Ah, the extensive and extremely satisfying Grey Blending experience. It’s quite the appointment, weighing in at 5+ hours and starting at $325. Are you wondering, “What is this all about?”
If you’ve ever considered growing out that pesky permanent hair color and transitioning to that natural (and usually) grey color underneath, then this is for you. Each and every one of these cases is deliciously different. Chloe and I (and now Allison and Maddie) LOVE putting our heads together for these! It makes us feel like hair doctors.
Dee had been toying with the idea of going back to her natural for awhile. After the shutdown, she decided it was time. But she didn’t want to go full on Sharon Osborne and go completely silver. So we compromised with micro lowlights and micro highlights. Here is the before and after of her first appointment.
Now, some of you might be asking, what does that look like in a month, 2 months, 3 months?
Well, you just have to wait and see. It isn’t a cut and dry prescription for everyone. Some people may need more toning, low lights, highlights, or a combination.
Dee decided she wanted to continue the lowlights as she likes that it still gives her some color on top where she is mostly grey, so that’s what we do every 8-10 weeks.
Here she is at 4 weeks after her initial appointment. She came in for a cut, and we made future appointments based on what we saw.
Now let’s talk about maintenance. If you use Suave, Herbal Essenses, or basically anything from the shampoo section at Wal-mart, I’m here to tell you that this will not work for you. That shampoo will strip out that nice toning gloss so fast it will make your head spin. A toning gloss cancels out the yellow and orange pigment left behind after lightening. It makes the highlights a nice silvery blonde to match what you have going on at the roots, specifically formulated for each client. You MUST use a shampoo that has blue or purple pigments or this big expensive investment will all be for naught. Usually, that means every other time you shampoo, you will need to use the toning maintenance shampoo. During the other times you shampoo, you will need to use a professional shampoo and conditioner, usually something moisturizing since the toning shampoos tends to be a tad drying. {Ask us why at your appointment! It’s great science!}
Dee uses Matrix Brass Off shampoo as her maintenance shampoo.
Here are some other before and after examples of what can be achieved in one of these sessions.
Mindy’s first session (left) started the process of going to her natural color. That was in July 2019. Fast forward to October 2020 (pic on right), and she has completed the transition with only 3 appointments to tone or get a trim between July 2019 and October 2020.
Another beautiful example on someone with a naturally lighter base.
Now let’s look take a look at Kristi. She comes in every 6 weeks or so for a haircut. Her initial appointment (picture below) was in June 2020. Her before and after still blow me away! We planned to do a Gloss+Go during her October 2020 appointment. When she came in, I couldn’t believe how well her maintenance shampoo was keeping her blonde microlights so perfectly matched to her natural color. It was INCREDIBLE. I was so flabbergasted, I didn’t even think to get a picture. I know. Ridiculous. But please believe me, it was amazing.
Another amazing thing about Kristi is that her Grey Blending didn’t age her one little bit. Look at how her blue eyes just pop! She looks amazing!
I have to be completely honest here. We pride ourselves on honesty with our clients. Sometimes it can be brutal. Are you ready? Embracing your natural grey can age you. Sleep on this for several nights and take a good look in the mirror. If you’re ready for that possibility, then we’re ready to take you through the process. I have to say though, most clients we’ve worked with on this have blown me away with how incredible they look afterward.
It’s not for everyone. But if you’ve been even thinking about it for a second, then it might just be something to consider.
Originally published 10/23/2020, updated 5/3/2022 to reflect current industry pricing
Evergreen Salon 