Discovering your first grey strands can come as a shock, especially if your hair is a darker shade. But don’t worry, there are great ways to achieve seamless roots and expertly blend your grey hair and dark brown hair. All you need is a few simple tricks that can help your locks look youthful and magnificent while you embrace your greys.
Normally, hair depigmentation is associated with old age (although some people are born with a streak of white or discoloured hair, known as poliosis). But science shows that it is quite common for young people to start getting silver strands. In fact, up to 23% of the worldwide population has 50% grey hair by the time they reach the age of 50 [1]. However, in many cases, you can’t tell because of the expert ways they style their hair, blending the different shades together. If you want to learn their secrets, keep reading this article to discover more about:
Greying is significantly more visible when your hair is darker in colour. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some effective tricks you can use to ensure a smooth transition between your two shades. Here are some great ideas for seamlessly integrating your greys into your gorgeous brunette look.
The most effective way to achieve a seamless transition between the grey of your roots and the dark brown of the rest of your hair is through a process called root smudging. This involves using a shade of hair dye that falls between your grey and dark brown hues.
Start applying it just above your roots, for about only a centimetre of the hair shaft. Then use your fingers or a hair colouring brush to smudge it, blending it in with both your roots and your darker hair. This will make the transition smoother and show less contrast between the shades of your locks.
When the grey in your hair clashes with your dark brown, you can use that contrast to your advantage. Transitioning to grey with highlights and lowlights can spark a fabulous effect. Highlights are a few shades lighter than your hair colour, while low lights are a few shades darker. Combining them can help camouflage your greys nicely and create the appearance of depth and intricacy for your locks.
To achieve the perfect look, it is good to get the help of an experienced stylist who knows exactly where to place each hue so that the darker areas are lightened and the greying ones are darkened.
Many believe that a balayage only works well for blondes. However, that is not the case. Using strokes of light brown or caramel can make your hair appear sun-kissed and at the same time, help blend in your greys more smoothly.
Unlike regular highlights, a balayage involves getting strips of a lighter shade hand-painted on your locks in a way that creates a gradation effect (lightness increases towards the hair ends). The contrast that this technique produces can help camouflage your natural grey hairs.
Using the right toner for your hair shade can remove the orange or brassy tint from your dark-brown hair, as well as any unsightly discolouring (e.g. yellowing) from your greys. This can help you achieve a more clear-cut salt-and-pepper look which would remove the need to blend in your greys altogether (and don’t worry, toner doesn’t damage your hair).
Leaning into your silver strands can give you a sophisticated, confident appearance. And a nice contrast between your dark-brown hue and sparkling silver may be all you need to walk in the footsteps of stunning greying celebs like Salma Hayek or Andie McDowell.
If you don’t feel ready to fully embrace your greys just yet, you can use one of the many products designed specifically to camouflage your roots. This can include touch-up powders, grey concealer sprays and blending brushes.
Doing so will diminish the contrast between the greyer area on your crown and the dark brown shade of the rest of your hair. Most of these products are safe and simple to apply, so you can use them at home, to increase the time between hair colourings.
When we think of grey hair, the first thing that comes to mind is old age. However, some people start getting silver strands as early as their teenage years or even their childhood [2]. And most adults in their mid-30s have already begun to develop canities [3]. There are several factors why you may be growing grey hair prematurely [2][3]:
A dark brown shade can look very appealing when combined with grey hair, as it can provide an elegant and refined salt-and-pepper look. However, what is most important is whether you enjoy this colour combination and feel comfortable wearing it. Every person is different, and the way any hair shade looks on you depends on objective factors, such as your face shape, your overall style and the haircut you opt for. But more than anything, it depends on your personal, subjective taste.
If you feel confident with your look, you will be radiant in any hair colour. However, even the most expertly performed dye job will be lacklustre if you feel like it doesn’t suit you. So if you fancy wearing your dark brown locks with grey hair, do so without hesitation. But if you’d rather cover up your roots and colour your grey hair to blend more with your dark brown hair, that is also an excellent choice.
If you have decided you are through with dying your hair and ready to embrace becoming a silver fox, there are ways to do so more easily. Here are some expert tips on going grey naturally, with the least amount of hassle:
If you’re not too attached to the idea of having long tresses, adopting a short hairstyle can significantly help speed up your transition to grey. The good news is that white hair grows faster, so in just a few months, it will be growing out again, letting your new silver shade shine and sparing you the trouble of having to do much colour blending.
If you don’t want to shorten your hair and the shade difference between your roots and shafts is bothering you, simply hide them under a stylish hat, scarf or bandana. Keep trimming your ends regularly, until most of your hair becomes grey.
It is not the colour of your hair that ages you as much as the style you choose and the vibe that it gives off. A fresh, funky pixie cut or a trendy asymmetrical bob can keep you looking young even if your hair is turning grey.
Blue shampoo can remove some of the brassiness of your dark hair and ensure that the grey strands don’t have an unsightly orange tint. This allows for a neater salt-and-pepper appearance and makes your deep brown shade pop.
