Salt and peppers, a couple of pesky greys, silver sparkles, they're known by a variety of names but they all mean the same thing — Greys — and when you've got them there is one priority; to cover them. But have you noticed that as your Greys move on from a few sparkles to patches of Greys to White ribbons of Regrowth, covering them seems harder until they almost seem clear after Colouring? We call these translucent Grey's.
Key Signs You Are Dealing With Translucent Greys
Struggling to Colour Grey Hair
Grey Hair that is Coloured is always Lighter
It feels like you always need to Colour your Greys
The Coloured Greys look clear or iridescent
The majority of your Natural Regrowth is White
The Blonde Shade you always use doesn't cover Greys like it used to
The Ash Shade you always use doesn't cover Greys like it used to
How To Cover Translucent Greys
If you're struggling with translucent Greys it's time to change up how you cover Greys using these techniques.
Grey Coverage Technique #1
If you are solely using Ash Blondes or Cool, Toned Colours it's time to switch to a Natural Shade. The fuller, Natural pigment will give you better coverage as the Cool pigment will only help keep your Greys looking translucent.
Grey Coverage Technique #2
We love intense shades, Coppers and Reds but using them over translucent Greys diminishes their potency leaving you with a watered down version of the Colour you love. Bring a Natural into your Colour mixture using a 50/50 blend of your favourite shade with a Natural to get that boost of covering pigment while keeping your fun shade. For example: Change your mixture to 1/2 6.22 Intense Violet and 1/2 6 Dark Blonde.
Grey Coverage Technique #3
Go Gold. Adding Gold into your Colour mixture is my favourite move and the one I'll suggest over and over to give you the best coverage. I'm not saying you have to move from your favourite Ash Blonde to a straight Goldie locks, but using a Golden Colour or Natural and Golden Colour blend will give you the best coverage. Just as we love to fill a Blonde with a Golden Shade before going Brunette, it does the same with translucent Grey Hair filling Hair with Warmth so your Hair Colour has something to build off.
Grey Coverage Technique #4
Consider going Darker, I'm sure many may read that and think "no way, I don't want to be Dark Brown" but are you finding your Light to Medium Brunette shade is looking a little more Golden than Brunette and your ends seem Lighter? This is the problem with no pigment Hair, it struggles to grab the Colour and comes up looking Lighter than expected. Adjusting to a Hair Colour 1-2 Shades Darker will give you better coverage and give you the Colour you were originally looking for because of your Lighter Grey base you are Colouring over.
For example: After Colouring with 9 Very Light Blonde and 7.3 Golden Blonde over 100% Grey/White Hair we found it wasn't covering Dark enough. So we switched to a 7 Medium Blonde and 7.3 Golden Blonde formula for better depth and coverage.
Hot Tip: Always use 20 Volume Developer when covering 50% or more White and Grey Hair.
Hot Tip: Let your Colour develop for 45 minutes. Once you've covered your roots set the timer and sit it out to give your Colour the best chance to grab.
How To Apply Your Colour To Translucent Greys
If you're making a simple change to match the rest of your Hair, just apply your Colour to your Regrowth.
If you're adding more depth into your Colour, break your Hair Colour application into two mixtures firstly applying your root Colour mixture and setting the 45 minute countdown clock once you've finished. Once you have 20 minutes left, apply a Gloss Colour through your ends to refresh your ends and match your roots. Your Gloss Colour should be your root Colour mixed with a No Lift Developer.
It is common to have patches of Grey/White Hair generally around your face, ears or front part whereas your Regrowth underneath or through the back of your Hair is Darker, even with a low percentage of Greys. Create two Colour mixtures: one to apply to your Grey/White Hair and another for the remainder of your Hair. Apply the mixture to your Grey/White Hair first.
