“I’m a beauty editor and I save £1,000s dyeing my grey hair at home”
There’s nothing wrong with embracing grey hair, especially with so many ways to make it look vibrant, shiny and healthy. When you know how to enhance silver strands with the right colouring techniques, cuts, conditioning grey hair shampoos and styling products, there’s no reason why going grey should be ageing. But what if you prefer to cover your grey hair – ideally without paying a salon premium? Fortunately, there are ways to do exactly that, too.
Take it from someone who’s been a beauty editor for nearly 25 years and started going grey around the same time. (Read into that what you will!) Personally, I’m putting it down to genetics, because my mum and I both began seeing silver flecks in our naturally dark brunette hair in our mid-20s.
Initially, I rather liked the fine sparkle of greys, especially when I applied a shiny colour glaze over the top. Free highlights, hurrah! However, that subtle sprinkling gradually hardened into a solid line of demarcation, which now needs covering on a monthly basis.
Thanks to my job, I’ve been lucky enough to get my hair coloured by some of the best names in the business, but that’s a fairly rare treat. Also, any salon trip is a time-consuming business. It might only be a 2cm chunk of roots I’m getting dyed, but factor in the colour-mixing, application, processing time and blow-dry, and I’m looking at a solid two-hour stretch.
I don’t think anything can ever beat the combination of professional expertise, chit-chat and glossy magazine-flicking (a salon trip is practically self care), but since my greys now need doing every single month, I honestly don’t have the time or money for it.
That’s why I’ve made it my business to master the art of DIY hair dye. I now colour my own hair at home most months, and I don’t mind saying that I do a pretty good job of fixing my grey roots. Better still, it saves me a small fortune every year. Here’s everything you need to know about how to cover grey hair at home.
Firstly, isn’t colouring damaging?
Don’t worry, it’s perfectly possible to have healthy hair and a healthy bank balance. Using permanent dye is a minor form of processing, certainly compared to something such as bleaching, says celebrity hairdresser Michael Douglas, founder of mdlondon hair tools and Garnier's colour ambassador. “Also, if you’re only colouring your roots, that’s strong, virgin hair.”
It’s also a myth that home hair colour is somehow totally different to the product you’d have applied at the salon. “The basic technology is the same,” says Michael. “All permanent dyes have a developer plus an alkaline chemical to open the hair cuticle and deposit the colour inside.”
What you’re shelling out for at the salon is professional expertise, and that’s sometimes invaluable. Bleaching, balayage, a dramatic full-head colour change? Pay up and see a pro. But let’s be honest, simply dyeing your grey roots to match the rest of your hair doesn’t require a degree in colour chemistry.
Doesn’t box dye look dodgy?
Shelve any preconception that home hair colour is a disaster waiting to happen. The latest box colour formulas are closer than ever to salon quality, and with a little bit of know-how, it’s quick and easy to cover your greys at home.
“In the past, people who did colour at home felt like second class citizens because it was perceived as cheap and nasty,” says A-list colourist Josh Wood, who has an eponymous range of colour plus care. “Now, though, I think people are realising what they can achieve at home, especially if they have a brand that starts with an expert formulation, plus the right advice to follow.”
I have salon dye on my hair already, is this a problem?
No! In fact, it makes the job of colouring grey regrowth easier. “I’m not aware of a single home hair colour that’s incompatible with salon colour,” says Michael. “There’s also a universal colour code across hair permanent dye, so if you’re, say, a shade five brunette in the salon, you’ll be the same in a box dye. This makes it easy to get a seamless match if you switch between salon and home colour.” So never be afraid to ask a hairdresser which colour they’ve used.
While hairdressers would love you to see them exclusively, they do appreciate that busy lives plus rising living costs means flipping between salon and DIY is increasingly common. “I’ll often give clients a dye to take home so they can do a perfectly matched root touch up,” says Edward James, who runs a chain of award-winning London salons.
I’ve never coloured my greys before – help!
