Herringbone Highlights Are The Best Way To Transition Into Going Gray
In recent years, many women are happily and proudly embracing the decision to go gray. It's a natural part of life to grow some gray hairs by your 20s and 30s or even earlier. Gray hairs are simply a by-product of your hair losing melanin and consequently the color in your strands. After years and sometimes decades of dyeing your hair, allowing your natural sparkles to shine can feel very liberating. In the office, some use it as a power move (via Wall Street Journal). After all, what screams confidence more than being fully comfortable with the real you?
There are a few ways to grow out your gray if you've been dyeing it for years, as per Reader's Digest. Of course, you can just stop using dye but that requires a heck of a lot of patience and a full year or two depending on your hair length. You can also let it grow out and cut it as short as you're comfortable with so the gray will grow in sooner. Another option is to use a washable touch-up spray while the grays grow in.
However, you can also add highlights or lowlights according to your hair color. An innovative way to grow out your gray is to get herringbone highlights.
How herringbone highlights work
When growing out gray, you may notice that the grays follow their own unique pattern, per Hairstory. You may have light grays, dark, grays, and even white strands all intermingled throughout your head. There is no clear-cut way to predict how or where they'll appear, which is beautiful but can also be frustrating if you're trying to cover specific areas. That's why herringbone highlights work perfectly.
Herringbone highlights are meant to resemble the blended parallel look often found in flooring which was created to mimic the pattern of fishbones. However, it doesn't cover your grays. Instead, it compliments them by weaving very fine and thin highlights around them. The result is a wonderfully blended mix of highlights, lowlights, and natural grays.
"I've always used the herringbone highlight technique, which involves applying foils at an angle in a herringbone pattern — because I like delicately blended color," colorist Zoe Irwin tells Vogue. "It's about seamlessly blending a mix of shades together, as opposed to completely hiding the gray."
Why herringbone highlights are so popular
Herringbone highlights are a wonderful way to celebrate your grays as they come in since instead of hiding them, you purposely incorporate them into your look. One of the best things about these highlights is that they are highly versatile and work on all colors of hair, including blonds, brunettes, and even redheads (via Hair.com).
Another pro is that they are low maintenance. While you'll want to use a toning shampoo to avoid brassiness, you won't need to run to the salon so often as your roots come in because your natural grays will grow in softly among the other colors.
Finally, if you go for herringbone highlights, you'll be in good company, as per Real Simple. Many celebrities have embraced herringbone highlights, such as stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Jennifer Aniston who are celebrating their newfound sparkles. "You will still see the gray," says hairstylist Jessica Page. "It will just be more blended and flattering!"