Advice needed: greying brunette going lighter (cool skin tones)

[MrsLucas]

Sorry, this takes a bit of explaining:

My naturally very dark brown is now about 40% grey. I've graduated from dark brown box dyes, to mid brown ones, but I get that strap of white appearing at my parting after two weeks, and it's all a bit dead and boring.

Think I need to be lighter and multi-tonal, but I can't afford to maintain that at the hairdressers. In a moment of madness, I used a colour remover. Amazingly that's left me with a pretty good balayage effect (where peroxide from the permanents lifted the longest sections the most), plus my look greys lighter throughout, which has made the contrast with regrowth much less harsh.

The issue is it's all a bit warm for my cool colouring. My hair has a lot of red in it which comes through whenever lightened, which is one of the reasons I've stuck with brown to date. I've slapped on a purple toner, but suspect I might need to put something permanent with ash over the top, and then maintain by keeping that dabbed on at the roots. Does that sound a plausible plan? And if so, does anyone have any recommendations - thinking maybe a dark ash blonde? TIA

I am the same in terms of brown with a white stripe that comes through after 2-3 weeks. I colour every 4 but it’s so tedious. I also want to go lighter so am thinking of doing the same. My hairdresser uses dark ash blonde (6.1) at the moment but it’s actually mid brown, I’m thinking of switching to light ash blonde (8.1) as the ash blonde (7.1) is still too dark. The names are confusing. Let me know what you decide!

Although looking at those shades I think I’ll still have a white stripe. Not ready to go au natural yet so don’t know what to do!!

I am a light brown and did the same as you - used to use a brunette box dye then did colour remover. The reddish appearance is not always after colour removal because all box dyes, even brunette ones, contain ammonia which permanently lightens the hair, leaving that gingery effect in brunettes. I use a medium blonde box dye now with either cool or ash in the description. The regrowth is much less noticeable than semi-grey regrowth on brunette was.The dye is really good with lots of different tones. If your hair is naturally dark though, I wouldn't have thought a box dye more than about 2 shades lighter would be effective. If you want blonde you probably need a hairdresser and highlights.

Would you go into your local beauty supply shop & get a professional colour? I bumble into my local Sally's & either buy what my hairdresser has used or ask the people working there for help. I never claim to be a pro, I've never had any issues. You can get violet based dyes to counteract warmth.

I am similar colouring - fair with dark hair - but I've had to go lighter as the regrowth is less harsh. I can get a few more weeks before it's very apparent. I'd be around a 6/7 now, dark blonde. I use those root sprays too- get them in boots, very useful & work pretty well on parts etc.

Thanks All for your advice. The names of colours are really confusing, as I think,yes I do need an unlikely sounding medium ash blonde. I'm aiming to keep the multi tonal thing going and have some contrast between lightened lengthens, and roots which hopefully I can get to roughly the same colour, and my natural colour. Will investigate Sally's!

You can get root cover permanent dyes now too. I get the medium blonde one from Superdrug - it is supposed to blend with any medium blonde shade. There's a brush so you just paint it on the roots, leave for 10 minutes then wash it off.

Have been looking for a temporary colour to use until I'm past the risk of reoxidisation. Amazing how all the brown level 1s have disappeared from the high street, but there are rainbow colours galore .

Took a chance on a toner for grey hair in an icy chestnut colour. And it's made the lighter warm lengths (think this is my white hair, stained by dye) cooler, sparkling and bright. Has also blended the grey at my hairline a bit, so that's been a pleasant surprise too.

Have you got a link for that toner please? I have the same level of grey - currently getting colour done at hairdresser, it's great but soooo expensive to maintain now it needs doing monthly.

Out and about MrsSup, so can't link, but it's L'Oreal Age Perfect in Chestnut, part of a range of silver toners. Boots stock iit.

Touch of chestnut, to be precise. Meant for 50% plus grey. It's good for taking the edge of regrowth now I have lightened lengths. Wouldn't have work on solid darkish brown.

