Gray Hair & How To Take Care Of It?

So now that I've shown how to GET GRAY HAIR, I'd like to tell you how to maintain it. As I told in the first post, gray hair color is probably one of the most time, money and effort consuming color that there is. I've had black, pink, light brown, dark brown, orange, white and blond hair and as a naturally brown haired person, everything that has something to do with bleaching is very frustrating at times. However I was and am very obsessed with the color gray - I just love it, so it was only natural to try it out as a hair color.

First thing you need to know, is that you're gonna need to spend a lot more time in the shower after you've obtained the gray hair, because keeping it good looking is almost as hard as getting it. The gray colors only attach to blond/very blond hair. If there are any traces of brown or extreme yellowness, the gray color will say "NOPE" and run away. Sometimes I had to bleach my roots 2 times before the gray color actually stick. And as we know, bleaching is not good for your hair. SO keep that in mind before even thinking about dyeing your hair gray, because IF your hair is naturally very dark and/or it's not in good condition, the multiple bleaching can actually cause your hair to fall off and you're left with very damaged, dry and short hair. This happened to my sister ones when she recklessly bleach and dyed her hair over and over again - and did not listen to my warnings.

But now I'm going to show you the products that I use on my gray hair, that keeps the hair and also the color in a good shape! (You can also use some of these products on any hair color, because most of them are not meant for just gray hair).

STEP # 1 
A good silver shampoo is what you're gonna need! This is by far the best one that I've bumped into and the price is reasonable. I usually let it affect about 2 minutes before rinse. It might leave a touch of lilac in your hair if you're not careful. No gloves needed. Just wet your hair and take a good amount of the shampoo and leave it for a moment and rinse off. This actually washes your hair so you don't need to wash you hair with a normal shampoo before using this ( like you need to do with some other silver shampoos). I also like that fact that it comes in a pump bottle! So L´ORÈAL Professionnel Silver shampoo, expert series. You can find it from hair saloons and special hair stores.

L´oreal paris Silver Shampoo, expert series.

STEP # 1.5
You don't always have to use a silver shampoo, you can also use a regular one, but I would recommend to get one that treats your hair. I found this shampoo very lovely! It smells really nice and it immediately makes your hair more soft and silky. Because in order to keep your hair gray, it needs to be moisturized. No color will stick to dry and damaged hair. You can find this shampoo in basically any shop and it's very cheap. So no extra money spent there and I think it's a good value for money. (Pantene PRO-V, repair and protect shampoo)

Pantene Pro-V repair and protect shampoo

STEP # 2
To keep the color gray, you need to add it at least on every third wash. I usually add some color on every second wash. Sometimes I'm too lazy and add it only on every third wash, and it immediately shows on my hair! This is the best product to add in the shower for some extra color! I already talked about this in the first post, so I'm not gonna blabber about it too much now, so just go check out the older post from HERE. This gives a really cool and nice gray color and it's so easy to apply and use. Just leave it on after shampooing for about 5 minutes and rinse. Instead of using this, you can also use the WELLA color fresh 7/19 or other quick fix colors that do not contain ammonia. (Gray Color treatment - EVERY ANNADONNA).

Gray color treatment, EVERY annadonna

 STEP # 3
I basically don't use a conditioner too much, because I found this! It's a GARNIER Respons, Caring Mask. It's really cheap, around 4-6 euros and it's extremely durable! I've had mine for over two months and I use it on almost every wash. It has Avocado and Shea Butter and it smells amazing! I didn't see any difference in my hair for the first two weeks, but after that I noticed that my hair was in so much better condition! It was less course and electric and very soft and silky and more glossy. I recommend this to everyone! But especially for those who color their hair and use many heat tools like curlers and blow dryers. You can basically find it from bigger stores. Pppsssttt! This series also has a shampoo, that's also SO LOVELY! I recommend it. It's very similar to the Pantene's shampoo and they're both amazing.

Garnier Respons, Caring Mask with Avocado and Shea Butter.

A creamy, easy to apply texture.

