Should I lighten my hair to hide grey?

Author: Roselyn DuBuque  |  Last update: Wednesday, April 16, 2025

For brunettes, highlights can help hide gray hairs since the lighter color blends in with the white hairs, making them less noticeable. Plus, highlights allow for a lot of creativity- you can choose how much contrast you want and what specific areas to highlight.

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

Darker will always cover gray better .

Can I use a lighter hair color to cover grey?

Professional colourists usually recommend a darker shade for your roots and a lighter shade that matches your natural hair for the rest. Start by applying the darker dye to the roots (about an inch or so down) and then use the lighter shade for the rest of your hair.

What is the best color to hide gray hair?

Brown hair colors for gray hair are the sweet spot for gray coverage if your natural shade is medium blonde to dark brown. They are also ideal if you're gray all over.

How can I lighten my dark hair to hide grey?

Opting for highlights to hide gray hair or getting a silver balayage may be the answer, as the lightened strands seamessly blend with any gray hairs that would otherwise create a harsh contrast against your dark base. If you opt for highlights on gray hair, consider asking your colorist for babylights.

What I Wish I Knew Before Going Grey

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 ...

Is it better to lighten hair gradually?

Especially if you're making a drastic change, it's absolutely better to gradually lighten your hair in phases.

How do I make my grey hair less noticeable?

6 Different Ways to Hide Your Gray Hair
  1. 1) Balayage. Balayage involves hand-painting color onto the hair in a sweeping motion to create a natural, sun-kissed effect. ...
  2. 2) Highlights. ...
  3. 3) Balayage Highlights. ...
  4. 4) Lived-in Colour. ...
  5. 5) Foiliyage. ...
  6. 6) Babylights.

What color hair should a 50 year old have?

Hair Color Ideas for Older Women

Chestnut Brown: beautifully warm, this rich color flatters all skin tones and is never out of fashion. Almond Cookie: with its delicious warm honey tones, you'll look good enough to eat! Deep Auburn: this intense flattering shade particularly suits skin with warm undertones.

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.

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 happens if you put lighter dye on dark hair?

- Using a lighter color over your last hair color will not work and will create unnecessary stress to your hair. - You cannot inflict hair color over hair color on your hair or it may just break. Wait at least one month before dyeing your hair again.

What happens if you put blonde dye on grey hair?

Blonde blends better with grey

Grey hair in blonde hair or grey roots in blonde hair blends better than with darker hair. So blonde is a good choice if you want to make your grey hair or grey roots less noticeable.

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.

Is lighter or darker hair more attractive?

Interestingly, other research has shown that men find women with lighter hair to have more positive perceptions in terms of relationship and parenting potential. Women, on the other hand, care more about overall appearance and dress size, which generally leads to darker hair being preferred by women.

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.

What is the most flattering hair length for an over 50 female?

One of the most versatile and universally flattering hair lengths for women over 50 is shoulder-length. This medium length allows you to experiment with different styles while still maintaining a youthful appearance.

How do you embrace grey hair at 50?

Let your grey shine

Nicola recommends “white and platinum if you'd like to keep your look natural, or consider blue and ash tones if you're after a more edgy grey.” For something slightly less bold, weaving iridescent, pearly shades through a grey base also gives hair a low-maintenance lift.

What color hair makes an older woman look younger?

What Color Hair Makes You Look Younger? Brighten up! Ten out of ten colorists agree, shades that are warm-toned read more youthful than cool-toned hair colors. Spicy copper reds, rich caramel brunettes, and soft honey blondes will warm up your complexion for younger-looking skin (hold the retinol).

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.

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 brunettes deal with grey hair?

If they have not been previously coloring I typically suggest a colored demi-gloss treatment like View that will increase shine and camouflage the gray. Alternatively, I will suggest some strategically placed highlights/lowlights to blend the grays and diffuse their appearance.

What is the gentlest way to lighten hair?

Natural bleaching agents like apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, chamomile tea, or cinnamon and honey can lighten hair gently and naturally with minimal damage.

Should I lighten my hair as I get older?

"A shade or two lighter [than your natural one] can be very flattering, especially because skin gets more sallow with age, and a few streaks can wake it up. But going too light can be just as aging as going too dark.

Will purple shampoo lighten my hair?

Purple shampoo is for already bleached hair, so if you're hoping to lighten brown hair with purple shampoo, you'll be disappointed. This is all down to the fact that purple shampoo isn't lightening. Instead, it brightens blondes by canceling out yellow tones, which just happen to be opposite purple on the color wheel.

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