Do oVertone Color Conditioners work on naturally gray hair?
After years of society telling women they need to cover any and all signs of aging, we are finally saying f*ck that.
We love our gray hair, and even though gray hair is a to-dye-for trend all on its own, some of us like to change it up with some vivid color — and we’re here for it.
But how DOES oVertone work with naturally gray hair? Does it work well, or does it not work at all?
Well, here’s what we know:
1. All gray hair reacts a little differently to color because the structure of the strand is very different from the structure of a white-blonde bleached strand. We see some people apply our conditioners to naturally gray, white, or salt-and-pepper hair and it soaks the color right up. Others have gray hairs that are more stubborn and don’t like to take color unless you process with traditional dye, which contains cuticle-opening chemicals that you won’t find in oVertone products.
2. One of our clients had the following advice in the Offbeat Home comment section:
“I tried vibrant and extreme purple, teal, and blue samples on my virgin 30-50% grey hair (very healthy, actually white, not grey, nor is it wiry) after the first offer and got some nice results. Leave on for 30 min+ and wrap in plastic or a disposable cap. The color was subtle with vibrant (more like pastel in the white areas) and more noticeable with extreme. Saw no color deposition on my non-white hair (which is dark ash blonde). I didn’t try to maintain, but the extreme lasted 3-plus washes after one 30 min treatment, and the vibrant lasted at least 2. Loved the blue and purple colors, teal didn’t look as good with my coloring, even though I look awesome in teal.
Definitely lots of fun and less messy than chalks for some temporary color fun! Will be using this to restock in extreme blue and purple, which look awesome pieced on my hair.”
Do you use oVertone on your gray? Got any tips for those looking to change it up? We want to know about it, and we want to see it! Post your pics and tag #oVertoneColor so we can check them out and share them with the world!
Filed Under: oVertone IRL
62 comments on “Do oVertone Color Conditioners work on naturally gray hair?”
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I have dark brown hair that’s about 50 percent gray. I am very allergic to standard dye. I used Overtone purple on some of my gray two days ago and I am pleased to say it’s awesome! I was lucky in that my gray hair took to the color immediately. I’m looking forward to doing more, and to trying the rose gold.
Have only done a test strand so far, but I’m delighted with the amount of color and the way it looks on my grey. My hair is longish and pretty curly and my natural color is/was dark brown with reddish highlights. My grey is pretty silver and a bit wiry, maybe 40-50%. I tested a small strand over my ear, where the grey is more pronounced. Used the rose gold for brown hair, deep conditioner on dry hair, left on about 30 mins and after rinsing did my usual shampoo/conditioner, just because it was time. My grey is a delightful pastel fuchsia-ish tone, and the brown shows a nice glimmer of the color. Will do the whole head next, and am guessing that if I don’t do my usual shampoo/condition after the effect will be more pronounced. Really having fun with this! Thank you.
Hey Lynne! Thank you so much for sharing your experience! ❤️
I am a medium light blond by nature, with about 50% gray – my family all gray’s eventually to that lovely silver white that makes those who have gotten there very happy. I still have some of the darker gray, some of the silver white and some blond. I use the purple pastel and am happy to say, I get a lovely soft pastel lavender look throughout. While not every strand absorbs it, the hair that does gives me a stripy lavender and I get a ton of compliments on my hair. I’ve used L’oreal Feria in pastel lavender before I discovered oVertone, and hope to never have to use the harsh stuff again. Thanks to the ladies who came up with this brilliant product!
Thanks for sharing, Patty!!! ❤️❤️
Ah, but…there’s grey, silver and white hair! Thanks to my mom’s side of the family I started turning silver in my early 40s, and was all silver by 50. Having fun with the rose gold! Tried the Daily Conditioner on wet hair for 10 min and have a lovely pale pastel shade. Next time I’ll use it on dry hair and amp it up a bit, hey heh. At 67,it’s fun being the neighborhood eccentric! I will be back for more shades soon. LOVE this stuff!
