Clairol Nice & Easy was chosen as the best permanent hair color for lighter hair shades by Good Housekeeping for its exceptional gray coverage and wearability. Nice & Easy comes in more than 40 shades ranging from pale blonde to black.
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).
As a general rule, hair color lasts about 6-8 weeks, depending on if you're covering gray hair or not. If you don't have a lot of gray and you're dying your hair to change up your color, there are ways for stylists to blend in highlights with your natural hair color to keep it looking fresh for longer.
If you add the right hair colour, your 'grey' hair will act as highlights, giving you a completely new look that will get you noticed for all the right reasons. Professional colourists usually recommend a darker shade for your roots and a lighter shade that matches your natural hair for the rest.
If you know what colour you want to showcase for the next few months, you have a lot of grey hair to cover and want to save time and save money, permanent hair dye is for you! It will allow you to cover without exception the grey hair, but also to drastically change hair colour if your heart desires.
According to hair biology experts and styling experts alike, grey hair is more resistant to color than younger hair because of its texture. The relative lack of natural oils in the hair compared to younger hair make it a rougher surface that tends to reject the color being applied, especially around the roots.
1. Blonde Highlights. There are three reasons we recommend blonde highlights Opens in a new tab when covering grays. First up, the difference between blonde and silver shades is subtle, so gray roots won't appear as visible - even if it's been six to eight weeks since you last went to the salon.
A semi-permanent color contains no ammonia and deposits only. It does not require mixing with a developer and lasts anywhere from 4 – 12 shampoos. This type of color is used to blend gray or enhance natural color and it's safe for immediate use after a relaxer or perm service.
In the case of grey hair, they lack melanin which is responsible for the natural color of the hair and they also lack certain natural oils which are generally there in natural hair. This makes it even tougher to deposit semi permanent hair dyes on grey root hair.
As of today, there does not seem to be any correlation between the various hair colors vs. the rate of hair turning grey. Melanin comes in two basic varieties, eumalanin and phaeomelanin, which combine in different proportions to create the vast array of hair colors.
How often should I touch up grays? If you're dealing with a lot of gray hair, you should touch up every four to six weeks. If that sounds expensive—and time-consuming—that's where at-home coloring is key. With it, you can keep the hair color you know and love—without spending a ton.
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.
Coffee can add a stunning tint to your hair and hide grey roots in one use. Mix ground coffee with a cup of conditioner and half cup brewed coffee. Apply all over hair and leave on for an hour, cover your head with a shower cap. Wash off and notice the change in your hair.
A combination of light and dark tones will help to mix with your grays seamlessly. If you have a darker base, like brown or black hair, you should go for caramel highlights or ash brown highlights with lowlights that are two to three shades darker than your base.
Always Use a 20 Volume Developer
Gray hair tends to be resistant and typically takes longer to grab hold of the hair. Since there is no pigment, there is no need to lift.
If you leave hair dye on for longer than recommended, it'll cause your hair to become dry, brittle, and prone to breakage. Lastly, make sure you use a salon quality shampoo and conditioner after coloring your hair. It'll help the colour last longer, remain vibrant and feel salon fresh.
Henna powder is a good choice for coloring gray hair. Henna comes in several colors and is easier to control than some other types of home-dying plant-based techniques, like coffee or tea.
Caramel, honey, gold, copper, and strawberry give a healthy brightness that makes us look and feel younger. (Framing your face with lighter shades draws the eye away from any complexion concerns, as well.)