 STEP # 4
After showering, when your hair is still damp, apply this dry oil to your hair! It also smells amazing, moisturizing your hair leaving it less frizzy and dry and also reduces electricity in your hair. It does not come off as oily and dirty, but shiny and extremely soft! This one has a Vitamin E in it. It does not have any heat protection aspects to it, so use a proper heat protection product before blow drying or using any curlers etc. I really recommend this if you live in a cold country and your hair tends to get really electric because of the cold and dry air. This is a durable and cheap and easy to find. I payed maybe 7 euros from it and i've had it for many months now, and there's still over half left. ( PANTENE PRO-V, Dry Oil).

PANTENE Pro-V, Vitamin E Dry Oil.

 STEP # 4.5
This is also a wonderful dry oil! It's a bit pricey, and you can only find it from hair saloons and stores. (at least in Finland) It's KMS California TAME FRIZZ dry oil. This smells also very good and it's durable. It gives an intense shine and moisturizes and this one has a heat and humidity protection in it. I add it to damp but also on dry hair to give some extra shine. I really recommend to use some sort of dry oil. This one was a bit more expensive, it was 22 euros. But I think it's worth it!

KMS California Tame Frizz dry oil.

 STEP # 5
Last step, is to use some gray hair colors to really volume up the grayness of your hair. I just found this new color from Finland and I'm not yet sure if it's sold in anywhere else? I think it's made in Poland, but it still could be a Finnish color. But I really liked it! I bought two of these from an exhibition, and it only costed 10€/2 packs. So really cheap! It has ammonia in it so I was quite cautious with it, but the color came out really nice! Like deep, ash gray. This is a permanent color so it should stay a bit longer than the other ones. The color is not as dark as it seems on the package, but it's really nice. One of the best ones I know. But once again, the hair needs to be quite blond before using this. (AROMA INTENSE, Permanent Silver Blond Color).

AROMA INTENSE, permanent Silver blond. 

A bad picture of the instructions. But as you can see, this does not affect
on dark hair - only on very blond hair. 

So this is my guide to good and healthy hair and color! You need to use a bit more time if you want a healthy hair. One good product is Virgin Coconut Oil. It's natural and does not contain ANY chemicals. You can use is as a conditioner in a shower and also as a mask. Just apply it to your hair in the evening, sleep on it and wash it off in the shower next morning. The coconut oil is very oily so use a plastic film or bag on your hair or cover your pillow with a towel - otherwise everything is oily. Also put your hair up on a bun, for preventing a huge mess - it's also better for you hair to sleep with a loose bun, because it prevents friction and tangles. (and it also adds some volume to yous hair!). Once I bleached my roots 2 times in one day at a saloon and my scalp was SO ITCHY and burning. I rubbed a whole lot of coconut oil on my scalp and slept on it and in the morning my scalp was completely healed! You cannot use coconut oil as a dry oil, because it leaves you hair so oily looking that it's almost disgusting. So you need to wash/rinse it.


I hope this helped you and leave a comment if you have any questions or critics!

XXX, 
TOKI

SMOOCH!! 

When I grow up I want to be a ZOMBIE. 

It seems that I always have this Marvel shirt on, when I take photos...
FYI it's not my only shirt. :D lol

Grey/Gray Hair Colors Review - what, from where and how much?

I know I promised a shoe review, but somehow I got inspired to do a post about gray/grey hair colors: what colors are the best, where you can get them and how much do they cost.

I've had this color now for over two years and during that time, I've come quite familiar with many of the hair colors on the market. Of course I haven't tried them all, but I could easily say that I've tried most of them. During this time I've noticed that gray hair has grown in popularity and even though many people on the streets give me the weird look, so many have also told me that this color is amazing and wondered how I'm able to maintain it. And I'm talking about total strangers on the shop counter or restaurants. (In Amsterdam and London my hair was a big hit - so many people came to tell me that my hair is amazing, which is SO NICE!)

But before the hair colors a word of wisdom: Gray color is the hardest color to maintain at least if you have naturally dark hair ( as I do) and it takes up your time, patience and money. I go once a year to a hair saloon to get rid of the dark roots from around my head, and 2 times a year I blond my roots at home by myself. And getting the bleached hair gray is sometimes almost impossible. Somehow the color doesn't seem to attach to some parts of my hair and even after 2 years the parts are still a bit too yellow for my taste. But if you're ready to spend time and money on your hair then go for it!! And now to the colors:

I'll give each product stars from 1-5. one being the lowest score and five being the highest. This is the rate of how good the product is, how easy it is to find and how much does it cost.


