Neutral shades like soft blonde, mushroom brown, light copper, and caramel blonde balayage are the easiest to blend gray into (and maintain over time without wanting to shave your hair off).
The secret: use a hair dye with a ``neutral'' base tone to cover gray hair. The letters after the shade number indicate the base tone. For example, 4A, 4G, or 4N. ``A'' is ash/cool, ``G'' is red/warm, ``N'' is yellow. Gray hair lacks the yellow pigment found in brown hair. Add it back, or gray roots will appear faded.
There are many reasons that blonde highlights are a top choice for covering gray hair. Blonde highlights soften the root area where grays start to peak through and let your colorist target gray-prone sections.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cool-leaning colors in light to dark shades like platinum, ash, beige, and medium blonde are especially well-suited for gray blending.
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.
Tresch also suggests using a gloss or toner like John Frieda Colour Refreshing Gloss or dpHUE Color Boosting GLOSS+ Deep Conditioning Treatment to easily camouflage sparse gray hairs.
The Colors to Avoid with Gray Hair
Here are a few to steer clear of: Muddy Neutrals: Beige, taupe, and other muted tones can make your skin look washed out and ashy. Earthy Yellows and Oranges: These warm tones clash with the coolness of gray hair and can make your complexion look sallow.
Honey blonde is a rich, warm color. On the blonde shade spectrum, it falls somewhere between a caramel shade and a buttery hue, but it can also be worked as a bronde (brown blonde). Just think, quite simply, of the color of honey, and you've got this trend in one. It's glossy, gleaming, glowy and golden.
But look underneath and you will find a set of colours that transforms its appearance completely. Blue and green undertones generally make for a cooler, more contemporary greys whilst warmer beige or purples offer a more traditional tone.
If your hair is brown, you may need to bleach it more than once before you apply the grey dye. It's important you get your hair as light as possible before you attempt to turn it grey – this will help ensure a more even tone and vibrant, all-over colour.
You won't be surprised to hear that you should be covering the grey with brown dye, but the best hair dye for grey hair here is a medium-light shade, even if you are naturally very dark, as this will complement your naturally paling skin. Yes, that's right; skin ages too and it tends to become paler.
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.
Ash blonde: the best hue to blend grey hair
Ash blonde is one of the most flattering choices. This cool-toned blonde hue seamlessly integrates with silver strands, softening the contrast and creating a youthful, refreshed look.
Unlike traditional blonde hair colors you're probably used to, champagne blonde has an ever-so-slight touch of cool pink to allow it to not only fit within the blonde family but among rose gold shades, too. The rosy, golden blonde hue is perfect if you're looking to tweak your traditional blonde hair color.
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.
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.
Made by using a combination of highlights and lowlights, Keading says you get a softer line of demarcation when your roots grow out and it gives you a subtle dimension throughout.
Rich Chocolate Tones:
If you prefer a more uniform colour, rich chocolate tones are an excellent choice for greying brunettes. These deep, warm shades add richness and dimension to your hair, making it appear fuller and healthier.
Root Touch-Up Powders, Sprays, Tinted Dry Shampoos, Concealer Sticks and Crayons. Root touch-up powders and sprays are some of the easiest and fastest ways to cover grey roots without any commitment. These products deposit temporary color onto your roots, blending seamlessly with your natural hair.
Softer Grow-Out: Because the technique mixes greys with similar shades, the transition as your roots grow out is more subtle and less noticeable. Lower Maintenance: Grey blending allows you to go longer between salon visits compared to full coverage, as it avoids harsh lines of regrowth.