Words: Alex Woodhall
Whether it’s to combat grey or just a phase during your formative years, men dying their hair has always carried a bit of stigma; a taboo that’s reserved for teenage tearaways and those desperately clinging to their youth. But, is it time we got a bit more progressive about it? Wanting to look our best has become the norm; we care more about style possibly more than ever and the grooming market is on a constant crescendo – aren’t we now ready to tread this frontier too? The hue that god gifted you, after all, isn’t necessarily the most flattering. With all of that in mind, we’ve decided to do a bit of digging. Needless to say, I drew the short straw of being the office guinea pig.
My brown locks admittedly had begun to (very) prematurely develop silver streaks – it runs in the family apparently. Thus, the initial idea was that I’d bite the bullet and indulge in the current trend for grey hair. Yes I, as a 20-something man, was very seriously giving thought to going grey. To do the deed, I enlisted the experts at Mayfair barber’s Gentlemen’s Tonic – rather fortuitously I can say in hindsight.
Inside Gentlemen’s Tonic Mayfair
Costas, my barber, unsurprisingly, although politely, baulked when I relayed my initial plan. We discussed it further, flicked through the book of colours and eventually he suggested we go for a highlighted look, as opposed to an all-over paint job. He explained this would give me a look closer to the pictures I was showing him and wouldn’t make me look exactly my dad – probably a good thing considering the age gap. Naturally, I was initially concerned about walking out looking like part of an ungracefully-aged Boyzone tribute act, but thankfully my fears were very much misplaced. I was talked through the treatment in-depth and what the result would ultimately be like; for an absolute novice when it comes to this kind of thing, the guidance was very much appreciated.
Whilst I waited around for the dye to take, I questioned Costas on whether this is something he gets tasked with regularly. The answer? A resounding yes – although it’s predominantly combatting grey, rather than putting it on. Hence the initial scepticism I guess. For men who weren’t quite ready to succumb to a pigment-less existence up top, Gentlemen’s Tonic’s camo colour treatment involves concealing grey in a customised tint that matches the natural hair. The treatment comes in at a very reasonable £38 – not bad for something that would last a good 6 – 8 weeks before needing to be refreshed.
He admitted that men coming in for the all-over dye job, as I had initially planned for, are less frequent, but far from extinct. Although a bit of a shock and awe tactic for mixing up appearance, with the right expert guidance it can result in a head of hair that is actually far more favourable to your colouring. A treatment in the Mayfair branch costs £67.
Fast forward three hours later, I left a transformed man. My hair, due to the underlying redness, had fought the dye to an extent and the “ash” colour we settled on ended up closer to a brown-blonde shade – ‘bronde’ if you will. The look though, a subtle fade from my natural colour at the back and sides to this new lighter tone at the top, a shade that was much closer to that of my facial hair and far more complimentary to my skin tone; the reaction to which has been decidedly and overwhelmingly positive. Ultimately this is something I’d do again without a second thought. The highlight treatment I was given rang in at the £100 mark, a figure that, I’m informed by female friends, is the going rate for such a good job and well worth it judging by my results.
(Source: Pinterest)
Top tips for hair dying
– Don’t do it at home – seek professional help even for the smallest of cover ups.
– Don’t go too drastic. Turning up to an important meeting with a bright red mane isn’t going to go down too well when you left the day before a dark red. Always seek a natural colour, a shade or two lighter or darker than your natural tone.
– Listen to the experts, they’ve been doing it for years and can advise you on what will best suit you and your hair.
– Do it with confidence, you won’t pull it off if you’ve got any misgivings or reservations.
(Main image source: Getty // D Dipasupil)
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