Grey hair : what few people will tell you

My hair. Jumper from The Bias Cut  Photo: Katie Frost

I recently came across a couple of magazines with beauty features on how to care for grey/white  hair. I welcome that, (naturally) grey hair is still not quite accepted as a colour, though the 'embrace your grey' movement has come a long way.  So it is heartening to see that discussing grey hair is no longer about how to hide it nor is it confined to publications for seniors, such as Saga magazine.
Grey haired models are more visible - only last week I modelled for a known sports/dance wear company, based in the US but selling globally. For that job having grey hair was not the only requirement; the ability to move was equally important. But the presence of an older model such as myself amongst the much younger fitness models, some of whom former athletes, showed the good will of the company and their effort to be inclusive.  Older women, after all, can be seen in gyms and yoga studios; fitness is encouraged among the not-so-young.  These older women do want to wear nice leggings and flattering tops.
There are now lots of products on the market  for people who want to look after their grey hair. There are also books such as the one  by Jan Rogers, full of good advice and interviews with women that have chosen not to colour their natural grey.

Photo: Sarah Tucker. Model: me

I have had visible grey hair since the age of 40, just about twenty years now. I had it before then but I carefully camouflaged it by colouring it.  Some silver haired ladies  will tell you about  how they went grey when they were barely out of their childhood and how someone told them  their silver made them akin to magical beings. How lovely! I can assure you, however,  that it never happened to me, no one was ever so full of praise for my grey hair, back then. I spotted my first grey when I was about 24  and no one had anything nice to say about it apart from the very obvious thing that it was all down to my genes. Well, I knew that, and there is neither shame nor pride in that.  It did not cheer me up a bit.  When I decided not to colour my hair  it was for a very practical reason. My hair grows really fast and I was spending huge amounts of money at the hairdresser's to touch up roots on a weekly basis. My hair also did not look very healthy, with all that colouring. My stylist at the time - he later gave up hairdressing and went to live in Brazil with his boyfriend - thought I could try cutting my hair  very short and go 'au naturel' - it's very French,  elegant and chic, he told me. I was persuaded and agreed to try. Within weeks from that  first haircut -  a gorgeous asymmetric one that really framed my face -I sported a nice shade of salt and pepper. The stylist was very gifted at cutting hair, so naturally I continued to visit the salon for my 'regular trim', changing style quite a few times. I ended up spending almost as much as I did before so going grey  never worked as the money saving device it was meant to be, but I liked my new natural colour and the stylish haircut(s).
Anyway, it's been years since I took that life-changing decision. Now, my hair is almost entirely white and it reaches my hips - I gave up cutting it quite a while ago, with the occasional self administered trim, preferring a neo-Rapunzel look.
If you think that grey hair  does not need TLC you are definitely wrong. The major problem is the yellowing due to chemicals, hot irons, pollution, chlorine (if you like swimming) etc. It makes grey/white hair look dirty and truly old. There is nothing that really counters it, no matter how much purple shampoo you use (and you must go easy with that one or your hair will turn purple, as grey hair absorbs colour completely, so rinses and temporary fun colours such as pink are also a big no no, unless you really want your hair to be of a funky colour).

Taking a selfie in Florence. Photo: Emma Innocenti

I have tried everything, my long tresses are very important to me as much of my modelling work is  predicated on this feature. The only thing that removes that unsightly yellow is a paste obtained by mixing  3% 10 volume hydrogen peroxide and bicarbonate of soda. I do this treatment  every three to four weeks and leave the paste on for a good twenty minutes. I do it on clean, wet hair, gently towel dried, after shampooing with Head and Shoulder Classic Clean - it still is the best clarifying shampoo around, it's cheap but as good as the most expensive brands. I then rinse out the hair and might even shampoo it again but this time with a very mild shampoo, like Johnson's Baby shampoo.  Of course after this the hair is incredibly dry.  I used to tackle the dryness by applying tons of conditioner and leaving it on for ages before rinsing and air drying.  Then I discovered Olaplex, so after using the hydrogen and bicarbonate of soda paste and rinsing it thoroughly I use Olaplex 3 for at least an hour, then rinse, shampoo and condition.  The result is soft, manageable hair with all the brassiness removed.  Olaplex is not a nourishing mask, so from time to time you may want to use a hair mask separately.  The great thing about Olaplex is that it eliminates the dryness caused by the peroxide. It is a bit pricey, but worth it.
When I go swimming - which is often -  I never wear a cap because my hair is too long and does not fit into any. I put a little coconut oil or even almond oil on my hair  before going to the pool and after I swim I shampoo and condition.
Not everyone tells you about the best way to eliminate brassiness (the yellowing I have declared war on). In truth I am not so keen on purple shampoo because it does colour the hair. Yet most advice about how to care for grey hair will be about using purple shampoo. Not for me and if at all, very sparingly.
If you have any tip please do share!
(I have not been sponsored by any of the brands I have mentioned)