Grey Hair (and how to hide it)
- claire9092
- 17 hours ago
- 9 min read
We often have clients who book online for one service but when they arrive it is clear that isn’t really what they need.
As a salon, we know what each service is and we tend to name services based on current “buzz” words and trends, but to a client, we do know that it can be a little confusing so we’ve
put together this guide to help clarify things a little!
I have grey hairs and want to hide them
In actual fact, this is probably the most common reason woman come to the salon for hair colour. I like to call them “nature’s highlights” rather than greys – but that doesn’t change the fact that we all hate them!
Firstly, let’s look at why we get grey hair:
GENETICS – if your predecessors went grey early or late chances are you will follow suit
AGEING - Hair gets its colour from melanin in each hair follicle. Over time, as we get a little
older (maybe I should have said wiser instead, perhaps less offensive, our bodies produce less melanin and eventually the production simply stops and the new hair that grows is transparent/white which blended with our pigmented hair looks grey – this is merely the “human condition” not a “health condition”
OXIDATIVE STRESS - Hair follicles naturally produce small amounts of hydrogen peroxide. When we’re young, enzymes break it down. As we age, that system weakens pigment gets bleached from the inside out.
HORMONES AND LIFE STAGES - Things that can influence when grey hair appears (but don’t directly cause them) could be
· puberty
· pregnancy
· menopause
(Ah, the joys of being a woman…..)
CERTAIN CONDITIONS OR DEFICIENCIES (don’t panic just because you have grey hair does not mean you are sick! These can accelerate greying but are rarely the cause)
· Vitamin B12 deficiency
· Thyroid Disorders
STRESS – NO! WAIT! STOP! THIS IS KIND OF AN URBAN MYTH….
Chronic stress can lead to:
· Damaged melanin producing cells
· Acceleration of greying if you are already genetically pre-disposed
HOWEVER – one bad week you’d rather forget? Nope, does not happen!
We often get asked if grey hair can “turn back” or if it is “bad”. The answer to both these questions is NO (ok so there may be some exceptions to the first question relating to medical treatment/stress induced alopecia but naturally occurring grey hair will not suddenly find it’s pigment hiding under the bed)
Nor is grey hair “bad” – the texture is often courser/drier which just means that hydration matters more but that’s not a reason to send it to the naughty step.
OK, now that you are thoroughly educated in all things pigment and melanin related (hopefully as opposed to just slightly bored or losing the will to live), let’s look at what our lovely team of experts at Baykar London can do for you.
Hair Colour (tint/dye)
Permanent Hair Colour
This is probably the service we get asked for the most to hide grey hair. We apply tone on tone hair colour which provides up to 100% grey coverage. Mostly we see our regrowth service being booked and although it does depend on how quickly your hair grows, we do recommend this every 4 to 6 weeks but we can also do a hairline application at around the 2-3 week mark if you are really upset about your greys showing.
Semi-Permanent Hair Colour
Semi-Permanent hair colour is not quite as effective as Permanent Hair Colour, providing around 50-75% grey coverage so why would we even mention it? Unfortunately some people have an ammonia allergy and can’t have permanent hair colour and whilst perhaps not a ideal solution, our team s fantastic at blending greys so they appear less obvious. Semi-permanent colour gently fades so you have a less obvious regrowth, but we find clients who opt for this service schedule their appointments at about the same intervals as those who have permanent colour.
| HAIRLINE | REGROWTH | EXTENDED | FULL HEAD |
Recommended for | 1st sign of greys – like a bad penny, greys have appeared again and you REALLY hate them | Previously coloured, contrast between root and lengths/grey hair quite noticeable | Previously coloured, forgot to book in for Regrowth and now can’t leave the house until they are hidden | The greys are all over and root tint simply won’t do/ colour faded/ want a change |
Frequency | Up to 3 weeks from previous application | 4-6 weeks from previous application | 6+ weeks | 12+ weeks or whenever you want a refresh/ change |
Application Time* | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 45 minutes |
Development Time* | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 30 minutes |
Finish | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes |
|
Price | From £40 | From £50 | From £60 | From £70 |
Highlights
As I have already said (big assumption on my part that you paid any attention) I refer to grey hair as “Nature’s Highlights” and perhaps that thought originated because many clients opt for highlights as opposed to the opaque coverage you get with hair colour.
Highlights are very effective way to disguise grey hair, particularly if you want a more natural, multi-tonal look. As highlighting removes the pigment from the hair anyway, you are essentially starting with a more level playing field and you can choose to control which tone/colour you leave with.
Some salons will try to bamboozle you with terms such as; Peekaboo Highlights (seriously am I the only one who finds that term mildly patronising???), Babylights, Foilyage, Ribbon Highlights and the list goes on…..
To keep it simple, we find that these three quantitative options cover most scenarios and keep the pricing simple
T-Section – hairline and parting, literally in a “T” shape
Half Head – hairline, crown and top layers of the head
Full Head – sorry, if this is insulting, but all of the head from hairline to the nape of the neck and everything in between.
The most important thing is that you and your colour expert discuss fully, what look you are trying to achieve, how easy/difficult you find it to maintain your hair, the health of your hair, how often you can do your required service and your homecare (there are some other things that should be taken into consideration but these are the most important). That will usually determine the best option for you.
Having said that, there we do offer 3 different types of highlight application type which we then break down into the options above. We have 3 distinct services which do all differ from one another and give very different looks.
So, which highlighting services should I chose?
CLASSIC HIGHLIGHTS – This style is tried and tested and has been around longer than I have….I actually do remember going to the salon with my mother when I was a little girl, and watching her being tortured by the stylist who brutally squeezed a thick rubber cap onto her head then proceeded to stab the metal tail of a comb through the tiny holes and rip the strands back out to apply bleach– OUCH.