I have some grey chunks in my hair near the temples, and I have fine, thick, THIRSTY hair. For that reason I get great colour deposit. I use the extreme range deep treatment, it gives me a very strong colour result that will last about 3 weeks to a month. I leave it in for a long while, maybe 45 minutes. While it does fade a little, it stays pretty vibrant. Partly because I use the daily conditioner when I wash it, but probably moreso because I do not wash my hair daily – more like twice a week. I rarely use hairdryers or styling tools. I use a gentle, non-sls shampoo to keep it in good condition, I find harsh ones really strip out the colour. As I have longer hair, I notice that the growth further away from the scalp keeps colour longer, and the area near the scalp is faster to loose colour (particularly blue). Not sure if it is a matter of environmental exposure, incremental dye build up, or what… I will soon be trying the pastel range as an experiment, I recently had some chemical lightening on some of the brown parts of my hair to make my grey chunks look a bit more ‘integrated’ – It will be interesting to see how the colour picks up and stays in the grey versus the bleached…just waiting for my parcel to arrive! BTW my brown hair also takes on the colour well, certainly not as vividly as the grey – but in sunshine it gives off a very stunning reflect, depending on the colours I use. I generally rotate between mixing warmer tones such as orange and pink or cooler such as blue and red. I’ve even tried an oil slick a few times and it looks pretty cool. I’ve been using this product for at least 3 years. It’s really excellent.
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I have Grey hair, actually, almost white since I was 18. At 52 I just could NOT put anymore chemicals in my hair, body, head etc. Most freeing thing I’ve done! Of course I say that with some hypocrisy as it took 4 months of SLOWLY stripping and lightening with the lowest levels of peroxide and bleach as well as my beloved Olaplex so I didn’t go bald as I just do NOT have a nice noggin shape for that wicked look!
Well, FINALLY, I’m here!
I bought Rose gold and Lilac/Lavender. I did Rose Gold and it came out GORGEOUS but in photos it look fuchsia but trust me, IRL, it most certainly IS Rose Gold and it was gorgeous. I have to say, it lasted far far far longer than indicated on my great/white hair and took forever to fade out, which was fine with me!
Hair fell AWESOME and I have to say, it’s a MUST to get the color conditioner of chosen color. It truly makes loads of difference in a GREAT way and I highly reccd!
I have a question…..would you, WILL you EVER consider making a WHITE? I know it sounds nuts but…..to brighten up a grey or to add white highlights to dark hair without the “till death/cut do we part” would be awesome! There’s a “wax/pomade” out there that does a silver and a white but it’s super thick paste and while it works great on short hair, on long, it’s just weight and stiff, like a pomade wax would be expected to perform.
I’m just soooooo curious if your master magical chemists could indeed create a WHITE to do and act like your other Colors? Even if it’s JUST to brighten a grey haired old broad like me, wow, would it sell because none of us want to bleach it for that vibrant look! NONE of us!
Thoughts, ohhhhh great wizards of hair? It would be soooooo cool!!
Looking forward to a response and happy to be a test human any time if needed!! Rather me than poor helpless Bun Bun!!
Keep on creating cuz I’m pleased and proud to hand out your website to strangers on the street!!
Best always,
Tovah
PS: if you want to see my Rose Gold photos I’m happy to give them to you for your use but I’m not on FB or Instagram…. sorry.
My hair is very dark brown, almost black. I started getting white hair when I was 10 and now it’s all throughout my hair, particularly around my face. I use the Extreme Blue or Purple, applying it all over. Since my hair is so dark, it doesn’t absorb the color, but the white hairs do. The end result is that it looks as if I put colored highlights in my hair- making me look younger! It’s subtle indoors (which is good considering my job) and really pops in the sunlight.
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Hey Tovah! First, thanks SO much for sending us over some love!!! ❤️❤️❤️
As far as making a white Color Conditioner – because our products don’t lift or lighten hair at all, a White Color Conditioner wouldn’t make hair white (as white hair that doesn’t occur naturally definitely requires bleaching!) or have the effect most clients would be looking for – we’d most likely end up with a lot of disappointed humans!
That being said, we can totally help tone brassiness out to help keep a white (natural or otherwise) going!
For the best advice, send an email with a picture of your current hair with lots of natural light and no filters along with an inspo pic over to our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co and they will totally help you out!
And last but not least – we would NEVER test on Bun bun! We love our furry friends and have never conducted animal testing!