1.)   The POP COLOR hairgum - gris acier  (✰✰✰½)

Even though the name of the color is this Gris Acier it's basically dark gray. This color is the most attachable one. It sticks to your hair, your hands and your sink like an leech. It also might give your hair a bit blueish color if you're not careful with it. Use plastic gloves with this color unless you want to have blue/purple hands. They changed the formula at some point and made it less runny and easier to handle. This color is quite hard to come by. You might find it from Ebay or Amazon. If you're a Finn, you can buy it from this website: Kampaamokauppa (click, click). It's not the most expensive ones, rates from 7-13€. (Suomalaisille, jos tilaat tuolta kampaamokaupasta, ota huomioon aikas suuret postituskulut. Halvin postimaksu on matkahuollolla ~9€.) To sum it up:

This is a French made color and it's a basic tool in my coloring set. Good for freshly bleached roots. Be careful with the time on this one. Sticks to everything! Semi permanent color - no treatment features. Hard to find, but quite cheap. One bottle is very durable.

where to find:   Popcolor ( shipping worldwide, but expensive)
                       Flash World  (shipping only Germany, Belgium and Netherlands)
                       Beautycoiffure (ships only to Europe)


2.) La Riche Directions - semi permanent color SILVER
        (✰½)

So this is one of the most easy color to come by, you can find them from goth/rock shops and from Amazon and Ebay. It's inexpensive rating up from 5-6€. But that's basically all that's good in this product: the jar is very small, it won't last long, it takes ages to work and it really doesn't make your hair gray. It MIGHT take off some of the yellow color in your white hair, but it's no where near making it actually gray. If you want white hair, this could work. It's very mild and washes off very quick. Other colors if this brand might work, but this one is just not worth your money. So it's a no go. If you still want to try it out, here's some websites:

Backstreet (in Finland) also in the shops.
La Riche homepage it seems that you have to buy at least 12 boxes of it in minimum?
Foksi (shipping to Europe from UK)


3.) Gatsby Natural Bleach&Color - Aqua Silver (✰✰✰)

A Japanese hair color from Gatsby. This is not a semi permanent, but a permanent color with ammonia. Which means that this might do some harm to your hair and it's very effective. Don't use this if you have one of these things: hair in bad condition, very blond hair or very thin hair. I tried it in Japan in 2012 summer and I had a very white hair and it turned my hair dark purple even though I kept it only for 10 minutes. I have used this afterwards for the yellow roots and it works well! Just be careful with this. If possible do a small test on your hair before applying it to your whole head. This is quite expensive, not conditioning and permanent and hard to find. you can buy it from Ebay or Amazon, but with shipping it can be as expensive as 20-24€ per product with few exceptions. This is a bit hard color to use and ever harder to come by, unless you're in Japan - if that's the case you can find this in almost all Don Quijote stores and from some drug stores.

Also found from:
Rakuten (may not ship all products to all countries. costs ONLY 4€!! I'm amazed.... lol )


4.) Every annadonna Gray color treatment (✰✰✰✰½)

Another Japanese color. This one is one of my personal favorites. It's very easy to use (can be used as a conditioner, because of the treatment aspect) and smells good. The consistency is thick and plum-colored. It takes about 5-10 minutes to affect and it gives a nice gray shade. It doesn't stick too easily to sinks and walls or your hands, so gloves are not that important. I bought mine from Tokyo, Shinjuku's ALTA and it costed about 15€ with that year's currencies. It's quite durable. The only downside is that it's hard to come by unless you're in Japan. However you can find it (again) from Amazon or Ebay, but it's quite expensive. My friend just went to Japan and I asked her to bring me this, since I really like it a lot.

