Has your hair changed colour during the pandemic? Perhaps you’ve decided to ditch the dye and instead embrace your greys? If so, are you now wondering if the colours you used to wear still suit you?
We will all hopefully have the privilege of ageing and therefore, most of us will go grey at some point. This is because your melanin levels gradually reduce. You will probably find to start with that some of your hair retains it’s original colour while other hairs will turn white. After 15 months without visiting my hairdresser, I now have dramatic white streaks on my temples but the rest of my hair remains dark brown!
Your hair, like your clothes is a matter of individual preference and there is no one right way to do things.
How each of us deals with this change is very personal and it’s up to you whether to embrace your greys or not. If you’re not ready to go for it, then don’t let anyone get in your way! But similarly if you are ready to go ‘au naturel’ don’t anyone put you off. The thought of not having to deal with roots every six weeks was an absolute game changer for me.
My obvious streaks!
Just as our hair loses pigment, our skin can too. You might have noticed that your skin is a little cooler and lighter in tone and you’ve had to change your foundation. This is because the skin’s upper layer gets thinner as we grow older which can subtly change our colouring.
Even your eyes may soften too and I’ve worked with many clients who tell my their eye colour has changed over time. If you had dark brown eyes in your early twenties you may well find you now have more of a dark olive green or more hazel coloured eyes from your 40s onwards.
This is because the darker brown pigments fade allowing any blue pigments that were there all along to become more obvious. This can make your eyes appear more green than before.
So as we lose colour in our hair, skin and eyes we lose depth and that means we can lose the contrast we had before.
So what does this mean for your colour palette?
It might be no changes at all are necessary but if your colours do feel a bit off, here are a few ideas to consider - most of which just mean having a bit of fun experimenting!
If your original colour palette now feels too much and the colours feel over-powering, try subtly lightening them. So a deep, dark navy that once suited you might now be better switched out for a slightly lighter French navy. It still has depth and punch but will appear softer against your skin and create a more harmonious effect.
Try slightly lightening your original colours
Conversely, if your original colour palette now feels too wishy washy, try amping up the brightness. So instead of a delicate baby blue, go for a stronger azure. This might help create more of that contrast that you feel you’re lacking. Prue Leith is the absolute queen of bright if you ever need an icon!
If you had quite striking, colourful hair before, it might be that you embrace the fact you now have a neutral backdrop and therefore jump at the opportunity to experiment with a whole host of new colours in your clothes. For example, if you had lush auburn hair and were previously reticent to wear read or orange, having grey or white hair might now give you the urge to try those bold colours again!
If your colours now feel too pale, go for a brighter version
If your colours aren’t having enough impact and you’ve lost that wow factor, perhaps try experimenting with your make up too by adding a little blusher or a more vivid lipstick to add more colour to your look.
Whatever you decide, just wear what makes you feel good because that in turn will help you look more invigorated and full of joy (which is always attractive in my book!) or if you need an expert hand, I’m ready and willing as ever to help.
