For a long time, grey hair was seen as an inherent sign of ageing for women. But ‘grey blending’ – and even going fully natural – has become an aspirational trend as more women are embracing their silver streaks rather than covering them.
Pinterest, for example, has seen an 879% surge in searches for 'going grey'. Those that don’t have it, want it, and many that do have salt and pepper strands, are more than happy for their natural grey hair to shine through. There's even an Instagram account, Grombre, dedicated to the “radical celebration of the natural phenomenon of grey hair,” which boasts over 230K followers (and counting), and hundreds of posts of women of all different ages and ethnicities sharing photos of their hair in all its natural icy glory.
Meanwhile, female celebs are getting a lot more comfortable with their greys, too. Actress Shay Mitchell previously admitted, “I call them wisdom hairs — more wisdom, great!” before noting “I am getting older. I am happy. You know what that means? I have more experiences. You can’t freak out about [grey hairs]." But she acknowledged she tends to pluck them out when she comes across them, adding: "if you don’t like it, then dye your hair — no problem.”
And Jennifer Aniston told Glamour US, “You do you! If you want to go grey, go for it. If you want to keep colouring your hair, that’s great too. I think everyone should feel confident in whatever choices they make, including embracing natural colour or texture. Hair is a creative way to express yourself, and I love that your mood and energy can change with the change of a hairstyle, cut or colour. Embrace whatever is going to make you happy.”
And, if you don't want to choose between completely covering or embracing natural grey hairs, you don't have to. There's a third camp that sits somewhere between the two: Grey highlights.
“There's been a move towards natural hair enhancement and grey blending is the latest movement in hair colour,” explains Robert Eaton, Wella Professionals Technical Director. The premise is this: by blending highlights or balayage through your hair, you can offset or accentuate your grey strands, depending on the colours you pair them with.
Like OG balayage, the technique creates light and shade throughout the hair. Sections of sweeping highlights are blended seamlessly in amongst other strands to break up blocks of colour and ensure hair looks multi-dimensional. The difference here is that the tones of the highlights are deliberately chosen to blend away greys or spotlight them.
For instance, ash grey and cool-toned blondes can camouflage greys into a tonal masterpiece that bounces light away from the greys and makes the whole thing look effortlessly deliberate. Meanwhile, shots of silver and ice blonde can help to illuminate and celebrate natural greys, drawing the attention towards grey streaks rather than hiding them.
Either way, to keep things look natural, the same rules of traditional balayage are applied. Highlights are subtly introduced around 3 centimetres from roots (meaning they're gloriously low-maintenance and you can grow them out with no repeat salon visits if you prefer). The face-framing strands are brightened to add an illuminating effect to skin, and the ends are left natural.
The technique has blown up thanks to the longevity it offers. Rather than a block all-over colour the highlights mean root-regrowth becomes less of an issue. “Many women don’t want to go for block coverage anymore, and we’ve embraced they are looking for different ways to take care of their grey hair, ” says Robert who works out of his family’s hairdressing business in Leeds.
1.Balayage
More traditional balayage with blondes, caramels and honeys can help to blend in greys when bright blonde pieces are introduced into the mix. It works best when those brighter streaks are blended near the root.
2. Moneypiece
Making a visual frame around the face that plays into (and celebrates grey) is a beautiful way of making grey colour a feature. Then if your natural greys are scattered throughout the rest of hair, it all interacts seamlessly with each other.
3. Ombre
The upkeep of covering grey roots requires regular maintenance, but reverse ombre means you can let your greys do their thing, but still introduce a bolder colour through the ends.
To understand a little more about greys, we called on Anabel Kingsley, top trichologist and Brand President of Philip Kingsley, and leading hairdresser Michael Van Clarke to shed light on what causes grey hair and how best to look after it.
“Grey hair is simply hair that lacks pigment (melanin). In fact, there is actually no such thing as ‘grey’ hair – the hair is white, but simply looks grey when it is interspersed with pigmented hairs,” explains Anabel.
“When you go grey is largely down to genes," says Anabel. "If your mother or father started getting white hairs at a young age, it is likely that you will as well. On average, most people’s hair is 50% white by the time they turn 50 years old.
“Certain medications and health conditions can also cause hair to turn white," she continues. “For instance, Vitamin B12 deficiency, pernicious anaemia and thyroid disorders can cause premature greying. When hair initially grows back after Alopecia Areata, it often comes in white, and then usually reverts to its usual pigmented colour. Stress has also been linked to premature greying.”
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“No – unless your hair has temporarily lost its pigment due to a health condition or medication,” says Anabel.
“White hair is caused when a protein in the base of the hair follicle triggers a switch-off in the production of melanin," says Michael. “There is no gradual fading of colour for that hair – it changes from fully coloured to white. Since our hair goes through different cycles (it grows, sheds and grows again), the grey will begin to grow through with a new hair cycle.”
“It is primarily down to genes,” says Anabel, “but environmental factors may also play a role.”
“The ratio of white hairs to coloured hairs on the head gives the overall tone of grey,” explains Michael. “It’s why blondes and redheads do not appear to go grey, just gradually whiter. They also turn white the slowest.”
![Grey Blending: The Hottest Hair Trend for Silver Strands | [Your Brand Name]](https://www.verylovebeauty.com/Article/UploadFiles/202605/2026050704375366.jpg)
The short answer to this is yes. “Since white hair lacks pigment, it’s more prone to UV damage," says Anabel. “Therefore, it’s even more important to use UV protective products if you have white hair.”
Bumble and bumble Hairdresser's Invisible Oil Heat/UV Protective Primer 60ml
Aveda Sun Care Protective Hair Veil
Caudalie Very High Protection Sun Water SPF50
Matrix So Silver Purple Shampoo
L’Oréal Paris Elvive Purple Shampoo
Kérastase Blond Absolu Shine and Hydrating Duo
Redken Color Extend Blondage Shampoo
Philip Kingsley Pure Silver Shampoo and Conditioner
Grey hair also tends to have a coarser texture and feels thinner at the ends. "This puts more energy at the roots and less at the ends making it hard for the hair to have movement and swing (imagine taking the weight off the end of a pendulum),” says Michael. “Smoothing or texturising products and techniques can help loosen and boost the roots. Try a thickening blow dry spray at the roots and volumising mousse at the mid lengths and ends to thicken, smooth and give shine.”
Bed Head Tigi Queen For A Day Thickening Spray
Hair By Sam McKnight Happy Endings Nourishing Balm
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