If your strands are on the longer side, it is easier to mask the contrast between the roots and tips if the entire length of your hair can’t be seen. Wearing your hair in a low bun, a top knot or crown braids can be a good way to mask differences in shade. Just be careful not to wear tight hairstyles for very long, to avoid developing traction alopecia.
Since you’ve started to grey, you may be wondering if your hair is thinning or you are being paranoid. If so, you should know there’s a real connection between these two events. As people advance in age, their overall hair density and diameter tend to naturally decrease [6]. While it is true that grey hairs are normally thicker and grow faster than pigmented ones [7], your hair may still appear sparser after the age of 40.
However, androgenetic alopecia also tends to set in around the same age when you start to develop canities. Over 85% of men and 50% of women experience some amount of male pattern baldness, respectively female pattern baldness by the time they reach 50 [8][9].
So even if growing finer hair is normal as you get older, it is best to see a trichologist from the first signs of hair thinning and balding, to rule out a progressive type of alopecia. If you do have this condition, diagnosing it early can increase treatment success.
Hair greying and thinning is a natural process that everyone undergoes once they progress in age. It may happen sooner for some and later for others, but there is nothing you can do to prevent it entirely. However, there are some things you can do to slow down your mature hair’s ageing process or even reverse grey hair to some extent:
Healthy, hydrated hair is beautiful hair. Regardless of their shade, your locks will look shinier, more supple and have improved volume if you make sure to moisturise them regularly. The best natural hair growth oils can nourish and condition your hair and some can also help increase its strength, density and thickness.
Direct exposure to the hot sun can leave you with dry, brittle hair. And grey strands are even more sensitive to UV radiation, as they have lost their protective layer of melanin, leading to easier hair breakage. So to avoid summer hair loss, it is best to wear a large-brimmed hat or a scarf on your head when out in hot weather.
The sun is not the only source of heat that can damage your hair. You may also want to avoid all types of heat styling, from straightening or curling your tresses, to blow drying on a high heat setting. It can be difficult to fix heat-damaged hair, so it is better to use cooler alternatives, such as traditional hair curlers and air drying.
A good diet for healthy hair needs to provide a variety of vitamins and minerals (e.g. vitamins A, B, C, D, zinc, iron, magnesium, etc.). And the best place to get them is by eating healthy, diverse foods from all the major groups, in the recommended amounts. Certain vitamin deficiencies can cause hair loss and conditions such as iron deficiency anaemia may also cause premature greying [8].
You may have heard that smoking can cause hair loss by triggering (or worsening) androgenetic alopecia and by producing inflammation in your body. But it can also make your hair go grey earlier than normal by increasing oxidative stress [10].
As your hair is becoming thinner and more fragile, it is important to use gentle hair products, which will nourish and condition it. It is a good idea to avoid shampoos and conditioners that contain harsh chemicals such as sodium lauryl/laureth sulphates or parabens.
You could try some of the best shampoos for thinning hair that can also help with hair loss. And if you haven’t done so already, you may want to consider using some of the best hair growth and thickness products for your stage of life (preferably at the recommendation of a hair doctor).
If you fear you may be greying too soon or your hair has become so thin you can see your scalp, there’s a fast and simple solution. Book a consultation today with one of our top-tier hair specialists. They will use all the necessary trichology tests to determine whether your symptoms are part of the normal hair ageing process. If you are diagnosed with a form of alopecia, they will recommend effective personalised treatment to help you restore your hair density.
Moreover, our experienced trichologists will share their insight regarding the best care routines for thinning hair. They will advise you on how to keep your locks strong and healthy and the lifestyle changes you may need to make to slow down the greying process.
Find out more about the best ways to conceal your roots and blend grey hair with dark hair by reading the answers to these common questions:
Herringbone highlights are normally recommended for people with light-coloured hair. That is because they involve adding an even lighter shade (e.g. platinum/ash) in a diagonal pattern to help blend the grey hair with their blonde natural colour. If your hair is naturally dark brown, this type of highlights would not be much help in masking your silver strands.
Theoretically, if you want to transition to grey very fast, bleaching your hair may be a solution. However, bleach is very harsh on your hair and you’d have to use a significant amount to turn your dark brown hair close to white. This may damage and weaken your strands, leaving them bleach-burned, dull and lifeless. Cutting your hair short may be a better alternative for a rapid transition.
Purple shampoo is used to correct the tone of light-coloured hair, so it is not likely to help you achieve the desired effect. However, if you have dark hair, using blue shampoo can indeed help remove the brassy tones from your brown strands and the yellow-orange hue from the grey ones.
While there is no scientific evidence that Minoxidil can change your hair colour, there are anecdotic reports that it can lighten its shade. Some users with dark hair claim that topical Minoxidil has made their strands a lighter brown, or even closer to a dark blonde hue. While this is not very likely to happen to you, if it does, it may actually help mask your roots and blend your grey hair with your dark brown hair.
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