Blonde, brunette or red? Boring! Gray is the hair color trend everyone is talking about! If the Granny look was still considered strange at the beginning of its trend wave (back in 2015), today it is no doubt socially acceptable. Admittedly, it is a bit of a paradox to deliberately get the hair color of an old woman, while we always fight so vehemently against the signs of the time with anti-aging treatments. Eccentric celebrities like Lady Gaga and Kelly Osbourne have done it, many women and girls are doing it now. We explain what you have to consider before dying your hair gray and which grey hair color shades are especially hip right now. If you’ve decided to dye your hair grey at home, we’ll tell you how to do it!

What do you have to consider before dying your hair gray?

grey hair color on blonde silver white hue

Dyeing hair gray is not easy, so you’d better turn to a professional hair colorist. The perfect gray can be achieved only on uniformly bleached hair, also the color should be matched to the skin type so that the complexion does not appear pale. The Granny Hair should not actually make you look old.

If you have dark hair, you won’t get around bleaching. It ensures an optimal base, especially for light gray shades. The best result is achieved with platinum-colored hair since there are no pigments left. The roughened hair structure ensures that the gray color pigments are then better absorbed.

How to get the grey hair color at the hairdresser’s

With bleaching, all the color pigments are first removed from the hair. Then, it is often bleached a second time or the hair is dyed to remove the yellowness after bleaching. The darker the hair color, the more often it must be bleached to really remove the last yellowish tinge from the hair. Only in the last step, the grey color dye comes into the hair. The procedure requires strong and healthy hair. If you already have damaged hair or split ends, you should think carefully about whether you want to do this procedure to your hair. It is best to get advice from a professional. Many experts advise against it, especially for very dark or black hair.

Tip: In any case, book an Olaplex treatment to protect the hair!

How to dye your hair grey at home

Only those, who already have blonde hair, should try grey hair coloring at home. There are several ways to achieve a grey color:

Semi-permanent hair color with toner

Probably the easiest option is a toner that comes off after a few washes. If you are not sure yet about the desired shade of gray, you can test different hair colors first.

Step 1: First you need a grey toner and an oxidant cream (also called developer or activator), which are mixed in a ratio of 1:2 (for example, 50 ml toner with 100 ml of oxidant cream).

Step 2: Apply the creamy mixture on wet, previously washed hair – for a better result, you should get a helping hand. Divide your hair into sections and apply the dye using a brush from roots to ends.

Step 3: Leave the toner on for at least 20 minutes, longer for stronger color intensity.

Step 4: Wash your hair. Use silver shampoo regularly and if possible do not wash your hair too often, otherwise, the color will wash out very quickly!

granny hair trend asian girl with pale skin

Permanent grey hair dye

With a hair dye, the hair becomes permanently gray. It is now available on the market in numerous shades (L’oreal, Garnier, Wella). You should pay attention to this:

  • Use a dye brush to apply the hair dye
  • Hair clips and style comb allow the separation and fixing of hair sections
  • Be sure to use an old towel to protect your clothes
  • Adhere precisely to the processing time to avoid accidents
  • Use gloves
  • Vaseline prevents hair dye stains – for example on your hairline

How to maintain grey hair color

The right hair care is the alpha and omega so that the color lasts a long time and stays shiny.

  • After some time the gray hair color could fade to yellow. To keep your platinum grey hue from fading, you should use special purple shampoo.
  • Bleaching is very hard on the hair and dries it out – always use hair masks regularly to moisturize the hair and prevent hair breakage.
  • Get a hair cut regularly to avoid split ends and hair breakage.

How long does grey hair color last? The Granny Hair is unfortunately not very long-lasting even with perfect hair care – for a neat look you have to re-dye after four to eight weeks! Ideally every 3 weeks.

What skin tone and eye color do grey hair look best to?

The skin type is crucial when it comes to finding the right shade of gray hair color. Particularly light gray shades are perfect for women with fair skin with a bluish to violet undertone (cool skin tones). Light eye colors, such as green, blue or gray are also great in combination with gray hair and look even brighter. For darker, bronzed skin types, very light shades of gray can appear unnatural and artificial. If you have a warm skin tone or olive skin and brown eyes, you’d better choose a darker silver-gray or get only highlights in the hair.

Which grey hair color shades and techniques are popular?

Especially popular is Gray Ombré Hair, where only the ends are dipped in gray color. The natural color tone can be retained in the roots. Ombre from black to grey looks fabulous and very dramatic.  This is a good option especially for women with darker hair, who do not want to damage their hair with multiple bleaching. Grey hair with highlights made with the balayage technique is absolutely trendy, too. In addition, you can also put colorful accents in the gray-colored hair – particularly popular are combinations of grey hair color with purple and pink!

In any case, hairstyling is particularly important now: the hair should not just hang down lazily, but have a good shape. Layers or curls add texture to the whole look. Also, make sure you have the right make-up, otherwise you will look pale and tired. Rouge, eye-catching lipstick or dark eyeshadows complete the whole thing.

ash grey hair color with highlights wavy bob hairstyle girl with fair skin

grey hair color ombre from dark blonde to silver girl with fair skin and blue eyes

short hair black roots with silver highlights

About the Author Jessy Adams

Jessy Adams is deeply committed to assisting people in living a more fashionable and healthier lifestyle, and she sincerely feels that this is the key to living a happy life. She has been blogging since 2008. Jessy is the person to go to for advice on fashion, hair, and good eating. She consistently manages to distill difficult themes into tangible advice that her readers can put into action. Jessy's information is always provided in an easy-to-digest format, and she always backs up her advise with credible references.

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