To cover grey hair, ask your stylist for techniques like highlights/babylights for blending, a permanent color in neutral/ashy tones (like mushroom brown or ash blonde) for full coverage without brassiness, or a demi-permanent for less commitment, specifying you want your color level to be natural or slightly darker to avoid warmth and harsh lines. Discuss if you prefer low-maintenance blending (highlights) or complete coverage (full color).
Highlights in a Cool Blonde Shade
There are three reasons we recommend blonde highlights for covering grey and white hairs. First up, the difference between cool blonde and silver shades is minimal, so grey roots won't appear as visible (even six weeks after your last colouring session).
Salon Treatments for Grey Coverage
Grey hair has a different composition to regular hair, so it's harder to get dyes tot stick completely. My stylist recommended going lighter when your hair starts greying as it's easier to hide, but it's also a bigger investment to maintain hair like that.
Hair Color That's Actually Designed to Cover Gray Hair
AVOID: WASHED OUT TONES
You want to avoid shades that are too similar to your natural coloring; beiges, creams, off-whites, stone grays, taupes, etc. These colors will only wash you out and emphasize your gray tones.
For women over 50, youthful hair colors focus on adding warmth, softness, and dimension, like caramel, honey, or golden blondes, and warm browns (chocolate, auburn) with balayage highlights to blend grays and brighten skin, while avoiding harsh, flat, or overly dark colors that can harden features. Lighter, multi-tonal shades create softness and reflection, making skin look more luminous, notes Southern Living, The Right Hairstyles, and Pure Spa Direct.
While traditional hair dyes may offer quick results, they often come with harsh chemicals that can damage hair over time. More people are now turning to gentler, holistic alternatives such as henna for grey hair, grey hair shampoo, and Ayurvedic remedies that not only color but also nourish the scalp.
Blonde is one of the best colors to cover gray hair because there's only a slight difference between blonde shades and silver shades, so the new dye can be easily blended. Take a look at these fresh blonde color ideas you can try out to cover gray hair.
Highlights help disguise grey hair in a more natural way than all-over color. All-over color needs to be touched up more often than highlights because when your hair grows, you'll experience a “demarcation line” that can look harsh against brown or black hair. It's all about blending!
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. They're both great options for those moments when new gray growth just barely starts to appear or you need a quick fix between dye jobs.
Celebrity hairstylist Kim Kimble recommends Clairol's Permanent Root Touch-Up. 'I've personally used this to cover my own greys,' she says. 'It's quick and hassle-free!' To use a root touch-up spray, the first thing you need to do is make sure your hair is clean.
There's no permanent way of removing grey hair. Once melanin production has dropped, white strands will always grow through with a grey tint, even if you pluck them (which is not recommended).
Ash blonde: the best hue to blend grey hair
Ash blonde is one of the most flattering choices.
"Gray or white hair tends to look best with pink, olive, and dark complexions," says Lisa Chiccine, a stylist and owner of the Lisa Chiccine Salon in New York City. "If you're sallow or very pale, you'll probably look washed-out and should consider highlights or lowlights," she says.
“It depends on skin tone, but in general, going a bit lighter or warmer can soften features and create a more natural blend with grays as they grow in,” Esposito says. “Super dark shades may draw attention to regrowth.
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.
Korean grey hair treatments focus on nourishing the scalp, using natural ingredients like ginseng to boost melanin (like WT Methode or Daeng Gi Meo Ri) for potential color restoration, or employing pigmented shampoos (like Moda Moda or Ryo) for temporary darkening, often avoiding harsh chemicals for gentle coverage, alongside general hair health via oils, serums, and toning. While no magic cure reverses all gray, these K-beauty approaches manage premature graying and maintain color naturally.
It works by removing product buildup and environmental residues that can accentuate gray strands. By tightening the hair cuticles, it also gives hair a smoother texture and a natural shine, making grays less stark.
Foil Highlights for Grey Hair. Both balayage and foil highlights offer beautiful, customised solutions for blending grey hair. The key is choosing a method that matches your style, maintenance preferences, and hair type.
Blonde hair color for gray coverage is a gentler transition, especially if you are mostly gray. Look for a shade that works with your skin tone.
As you age, hair often gets lighter (due to graying) or may need to be lightened to look more youthful, as very dark colors can create harsh contrasts, accentuating wrinkles and shadows on mature skin; adding softness and warmth with lighter tones, highlights, or multi-dimensional browns/blondes is generally more flattering and rejuvenating. The key is to choose colors that harmonize with your current skin tone, not your skin tone from decades past.
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.
For seamless gray blending, you'll typically want to opt for highlights or lowlights that fall within two levels of your base shade. The goal is to create a natural blend, not add extreme highlights that completely transform your hair color.