Grey Blending Stylists

[ChippyChipsChippyChips]

I’ve been following a few hairdressers online who are specialising in grey blending. It looks like they’re doing an great job and obviously do seem to have brilliant expertise, but they’re also including in their accounts advice to other hairdressers for learning to do the same thing. So as a prospective customer I’m also seeing their posts talking about how to learn how to do it and market your services.

They're basically selling a ‘journey’ of a number of appointments to get you to a stage where through demi-permanent and other processes you’re breaking up that demarcation line so it’s more natural without being fully grey and then you ultimately have to go less often.

Anyway, It’s tempting except - they’re charging £4K to £7K for that group of appointments - and as a customer you can also see the marketing of the education to other hairstylists, not just selling classes on it but also ‘don’t list your open appointments, say you’ve got one ‘slot’ left for a customer to start their journey’ etc.

So, even though I do admire their expertise, even if I had the money, I’d feel a bit duped by signing up as you can see both sides of what they’re doing.

I don’t know why I’m posting this here other than wanting to see if anyone else is following it, I know there’s quite a few of us who’ve had chats about being brunette (for example) and trying to manage the grey situation. I will say they are doing a good job, which I suppose is why I continued following them! They’ve also got great reviews from their clients, so people obviously think it’s worth it.

😮

£7k for something that will grow out in a few months? They’re having a laugh.

Are you talking about Jack Martin? His transformation videos are incredibly impressive, but I’ve been lurking on a hair stylist sub where they’ve been talking about how much prep there is (you need 3-4 inches of growth to match a grey pattern properly) and how many steps there are to maintaining it and products needed, it really sounds like a wealthy woman’s investment.

Didn’t Sali Hughes write about her own big silver transformation a while ago? I don’t follow her so I haven’t noticed if she’s kept it up.

It’s a shame it seems like such an expensive and high-maintenance option, as I am wondering about when and how I’d let my own grey come through.

No, not him! I used to follow him and, don’t know if still the same, he’d do the big transformations of stripping the dye over one day, and toning etc, to take them fully grey. It often did look really good, but I remember seeing reviews where people said that afterwards their hair was really damaged / became brassy as you might expect.

To be fair the stylists I’m following are actually doing what seems to be a much more gentle and sustainable job where you’re not going fully grey, but working with the current colour of your hair to enhance it without a harsh grow-out line. It’s the cost and the way they market it that puts me off. Even if I could afford it I’d feel a bit stupid after also seeing the advice to other stylists on how to make it seem you’re really busy etc. Like I’d fallen for something, but the thing is I do actually really like the look of what they’re doing!

I don’t really know what I’m saying, I suppose social media is like that now, accounts aimed at a customer base and at other professionals too. For example - not these ones - but accounts where they’re talking about what makes an annoying customer while also advertising to customers.

Yes on Sali Hughes, she did keep it up, but I think I read something recently where she said maybe it was too damaged and she was having to grow it out . But she seemed to have gone for a full head of bleach because she’s allergic to PPD I believe.

It seems to be for the ‘journey’ which I assume is for a number of appointments over a longer timeframe but, yes, it’s loads of money.

To be fair, any high-effort hair colouring is going to cost a lot over time. People who get full head highlights at top salons pay bucketloads to maintain it over years.

I guess for me the weird thing about grey blending is that it’s supposed to be taking you step by step towards not needing maintenance. That was the criticism I’d seen of Jack Martin - his “maintenance” is really a complete re-do of the whole process, and his process is a full day in the chair with JM and a few assistances (so you’re paying for lots of time and people). So his clients are still needing a lot of time and money for upkeep.

I wonder a the the “maintaince” too. The women are not left with natural grey at the end of the “journey”.

I went to a specialist colour salon once, had a very expensive hairdresser put a semi permanent toner on my old highlights, blend my roots, give me a beautiful blow dry and photographed my hair and posted it as a “grey blend” and received over one hundred comments and likes. Three weeks later the colour washes off revealing old, brassy highlights.

Another time I went to a curly hair specialist who brushed my hair to look like Hagrid took a ‘before’ photo of me with the brushed hair, unflattering light, black cape. Then much more flattering conditions for the ‘after’ photo.

I no longer allow them to photograph me. And social media is manipulation.

I have grey blending done but I'd never pay those prices!!! My hairdresser is independent and doesn't do the whole social media before and after shock tactic. A few photos sometimes but nothing click baitey. It's never been described to me as a process like mentioned above but I'm towards the end of the process now.

