Jul 10, 2008 7:56 am US/Eastern
Men Embracing 'Salt & Pepper' Look
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
What do George Clooney, Harrison Ford and Al Gore have in common? A trendy mix of silver locks and natural color. It's a look plastered in magazines and on TV and you can steal it.
For years, David Cramer has "embraced the gray."
"I've had gray hair since I was about 24, that's about 14 years," said Cramer.
Now, he's part of a growing trend: men who dye their locks in the name of beauty, to turn back the clock. Some even do it as a career boost.
"I think men are more comfortable with the notion of products, of taking care of yourself, of vanity - to call it like it is. And it's not necessarily seen as being unmanly," said Adam Rapoport of GQ Magazine.
These days, men are ordering up shades of gray, flecked with ash, cinnamon or brown. They're using new formulas created by companies like Redken, Just for Men and MIN.
"Before, there was only one way to color men's hair. They would just put one flat color on it and having one flat color on it makes it look like you dyed your hair," said Losi, Celebrity Hair Stylist.
Products like Touch of Gray can be applied at home in just five minutes. But some men don't feel confident enough to go it alone, so they turn to a stylist.
Shawn Stearns is with Redken, the creator of "Color Camo," It's applied at salons.
"You don't really have to worry about it specifically matching the rest of their hair. It's designed to work within that to really compliment it and enhance it," said Stearns.
And David, looks and feels like a new man in just 10 minutes.
"It came out much better than I expected. It's very natural. You can still see some of the gray, but it's not as washed out looking," said Cramer.
This type of coloring is semi-permanent --- meaning it slowly fades after each wash.
Experts recommend men recolor every 4 to 6 weeks.
At home treatments cost less than 10 dollars. Salons charge between 30 and 50 dollars for men.
RELATED LINKS:
Redken For Men: Color Camo
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