Salon owner Jordan Pursel highlights her client Celia Vicente Pearce, who grew out her gray during COVID and proved that the gray transition can be stunning.
Photos courtesy of Hair by Jordan Pursel
Going gray can feel freeing—and scary. The tricky part isn’t the silver itself; it’s the in-between stage, especially if incoming gray highly contrasts with the shade you’ve been maintaining. Good news! Two Western New York stylists say you can embrace the gray without stocking up on hats; the keys to smooth transition are strategy, customization, and confidence.
Rob Burgio, owner of Tesoro Salon in Snyder, encourages clients to slow down and treat the grow-out like a long-term goal and not a quick fix. “One of my biggest recommendations for transitioning to gray is to have a plan and not rush it,” he says. “The most natural-looking transitions usually happen when we work with the client’s natural growth pattern instead of constantly trying to cover it with solid color.”
His starting point: let roots come in long enough to reveal the natural gray pattern, use ultra-fine, thinly woven highlights to break up old dye and soften the dreaded line of demarcation, then finish with a gloss-level shine. “That final reflective finish is a big part of what keeps gray or silver hair looking expensive and healthy instead of dull,” he says.
Jordan Pursel, owner and stylist at Hair by Jordan Pursel in Buffalo, is happy the silver stigma is finally fading. “I have been doing hair for twenty years and the trends have certainly changed from when I started,” she says. “Gray hair wasn’t celebrated and embraced the way it is today.”
When a client wants to go gray, she starts with an honest talk about goals, budget, and how often they want to be in the chair. Frequently coloring grays is actually higher maintenance than the gray transition, she points out: “It’s costly and requires frequent visits.”
Pursel echoes Burgio’s approach to matching natural gray patterns with highlights and lowlights or will sometimes recommend switching from permanent dye to demi-permanent color, which “blends the gray by seventy-five percent without creating a harsh line of demarcation.”
Keeping expectations realistic is important for silver seekers; there are no quick fixes. “It’s a common misconception that you can suddenly decide to go gray in a day,” Pursel says. “A same-day shift is usually an extensive color correction averaging about ten hours and best left to a professional who focuses on that entirely.”
Instead, Pursel explains that it might be an uncomfortable year of grow-out, but techniques exist to make the experience more comfortable, like transitioning to gradually lighter shades if a client’s new growth is a brighter silver or white, or going from a permanent color to semi-permanent if natural hair is more salt and pepper.
Both Burgio and Pursel agree that the right cut can make the transition feel intentional. “Being up for a good haircut like a chic bob” can speed things up by removing dyed ends, says Pursel, and Burgio adds that “a flattering shape, movement around the face, and a polished finish can make gray hair look incredibly modern and elegant.”
Still not convinced gray can be great? Both stylists say a bigger risk to looking “old” is a too-dark, too-warm, too-flat hair color that fights skin tone. And of course, attitude is everything. “Beautiful gray or silver hair can actually brighten the face and look very chic when it’s customized properly,” says Burgio, who says that the best approach is “one that makes the client feel like the process is manageable, flattering, and still feels like them.”
Pursel encourages her clients—when they’re ready—to own their grays, noting how empowering it can be. “I completely reject the belief that grays make a person look old,” she says. “I have watched clients transition and it is so emotional to watch them stand in their power, looking at themselves—gray hair and all—and say, ‘Wow I look great.’”