Get it also from: Rakuten (only problem is that it's not shipped to every country - at least not Finland)

5.) WELLA Color Fresh 7/19  (✰✰✰✰½)

This is also one of my favorites. It's easy to use, smells very good and it affects quickly and gives a nice color. It's not too hard and it has a small treatment aspect to it so I basically use this at least in every second time in shower. If you keep it too long it might turn a bit blue/lilac, but that's just normal with the grey colors. It foams in wet hair and it's easy to apply. Gloves are not necessary. It's quite a small bottle but it's quite durable. In my opinion it gives the best color if you want to dye your hair from blond to gray. Darker hair must be bleached before use. This series also has a color 10/81, but that just mainly takes off yellow from blond hair. I just discovered that there is also a darker grey shade 5/19 and now I'm really interested to try it out! If I can find it somewhere....You can find it from Amazon or Ebay but I usually buy this from some hair stores. I found many pages for Finns to buy this, but not so many international sites. (Suomalaisille: Helsingissä on city-käytävällä kampaamokauppa sitruuna, joka myy tätä, mut se on usein loppu. Oon löytänyt myös joistain muista kampaamokaupoista ja salongeista tätä. Vaatii vähän etsimistä. Voit löytää myös Stockmannilta ja stockan netistä.) This costs about 12-15€/bottle but it's worth it. If you have long hair and you use this to color blond to gray you may end up using this whole bottle so buy 2 instead. I use it in showers to correct the already gray hair. It has very small amount of ammonia.

Here's some internet stores, where you can buy this:
Uusikauppa (for Finns only)
Beautynet (for Finns only)
Bangerhead (Out of stock, but if they order it more.....?)
Perfect hair (don't know if international shipping is provided)
Nice Beauty (cheap products and worldwide shipping)

6.) Men's Palty Waterwax Hair Color Silver (✰✰½)

Another color from Japan. As the stars show, I was not too pleased with this. Yes, it was easy to apply, but the color was very light gray (almost non-existing) and it washed off within the next shampoo wash. This has a strange name, waterwax which basically just indicates the consistency of this product. It comes in a small plastic jar and inside is some small bottles that you mix up and it turns into a elastic jam / wax and it's easy to apply, but once again if you have a long/thick hair, one of these won't do anything. You have to have a very blond, almost white hair to have any affect on it. I bought this from Tokyo's Don Quijote and if I remember correctly it was about 10-13€. you can buy this from retail stores like Ebay and Amazon, but if you have some other option, don't buy this - it's really not worth it. If you want to have your hair a bit more gray for 1 week, then this is the thing for you. Otherwise, don't bother.



And here I'll just quickly list some other products that you might find in some hair stores and saloons:

✦ L'ORÉAL Silver Shampoo Expert ✰✰✰½ : best silver shampoo I have tried. Comes in good sized bottles and has a good value. Easy to find. Doesn't make your hair gray, but it's good for gray hair anyways.

✦ Biozell Professional Color Mask Silver ✰✰: Not too expensive color mask treatment, but it does sh*t to your hair if you have gray hair. It's so light lilac that it has no effect on my hair. But at least it treats the hair and I just basically use it as a conditioning. Easy to find in Finland.

✦ KC Professional Color Mask Silver ✰✰: This is very similar to the Biozell's Color Mask, but I think it's slightly more pricey. Again, a good product as a conditioner, but has no effect on grey hair. Easy to find.

✦ KC Professionals Four Reasons Silver Shampoo ✰✰½: Not as good silver shampoo as the L'ORÈAL's shampoo, but it's easy to find and not too expensive.

✦ Stargazer Semi Permanent Hair Color Silver ✰✰: Easy to use blue color, that does NOT make your hair gray. Might take off some of the yellow vibes in your hair, but that's it. Very cheap product, if you're able to find it. Doesn't have a conditioning effect. Once again, don't bother if you're looking for gray hair color.

✦ Lolane Pixxel Permanent Intense Grey ✰✰✰½: Easy to find from Ebay or Amazon, and it's very, very cheap for a hair dye that has ammonia. The color is not as intense and dark as they suggest in the box, but be cautious with it. It's a product from Thailand so you have no guidebook. Unless you know Thai. Use plastic gloves while handling this, since it has ammonia. Good for yellow roots. Do a test coloring if possible, since every ones hair acts differently. I have quite thick and rough hair so it might not be too intense for me, but it might be for you.