Update - it does seem to have reoxidised a bit. Might need to rethink this ...(possibly repeat the colour remover with longer rinsing?).

Oh pants. I put a Josh Wood blond permanent colour over the top, to colour the roots and lightened lengths, and it's gone straight back to dark brown.

Seriously, if we can send spacecraft to Mars, why are we all still arsing around trying to find a way of transitioning between brunette and grey that doesn't involve spending £££s at the hairdressers every few weeks?

This is not rocket science....But perhaps we could crowd fund NASA to take a look for us???

Right. That might have been a bit hasty. I was spooked by DS asking why is you hair black?

Have just had a proper look in decent light and it is still a) much lighter on the lengths, b) multi-tonal, and c) my now much lighter roots have blended in OK. So on that level, mission accomplished; it's not a solid block of lego hair any more, and I should be able to keep whopping this colour on the roots and letting them grow in lighter.

In the light there are some deep red tones in the lengths, but I put a cool toner in the colour, which has killed anything ginger/orange.

I have a problem at the front where my parting has grown down and has darkened with build-up (might try vit C on this section). But if I can lighten that, I'll leave this now to see how it works out.

I'm pale with dark hair and increasingly determined greys, currently sitting here with my usual dark brown dye on my head but very interested to hear about others going lighter ... anyone want to share some photos?

I've had thoughts about going a bit lighter too, for the same reasons, but can't quite get my head around it - I've been very dark brown for so long I can't imagine being anything else. I could quite fancy a change though ...

Will you do it yourself June, or go to the hairdressers?

I did Vit C the dark sections, and then belatedely realised they were in fact my natural hair colour . So I was left with a bit too much contrast with my lighter roots, so I dabbled with a L'Oreal balayage kit, further lightening strands in the lengths. This worked pretty well - gave a very subtle lift to the sections I treated, which blends the whole lot together. Looks cool rather than orange, except in flash photography (so I won't be posting a picture...),

I'm sticking here after subjecting my hair to a fortnight of madness. It's been just like being 16 again And I will keep colouring, just the roots, using a cool dark blonde.

You could try the superdrug grey hair dye range. I chose the slate grey, it deepens the grey and takes the orange out of the lengths. It's worked really well for me

I've been blonde for a few years for the same reason. As i am quite grey the roots don't show much, until about 8 weeks. In the summer i can go about 12 weeks. The one time i tried diy, my hair became v dry and brittle so now i pay for the salon job.

You could just go blonde yourself, no need for a hairdresser. It might take a couple of goes to get from brown to blonde. I used to have medium brown hair but the constant dying every two weeks was too much, plus I read that brown hair dyes can cause cancer. I just mix peroxide with bleaching power, leave on for 30 minutes and I have a lovely light blonde colour. I only need to bleach the roots every couple of months as my grey roots aren't very noticeable with blonde hair. It's cheap, quick, easy and suits me much better than brown hair.

Howza - I wondered about those. What colour were you before you used the grey? And how dark is it now?

I grew out the colour with the help of my hairdresser. Took longer than I wanted really, but I never had any issues with it not looking right. My natural colouring was the same as yours OP and I was sick of colouring it. The base colour was lightened and kept cool and highlights in two colours were used. Eventually the base colouring was stopped and then I grew out the highlights. I now have what I'd call steel grey hair and get lots of compliments on it - sometimes people are surprised when they see my face and realise I am younger than they expected from my hair colour!

MrsMoggs I'm dark brown, but my hair only goes orange with bleach. And have been getting grey since my twenties. Now I'm 40 and it's very noticeable at the top and sides, so I've stopped dying it and it's so much nicer! Softer, and it isn't aging like obviously dyed hair is!
I tried the grey dye and it toned down the white, and it was all very shiny.

Just remembered my hairdresser used highlift to lighten my hair as it gave less brassy results and didn't need toner.

Wonder if that's what the L:Oreal balayage product is?

Nature’s lightening your hair but you want to spend time and money buying products to lighten your hair?.

Yes, that's right. I want to do it in a way I like the look of.