Baby Boomers: Help Them Gray Gracefully

by Naomi Mannino

This population of your client base represents about 50%of your revenue so don't you dare call them old! Making them look and feel younger? That's your business!

Anti-aging cut and coloring hair treatments are big business in the salon business, says Nick Arrojo, of Arrojo Salon in New York City. Actually this age group of salon clients, and consumers in general, born between 1946 and 1964 aged 43-61, is the largest group of your income-producing salon base. These men and women are seeking anti-aging services and have the income to buy it. In fact, these clients, specifically around the age of 45-55 are a diverse group with many needs but one thing is for sure: their goal is to age gracefully. That's where you, the stylist and salon owner, come in. Don't make the mistake of thinking they're "old" or "not cool" because showing skill in listening, craftsmanship in coloring grays with stunning, long-lasting results and empathy for making clients look and feel their best is not for newbies. It takes many years to accumulate the knowledge base to be able to serve this group successfully, so new stylists and experienced salon owners take note!

Be the salon with a reputation for excellence, creativity, and service and these clients will come to you with an open mind for cuts and coloring to accentuate and extend their youthfulness, advises Arrojo. "After all age is just a number and has no bearing on how anyone should look!"

Listen First

When a client like this or any client at all, sits down in your chair you must look and listen before you ever pick up the scissors, explains Arrojo. He recommends an 'open questioning' technique that draws out descriptive answers instead of just a 'yes' or 'no' answer. Begin questions with "How do you feel about…?" or "What kind of length…?" or "What happened when your hair was…?" to get a better indication of how your client feels about their hair. Only then can you decide on a course of action and commit to the cut and/or color. Just spend five minutes on this step, "you don't need to hear their life story," cautions Arrojo, "just enough to determine what you need to do. All the information you need is right in the chair in front of you." If you always start with this type of consultation, you'll develop a good relationship with your clients and you'll be able to give them exactly the service they want: to look younger, feel better about themselves! See this as an opportunity to amp up your coloring services and knowledge for your graying clients because in addition to color, graying hair can use all the treatment services and products it can get to remain healthy and manageable. Learn to look at this age-group for the gold-mine that it is, advises Diana Jewell, author of the book, Going Gray, Looking Great!

Coloring the gray

From the scientific point of view of trichology, gray hair is characterized by two qualities: achromatism, or lack of color, and lack of keratin. With age, the production of the pigment melanin, normally produced in certain cells at the root of the hair, gradually slows down so hairs eventually grow in permanently colorless, or gray/white. Simultaneously, the destruction of keratin protein is also happening, which is responsible for the healthy formation of hair below the roots. That's why, as hair ages it becomes not only gray but also more withered, fragile, wiry and unwieldy. Not all the hairs respond in the same way at the same time. That's why the process is gradual and different for every person as well as depending on heredity. "Hair color starts to fade to an ash tone at around 30 years old," explains Louis Licari on his Hair & There Blog, "and this drains color from the face." Nick Arrojo advises encouraging your client toward coloring when it starts to look aging, at about 10% or so.

But coloring this type of hair is difficult and depends largely on the pattern and amount of the gray hairs. Because gray hair is lacking melanin which usually provides the coloring reaction with a coloring product, its structure is also different making it difficult for color to penetrate and hold. "But the coloring companies have gotten this figured out first, because they know your salon's success depends on antiaging hair services," says Arrojo. How you exactly use and mix the color depends largely on each manufacturer's specifications. All you need are the basics you learned in beauty school, then you work with the manufacturers of your chosen products to get the look and coverage you desire and expect. "You must know your products," advises Nick.

There are some choices to be made, however, advises Diana Jewell, depending upon the pattern and amount of gray in your client´s hair. These clients really need color direction, especially at this point in their lives. They have to know what's out there and what their options are. They will be looking to you, their stylist, for information on whether they should color away their gray by covering it or by subtly masking it with highlights and enhancing their natural color, or whether they should let the gray grow in and emphasize it by going blonde, adding oomph to white or some other professional combination that only you know about! Advise them to check out the book and the website at www.goinggraylookinggreat.com to educate themselves on all the different ways you can help them look great no matter what way they gray. Check it out yourself if you're young and unsure of the choices for this market. The information and styling/coloring of all the hair shots comes from well-known style and color gurus, Beth and Carmine Minardi, owners of Minardi Salon in New York City.

Most stylists agree that if the gray appears in a specific or interesting group, you can choose to play it up as a feature. If gray is 10%-50%, you can choose to disguise it by masking it through creating highlights and if it is 50% or more you can choose to cover it entirely, let it gray in naturally, highlight it's whiteness or go blonde to show it off through a very youthful, cut and style. "But don't go too blonde! The face will blend with the hair color and disappear. Contrast is the key to looking vital. If your client looks like Casper the Ghost before make-up, it's time to go a shade darker," notes Licari.

Dealing with thinning hair

Thinning hair is most commonly associated with men in terms of receding hair lines and bald spots. But it's a very common problem for women in their fifties, as well, explains Arrojo. Women's hair becomes thinner as time goes by, agrees Licari. This is usually noticed as a lack of body. Blow dries don't last as long as they once did and hair goes flat on top of the head. This is the time to cut and color the hair a little differently. Obviously you can't hide a bald spot unless you comb the hair over it, "But who are you really fooling?" asks Arrojo. "Encourage your client to be proud of their age and accomplishments. Encourage clients to make changes if necessary to update their look or try a different style. But remember," cautions Arrojo, "it's important to bend people, but not break them!" Coupled with coloring the grays, "a new cut will help you look younger than a face lift…at a fraction of the cost!" says Licari. And don't listen to the rules either, cautions Arrojo, "Just because shorter hair looks thicker and thicker hair looks healthier doesn't mean all women with gray or thinning hair have to cut their hair short. Every head of hair is different!"

It's the basic education on coloring hair and expectation and knowledge different products will have at different levels of colors on different heads of hair that make up the skill in coloring, advises Arrojo. But the craftsmanship comes with experience. How can a stylist fresh out of school relate to a 50-year old woman's life and feelings? "Young stylists need to have a greater sense of awareness and put an extra focus on who they are working with in the chair."

Making people look and feel younger: That's a large part of your business so learn your anti-aging techniques well!

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