of time to process all that 2020 plopped into our laps. I had been like the little hamster running on the wheel and needed to hop off!
