7 of the Best Hair Colors to Cover Grey Hair
While any hair color can be used to hide greys – including blonde, brunette, and even soft pastel hues – there are certain shades that make tackling regrowth a far easier task. From ashy tones that blend with silvery roots to blonde highlights that intertwine seamlessly, we call these the best hair colors for grey hair because they work with the changes your hair is going through.
So, let's take a closer look at the products and shades you need to know for seamless grey coverage. They're not just functional – these hues also hit some of the biggest hair color trends of the year.
The Best Shades to Cover Greys
Highlights in a Cool Blonde Shade
Image Credit: @danielmbeauty
There are three reasons we recommend blonde highlights for covering grey and white hairs. First up, the difference between cool blonde and silver shades is minimal, so grey roots won't appear as visible (even six weeks after your last coloring session). The second reason is that highlights and babylights allow your colorist to tactically target grey patches, meaning they're able to home in on and treat the most stubborn areas of grey. And, finally, highlights (and lowlights, too) will help to soften the root area, reducing the demarcation line you might get with an all-over wash of color. BlondorPlex is the perfect lightener for this look, as it gives you up to 97% less breakage¹, up to nine levels of lift, and flawless, even results from roots to ends.
Subtle Lowlights in Brown Tones
Image Credit: @kellynaso
If you want to embrace dark hair colors through a blonde, light brown or medium brown base, swap uniform shades for rich Color Touch lowlights that help to disguise low-level greying. The key to this look all comes down to clever placement, with your hair colorist carefully picking out grey pieces, then painting them in a shade that's two or three levels deeper than the base. Cue instant dimension. Just be aware that grey regrowth can contrast against brown lowlights, which means you should ask your colorist to feather toner at the roots when painting. This simple trick will create a softer baseline.
Cool, Bright Silver Hair Colors
Image Credit: @joffrey_jara
Silver hair is trending, so instead of hiding your greys, why not wholeheartedly embrace them? If your roots are coming in entirely grey, working a silver hair look will leave you with the subtlest regrowth going. Koleston Perfect Special Blonde shades are ideal for this look, as they lift and tone hair in a single step, and they come in a range of cool, light hair tones. But, before going down this route, ask your colorist to take a peek at your natural grey pattern first, so they can figure out a shade of silver and an application technique that gives you the most seamless regrowth. For example, if you have a scattering of charcoal strands through the temples, they can match this multi-tonal effect through the lengths, so your natural dimension appears perfectly balanced.
Ice or Platinum Blonde Shades
Image Credit: @mr.mishwu
For greys that are on the lighter side (think white or pale silver), an icy blonde hair transformation guarantees stray roots are virtually undetectable. Best for those with a natural color that features existing cool undertones, this shade will create a seamless blend – though it may take a couple of lifting and coloring sessions to reach the perfect hue. Always work with a pro and expect to book in for two or more appointments to reach a frosty sheen. It'll be worth it when your hair shimmers and your grey roots can only be spotted with a magnifying glass.
Brown Colors with Golden Warm Tones
Image Credit: @jt_hairandmakeup
Only around 2% of us are truly natural blondes, while black or dark brown hair makes up over 75% of the world's population. That means, for the majority, greys create a clear contrast against our natural color, with silvers sparkling brighter on a brunette base versus a blonde. However, that doesn't mean you should be ditching browns and reaching for the bleach; if you're a die-hard dark brunette, all you need to do is opt for a warmer undertone. Dark browns or cool black hair colors can make us look a little more tired as we get older, while chocolate brown hues with golden highlights help your complexion glow. What more could you want from your hair color? For added radiance, ask your colorist to give you a brown SHINEFINITY Color Glaze. Or, for a glass hair effect, achieve your warm brown with Illumina Color, followed by a Clear SHINEFINITY Glaze for a glossy topcoat.
Strawberry Blonde and Copper Colors
Image Credit: @meganehairstylist
It's a myth that redheads don't go grey, but the process is slightly different. Instead of getting that salt 'n' pepper look you might see through brown or blonde hair, natural red shades fade lighter as they lose their pigment. Usually, the greys you see are actually a pale blonde or white color – a shade that can easily be enhanced by a boost of copper or a wash of strawberry blonde. So, if your red base is losing its vibrancy, amplify your natural hair color with Color Touch or Koleston Perfect. You can keep things soft with strawberry tones or indulge in bold hair colors with a veil of copper, mahogany or auburn.
