Have you been asking yourself “What colour should I dye my hair?” for ages now? Why not jump aboard the grey hair train? Not only does it look striking, no matter your age, but it suits both men and women. Fashion-forward, sophisticated and confident – that’s what a head of well-maintained grey hair says to everyone around you.
The Process
For all of you on the Internet questioning how to dye your hair grey without the use of bleach, the answer is yes, there is one way you can do this. It’s called “the natural ageing process”, and if you want to opt for this method, your hair style should be ready in between 30 – 50 years time. The fact is, if you’re a young person who wants to achieve that ashy grey look that’s taken over Instagram, you’ll have to use bleach and lots of it.
Video: Going from dark brown to silver in one sitting
Social media user Anna Phung documented her eight-hour transformation in the salon chair, where her stylist had to double bleach her hair to achieve her desired ash grey colour. Of course, this isn’t a bad thing per se, but if you’re considering a permanent grey look, this is what’s in your future – a whole day at the hairdressers and a vigorous aftercare routine. Before we dive into the hair care products though, let’s see what grey hair style would suit you best!
Here are 10 of the Best Grey Hair Colour Styles
#10. Sleek and Steely
Style: Sleek, straight grey hair
Who does it suit?: Anyone who has the time to regularly straighten their hair and give it all the love and anti-frizz treatments that it so clearly deserves. You’ll have to straighten your hair on a relatively cooler setting, and heat protectant is compulsory!
#9. Spiky Salt & Pepper
Style: Short, spiky silver hair styles (how’s that sentence for some sibilance!)
Who does it suit?: Anybody that’s ready for a drastic change. People mistakenly think that once you go for a short and spiky chop, that’s it, that’s all you’ve got to work with until it grows back out. This couldn’t be further from the truth. You can get yourself a pixie cut that is asymmetrical, longer, shorter or even shaved, you can work in a fringe or a quiff – the possibilities are endless. Opting for a shorter cut means less maintenance in one respect, but you will have to put some effort into styling your attitudinal cut if you want to look groomed. Ultimately, going for a short, punky cut AND reaching for the grey hair dye is going to set you apart for all the right reasons.
#8. Silver and Black? You’ll Never Go Back!
Style: A striking combination of black and grey hair
Who does it suit?: We never treated Cruella De Vill like the true fashion icon that she was. This is probably due to her laissez-faire attitude towards animal cruelty – but that’s another story. Black and dark grey will probably suit you if you are drawn towards the ombre or reverse ombre look, or if there’s a inner rockabilly chick inside of you just waiting to come out.
#7. The Grey Bob
Style: Bob cut
Who does it suit?: Bob cuts are consistently on trend, and as long as you go to an experienced stylist, you’ll be walking out of the salon with a bob that suits your face and age bracket. Both the young and the older can pull off the grey bob look. Whether you go for a bob that is –
- angled
- inverted
- graduated
- layered
is completely up to you and your stylist.
#6. Long and Greyvy
Style: The ‘long and greyvy’ style is all about showing off your head of long, wavy grey hair.
Who does it suit?: If your hair has the strength to grow long, then hats off to you! We’re all officially jealous. When it comes to repping the grey look, the longer your hair is means you’ll have to be extra careful when attempting the transition to grey or white hair. You might have to slowly transition to blonde and then to grey blonde before you enter the realm of ashy grey.
#5. Medium-length Marengo
Style: Medium-length or shoulder-length grey hair
Who does it suit?: This style will suit people in multiple age brackets, it just depends on your skin tone and the shade of grey you’re looking to achieve. To test if short to medium length hair will suit you, try this trick invented by famed stylist John Frieda. Take a pencil and hold it under your chin horizontally, so it’s inline with your shoulders. Next, take a ruler and hold it vertically under your ear. Record where the pencil intersects with the ruler. If your measurement is less than 2.5 inches, your face will suit a shorter hairstyle. If your measurement is more than 2.5 inches, your face shape will suit longer styles and you should beware going for The Big Chop.
#4. Layered Light Grey
Style: Grey hair that features layering.
Who does it suit?: Getting professional layers through your silver hair will make your cut look more intentional and up-to-date, no matter your age. We say ‘professional layers’ because we definitely don’t recommend that you try and hack at your tresses at home – you’ll end up throwing us back to the mid-2000s, and not in a good way! Your stylist will be able to recommend what sort of layers will suit your face shape best. Longer, face framing layers will be better for an oval-shaped face, while some with a heart shaped face will benefit from layers that fall away from their visage rather than hug it tight.
#3. Grey Pink
Style: Grey pink
Who does it suit?: If you have paler skin, opting for a grey pink hair colour will suit you. It’ll warm you up and keep you looking young and fresh. Keep in mind that the more ‘baby’ the pink, the quicker it will fade. Switch to sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner if you haven’t already.
#2. Grey Balayage
Style: Grey balayage
Who does it suit?: Balayage is a sure-fire way to bring any hairstyle to life. People often confuse balayage and ombre, so here’s the difference. Balayage is a technique for highlighting hair, where your hairdresser will apply the colour is a sweeping motion to give your crowning glory more dimension. Ombre is a more dramatic two-toned effect, which typically gives you a darker colour at the top and a lighter colour towards the bottom. Grey ombre can look incredible, so don’t rule it out even if you’re certain balayage is the only way to go.
#1. Blue-Gray Babe
Style: Forget the granny-blue rinse, try these blue-grey locks instead!
Who does it suit?: You’re bound to attract a lot of attention with this hair style, so this isn’t the best option for your average the shrinking violet. There will also be seriously upkeep involved if you want to keep this colour looking its best, so keep your wallet in mind when you commit to this blue grey hair colour. Your hairdresser will be able to advise you best, but in general you should choose a blue tone that compliments your skin tone. Fair skin? A bright blue is best. Olive skin? A greeny-blue is your friend. Dark skin? You’ll rock a navy blue.
5 Must-Have Products for A Grey Head of Hair
Whether you picked up your grey hair at the salon or just ageing disgracefully, here are 5 products you need tucked away in your haircare treasure chest.
#1. Fanola No Yellow Range
Name: The Fanola No Yellow Range, designed to eliminate brassy, yellow tones.
Price: $39.95 will get you a 1L shampoo bottle from the Hairhouse Warehouse.
Reviews: The shampoo alone has a 4.6 star rating on Google, from 2,378 reviews
#2. Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector
Name: Olaplex No. 3 Hair Perfector, ideal for keeping your hair strong after it’s undergone bleaching.
Price: It’s available from Sephora Australia for $50.00
Reviews: On the Sephora website, this strengthening treatment received 4.5 stars from 60 reviews
#3. Christophe Robin Shade Variation Care Nutritive Mask
Name: The Shade Variation Care Nutritive Mask range by celebrity colourist Christophe Robin.
Price: You can pick yourself up a tub from Sephora Australia for $64.00
Reviews: 497 Sephora shoppers combined to give the mask a 4.3/5
#4 Drybar Blonde Ale
Name: Blonde Ale shampoo by Drybar acts as a silver toner while gently cleansing. Try teaming it with the matching conditioner.
Price: $37.00 for a 236ml bottle at Sephora.
Reviews: 483 Sephora users gave it 4.3 stars.
#5. Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond-Repair Leave In Heat Protection Spray
Name: Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair Leave-In Heat Protection Spray. Grey hair looks looks like best when it’s been styled with care, so you have to give it the heat protection it needs.
Price: $49.50 from Sephora
Reviews: 88 Google reviews left this product with an impressive 4.5 star average.
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