Hi Alee! That’s awesome! Call me kooky but where do I send you my photos? Sorry….tech sloooowwwww LOL!
2nd THANK YOU! Not just for bun bun but for all you do. Your site is so comprehensive and inclusive and I love it!
I’ll awair instructions on where to send photos as I’d rather they weren’t up (the ones I’m sending for your help with the darn yellow that pokes out! The fun ones you may post away my dear!!Permission granted!)
HybDonna, Thanks for that cool share! I tell my salt n pepper pals to do just that as it comes out awesome any time with any darn awesome color! Dark hair with that salt pops with color! I hope others see that girl! Great ideas must be shared! I’m pretty much 100% white other than a couple blobs of yellow! You’re an angel for that though so thank you!!
Little late to this party but here’s my experience: I’m 47 years old and got sick of coloring my grey and decided to go natural a year and a half a go. I (finally!) have virgin white hair in the front of my head and the rest is salt & pepper. I’ve been using the extreme purple deep conditioner and daily conditioner and find that it barely penetrates the white hair closest to the roots but penetrates well on the lengths. This give me a sort of easy ombre of pastel purple at the root, deepening to a dark purple at the ends, with the purple blending in well with the natural brown that I have left. I plan to try extreme blue next! Love, love, love Overtone. It’s been a game changer for me.
Unfortunately my grey (which is most of my hair) doesn’t take the conditioner AT ALL. I normally go to the local beauty school and have them bleach the roots so that they’ll take the color when applied.
That said, I’m curious if the purple for brown hair that’s coming soon might do a better job? What do y’all think? I don’t know what the difference is.
Hi again Tovah! You can email your pics to hi@overtone.co! They’ll get you covered!
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Hey Karen! Purple for Brown Hair is formulated specifically for darker strands, it has double the amount of warm pigments as Extreme Purple – if Extreme Purple is too cool toned to show well on your grey hair, then Purple for Brown should help! However, if your greys just don’t like to accept pigment, Purple for Brown might not help. For more in depth info and advice, get with our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co!
I was wondering if anyone has used the silver overtone to help with your growing out phase transitioning to my salt and pepper grey. My old color is a reddish brown. I just want something to freshen it up and not look so two-tone.
Hey Francie! If you’re looking for an all over shade of gray, you’d want to lighten your ends with the help of a stylist, to a platinum shade of blonde! Silver is a tricky shade to perfect and shows the best results on neutral platinum blonde strands. For the best advice, send a pic of your current strands to our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co – they’ve got your back!
I have bleached, neutral beige blonde does hair. My natural hair is salt & pepper. I have a pixie – longish on top, bused sides and back. The buzzed parts are probably 60% grey and looks dirty until I bleach/dye it. Would love to be silver/grey naturally but I have some time before that happens. Which should I use to achieve this? My natural hair was medium brown/gold/red. I’d love to go silver or grey until I’m naturally there. Purple shampoos left too long turns my longer ends purple so I stopped applying it there (as well as bleach). What Overtone product(s) can I use to achieve this? I’m also leaning towards rose gold if silver is not really an option at this point.
Does the silver work on naturally white hair? Thanks!
I have a lot of silver/grey. About 70% to 30% light mousy brown, and am thinking about trying overtone. I am wondering if for those that have used on your grey/silver/white hair, did the color wash out completely and was the color very bright?
Hi Traci! For the best advice, send an email with a picture of your current hair with lots of natural light and no filters along with an inspo pic over to our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co and they will totally help you out!
Hi there! Results on natural gray and white hair can be tough to predict, since the strand structure of those hair types can vary a lot! Your best bet will be to start off with a Deep Treatment sample size (grab one here: https://overtone.co/collections/samples/) to see how oVertone Color Conditioners work in your hair – if you have any more questions, definitely email our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co!
Hi there! The answers to your questions depend completely on your strands – while some clients have hair that takes color really well, others find their grays can be somewhat resistant to absorbing pigment from – it’s just a matter of your hair’s texture.
Your best bet will be to start off with a Deep Treatment sample size (grab one here: https://overtone.co/collections/samples/) to see how oVertone Color Conditioners work in your hair – if you have any more questions, definitely email our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co!
