Grey Blending Guide
A guide for clients transitioning from solid colour or harsh regrowth into a soft, low maintenance grey
Before We Begin
Grey blending is a structured journey, taking your hair from solid artificial dye or a harsh regrowth line into a low maintenance, multi dimensional silver look. This guide walks you through exactly what to expect.
Before you get started, please read the Preparation Guide first. It covers everything you need to do ahead of your appointment, so your hair is ready and your consultation runs smoothly.
If you currently colour your roots to cover grey, whether with a box dye or any other darker dye, transitioning into a blend takes the right technique and a plan built around your hair’s history. This guide gives you a general picture of the journey ahead, so you walk into your first appointment feeling informed, confident, and clear on what the process involves.
Who Is Grey Blending For?
Grey blending is for clients who:
- Are tired of colouring their roots every 2 to 4 weeks
- Want to embrace their natural greys without simply growing their colour out
- Want to soften the harsh regrowth line between coloured hair and natural grey
- Have been covering their greys for years and want a more gradual transition
- Want their grey to look intentional, dimensional and beautifully blended
- Want to reduce the frequency of salon visits over time
- Are ready for a journey rather than a one session transformation
- Want to work with their natural grey pattern, rather than constantly covering it
- Want to eventually move toward lower maintenance colour
- Are prepared to remove years of artificial pigment safely and progressively to achieve the best result
Real Client Journeys
Case Study 1
Before: 1 inch of darker roots with around 40% white. A light build up of dark artificial pigment, heaviest towards the mids and ends. Highlights scattered throughout and overall hair is quite fragile.
After: This guest was able to start her journey with our capped price transformation package, where we avoided all of the previously highlighted hair, bleaching safely at intervals to avoid overprocessing and damage.
Case Study 2
Before: 100% white roots with a good 4 to 5 inch of natural growth, heavy and opaque build up of extremely dark dye, faded somewhat on the ends only.
After: This is after her first Correct My Base session, where we removed as much of the artificial pigment as possible, then toned her roots down to meet the mids and ends for a nearly seamless blend. In 3 weeks, we’ll do a toner session while she nourishes her hair at home following our plan. After another 3 weeks, her mids and ends will be ready to relighten with our transformation foil package.
Case Study 3
Before: This guest started with around 1 inch of natural regrowth, and her natural hair is 50% grey. She had artificial pigment built up through the lower mids and ends, with the upper mids bleached and compromised after another salon applied foils directly over the dark dye.
Process: This guest was unable to have her base safely corrected because of the amount of bleach and poor integrity she already had. We went straight to the transformation package and focused placement on the more saturated areas, with a second application at the basin to create an even lift, which we could then tone for a seamless result. Moving forward, we’ll add lowlights and highlights to contour her new base and define her natural grey pattern.
Case Study 4
Before: This guest arrived with 3 to 4 inches of natural roots and minimal pigment build up from the mids to ends. Her natural roots are just 20% grey, and her natural base is a dark level 4/5.
After: Because the built up pigment was minimal, we could go straight in with our transformation foil package. We didn’t want a “grey looking” finish, but we did want to blend the greys with a colour that grows out far better than the dark colour touch ups she’d been doing frequently. This type of blend needs minimal maintenance at home, with salon visits only every 10 to 12 weeks.
Case Study 5
Before: This guest came in with over an inch of regrowth, a naturally dark base, and 30% sporadic white hair that was extremely coarse. Her mids and ends were already extremely compromised before we even started, so her initial session was our Correct My Base package. We gently removed as much of the build up as possible, while safely avoiding the most compromised areas.
After: We were able to create an even base, which she’ll nurture at home until her next lightening session. From there, we’ll add dimensional lowlights and highlights to contour and mimic her natural grey pattern.
Our Approach: The Three Step Protocol
- The Consultation
An in depth assessment mapping your hair goals, looking at your natural silver pattern and reviewing your full colour history. If your consultation is in person, we may also carry out a strand test to check how your hair responds. - The Bespoke Ritual
Custom highlights, lowlights, or colour stripping work, using gentle formulas and considered technique to diffuse old dye and mimic natural silver depth. - The Maintenance Plan
You’re given a maintenance plan for at home to follow and nurture your hair, so that it is ready for the next process on your mapped out timeline.
How Many Sessions Will You Need?
Some lighter transitions happen in a single sitting, but removing heavy built up permanent dark or red dye safely often takes multiple sessions, spaced to protect your hair.
The number of sessions you need depends largely on how often you have been colouring your roots:
- If you touch up your roots every 4 to 8 weeks, there is usually more dye build up to work through, which may mean more sessions
- If you colour your roots only once or twice a year, there is usually less build up, which often means fewer sessions
If your build up is heavy, your stylist may recommend Correcting Your Base first, before the blending work begins.
What Happens Each Session
- An educational session, making sure you understand the journey and the process taking place today
- One of our senior colourists, supported by 1 to 2 assistants, works on your hair using specialist techniques as mapped out on your timeline
- Colour applied in careful, considered sections, diffusing old dye and building in dimension around your grey
- Processing time, monitored closely by your stylist
- A gentle rinse followed by a bond building or repair treatment
- Your maintenance plan and specific at home products explained
- Your next appointment confirmed and booked before you leave
Life After Your Blend
Grey blending replaces the frequent 3 week root touch up cycle with a longer, more relaxed rhythm. Most clients move to a refresh appointment for toning and glossing every 8 to 12 weeks instead. Before you leave, you’ll be given a maintenance plan and specific products to use at home until your next sitting.
If your hair carries heavy build up from previous colour, your stylist may recommend Correcting Your Base first, before starting your grey blending journey.
