Anti-aging hair guide: How to embrace your grey hair

Embracing your greys can be liberating (hey, 20-year-olds are paying to get this hue), but it comes with unique styling challenges. "Grey hairs are most often a different texture from your natural hair colour because there's no pigment in them," says Kérastase stylist Sylvie Prud'Homme. Even if you're not yet spotting greys, you're probably noticing some dullness, as our natural colour fades over time. "As early as your 30s, you start to lose shine," she says. Here are three easy ways to add radiance while taming those greys.

Add an oil Restore moisture to grey hair by applying a hydrating oil to your lengths and ends before blow-drying.

Get a gloss If you're 100 percent grey and loving it, try a clear gloss treatment to increase the vibrancy. This is offered at the salon, or look for products (shampoo, conditioner and spray) that mimic the effect at home. "It will close the cuticle, give you great shine and make your hair look really healthy," says Eric del Monaco, official hair stylist and colourist for L'Oréal Paris in Canada.

Mix in some lowlights If you're 50 percent grey or more and find your texture unruly, adding lowlights can help. "It's a great option for women who don't want to commit to full colour," del Monaco says. "Camouflaging some of the grey with lowlights of your natural colour will give the hair a lot of sheen and body."

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Styling tricks

Go long It's all about length for coarse hair — think to the jawline or longer. "The heavier it is, the less likely it is to shrink up and get kinked," says Prud'Homme. "You can really manipulate and control longer hair to create smoothness and shine."

Be strategic with heat "Grey hair is super stubborn," says Prud'Homme. The key is to target it with heat quickly after washing. Apply a heat protectant, then pull a round brush through the hair, following it closely with the blow-dryer, from root to end. "Make sure the whole strand gets the heat of the blow-dryer because that's what's going to coat the cuticle and give it a nice sheen," she says. Finish with a cream or serum on the ends.

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Your kit

grey hair products