What do you recommend for balancing out brassiness in silver hair? I don’t want lavender or purple hair but i have some brassiness in my natural silver hair that I’d like to be rid of. I can’t figure out the source – I don’t hear style, use yellow products, and don’t take medication. Since I can’t prevent it, I’d like to at least deminish it. Thanks!
Hey Jen! Lots of clients use diluted Pastel Blue or Pastel Purple Daily Conditioner to help tone out some of the brassiness from their hair. Purple is opposite of yellow on the color wheel, and blue is opposite of orange. If you find your hair leans toward one side or the other, try out that conditioner to even out the brassiness! You always want to go with direct opposites for cancellation toning. Get with our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co for advice and check out this video for a guide to toning hair with oVertone Color Conditioners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8cuamBaID4&t=2s
I am currently using the Extreme Silver on my hair. I’ve decided to embrace the gray and see what would happen. While it doesn’t take on my white hair, it does on my naturally light brown and I come away with a cool smoky bluish purplish look with no processing. Every Saturday, I wash my hair and dry it and then just put the deep conditioner on for 2 hours. I really want it to soak in. Then I use the daily to keep it fresh.
I ordered the silver/grey. My hair has finally grown back since my chemotherapy. My hair came back 30% silver/grey and rest is med brown. I’m just looking to make the greys pop, will this work?
Hey Yvonne,
Results on gray and white hair can vary a lot from person to person since the strand structure of those hair types can vary a lot and while some clients have hair that takes color really well, others find their grays can be somewhat resistant to absorbing pigment from – it’s just a matter of your hair’s texture. If you try a strand test on unbleached, natural gray hair and don’t see the color taking, you may want to consider bleaching or processing the gray sections of your hair and using oVertone Color Conditioners for upkeep. If you have any more questions, definitely email our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co!
I guess this question is for anyone that has tried pastel vs vibrant–I am salt ‘n’ pepper, dark brown with silvery gray hair. I am considering the pastel purple for toning my silver hairs, but my thought is if anyone has experienced their silver hair not retaining the pigments as well (i.e. should I go ahead with the vibrant if it doesn’t hold as well, then giving the pastel/fade look anyway). Thanks, everyone!
My hair is about 80 % white and I’ve decided to stop coloring. I bleached it up to almost pale yellow but was afraid to go as light as I really wanted to go. I have about 2 inches of my natural hair and purchased pastel silver and vibrant silver. I found that after bleaching I needed a toner almost weekly, very bad stuff to use weekly on bleached hair. I saw an ad on Instagram for Overtone and have been loving it. The pastel silver looks great on the whiter parts of my hair, and the intense silver works on the more yellowish parts, making it all blend nicely. I also like to give myself low lights with the intense silver. I have used it on wet and dry hair. Anytime I see a little yellow I put it on dry to blend. I’ve also been using it on my platinum blonde hair extensions to make them blend in seamlessly. My crispy bleached hair feels and looks healthier too which is a big bonus and I’m relieved that I found a product that will tone my hair as often as it needs without damage to my hair!
Hi Karen! I just tried the purple for brown hair on my white and had GREAT results. The extreme purple didn’t take on the super white hairs at my crown at all but the purple for brown comes out perfect! My non-white hair is brown so it’s a win-win 🙂
Hey Mary! Results on natural gray and white hair can be tough to predict, since the strand structure of those hair types can vary a lot! Your best bet will be to start off with a Deep Treatment sample size (grab one here: https://overtone.co/collections/samples/) to see how oVertone Color Conditioners work in your hair – if you have any more questions, definitely email our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co!
Hey Diane! We love that you love your oVertone!🤗💖 We’re dying to see your results! Definitely be sure to tag us on our social media pages (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) so we can see your gorgeous hair!
