Grey hairs - do you blend or cover?

[Reluctantadult]

I want to do something about my emerging grey hairs. I'm not sure whether to box dye, semi or permanent? Or get some high/low lights mixed in with them? My criteria would be natural looking, low maintenance, low cost. What works well for other people? I've got dark brown straight hair, the greys are pretty white and thick and wavy.

Mid brown hair here.
when I started getting more than the odd one I turned to blonde balayage. I get it done 4 times a year and it costs around £150 each time and it stops the greys being so noticeable when they come through

I have my first appointment to get mine blended in, I'm past the point of just leaving them now and need to do something.
I have a dark brow. short bob currently (would like to grow to shoulder length) I'll be looking for highlights (but would prefer balayage or similar) toned to an ashy blonde

Oh ouch, £600 a year on hair dye is a bit horrifying to me! I normally have a biannual cut for £50 😂

I'm quite keen to not go blonde, it wouldn't be me.

I let mine grow out as I’m mostly grey now and am allergic to dyes. Before that though, I used to cover the roots every 3 weeks at a salon @ about £35 a time (I’m in the North East which is often cheaper though). But £35 was that often was still a lot. Box dyes never worked well for me as the colour was too flat and like a block of colour, rather than the natural highlights you get in your normal hair colour.

When I decided to go down the letting it go grey root, I got babylights (very fine highlights) and it blended it. I only needed to do that once really as it grew out but if you’re not fully going grey yet, you could do that every now and then. Prices will probably depend on where you live.

I used L'Oréal Casting Crème Gloss (semi-permanent box dye) for many years and highly recommend it. Leaves hair in great condition and covers grey very well. I used it till I had around 90% grey and it still did the trick. Would've continued with it except that I then decided I wanted to grow my grey out.

Blend-my natural hair colour is dark brown upon which I had a slightly darker dye but once the greys started to come through I cba with the maintenance of root touch up.

I have a white streak one side and grey/white growing through the rest but not enough to be completely grey so my lovely hairdresser has blended in white/grey highlights all over so that it looks fairly natural. She does such a good job that I only go for colour 2 or 3 x a year

Thank you! I think a conversation with the hairdresser is in order.

Another vote for L'Oréal Casting here. My original colour is mid-brown but my roots come through silver all over. I do not want to go grey until I'm at least 70 but nature started the process at 17! I have no intention of having going grey. Castings gives good variation of colour tones because it's semi-permanent - it doesn't look like a colour block. I pay a mobile hairdresser £15 to put it on my roots sometimes, otherwise do it myself. I apply it only to roots.

I use esalon dye, best I’ve tried - but i feel it’s a must for me, dark brown hair, without I’d look like a wild animal

I have actually got a semi permanent mid-brown in the cupboard, that I could try.

I just use a semi permanent in the same colour every three months or so. I also use a coloured shine glaze which is £10 for four applications each lasting about ten washes which seems to make everything last longer and makes my thin hair swishy. Maybe £60- 80 a year depending on special offers.

I put a semi permanent mid brown on yesterday, which I already had in the back of the cupboard so thought I'd try it. I have to say it's not covered all the grey!!

I don't colour mine, they're mainly around my face and the rest of my hair is starting to get the odd grey, but one thing I have noticed is that they're more silver than grey so I'm happy, unhappy that I'm not going to get my paternal grandmother's steely blue grey with silver. There was a poster in a thread a while ago who had the exact colour and I'm so jealous.

I have similar hair colour but am not very grey. I have some blending but might give up at some point.

Henna from Lush. They have four shades.
For me it only covers the grey so I don't get the block box dye look, it's more natural.
A block is about £14 and I can get 2 or 3 covers out of it!
It's a bit messy but cheap as chips and no nasties in it.

I did try to go grey and just let it all grow , I have long brown hair .The greys are in my hairline around my face , especially either side of my forehead. I don’t like it, it got worse over lockdown, I had to dye it with a box dye. But they seem to reappear within a week! With curly hair I just looked like I had a fuzzy grey halo around my face - the grey hair seems to grow up.

So I caved and get the hairdresser to do it - every 3 months roots done & in-between I have a root rage - just the hairline bit so I can wear hair up etc I only get it cut twice a year. It’s the only thing I really spend money on for myself.

@Badbudgeter What's the coloured shine glaze you use, please?

It’s clairol gloss up. There are lots of similar ones though. This just happens to be the one Tesco stock/ deliver. Special offer of £6 if you have a clubcard.

Have you had your colours done ?
Models with grey hair (often have blue grey hair) usually have very tanned skin tone. I don’t tan much at all more a pinky shade.
I had colours done and don’t suit white, I am an autumn so need a warm tone of grey so will go blondeish.

I think it’s blend and cover with highlights, big they’re only at sides near hairline (near ear area) - even then that area can be hard to cover even if dye is painted over it!

Another vote for the. LOreal casting gloss herë. I think it blends well because it's semi permanent. I just use half at a time to cover my roots so it's very economical.

Quite easily to actually get professional colours and do it yourself, unless you want to do blonde, darker colours are easy to do.

Look up wella's professional instagram account, they often post formulas and inspiration. Once you do a bit of reading its easy.

Start with lighter colours and semi perm because that's easy to wash out...

I have dark brunette hair with a small bit of grey, especially around the temples.

I am reluctant to dye it. I use John Frieda Midnight Brunette shampoo and Conditioner every day which sort of darkens and blends the greys enough.

Every so often I use a colour conditioning glaze from e salon.

My aim is not so much to cover the grey as soften and blend it a bit better.

My hair is naturally very dark, started going grey in places from 16/17 😭 I was not ready to embrace it so I've had it dyed/ done my own from then on. I did my own for the last year but it gradually got darker and darker so I've gone back to the salon to get it done (which drives me mad as I hate sitting there). I didn't want to go lighter but it does mean my roots show quickly, so in between I use the L'Oréal root spray to cover.