Highlights to blend in root grey and dyed lengths?

[Glitteringapples]

Help - I’m seeking a bit of inspiration. My hair is naturally mid brown and about 30% grey. it’s currently long- below my shoulders. It’s fine and wavy and tends to frizz in humid /wet weather.
I’ve been dyeing it with Feria Dublin (a perm box copper red colour) for about 10 years but I stopped 6 months ago as I lcouldn’t be arsed to fight against the increasing grey on a monthly basis.

I have now reached a bit of an impasse though , look awful and short of chopping it off into a pixie cut which I’m loathe to do (face is too fat with neck
wattle) and I have a I have to either dye it again if find some way of blending things in.
I currently have 2 inches of brown /grey roots, faded copper lengths which are a dull strawberry blonde.

it’s my 50th birthday next month so I’d like to treat myself to a bit of an overhaul and have heard highlights can be used to help blend greys in.
i really like the idea of having bright golden / and strawberry blonde lights put through my hair (see pic) as I like the contrast with the silver but I have questions…

1. all the pictures I’ve seen of grey blending highlights seem to be ash blonde … is this how it’s done? I have a pale freckly skin and I think ash blonde would look awful on me

2. if I go for golden highlights is it going to be a lot of maintenance to keep on top of? Rather than ash highlights which I guess blend in with the emerging grey better?

3. full head or half head?

4. can highlights be done over the top of dyed red hair (I read somewhere going blonde after red is tricky?) my dye is very faded now though.

5. what sort of shoulder length style should I go for to compliment fine wavy hair? Low maintenance air dry styles preferred.

Thank you so, so much for any suggestions!

If the final end result you’re after if you fully grow out your hair dye, I’d leave it be. I’ve been there, took me about 1y 9m to get to a shoulder length bob with no dye. I tried various lighter colours, to blend, nothing really worked, had to start again.

Various hair bands and updos can help disguise the line.

If you’re after something to blend in the long term, someone will come along with better advice than me!

Thank you Princess Bear!

I have a combination of highlights and lowlights which is effective at blending the grey in. I didn’t realize how effective it was until covid when I didn’t go to the hairdressers for 18 mos and just used root rescue. I have a wavy bob and it is manageable

I am exactly the same OP. But I've been using the dreaded dark brown box dye! My other issue is that I have dark greys on the top of my hair with virtually white coming in underneath/around my temples.

I think the longest I got to was six months and I just had to colour it again because I hated it. But I'm thinking of growing it out again.

I just want something that is lighter so I can use a semi permanent over it. My mum has lovely white all over hair that she can use a semi permanent on if she wants something different.

Highlights don’t cover the grey as well as they used to, should I consider an all over tint followed by highlights?
will the end result look very different?