I started getting grey hair when I was 24. I am 28 now and for the last four years I got sick and tired of dying my hair just to cover up a few grey strands. Overtone taught me that instead of getting embarrassed by my grey strands I can now celebrate them! I tried rose gold for brown hair recently (my original hair is dark brown), and it looks AMAZING! Everyone think I got rose gold highlights, and I just go ahead and say that’s just my grey strands + overtone! I am not embarrassed by them anymore and I actually feel lucky to have them because they look so cool! I ordered purple recently and I just can’t wait to see how that will look! Thank you guys for making my life easier XOXO
I got nothing out of the pastel pink. I’m very disappointed. I don’t have a lot of silver (but enough to see that I have some), and was so hoping to turn the silver into pastel pink. Any suggestions to make it “stick?” I only left it on for the recommended 5 minutes. Can I try for longer? Try it on dry hair? I stopped coloring my hair about a year ago and have no desire to start doing that again, but some nice pastels would seem to be the answer since I changed hair color so often when I did color. Any help would be appreciated.
I use extreme purple in the tub. It does not color my greys at all.
I have my hair colored not bleached blonde & it covers nicely & when I go back in 6 wks she will color my grey with blonde first & then do a purple to freshen it all up.
I am thrilled with th vibrant purple on my naturally white hair.
Hey Tina! I’m super bummed to hear you didn’t get the results you were expecting! Results on gray and white hair can vary a lot from person to person since the strand structure of those hair types can vary a lot and while some clients have hair that takes color really well, others find their grays can be somewhat resistant to absorbing pigment from – it’s just a matter of your hair’s texture. Check out this blog post on how gray hair and oVertone Color Conditioners interact: https://blog.overtone.co/overtone-on-gray-hair/
That being said, definitely reach out to our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co so they can help you get the hair of your dreams!
Hey Jan! Results on gray and white hair can vary a lot from person to person since the strand structure of those hair types can vary a lot and while some clients have hair that takes color really well, others find their grays can be somewhat resistant to absorbing pigment from – it’s just a matter of your hair’s texture. For more info, definitely get with our Color Consultants at hi@overtone.co!
I am intrigued by the possibility of your products for white hair, and am hoping you can offer a fix for a recent disaster imposed upon me by my (former) hairdresser. My natural, virgin, unprocessed hair is 90% pure white and 10% light brown (which is mostly underneath in back.) the overall effect is a bright, silvery blonde. It was a two year project to grow out. The natural color is stunning and great with my complexion. I know this because I get (got) compliments on it every day, everywhere I go, from both women and men, young and old.
Two weeks ago, I visited my stylist for a little trim, and to place a few strips of pastel on my head with semipermanent. Long story short: stylist “toned” my entire head with a demipermanent silver which immediately turned my hair flat dark grey, dull, and fuzzy. The color washed out in 2 days to a snot color green/yellow, and is currently a light khaki (green). I understand that the “toner” should continue to fade with more washings, but I fear my pure white will never be totally rid of the green tint. What product would you recommend for me; it seems that one of your colored conditioners might help? Please advise.
The extreme silver is perfect for my 50/50 light brown and white hair. It makes all of my hair super shiny. Lots of variation in tones, really cool looking, I have gotten many complements. Thanks for the product that actually works!
I love the Brilliant Silver on my gray hair! Thank you for a product that actually does what I want, shiny smooth gray. I am your fan!
I stopped coloring my hair brown and let the gray/silver/white color grow out. So glad I did but the white bits wash me out a bit. I have been experimenting with overtone and I love how the extreme shade of silver turns my hair a metal gray with blue tone. Your products are great. I am very curious about how your new brown line will work in my hair if I want to be brunette again for a few days.
What is an “oil slick?”
I have about 50% gray and the rest medium brown. I purchased the extreme purple and my gray is now a deep purple and my remaining hair a much darker brown. I am happy with the results. With that said, I am going to go with a lighter version of purple next time around.
I say it’s worth a shot. I have naturally black hair, found my first gray at 14, and at 46, am about 70% salt & pepper. While the individual strands are a silver-white, unfortunately from a moderate distance, it takes on an unflattering gun-metal gray color. I have used both the Vibrant Purple and Extreme Blue deep conditioners (alas, the daily conditioners don’t seem to “take”) and they work very well, and color true to the label (no pastel here). The colors go well with my remaining black hair, and I receive even more compliments as they fade and the natural silver comes out. You do need to leave it on a little longer, and, as suggested, I usually put a disposable shower cap on and hit it with a bit of heat from the hair dryer. On my hair, the color doesn’t last quite as long as it would on bleached strands, but it looks very nice, and require much less upkeep and expense than traditional dyes.