I might have tried some other products too, but this is what I was able to remember at the moment. If you have ANY questions, shoot me with an email or facebook or leave a comment. I'll try my best to answer any of your product or usage questions and I hope this will make your hunt for the perfect grey hair color a bit less hard. May the gray hair be with you and here's some pictures of my hair to proof that I'm not trying to fool you!

Last summer. With Nemo and my Mom
in Seurasaari.

Last summer in Germany.
Grey hair - as you can see. 

Germany. My cousin is eating a bread and
on the right is my Mom. And I was not as bored
as I might seem. lol. 

Again last summer. On a beach Café with
Nemo. A bit irrelevant, but I love his face ♥

Ok, That's it for this time! Give me some of that love and let me know, if you have something on your mind. Thank you!

 TOKI!

My cousin and me with snail collagen masks, that I
bought from Japan.

[Volume to your hair - with minimal effort]

Okay, so this post is about getting your hair airy and fluffy - with minimal effort of course!
The result depends on the quality of your hair: is your hair naturally curly or extremely hard to curl even with irons and stuff. I know my hair is naturally quite curly and you can test it by making a small braid and keeping it ~20mins and if your hair is already curled after opening the braid then you have a easily curving hair. it's sometimes a pain in the ass, 'cos a little humid outside can ruin a straight hair in 5 minutes. mine is like that...

but okay so what you need to do this is:

- a good comb. or a brush or what ever you prefer.

- some pretty strong and lifting styling mousse

- okay this is additional, but i try to keep my hair also in a good shape so some moisture spray if you want to follow my exact foot steps.

- salt water spray. for example the L'ORÉAL Paris' Matt and Messy, shine free salt water spray. It actually works and it makes the hair less silky and a bit sticky.

- some strong hairspray.

- and something to tie your hair up on a bun.

ALRIGHT! so these are the products I'm using:

First of all you need to do this in the evening!!

*But after showering and drying your hair naturally so long that it's not dripping water anymore, put a fair amount of Styling Mousse on your palm. gradually apply it all over your hair, especially in the root. IF you have less-curly hair apply it all over. even to the tips.

*Then apply the Moisture Spray all over your hair but especially in the tips now. That Shwarzkopf''s Moisture Kick spray that i use also helps with electrical and dry hair. it doesn't say so in the bottle but usually the electrical effect is due to air and hair dryness. and in Finland in winter time the air is extremely dry... and also blow drying makes your hair a bit electrically charged.

*Now blow dry your hair with your head upside down.

* After this spray the Salt Spray all over your hair. It makes it a bit sticky and less silky so it's easier to handle.

*Now you need to backcomb your hair all over. It's easier after using the salt spray. TIPS! start from the bottom and work your way up. Spray Hairspray to the root and then backcomb it up. it doesn't have to look  nice at this point. this is just preparations. After backcombing your hair all over  apply hairspray again.

* After this put your hair on a bun on the top of your head and go to sleep. the bigger the bun the bigger waves you'll get. If you make the bun while your hair is still wet it'll be more curly. I can't quite do this 'cos it's almost too curly for my hair.  Here's a picture of my morning face and hair with a messy bun:

It doesn't look appealing... nor sexy. but it works. okay so here's the AFTER shot:

Note: all i did was open the bun and let my hair fall down. you can spray hairspray again and backcomb it a bit to make sure it lasts. but this is my hair in the mornings when i don't have time to use hair straightener.

And now some bit more representative pictures. I bought some new clothes from NastyGal.com. A black see-trough blouse with studded crosses on chest, one spiky necklace and one ripped, cream colored sweater. I had to declare it and it costed 20 euros.... but the clothes were totally worth it!

shirt: Reverse, ~30€ from Nastygal.com

i must apologize for the pictures' BAD quality... 

We had a ''eating-drinking-party'' at Myrre's place.

Myrre making some Pokémon cookies.!!!

there was so much food that i almost rolled my way to home. 

Going to work and saying good bye to Nemo. 

My Mom gave me this as a christmas present.
It's OnePiece of Norway. I love it! SOOO WARM.

Oh and i cut myself half-bangs! 

The zipper goes all the way up. 