If you don’t have too many greys, you can start with a semi-permanent dye that lasts around 20 washes. “These don’t give such a full grey coverage, but they can do a nice job of softening greys and adding shine,” says Michael. They’re also low-commitment as they wash out over time, so you’re not left with a regrowth line. “However, if you have a significant amount of grey, you’re definitely looking at a permanent for best results.”
If you have a lot of grey to cover, you're happy to have one all-over shade and your hair hasn’t been coloured in ages, if ever, your best DIY bet is to start with a full-head application of permanent box colour. That way, you’ll know your base shade and can use the same colour to touch up the regrowth. (One huge exception is applying blonde permanent dye over highlighted hair: “It will look uneven and terrible!” says Michael.)
In terms of picking a colour you can then maintain easily, “I’d advise staying within 1-2 shades of your existing colour,” says Michael. “Going too dark is the biggest worry because it’s hard to get rid of it. If in doubt, always go a shade lighter.”
Remember: your current shade will determine the result you get home colour.
“Always, always look at the before/after colour on the back of any box dye to see what results you can expect on your hair,” says Michael. “That’s far more important than the colour on the box,”
I’m still not sure where to start with my greys
You’re not alone, and that’s why hair dye brands offer extensive online advice, video tutorials and live-chat consultations. For free advice from a pro, joshwoodcolour.com has 1-1 video consultations with an expert who’ll walk you through shade choices and application. You can also try online colour service eSalon, which will profile your hair colour goals (upload your photo for the most detailed advice), then mix you a custom dye.
Should I do any prep before covering my greys?
Yes. It’s vital to do a patch test 48 hours before you use any colour, whether it’s your roots or all over. Reactions are very rare, but it’s important to play it safe. Your hair doesn’t need to be squeaky clean for good hair dye results. “In fact, hair that’s not been washed for two days is the optimal for colouring,” Michael explains. “This allows the acid mantle on the scalp to build up, protecting against irritation from colouring. Product residue won’t affect the result. Permanent dye has no problem penetrating through dry shampoo, serums, hairspray or even oils.”
How should I apply dye to my grey roots?
Find a time when you won’t be rushed, then prepare your home “salon”. Read the instructions thoroughly before you begin and lay out your box dye kit so it’s all to hand. Brush your hair free of tangles and consider getting some sectioning clips to help make it even easier.
Having good light will really help you out, so perhaps look beyond your bathroom. Home hair dye really isn’t drippy, so you won’t wreck your house with splatter marks. “The people who’ve been dyeing their hair at home for years usually do it with a mirror at the kitchen table. The lighting’s better, you have more flat surfaces and you can put down some newspaper for protection,” says Josh.
What you use to apply the product is down to personal preference. A brush and bowl does give the most precise application (and I’ll use that if I have my husband on hand to do the back!), but if I’m on my own, I’ll squeeze out little dots from the applicator bottle before massaging them in with my (gloved) fingertips. It’s pretty easy to do the bits you can’t see by feel.
How can I cover all my grey roots?
Start by focusing on the greys that are the most visible, as they’re the ones you’ll really want to cover. “Hair dye is at its most potent when it’s first mixed, so start with the areas that need it the most – parting, temples, front hairline – so that hair has more time to absorb the colour,” says Josh.
After that, be methodical: start from the crown and work your way down. “Use the end of a tail comb to pick up a thin section of hair, parallel to your parting. Flip it over, apply the dye, then repeat. Think ‘lift, paint, lift, paint’. And take your time,” says Josh. “You won’t damage your hair if the product is left on a little longer than the ‘official’ developing time in some areas.”
Do remember to dye all your roots – even the ones you don’t see in the mirror. “Take the dye right down to the nape,” says Edward. “You don’t want a big streak of grey exposed at the back of your head whenever the wind blows.”
The colour hasn’t covered my greys properly
Make sure you’re using a generous amount of product evenly across all your roots. You may also need to leave it on a bit longer, as so-called “stubborn greys” really do exist. “Everyone’s hair has a slightly different amount of cuticle layers, and the more layers you have, the harder it is to colour,” says Michael. “That’s what we mean by stubborn greys.”
