How do I transition my highlighted hair to gray?

Author: Prof. Ted Nitzsche DDS  |  Last update: Wednesday, March 26, 2025

TRY DEMI-PERMANENT HAIR COLOR This is an easy and seamless way to transition to gray if you don't mind your hair looking slightly highlighted. Once your hair has grown out and you've applied demi a few times, consider trimming away the ends until you're at the length you want to go full-on gray.

How to let hair go grey gracefully with highlights?

Opt for Highlights and Lowlights: Adding highlights and lowlights to your hair can help blend the dyed hair with the growing gray hair, making the transition less noticeable (1). Highlights, which are lighter than your natural gray shade, can be strategically placed to create a more seamless look.

How to transition from coloring hair to going gray?

There are three main ways of transitioning to gray hair from dyed hair: the cold turkey method (letting the dye grow out or cutting it out), the salon transition (having a stylist blend your dyed hair to match your natural gray), or the dye-strip technique (a combination of various methods).

What is grey blending with highlights?

Grey blending salon color service is a technique designed to subtly blend grey hair with the natural hair color, rather than completely covering it. This service typically involves using semi-permanent or demi-permanent hair color to create a softer, more natural look.

What is the best hair color for transitioning to gray hair?

All you need to do is dye your strands with an all-over gray hair color that closely matches your natural shade of gray. This way, it won't be noticeable when your roots grow in. Our best hair color for gray hair is the L'Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Permanent Hair Color in Smokey Silver.

Transition into Grey Hair with a Silver Highlight, Help for Blonde, Red or Brunette

How do salons transition to gray hair?

Sometimes dimensional toning is all you need in order to transition a client and the key to this process is matching the pattern to your clients natural gray percentage. “This client (below) came to me to blend and match her golden blonde hair with her natural salt and pepper roots.

Is it better to go darker or lighter with grey hair?

Is it better to go lighter or darker to cover grey hair? As for your permanent colour kit choice, for the best grey coverage, Josh recommends choosing a shade close to your natural root colour (that's the colour between the greys.) "Make sure to never stray more than two shades away from this,” says Josh.

How to cover grey roots on highlighted hair?

A root smudge or root shadow is one of the most effective ways of covering grey strands on hair with highlights. Not only does it guarantee full, even coverage, but it also gives the whole highlighted look a more natural-looking feel.

How to go gray without looking old naturally?

Avoid very severe cuts. As with hair colour, a softer haircut can instantly lift the face and looks incredibly elegant as we get older. “Opt for softly layered styles, rather than blunt cuts,” says Hayley Gibson-Forbes, director at S J Forbes. “A blunt bob with no layering, for example, can look very severe.

Is grey blending high maintenance?

- Low Maintenance: Gray blending is relatively low maintenance compared to traditional hair coloring. It doesn't require frequent touch-ups, which appeals to those who prefer a more effortless look.

How to see what you look like with gray hair?

The best app for trying on gray or white hair is YouCam Makeup. It offers a highly realistic gray hair filter that lets you experiment with different shades of gray, silver, or white, so you can find the perfect look before making any changes to your hair.

How much does grey blending cost?

Because there are a couple of ways to go about gray blending (more on that later) and depending on how much gray you want to blend, prices may vary. She says that a gloss can be around $150 while doing mini highlights can cost about $200. Check your salon for its pricing before booking that appointment.

Can B12 reverse gray hair?

Premature graying may be reversed with vitamin B12 supplementation only if vitamin B12 deficiency is the cause. If you are graying due to other factors, such as genetics, zinc deficiency, and medications, your gray hair cannot be reversed.

How to fix blonde highlights that look grey?

Simply washing your hair can help fade the grey tones, so can washing with a clarifying/cleansing shampoo. Cleansers remove colour and product buildup, but do go easy with these, as using them too much can cause the hair to dry out.

How do you camouflage GREY hair with highlights?

Consider opting for strawberry blonde highlights to camouflage your grays and add some darker auburn or copper lowlights for the sake of depth and dimension.

What is the best toner for gray hair transition?

Best Toner for Natural Grey Hair

The best toners for blending your lengths in with your natural grey hair are the Wella Colour Charm T18 Lightest Ash Blonde and Wella Colour Charm T14 Pale Ash Blonde. A combination of both (half of each) will give the most natural shimmery silver grey results.

How to go grey gradually with highlights?

Choose the right highlight hues for your hair shade

To seamlessly blend in your greying hair, you will need hues that are 2-3 shades lighter than your current colour but, at the same time, close to your natural hue. This helps the highlights blend with your various coloured strands.

What is grey blending?

Grey blending is a subtle way of handling your greying hair. It is an approach that blends the grey with colours similar to your natural hair tone. It's an option that allows you to embrace and enhance your greying hair, rather than hiding it. Your natural hair colour is the inspiration for the final effect.

What does purple shampoo do to grey hair?

Purple shampoo has been used for decades by hairdressers, mostly to help tone and neutralize blonde and gray hair, getting rid of brassy or yellow tones for an overall more cool-toned look.

How do you manage GREY hair with highlights?

I always tell my clients that highlights, basically, connect to the new gray hair coming in and make it seem like the new grays are just part of the highlight, which not only masks the grays but also blends them in as they grow. By using shades that are darker than your natural color, lowlights will darken your locks.

Can you touch up roots on highlighted hair?

Worrying about how to touch up roots without ruining highlights? Using a tint brush, you can precisely target the roots, meaning that your highlights will stay untouched.

What are T section highlights?

T-section highlights (also known as partial highlights) are a hair colouring technique where highlights are applied only to the top layer of your hair, particularly around the crown, parting, and hairline, forming a 'T' shape when viewed from above.

How do brunettes go grey gracefully?

“There are many ways that you can transition your hair [to gray],” says Whitney, “including having your hair dyed to match your roots, adding lowlights or highlights to help with the line of demarcation [i.e., the line where your pigment meets the grays], cutting your hair short or simply letting your natural hair ...

How do I know if grey hair will suit me?

How do I know if gray hair will suit me? “Gray hair can be universally flattering due to its shade range,” says Anderson. Similar to picking your color cosmetics or even your wardrobe, you kind of know which tones will flatter you.

What color hides grey hair best?

Cool shades like ash blonde and mushroom brown are among the best hair colors to hide grays, since the cool tones won't clash with your silvery streaks.

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