There is no doubt that wearing a hair color that compliments you can make any woman feel amazing. Finding ways to embrace and seamlessly blend gray hair has brought a new level of confidence to middle-aged women sitting in my chair. These hair colors and, more importantly, color techniques can help keep your salon trips for gray coverage to the minimum while ensuring an impeccable look.
What Is the Best Hair Color for Covering Gray Hair?
There are many shades and professional hair color techniques available when it comes to dyeing gray hair. Light blonde shades and gray blending with highlights and lowlights make gray regrowth seamless and unnoticeable. Medium brown shades look nice and youthful on older women too. Some colors I don’t recommend for gray blending are reds and copper. They are absolutely beautiful and unique in their own right but, unfortunately, their gorgeous vibrancy makes ashy grays more noticeable!
As life gets busier, we take on more roles and have less time for our hair, but there’s always a color that can fit your hair goals, growth pattern, and lifestyle! I strongly believe no one should have to choose between the hair they want and the hair they feel society pressures them to keep up with!
Have you ever caught yourself saying, “I’m too old for that,” “Isn’t that too bold for my age,” “I have to cover gray hair, it shows my age?” I’m here to tell you something exciting! Times and trends are changing, and we, stylists, are here to tell you that stigma is in the past. Women of any age should feel confident whether they have chosen to grow out gray hair or cover grays with their dream hair color shades.
Below is the ultimate hair inspiration whether you want to live your blondest life, rock a low-maintenance balayage or blend your grays!
1. Gray Blending
Today, stylists use babylights and lowlights to mimic the salt-and-pepper nature of gray with a modern twist. This lets you blend gray roots, and the color itself is so beautiful and dimensional! The overall look can be customized in so many different ways based on your gray growth pattern and desired tones. No root coverage needed means less maintenance for you!
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
2. Complete Gray Coverage & Low Maintenance Balayage
If you’re the type of gal that wants to cover those roots but still feel trendy in style, this one is for you! Root touchups offer full coverage and can always be spiced up with some balayage or highlights. Balayage is the process of hand painting brightness into your natural color. By adding pops of brightness into your mids to edges, we can add so much life to your color and keep it feeling modern!
With toner services, it allows you to customize the shade to your skin tone and hair goals! Also, the beauty of this color is you can go 2-4 touchups in between balayage services so you get more out of your look, and only need small services, which saves money!
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
Classic blonde balayage is not high maintenance too. Sunkissed pops of color resemble the natural lift of the hair and add a beautiful dimension that won’t need to be brought up for 4+ months! With custom placement where the grays grow in, no root touch-up for gray coverage is needed.
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
3. White Blonde Hair Color for Gray Hair
If you don’t like those gray roots, why not transition to gray in one session? The icy gloss makes this color a real blonde hair envy. Maintenance for this hair color looks like this: gloss every 4-6 weeks, at-home toning shampoo use, minimal washing with color-safe, hydrating products, and lightening session every 8-10 weeks.
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
4. Bright Blonde with Lived-In Roots
When going for bright cool blonde hair color to cover gray locks, consider getting a root smudge for a more natural, lived-in look. A simple solution that adds so much deepness, dimension, and interest!
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
5. Ash Blonde Blending
If you are starting to see grays creeping in, consider canceling out warm tones (think bright golden and honey blonde) and opting for cooler shades for your bleached hair (think icy and silver-blonde hues). Ash-blonde tones often look like gray hair itself and thus help disguise any new grays perfectly well!
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
6. Blonde Babylights
If you’re looking for something classic, blonde babylights are always in. They blend gray so well and help keep you feeling bright. Since they look like fresh highlights, your hair constantly looks freshly foiled.
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
7. Platinum Blonde
We love a blonde hair color at any age, and the platinum blonde is a perfect shade to cover gray hair and make a statement at the same time. This color is so unique and empowering! So many customizable tones, blends and maintenance schedules are available. So many options and ways to serve a beautiful blonde and make it your own.
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
8. Rich Brunette Shades
If you prefer darker shades, consider embracing the richness of brown hair tones. With the permanent hair color placement, you get full gray coverage and may also spice up a traditional one-dimensional color with lighter pops.
Adding life and depth to your hair color can make you look younger and feel so confident that you won’t even pay attention to occasional grays growing in. After all, temporary cover-up solutions can back you up and disguise the regrowth.
Instagram / @hairbyrachelmaltais
The art of customizing your color to your lifestyle is taking this industry by storm. Whether you are a busy mom who wants to feel good with minimal maintenance or are busy with your career and need a color that always looks fresh, you are sure to find the perfect option for your gray hair coverage.
For more modern color inspiration, gray blending options, styling tips and tricks, follow @hairbyrachelmaltais on Instagram and YouTube!