Medium or Dark Brown Root Shadow
Whether you're working a blonde, brunette or auburn shade through your lengths, a medium or dark brown root shadow will work in perfect harmony with your color. What makes this shade ideal for grey coverage is its ability to target silver hair strands right at the root, while lending an effortless undone finish to your overall look. To get up to 100% coverage, ask your colorist to use Koleston Perfect or Koleston Xpress for direct application on roots. Then, to refresh your lengths, they can use a balayage technique to add freehand strokes of your dream shade.
Ready to embrace a new color to cover grey hair? Use our salon finder to find your nearest Wella Professionals salon and kick-start your transformation.
The Best Color Products for Grey Hair
Want to learn more about the Wella color products your professional colorist will be using in the salon? While, ultimately, the choice of product will be made during your consultation or appointment, it's always helpful to get in the chair with an idea of the results you hope to achieve. So, these are the salon hair colors to know...
For Up to 100% Grey Coverage
Even stubborn greys don't stand a chance against our permanent hair colors – Koleston Perfect and Illumina Color – as they each give you up to 100% coverage. But what sets them apart? Koleston Perfect is your pick when you want pure, intense results with natural depth and shine. It gives you long-lasting, vibrant color in a wide (and we mean wide) array of hair color. Meanwhile, Illumina Color is all about radiant, youthful, 100% natural-looking color that looks luminous in every light. When you want a color glow-up, it's your perfect permanent choice.
For Targeting Grey Roots
Root touch-ups just got quicker with Koleston Xpress, a 10-minute, targeted, permanent hair color that's focused on eradicating regrowth, with up to 100% grey coverage. It's the product your colorist will reach for erasing white strands through the root area is your goal. You can even maintain your natural shade on the lengths and get grey roots under wraps with this concentrated camouflage.
For Up to 70% Grey Hair Coverage
For a softer approach to covering greys, try demi-permanent Color Touch. It can be used to add a dimensional root shadow, blend silver strands through your natural color, or transform your shade from root to tip. Not only does it give you up to 70% grey coverage² for a natural-looking solution, but it also guarantees uncompromised vibrancy and shine, no matter your hair's condition.
For Blending First Greys
Just starting to spot those first hints of silver? If it's first greys you're dealing with, your colorist can use a gentle, ammonia-free formula to lightly blend them in. SHINEFINITY is the perfect low-maintenance color; a zero damage, zero lift glaze that creates a translucent veil of color through any base shade. The result: shine you can feel in a shade that respects your natural highlights and lowlights.
How to Make Color Last Longer on Grey Hair
1. Protect Your Shade with a Color-Safe Shampoo
No matter what shade you've chosen to cover grey hair, it's important you maintain it at home with the correct care for colored hair. Step one is adding a color-saving shampoo to your regimen. Try lathering up with ColorMotion+ Color Protection Shampoo, which combines a boost of antioxidants with Metal Purifier technology. These shield your hair from the dulling effects of pollutants and the metals that impact your hair daily. Then, follow it up with the ColorMotion+ Structure+ Mask for a dose of shine and moisture. With this shielding duo, your dream shade will stay around for up to eight weeks³.
Or, if you have damaged hair and brittle strands, try the ULTIMATE REPAIR line, featuring AHA and Omega-9 for a deeply nourishing, skincare-inspired hair regimen. Together, the ULTIMATE REPAIR Shampoo and ULTIMATE REPAIR Conditioner keep hair healthy by repairing the hair cuticle both inside and out. The result: 12x smoother hair ⁴ with 99% less breakage⁵.
2. Enrich Blonde Tones with a Purple Shampoo
Whether you've added ashy highlights, gone all-over silver or cooled down with a platinum blonde shade, it's important you keep yellow tones at bay with a purple shampoo. INVIGO Blonde Recharge Cool Blonde Shampoo revives and refreshes your shade in three to five minutes; simply lather up, leave it on, and then rinse to neutralize brassiness. Prefer a color-depositing conditioner? You can also nourish and tint in one with the Color Fresh Mask in Pearl Blonde. Apply it to clean, damp hair, let it develop for 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly to reveal a revived glow.
3. Keep Hair Healthy with a Leave-In Treatment
Colored hair looks fresher when it's healthy and hydrated, so don't forget this game-changing treatment: ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. By misting it through clean, towel-dried lengths, you can repair hair damage in 90 seconds⁵. Yes, it’s that quick. Plus, it's completely weightless, so it layers easily with your favorite styling products.
Looking for more ways to embrace, enhance or cover up greys? Discover Wella's complete collection of grey hair guides.
¹ When using Wellaplex N°2 with Blondorplex, versus Blondorplex alone.
² With Color Touch Plus.
³ When using Structure+ Mask.
⁴ Vs. non-conditioning Shampoo.
⁵ When using ULTIMATE REPAIR Miracle Hair Rescue. Instrumental test versus non-conditioning shampoo.
