How to Colour Grey Hair Blonde

Before you begin your grey coverage technique, there are five tips you need to know. These are the basics of a blonde cover-up; the tricks that unlock your client’s dream result.

1. Assess the Percentage and Distribution of Grey

First, take a good look at your client’s hair. Assess the percentage of grey that’s present, as well as how those silver strays are distributed throughout the head. This will help you decide on the right product and technique to use. For example, if they have very heavy grey and they want it completely camouflaged with blonde, you may require a permanent hair colour that saturates the regrowth area.

2. Choose a Lightener to Add Highlights and Lift Locks

We all know the best base for blonde is Blondor. Our award-winning hair lightener comes in a variety of formats, from bond-strengthening Blondorplex to sensitive Soft Blonde Cream. Unless your client’s natural regrowth is light (or you’re using Special Blondes – but more on that later) you will need to select a product to lift their locks to the right level of blonde.

3. Pick the Best Blonde Hair Colour to Cover Grey

As well as choosing a hair lightener, finding the perfect product to cover regrowth is key. This is determined by the percentage of grey and your client’s desired look.

For up to 30% grey coverage: Apply a semi-permanent colour, like Color Fresh. It’s great for blending wispy greys, without leaving a strong line of demarcation. However, because it’s a non-oxidative hair colour, it won’t lift or lighten locks. You will need to use a pre-lightener on clients whose hair is not already blonde.

For up to 70% grey coverage: Opt for demi-permanent Color Touch or Color Touch Plus. These dreamy demis create a glossy colour result in an array of blonde hues, and last for up to 24 washes.

For up to 100% grey coverage: Go for permanent formulas, like Illumina Color or Koleston Perfect, which provide complete coverage to the target area. If you’re using KP, make sure you mix in a Pure Naturals shade. Add ⅓ Pure Naturals on hair that’s 30-50% grey and ½ Pure Naturals for hair that's 50-100% grey.

For lift and colour in one: For super-blonde colour that lifts and tones, use Koleston Perfect Special Blondes; a range of high lift hues that should be mixed 1:2 with Welloxon Perfect. Use 9% developer for three levels of lift, and 12% for three to five levels of lift.

4. Start Where Grey is Most Prominent

When applying blonde colour to regrowth, you should always start where the grey is most prominent. Targeting the dense patches first means stubborn silver strays are exposed to the colour or lightener for longer.

5. Use Heat to Speed Up the Process

If you’re hoping to reduce development time by around 50%, use a Climazon. The blast of heat means greys will be gone after 15-25 minutes. Just make sure you double-check the results before you rinse the colour out, using the tail end of a comb to peek at your client’s progress.

1. Going from Grey to Dark Blonde Hair

In a bid to blend away silvery regrowth, Wella Passionista Kai Sohn swept highlights through the hair using Blondorplex + 1.9%. Lowlights came courtesy of Koleston Perfect 8/96 + 6/1 + 6%, while mid-lengths and ends were toned with 10/96 + 8/1 + 1.9%.

2. Blending Roots with Blonde Grey Hair

With a low percentage of greys to cover and brassiness through the mid-lengths and ends, Elina set about creating blonde grey hair with an icy-cool finish. First, Blondor + 1.9% was used to brighten up the regrowth area, before Illumina Color 7 / + 7/81 + 1.9% and 10/69 + 10/1 + 8/69 + 1.9% was applied over the top.

3. Disguising Grey Roots with Platinum Blonde

Can you believe this before and after? From grey regrowth and brassy ends to platinum blonde, hair was transformed using Koleston Perfect 7/18 + 9/16 + 10/86 + 6% through the roots. Afterwards, hair was glossed in shades of Illumina Color, before dried and styled ends were spritzed with EIMI Glam Mist for a boost of shine.