Sir. Toki. with a scarf. 

the new ripped sweater/knitwear from Nastygal.com

Costa Blanca, 30€. Nastygal. com

and now some random pics:

we made a gingerbread house with my cousin, she's 9-years old.
it was my idea and she got to decorate the roof. i did the rest.
you can also spot Pikku Myy and Muumimamma.
Muumipeikko was on the other side of the house. 

My brother moved to Helsinki, so
i made him a clock, because he's always late. ....
it came out pretty cool, actually! 

we were getting some stuff for my brother from ikea, so i bought
one beautiful mirror at the same time. I don't have a place for it yet, but
when i have my own apartment it will find it's place. 

and finally we were having some cheese fondue with my Mom. and some
grapes. YUMMY!!! i bought that fondue for her as christmas present. :)

Okayyyy Guys that's it for now!! i hope i didn't make too many typos, but if i did, I'm sorry! heh.

See you soon!

XXX,
TOKI

[2011.9.10. - 00.04]

o everybody! Ajattelin tehdä tällaisen pikapäivityksen, koska tajusin just tänään, että täällä ei ole yhtäkään kuvaa mun uusista hiuksista. mikä menetys. seriously not. Huomenna mennään kaverin kanssa myymään Valtterin kirpputorille turhat kamat veke ja oh, voikun saisin siitä vähän rahaa *---* sitten meen faijalle ja nään siskostani. :) ja varmaan me muutamat skumppapullot illalla sitten maistellaan alas. haha. saa nyt nähdä. Ostin tänään tommosen IsaDoran kynsilakan, jonka nimi on 'Graffiti Nails' sen pointti on, että kun sitä laittaa yhden kerroksen kynsiin, niin se halkeilee semmoseks makeeks kuvioksi. ja se oikeasti _toimii. suosittelen todellakin. se kuivuu n. 30 sekunnissa ja on kestävä. tosin se jättää kynteen mattapinnan, joten suosittelen käyttämään pintalakkaa vielä viimeistelyyn. Sillä saa myös makeita leopardikuoseja kynsiin helposti ja nopeasti. :)

esim. (huom! en omista noita kuvia = ei ole mun ottamia!)

Tosta alemmasta kuvasta pääsee netanttila.comin sivuille, josta esim löytää noita lakkoja! itsekin ostin anttilasta. \o 

//Shortly in English: So I'm going to do just a short post, 'cos today i realized that in my blog there is no pic from my new hair? well, now it's already 'not-so-new', but at least i'll show u how it looks like. I also bought a new jumper...! and i also bought that IsaDora's  ''Graffiti Nails'' nail topping. Those pictures above are not mine - i do not own them. but i surely do recommend this product! it's easy, cheap and fast. u can do all kinds of modifications with it for example: my always so beloved, leopard pattern! Now the pictures...// 

if u didn't notice, my hair is white! that's the change. lol. and ofc it has grown a lot!

those glasses are fake! They're from Shibuya.... ~10 e

blogspot raped the quality of these pics... ;_; sorry!

Oh and my new fox tail is also peeking under the jumper! yay. (the fox tail i bought from Tokyo, Harajuku). 

Seuraavalla kerralla sitten oon ehkä saanut aikaiseksi jonkinlaisen hairtuton tai jotain muuta kehittävää. kuten ehkä vihdoin voisin kuvata kaikki nippo-ostokset...? lol. olin jo unohtanut. plus että täytyisi vielä väsätä SUMMER SONIC -raportti tonne Groovy-Motioniin.... huhuhuh, mut nyt viikonloppuna en oikein ehdi kyllä.. ;_;  ps. hain muuten töitä Sellon Brothers-liikkeeseen! pitäkää sormet ristissä, että saisin sen paikan! se olis unelma *------* mut tietenkin mun tuurilla en saa sitä. :--D miks saisin jotain helposti, kun on paljon kivempi, että en saa mitään tai että saan ne vaikean kautta? haha. mutta nyt meen nukkumaan, koska huomenna on tosi aikainen herätys ja mulla on jo ollut ongelmia herätä yhdeksältä (*köh* tänään nukuin pommiin..........) ja huomenna se olis sitten joskus kuuden aikaan... auttsssss. väsyttää jo ajatuskin. 

Mutta Adios!

TOKI

ps. ppppst still to come, Men's Knuckle preview! ;) YAY!