How do professionals cover grey hair?

Author: Dasia Johnston  |  Last update: Friday, October 3, 2025

Use a Permanent Color If your client hopes to cover up truly stubborn, color-resistant grays, a permanent color pigment is going to offer the most concentrated result. Try Illumina Color for a multi-dimensional finish and Koleston Perfect for pure and saturated coverage.

What do salons use to cover gray hair?

Demi-Permanent or Semi-Permanent Color

While a demi-permanent or semi-permanent hair color can be applied to any level of gray, it's often used to camouflage early grays, giving 30-70% coverage.

What professional hair color covers grey best?

Warm honey blonde is a favorite from Wella Professionals for those who want a hair color that looks natural and hides gray hair well. This shade has golden tones that can give your skin a nice glow. It's especially good for people with warmer skin tones.

How to cover grey hair professionally?

WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO COVER GRAY HAIR? To boil it down, there are essentially two different types of color your colorist will use to cover gray hair—demi-permanent or permanent. Demi-permanent haircolor options, like Redken's Shades EQ Gloss, deliver non-permanent pigment that will gradually fade over time.

How do hairdressers cover grey hair?

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.

Quick Tips on Gray Coverage with Koleston Perfect | Wella Professionals

Is it better to go lighter or darker to cover gray hair?

Pick a lighter hair colour

A lighter colour will then look better. Your hair follicles produce less pigment as you're turning older. If there's no more pigment being produced in the hair follicles, your hair turns pigmentless.

How do celebrities cover grey hair?

To address pigment loss in gray hair, Kaeding said, you can use a color depositing shampoo or conditioner for temporary results. Or, for a longer-lasting solution, you can opt for permanent hair color or highlights.

What is the healthiest way to cover grey hair?

Using natural ways to cover grey hair can make it look good and help nourish it. You can try remedies like coffee and chamomile tea. These options provide different shades and support healthy hair. Give these gentle choices a try instead of chemical dyes.

What is demi-gray blending?

Demi-permanent hair color is a type of hair color that gradually fades over time. It doesn't contain ammonia, so it's gentler on the hair than permanent hair color. Demi-permanent hair color is a great option for clients who want to blend in their gray hair without committing to a permanent color change.

How can I hide grey hair without dying it?

Root sprays and root powders offer a quick and temporary way to cover up gray hairs: simply choose a shade that matches your natural color and apply to the roots.

Is it better to highlight or color gray hair?

The best coloring technique for gray hair ultimately depends on your desired look and how much coverage you want. We suggest opting for an all-over color service to fully mask every gray hair on your head with a uniform shade. However, highlighting may be better if your goal is seamlessly blending your grays.

What hair dye do professionals use?

Wella products are trusted by experts all over the world, whether it's their Koleston Perfect range for rich, vibrant colors or the Illumina Colour series for brilliant results. Redken is well-known for its cutting-edge hair color processes and wide selection of colors.

Why won't my grey hair take color?

Along with a drop in melanin production, grey hair produces less sebum – the natural oil that keeps it soft and supple. As its texture changes, your hair might feel more dry, coarse, or wiry. This means it won't absorb hair dye like it used to.

What hair color hides grey 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.

What is grey blending?

Gray blending is a hair coloring technique that involves blending gray hairs with your base color to help soften the contrast between shades. Typically, the process involves either highlighting your hair or adding lowlights.

How often should I dye my hair to cover gray?

How often should I dye my hair to cover grey hair? This depends on how quickly your hair grows, but often is between 4-8 weeks. If you're only just starting to grey, it may not be time to begin permanently colouring your hair.

How much does gray 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.

Is demi or permanent better for gray hair?

Most hair colorists will tell you that if your locks are more than 25% gray, permanent hair color is for you.

How to go gray without a demarcation line?

To avoid a harsh line of demarcation, you can head to the salon and have your colorist use the root smudging technique to blend your natural gray roots with the lengths of your hair. This will allow for a gradual transition between hues as your hair continues to grow.

What to ask for at a salon to cover grays?

Highlights. The good thing about gray hair is that if it's only a sporadic occurrence across your head, your stylist can usually use highlights to make them blend in more. A nice mixture of low lights and highlights will add dimension to your hair, while also masking the appearance of any gray hairs.

What is the least damaging way to color gray hair?

If you are looking for a low-impact, natural effect then lowlights are a safer way to color grey hair. Your stylist uses foils to apply the color so it doesn't lie directly on your scalp. That means less exposure to chemicals and fewer potential allergic reactions.

How do you not look washed out with gray hair?

So use a luminizing, moisturizing foundation, and apply powder only where you absolutely need it, says New York City makeup artist Mally Roncal.
  1. Wear blush. It makes every complexion more vibrant, says Roncal. ...
  2. Line your lips. ...
  3. Pick a rich lipcolor. ...
  4. Brighten up your eyes. ...
  5. Forget basic black. ...
  6. Pay attention to your brows.

How do hairdressers cover grey?

Salon Treatments for Grey Coverage
  1. Permanent Hair Colour: A salon-applied permanent dye penetrates the hair shaft, offering long-lasting coverage. ...
  2. Glosses and Toners: Semi-permanent options such as glosses and toners work to enhance natural hues while softening the stark contrast between grey and pigmented strands.

How to hide greys without dying hair?

How can I conceal grey hair?
  1. Root sprays. Light roots are easily concealed with root sprays until the next time the hair is washed. ...
  2. Hair mascara. Special hair mascaras for individual strands or light roots work similarly to root sprays. ...
  3. Toners. ...
  4. Highlights. ...
  5. Shampoos with colour effect.

Does Salma Hayek have grey hair?

Over the years, Hayek has gotten candid about her hair turning gray, sharing “tips” on how to easily hide roots on her Instagram.

Previous article
Why not to use aloe on sunburn?
Next article
What are the three types of hair disorders?