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Original poster

Grey Blending

27 replies

Greys4Days · 08/02/2025 20:00

I've just turned 40 am going very grey, very quickly! I'm naturally dark haired and I'm fed up of the cost and time involved trying to maintain it so I'm considering having grey highlights to blend it in and make it as low maintenance as possible. I've had blonde balayage before and really didn't suit it at all so I'm bit concerned that this'd be the dame but I need to do something as it looks terrible!

Has anyone else gone from brunette to grey via highlights? Did you like it?

Grey Blending
Grey Blending
OP posts:
Thread gallery
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Original poster
Greys4Days · 08/02/2025 20:01

This is what I'm considering.

Grey Blending
OP posts:
ChangingHistory · 08/02/2025 20:12

That is gorgeous. I'd be delighted if my hair could look like that.

Have a consultantation and see what the say. Your hair does look like it has cool undertones but may be difficult to lighten..

SecondMrsTanqueray · 08/02/2025 20:14

It’s nice. But your hair looks wiry. Not sure grey looks great on wiry/curly hair.

Beebopwasthebest · 08/02/2025 20:17

My hair dresser advised me against this. He said because my hair was already dyed he would have to bleach the dye out to do the high lights and getting the right colour would be tricky..hair condition would suffer and it wouldn't be low maintenance.
I don't think I've ever seen any one in real life with hair like this...but I agree it looks amazing.

I did see a different technique which I might consider when I decide to stop dyeing my hair I think it's called strip dyeing ...you just colour the top side parting

StormingNorman · 08/02/2025 20:21

Grey blending doesn’t need to be grey. My hair is light brown grey blended to blonde. The greyer I get, I blonder I get. I can’t wait to be platinum!

Original poster
Greys4Days · 08/02/2025 20:46

Thanks all. My hair is thick, curly and very porous so not easy to manage as it is. It's really difficult to lighten too, took over a year of monthly visits to the hairdressers and a ridiculous amount of money to go blonde only for me to face the fact that it didn't suit me at all. It made me look washed out and always had a brassy tinge to it. On top of that, the bleach completely fried my already dry hair and it's taken a long time (and about 6/7 inches off) to get it back to a semi-healthy state. Wish I had the balls to shave it all off!

OP posts:
Oblomov25 · 08/02/2025 20:52

Talk to hairdresser about what she can do, what she can achieve. More silver will keep it from being drab.

LostittoBostik · 08/02/2025 21:03

I tried it and it didn't work at all. I've now got platinum highlights which isn't exactly what I wanted and leaves me with a dilemma around growing out later down the line...

Original poster
Greys4Days · 08/02/2025 22:00

LostittoBostik · 08/02/2025 21:03

I tried it and it didn't work at all. I've now got platinum highlights which isn't exactly what I wanted and leaves me with a dilemma around growing out later down the line...

That's what I'm afraid of! Might just load up on root cover spray and a gas mask.

OP posts:
ForPearlViper · 08/02/2025 22:09

I think people might think I'm on commission but... When I was transitioning from dyed to completely grey, with similar colouring to you, the semi permanent Bleach Fade to Grey saved my life. Took all the warmth out of the brunette and darkened the grey so it all blended until it grew out.

Original poster
Greys4Days · 08/02/2025 22:20

ForPearlViper · 08/02/2025 22:09

I think people might think I'm on commission but... When I was transitioning from dyed to completely grey, with similar colouring to you, the semi permanent Bleach Fade to Grey saved my life. Took all the warmth out of the brunette and darkened the grey so it all blended until it grew out.

Ooooh, I'll look that up. Thanks!

OP posts:
LostittoBostik · 08/02/2025 22:22

ForPearlViper · 08/02/2025 22:09

I think people might think I'm on commission but... When I was transitioning from dyed to completely grey, with similar colouring to you, the semi permanent Bleach Fade to Grey saved my life. Took all the warmth out of the brunette and darkened the grey so it all blended until it grew out.

Looking this up also!

WhoWhereWhatWhy · 08/02/2025 22:26

i follow a hairdresser on instagram who does only grey blending now. Her results are fantastic. The whole process/journey costs about £6k though which is just too much for me to contemplate.

Original poster
Greys4Days · 09/02/2025 00:10

WhoWhereWhatWhy · 08/02/2025 22:26

i follow a hairdresser on instagram who does only grey blending now. Her results are fantastic. The whole process/journey costs about £6k though which is just too much for me to contemplate.