I like that for me I can skip an appointment, go for many many weeks and I don't really have any grow out line at all. I still go because I like to have a cut and it's nice to feel refreshed by the whole process. I do ocasionally have my wobbles about being silver young so if I want to we can do a bit of a blonde up on the ends without it really effecting the grey blending.
It feels like freedom for me I'd hate to have to dye every 2 weeks.

I've decided to embrace the grey but one of the considerations is the sheer effort and costs involved so I'm unlikely to go down an expensive 'journey'!

Roots, blending, highlights, summer sun-lightened, my own natural brown hair in places is the current state. My hair is the ubiquitous older woman's layered bob with half fringe - fed up with that too.

Right now I'm surviving with just a quick spray of L'oreal light brown down and around the side parting. I'm in need of a good cut which should improve the overall appearance!

This is what I like the idea of and it does seem to be what they do, I just don’t want it to be thousands of pounds!

I just grew out my grey for about 6 months and went to my very experienced salon owner. She did foils, high and low lights on just the previously died hair, then a toner and it took about 3 hours and £80. Did it again another 6 months later and never died it since. Is that what you mean? I love not colouring it. Such freedom :-)

Yes I think similar to that, where you keep going if you want to as well. They seem to use acidic demi-permanents too which I think sort of stains the grey as well.

I’m considering this next year but TikTok videos look so complicated and costly. I have regular cut and colour but spend very little time on my hait apart from that.

My hairdresser is an independent who comes to my house. She’s good but not recently trained. My hair is naturally very dark and currently dyed pretty much my natural colour.

i’m nervous about how it all works. What happens if you just grow it out and wear a hat!

I too follow a couple of stylist on Tik Tok who specialise in grey blending so me thinking this is the route I might go down, looked on their websites and couldn’t believe what they charge. In fact, I initially thought this must be for training other hairdressers in the art of grey blending but no, this is what they charge the customer for about 3-4 visits to get your hair to the maintenance stage. Now I get that they are charging for their expertise but come on, £3500 for effectively 30 hours of their time is taking the mickey (these are a couple North based stylists) plus you do need to continue maintenance until you decide to go fully grey. I can think of much better things to spend my money on.

That seems absolutely ridiculous. I had my hair dyed for 25 years until I was 56 then decided to embrace the grey. At that point I bit the bullet and just let it grow out, I had been dyeing it auburn( natural redhead) so there was a very obvious line between that and the grey/white. It did look a bit weird for about 18 months but I got used to it. Can't see why I would have bothered with highlights, lowlights etc to end up in the same position when one of the massive pluses of being grey is no longer to have to have your hair dyed.

The highlights lowlights thing was actually super cool. I have steely grey at the back whilst pretty much white at temples and sides. She matched this and covered the ash blonde I had been dying it. Meant I could keep the length I like. No big chop off required.

I too let mine grow out for 6 months and have highlights / lowlights twice a year. Very happy with it.

I wonder if, as it gets a little bit more mainstream to do the blending versus full coverage version, that more hairdressers will get good at doing it?

They do sound familiar, I looked at how much they charge to train other hairdressers a while back and it looks like it’s about 5K too. So 5K to train other stylists each and £5K to £7K to have it done yourself. I wonder how much they charge for maintenance appointments after all of that.

I think the way grey grows in, pattern-wise, is actually really cool.

I totally get that. I have let it grow out before, but I’m quite early days - maybe 30% grey - and end up having it coloured again for fun and then having to do it all over again. Which is a bit silly.

I grew out my grey during lockdown; the whole process was over a year. My hairdresser put in lowlights, then gradually made the lowlights semi-permanent.

Yes, I think marketing a grow-out process for one fee is a trend, and works out to too much per visit. Your hairdresser should just work through a process with you, just as if you were growing out layers or a fringe. Over time, they will work it into a new style. In this case it is colour instead of a cut, but the same process; gradual change that blends well at each stage.

i know exactly who you are talking about! I think! In tunbridge wells. It’s beyond a joke and a sam for some regular highlights and low lights. Shocking. Only those with too much money and who are easily convinced by marketing would pay that much

Hi everyone, I’ve started a thread in chat about this. As i am really curious and interested in your voices on what you feel and have to say about this. As a hairdresser who wants to help support women to find their own way to enhancing or embracing their grey hair. Id love to have you ask me any questions and be as open as you wish. I will do my best to answer you.