So, yes, some people do need to apply their dye for longer, he confirms. “My general feeling is: always leave it on for 30 minutes, not 20. And if you have very stubborn hair that you still feel isn’t covering very well, I’d leave it on for another five. It won’t do any harm and it means your greys will be properly covered.”
How can I avoid banding when I dye my grey roots?
One potential bugbear of permanent dye is banding, aka lines caused by dye overlapping. Always using the same shade helps miminise this issue, but when you apply dye on top of dye, this can give a slightly darker colour.
Michael recommends leaving it as long as possible between root retouches. “Use a temporary cover-up to stretch it out until you have at least an inch of regrowth,” he says. “Be as precise as you can when you apply dye to your roots, then scrape away any excess after the regrowth line. That really helps avoid overlap bands.”
Root Touch Up 2 In 1 Spray
Another good tip is to massage a little extra dye slightly beyond your roots for the final five minutes, says Edward. “It just gives a softer regrowth line and minimises that telltale build-up where old and new dye overlap.”
Can’t I just apply the same shade all over, every time?
You won’t get banding, but you will end up with something far worse: a horrible, heavy, lifeless colour. “Some people will do a whole head of permanent colour each time, thinking it’s a great way to match roots and lengths, but you just end up with one big block of overly dark colour,” says Michael. “It’s the hair colour equivalent of layering up coat after coat of paint on a wall: it ends up looking thick and heavy.”
Reader, I used to do this until a kindly hairdresser pointed out how dark and witchy my colour had become. And, yes, it was a costly salon job to strip out the colour and start afresh.
What about my lengths?
Most box dye leaflets suggest doing your roots for the full developing time and taking the product over your lengths for the final few minutes. “I don’t think this is necessary; I think it looks more natural when ends are left lighter,” says Michael. “Before you do your roots, apply a rich mask on to lengths and ends, especially if you have ombre or balayage. It stops them getting stained accidentally and also gives a nice conditioning treatment.”
Another option is to apply a semi-permanent gloss on lengths while your roots are being retouched, says Josh. “It’s similar to what we do in the salon, using a separate product to refresh the colour and add shine. Either use a coloured gloss or a correcting product to tone down any brassiness. It means your lengths will start to have more of a relationship to the roots and it creates a gloassier, premium look.” (I really like Josh’s own-range glosses.)
Hair Gloss
Root Touch-Up
I love this product – it’s my lazy-girl essential. There’s plenty of product to do all the visible areas (parting, temples, etc), and it’s quicker than doing a full head of roots. There might not be enough to cover every millimetre of grey, but nobody needs to know – I’ll use this one month, then switch to a “regular” box dye the next.
Garnier Nutrisse
I might be biased because I’m the hair colour twin of the divine Davina McCall, but this is a great formula with an excellent post-colour conditioner. The grey coverage is excellent without ever looking blocky. Plus, it’s almost always on a deal somewhere (Boots is normally my first port of call), making it even more of a bargain.
Permanent Hair Dye
It’s a bit more expensive than some hair dyes, but it has the reassurance of being created by one of the UK’s best colourists. (Hence there’s even a barrier cream, stain-removing wipe and deep treatment in the box.) The colour is both conditioning and multi-dimensional, and the formula is very much made with grey coverage in mind. In fact, many of Josh’s own salon clients will use this product to deal with root regrowth in between salon balayage appointments.
Colorstay Longwear Permanent Cream Colour
Revlon has extended its long-lasting ColorStay makeup franchise into home hair colour. Its ColorStay Long-Wear Cream Color system was created to inject better staying power into dye by combining a permanent dye with a follow-up mask booster. Used at the four-week mark, the booster deposits fresh pigments to restore that shiny, just-coloured effect. (It’s a nice treatment, even if you’ve only used the dye itself on your roots.)
Excellence Crème Permanent Hair Dye
Cast your mind back to 2020 when Eva Longoria went viral for sharing her “How I’m covering my greys in lockdown” regime, using this product. I’ve used it and can confirm its effectiveness, and I’m further backed up the Good Housekeeping Institute, which found it to be the best blonde permanent dye.
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