£6k?!?! That's beyond a joke. I appreciate it's a skilled job and it would take a few sessions to get the desired result, but there is no colour/style worth that amount of money.

OP posts:
Floribundaflummery · 09/02/2025 00:37

OP I’m similar. Have straightened naturally curly flyaway highlighted blonde hair that’s naturally dark ash brown going grey with white at the front - badger look😳I’m fed up with the cost and hair breaking off, weak and yellowy unless I use purple shampoo.

i have started to go cold turkey as curious to see what my real hair is like after decades of dying. But will be hard not to give in if it starts to look too awful, dull and ageing. Hoping there will be some lovely silver streaks and it will brow healthier. Can you just really work on condition and cut and try the purple shampoo?

Original poster
Greys4Days · 09/02/2025 10:07

Floribundaflummery · 09/02/2025 00:37

OP I’m similar. Have straightened naturally curly flyaway highlighted blonde hair that’s naturally dark ash brown going grey with white at the front - badger look😳I’m fed up with the cost and hair breaking off, weak and yellowy unless I use purple shampoo.

i have started to go cold turkey as curious to see what my real hair is like after decades of dying. But will be hard not to give in if it starts to look too awful, dull and ageing. Hoping there will be some lovely silver streaks and it will brow healthier. Can you just really work on condition and cut and try the purple shampoo?

I will definitely try a purple shampoo and see if that makes any difference. Just need to find one that is curly compatible as I've been working on the condition of my hair for almost a year, no silicone or parabens, only air drying, using a silk bonnet, etc. So don't want to undo all that work with products that are goig to caused drying or build up. It's a minefield! I've got a cut booked for the end of the month so will get a couple more inches off and see how that looks. I don't mind the greys that ate sprinkled throughout, it's just the blocks at the front which are in huge contrast and so aging.

OP posts:
Sonolanona · 10/02/2025 00:19

My hair is similar... I grew it out but got so fed up of the very dark back, white front and slightly yellowy grey streaks. I had 'grey blending' highlights put in to , well blend it.
It worked quite well, but 1) I have to use purple shampoo very regularly or it starts to look brassy and 2) it has made my already wiry hair 100x worse... it was wiry but silky before and now it feels so much harsher and I need a ton of condtioner every wash.
I really regret it and will not be topping up the highlights, but hoping they won't be too obvious as they grow out!
I've tried a lot of different purple shampoos, and the best one I've found is the Olaplex p4... it does give me purple fingertips but it really tones down any brassiness :)

BellissimoGecko · 10/02/2025 00:20

ChangingHistory · 08/02/2025 20:12

That is gorgeous. I'd be delighted if my hair could look like that.

Have a consultantation and see what the say. Your hair does look like it has cool undertones but may be difficult to lighten..

This!

AutumnColours9 · 10/02/2025 00:55

Try henna?

Koalaviewer · 15/06/2025 00:45

Hi Greys4days,
Wondering how your journey is going? When I looked at your picture (on the left) it looks exactly like my hair. Colour, Grey of the T zone, Curly type, dry, porous etc.
I recently had some baby highlights and it did help but that silver is definitely standing out.
Any updates on your hair?

QueenOfTheHighCs · 15/06/2025 00:52

I've taken a year or so to work out that what I needed to do was to only dye chunks of it dark and leave the grey to grow through in strips. It looks v.cool now and is paving the way to more grey strips in the future. I have very dark hair but it basically looks like I have grey highlights now. I spent a year trying to find hairdressers to do grey blending but they kept giving me horrendous yellow/orange highlights!!

Koalaviewer · 15/06/2025 04:23

Any photos @QueenOfTheHighCs I have thought about that... in reverse type thing.

Oblomov25 · 15/06/2025 06:22

How on earth can any hairdresser justify the cost of £6k. What a disgusting rip off!

KittyQuestions34 · 15/06/2025 08:21

Hi OP - I’m growing my hair out at the moment (6 months in) and I did it a slightly different way which seems to be working. In the past I tried the going blonde via highlights thing, but because my hair is so dark it just left me with dark AND grey roots so it didn’t work. So what I ended up doing was getting a demi-permanent colour which matched my natural brown put on once every 6 weeks for around 6 months, then just went cold turkey and stopped dying it. The demi-permanent means I don’t get a harsh grow out line, and it means the grey is growing in without too much contrast. My colouring is similar to yours. Here’s some pics of the process!

Grey Blending
Grey Blending
Grey Blending
Grey Blending
Grey Blending
KittyQuestions34 · 15/06/2025 08:22

Just waiting for pics to be reviewed..