Grey temples - best method?

[TeaQuiero]

I'm no stranger to hair dyes (for fun) and methods, but I'm not sure what the best way would be to tackle grey temples. It's the under-layer of hair, so not too visible unless I wear it up. What's worse is that while the rest of my hair is fine, silky and straight, the greys are coarse, so are sticking out horizontally. I am keeping them at bay with nail clippers and they twang off like bog brush wires. This is really only adding to the horizontal inch-long grey porcupine spines sticking out.

So. To the salon I go, but for...?

1. Henna (I'd do it at home) or a permanent. I don't really want to do my entire head, though, and I don't necessarily want to do the henna route (though I will one day, I love the red colour) because I might want to do chemical dying later.
   

1. A semi. But I have read they aren't so good at covering greys? And then there's the build up. Are the colours quite flat or can they be multi-toned?
   

1. Demi, just on the area. How to match the colour correctly? Will I end up with shadowy darker-brown temples?
   

1. Touch-ups and root covers. Some look like powders. Will this smudge or fall on to my skin? Tell-tale brown smudges of shame?
   

1. Mascaras. OK. Any good brands?
   

1. Something else.
   

1. Can't pluck, too many now, I'd have a bald spot.

[SlapperPJ]

I used to buy a bog standard box dye from the supermarket in the nearest thing to my natural colour and use the instructions for doing a test strand (normally to mix a teaspoon of developer with a teaspoon of colour - so equal parts) and then applied that little bit of mixed dye with an old toothbrush to my one patch of grey (mallan streak above my left eyebrow). It covered the grey/white bits for years. Regrowth was not particularly noticeable. Cheap. Easy. One box lasted me years.

Any hairdresser would probably wince - but worked for me.

[owenjonesismyhero]

I do what Slapper does too! I also pre-treat with hydrogen peroxide 30% as that opens the cuticles and the dye penetrates better. Buy dye lighter than you think - it always comes out darker!

[TheOriginalChatelaine]

Nice and Easy do a root touch up creme. Similar to the regular packs but with less product so less £
Also has a picture of the blue root applicator brush on the box. The larger supermarket and Boots stock them.