The Hour

The moment you find that first strand of silver in your hair can be a defining moment in your life. For most women it is seen as a signal that you are becoming middle aged and tends to arrive in the 30s and 40s. While many women decide to embrace their grey hair (Helen Mirren, Jamie Lee Curtis) dying your hair is a common practice for women of all ages.

According to a recent study commissioned by John Frieda, almost a third of British women under the age of 30 have already started to go grey, and two-thirds of them blame it on stress. Just 20 years ago, the proportion of women who spotted their first grey hair before the age of 30 was just 18 percent. John Frieda, the haircare brand that carried out the research, thinks it’s so significant it has come up with a name for this new consumer demographic – Ghosts – Grey Haired Over Stressed Twenty Somethings.

Angela Coia talks to the Hour about the different ways hair dye can be applied to hide those troublesome greys.

A common mistake women make in trying to hide their grey hairs is to use the exact same dye as their natural hair colour. Vibrant colours tend to be more effective. It can also pay to lighten the overall colour of the hair to deal with a significant build up of greys.

In other circumstances, if the lady is happy with her grey locks, a few techniques can be applied to spice up her look. To add a little gloss and sheen you can apply some subtle highlights on top of an overall tone to change the grey look from 'old' to 'classy.'