Thankfully times have changed (although some salons do still use the cap – we do not) and we now have a much less painful process which does still involve the tail of a comb but we use it to weave fine sections of hair which we then place on foils pre-cut to the right length for your hair to allow us to apply the bleach with precision. We leave gaps between each foil to get that natural look based on the look you want to achieve then fold each foil in place to prevent the bleach contaminating the hair that is not being highlighted.
Options:
| T-SECTION | HALF HEAD | FULL HEAD |
Recommended for | 1st sign of greys, touching up previous highlights | Previously highlighted hair, prevents the lengths being overprocessed | Mass grey camouflage(!) |
Frequency | 8-12 weeks following full head application | 8-12 weeks following T-Section application | 8-12 weeks following half head application |
Application Time* | 45 minutes | 60 minutes | 90 minutes |
Development Time* | 45 minutes | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
Toner Time | 15 minutes | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
Finish | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes |
Price | From £101 | From £133 | From £166 |
BACK TO BACK HIGHLIGHTS – we use the same technique as we do for CLASSIC HGHLIGHTS but we use more foils, packed close together rather than leaving gap between them. This results in a much more dense distribution of highlights and a bit more WOW. This is highly effective at blending grey hair. It reduces the contrast of your roots and disguises even the sneakiest of grey hair.
We don’t offer a T-Section for this services, as, let’s face it, it would look a little odd - Kind of like having a permanent cap on….
Options:
| HALF HEAD | FULL HEAD |
Recommended for | Previously highlighted hair/bold result | Mass grey camouflage/bold result |
Frequency | 8-12 weeks following T-Section application | 8-12 weeks following half head application |
Application Time* | 90 minutes | 120 minutes |
Development Time* | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
Toner Time | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
Finish | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes |
Price | From £173 | From £206 |
DIMENSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS – with this service the result is similar to that of a balayage, but where a balayage is a freehand, surface-painted technique for a lower-maintenance, sun-kissed, natural look. Dimensional highlights use foils for a more defined, structured, and high-maintenance look that offers more contrast and brightness from root to tip. Greys? What greys?
Options:
| HALF HEAD | FULL HEAD |
Recommended for | Previously highlighted hair/adding texture and depth | Mass grey camouflage/adding texture and depth |
Frequency | 8-12 weeks following T-Section application | 8-12 weeks following half head application |
Application Time* | 60 minutes | 90 minutes |
Development Time* | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
Toner Time | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
Finish | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes |
Price | From £188 | From £288 |
NB. If you want a change from standard highlights and want some more definition instead this may be a good option, although to blend properly, you might be better choosing a full head of dimensional highlights or balayage.
Balayage
Balayage is a French word that means to sweep. It is a hair colouring technique where the Stylist will paint the hair to give golden reflections that the Sun naturally gives the hair in Summer.
Now that the marketing spiel is out of the way…. Why would you chose a Balayage to disguise grey hair?
Like highlights, a balayage involves the use of a lifting agent (usually bleach) which your colourist will blend throughout your hair using a freehand technique then tone to your preferred shade. If your greys are there, but you want to embrace them somewhat, rather than completely hide them, then a CLASSIC BALAYAGE might be the choice for you. This is a low-maintenance option, and whilst it won’t cover your greys it will give you a graduated and natural look. By adding hints of ash brown, caramel, light blonde etc your grey hair will simply be less obvious and the best bit is, if it is done properly, you can leave it to grow longer than you would with any other “be-gone grey” colouring service without panicking that your greys are taking over your life!
Options:
| FULL CLASSIC | REFRESH |
Recommended for | Adding additional tones to blend grey hair and enhance what your maker gave you! | Revitalising a previous balayage, prevents the lengths being overprocessed |
Frequency | As required | 12 – 16 weeks following a full classic balayage |
Application Time* | 75 minutes | 60 minutes |
Development Time* | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
Toner Time | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
Finish | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes |
Price | From £182 | From £142 |
Now, if you don’t actually want to simply camouflage but aren’t quite ready to go full on highlights, you could consider a Dimensional Balayage. Your colourist will add contrasting shades of lights and darks which will provide more coverage on the grey but also really make your colour POP. This is slightly higher maintenance than the Classic Balayage as your greys will be more obvious against the darker shades, but still an AMAZING look….
Options:
| FULL HEAD | REFRESH |
RECOMMENDED FOR | Disguising grey hair whilst adding texture and depth. Maintaining a natural look | Revitalising a previous balayage, prevents the lengths being overprocessed |
Frequency | As required | 8 -12 weeks following a full head |
Application Time* | 90 minutes | 60 minutes |
Development Time* | 45 minutes | 45 minutes |
Toner Time | 15 minutes | 15 minutes |
Finish | 45-60 minutes | 45-60 minutes |
Price | From £237 | From £190 |
As with highlights, the most important thing is that you and your colour expert discuss your requirements fully. They really are the experts, and will take a lot more than you think into consideration before actually letting loose with the chemicals!
Just one last thought - You spend hours in the salon, part with your hard earned pennies then go and buy shampoo, conditioner and other products from Boots or Look Fantastic (other retailers are available) WHY??? This is not a hard sell ladies, this is your EXPERT telling you how to get the best from their toils and prolong the beautiful colour you are walking out of the salon with and keep your hair in the best possible condition in-between visits. You could spend £0000000s on services then literally undo all that hard work in an instant (or, more likely, the shower) by using the wrong products at home……
And we are done! We very much look forward to seeing all you lovely ladies in our chairs, sipping our Nespresso (we even have decaf) and letting our talented team work on creating your special personalised grey-busting mane masterpiece!
*Average times, some clients take less/more time
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