Did you try the rose gold for brown or the regular rose gold? How did it turn out?
Was reading your blog looking for advice on how to cover white hair. I’m 48 but went prematurely grey, silver really which stands out dramatically on root growth with other 20% black hair. As I’ve gotten older my fine hair seems to break and get easily damaged so I was very excited to try your product. The first time I used the rose gold exactly as recommend and left it on for 10min. Couldn’t see any color deposited. So I tried again and left it on for over 30minutes with a cap and put it on really thick. Not only did it kinda dry my hair out the grey was still the same color and my scalp is now pink! Any recommendations or should I just cancel my subscription? Figured it was worth a shot with all the great comments on the site and blog. Any help is appreciated as well as your time responding.
Yes I have bleach blonde hair what do I need to get my hair a pastel pink can you tell me what I need to buy?
Ok here goes… I have been dying my hair unnatural colors for a long time lol. I’m 38 and have lots of grey only in the front. Bleaching my hair has really taken a tole on it. So i decided to give overtone a try. I was a bit skeptical of the product. I purdy three travel sized jars of the deep treatments. Extreme blue, extreme purple and extreme teal. The application process is for how I color my hair was the same as when I use traditional dye. I dye the roots purple and the length teal. I actually left the products in my hair for a few hours cause why not. It’s a deep conditioner as well.
I’m extremely pleased with my results so far. My greys took the color nicely as did the rest of my hair…. Before using overtone for the first time my hair was dry and incredibly dull. After the product my hair is silky and very vibrant. I’m absolutely in love with this product and already telling everyone i know all about it . Thankyou so mo much for creating a way to deposit color while conditioning instead of damaging. I’ll never go back to traditional dye.
Hi Francie,
I used the extreme silver conditioner on my short, pixie-ish, med/dark ash brown hair last summer to transition into my natural gray, and it was perfect. It blended the hard line from my old color until I could cut it off. I’m not sure how this would be with your reddish-brown hair, but mine was pretty brassy from red/brown semi-permanent coloring, and Overtone took the color well to take out the brass. Good luck!
Karen,
It’s been a while since you commented so I am hoping you’ve tried the purple for brown hair by now! IT IS AMAZING!
I have dark, dark, dark hair (thanks, Italian genes) and the purple for brown hair deep conditioner is SO nice. First, I love the conditioning aspect and, second, it makes my “non-brown hairs” look so fun. My husband calls them my “Maleficent hairs” and I just like that it looks like I had color highlights.
My friend, who went totally grey before we graduated HS, has also done purple for brown hair with wonderful results.
Hey Eva! Thank you for your patience—I’m super bummed to hear about your experience with your stylist! To cancel out any remaining tones, we always recommend using the opposite shade on the color wheel! The opposite of green on the color wheel is red, so we recommend picking up our most delicate red formula, which is our Pastel Red Daily Conditioner! Check out this video for a tutorial on how to do that: https://youtu.be/PbHc_zarXXI and definitely get in touch with our Color Consultants through overtone.co/pages/contact if you need more help and advice!
Hey Katherine! Thank you for your patience. Check out this Youtube video for a tutorial on how to achieve oil slick hair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D5ps-hnYFo
Hey Vickie! Thank you for your patience. For the best advice, send an email with a picture of your current hair with lots of natural light and no filters along with an inspo pic over to our Color Consultants through overtone.co/pages/contact and they will totally help you out!
Hey Marie! Thank you for your patience. We’re bummed that you didn’t get the results you were expecting but we want to help! Definitely send an email to our Color Consultants through overtone.co/pages/contact for help and advice on achieving your goal shade!
Hey Charlotte! Thank you for your patience. For the best advice on getting the pastel pink shade of your dreams, send a pic of your current hair color (in natural light, no filters please!) and a pic of your goal shade to our Color Consultants through overtone.co/pages/contact!
I am the long process of gray grow out and pink for brown hair has been amazing! My grey soaks it up, and what’s left of my brown, takes on the pink hue! Loving Overtone in my journey to grey!