How to cover grays without a salon visit, according to an expert
Noticing gray hairs can bring up tons of complicated questions: What do you do if you're not ready to fully cover them? How do you create a low-maintenance gray hair routine at home?
The good news is that permanent hair color isn't your only option. From glosses and lowlights to temporary root sprays, there are plenty of ways to soften, blend or camouflage grays without signing yourself up for a standing root appointment every four weeks.
We tapped celebrity hairstylist Julien Farel, founder of Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa, for his expert advice. This year also marks Farel's 18th year operating his salon at the U.S. Open, where he and his team have worked with some of the biggest names in tennis over the years, including Coco Gauff, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and more.
Gray coverage vs. gray blending
Before booking a color appointment, Farel says its smart to understand the difference between gray coverage and gray blending.
Covering gray means depositing enough pigment to make white or silver strands disappear into one uniform color. Blending takes a softer approach, adding tone and dimension around the gray so it reads more like a highlight or lighter piece.
For someone just starting to go gray, Farel recommends beginning with blending whenever possible. There's also maintenance to consider.
According to Farel, traditional coverage can mean touching up roots approximately every four weeks, while blending techniques may stretch appointments to every eight to 12 weeks.
"Start with blending," he says. "You can escalate to coverage at any time. Going backwards from full coverage is a long, expensive correction."
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Gloss treatments
One of the easiest salon options for someone who isn't ready for permanent color is a demi-permanent gloss or glaze. Rather than dramatically changing your natural hair color, a gloss deposits tone onto the hair and can soften the appearance of gray while adding shine. Farel says the results typically fade gradually over four to six weeks, avoiding the obvious line of regrowth associated with permanent color.
When talking to your stylist, Farel suggests asking for "a demi-permanent gloss at or close to my natural level, formulated for gray blending."
Lowlights
Highlights may get most of the attention, but Farel says lowlights are one of his favorite techniques for early grays. Strategically adding subtle darker pieces around areas like the crown, hairline and part can break up silver strands so the overall effect looks dimensional rather than uniformly gray. "The eye reads dimension instead of gray," Farel explains.
Root sprays and root powders
If your grays are primarily concentrated around your part or temples, you may not need to color them at all. Temporary root sprays, powders, sticks and wands can camouflage individual grays or larger areas until your next shampoo.
Farel recommends sprays for broader areas such as a wide part or hairline, particularly on medium to dark hair. Powders offer more precision and can look especially natural around the temples or on fine hair, while sticks and wands are useful for targeting individual strands.
You can shop a few of his recommendations below.
Semipermanent hair color
At-home glosses and color-depositing conditioners fall somewhere between temporary camouflage and salon color. Rather than completely concealing gray, these products can refresh your overall tone, reduce brassiness and make the transition between your natural color and silver strands appear softer. They may be particularly useful for someone who wants their gray to feel more intentional without completely hiding it.
For overall hair health, Farel recommends his Julien Farel Magnifique Delay The Grey Hair & Scalp Serum, which the brand says is designed to support the scalp, hair fiber and pigmentation process.
