The Low-Maintenance Hair Technique That Helps You Transition To Gray Hair Seamlessly

Did you know, it's entirely possible to maintain healthy hair in your 50s and beyond? For all the fear society imposed on women about aging (and despite what decades of beauty marketing might suggest,) growing older doesn't have to be something you hide, least of all in your hair. Of course, in texture and in color, hair changes as you age, and the rich tones of your youth may give way to gray. But that transformation can be graceful and undoubtedly chic, especially with a nifty little trick called gray blending.

As one of several different root touch-up techniques, think of gray blending as a truce between color and nature. It's a softer, more forgiving approach to color that sidesteps the harsh grow-out line or endless dye appointments. Red carpet hair and makeup artist Luna Viola tells Women exclusively, "[The approach] blends gray hair with your natural color using highlights and lowlights, resulting in a natural look." She explains that the subtle interplay of tones 'adds dimension to the color, creating multiple seamless shades' —  a world away from the flat, uniform finish of traditional all-over dyes. Viola also points out that gray blending's real draw lies in its ease. "Less maintenance and less coloring, she said. "This multi-tonal look leaves no harsh divide between the roots and the rest of the hair," which means softer regrowth and far fewer salon touch-ups.

So, who does gray blending really suit? According to red carpet hair and makeup artist Luna Viola, a good candidate for gray blending is "Someone with a high percentage of grey seeking a natural look and a low maintenance routine, or those with dark hair, as it softens the stark contrast between the grey growth and the dark base." In other words, it's a technique that tempers your transition and finds harmony between what was and what's becoming.

That same sensibility is surfacing among a cohort of our favorite celebrities who aren't playing by society's beauty rules (and thank God for that). You can see it in Gwyneth Paltrow's luscious locks — that weather-glossed blonde threaded with glimmers that flirt with gray. Elsewhere, Jennifer Aniston's full hair transformation has seen her caramel tones gradually burnished into a cooler color over the years. Now, gray blending sits comfortably in their lineage: a tonal détente which helps you fold age elegantly into the frame.