Brilliant grey hair products, whether you want to disguise them or embrace them
It's official. There's a greynaissance happening. Never before has the spotlight been on silver and grey hair in quite the same way. Conversations around keeping it natural have boomed in the past year or so, and given that 80% of us will go grey at some point, it's heartening that more of us are embracing our god-given greys. Likewise, it's promising to see brands investing in targeted, modern and luxurious solutions, designed with enhancement and care in mind, for a demographic that, historically, has been under-catered for.
The seamless techniques for natural grey hair you need to know about.
It's not just natural greys either. The shade has undergone a rebrand, and been reclaimed as a coveted and chic choice of colour for all ages. In fact, those that don't have them, want them. We've seen celebs like Ariana Grande, Bella Hadid, Ciara and members of the Kardashian tribe experimenting with icy silvers and grey.
Want in? Whether you're a natural, or wannabe grey there's loads of grey-enhancing options to choose from. Hair colour brand Bleach London offers its customers a Fade To Grey Kit (£8.50), which includes a semi-permanent, nourishing toner that infuses hair with subtle charcoal tones, as well as safeguarding against unwanted brassiness, and Josh Wood Colour Icy Blonde Shot (£19) has also been designed to boost the silver tones in grey hair to keep it looking its best.
As for nourishing hair while upgrading your colour, look no further than Moroccanoil's Color Depositing Mask in Platinum (£28.85), which adds a rich temporary tone to natural greys or blondes looking for a colour shift that you can build up over time, or leave to fade away. Plus the fortifying blend of amino acids, apricot kernel oil and argan will strengthen strands for softer, healthier hair.
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Of course, there's nothing wrong with wanting to cover up your natural greys either. Not everyone fancies showcasing their silver strands, and nor should they have to. Thanks to a spike in tinted shampoos, root concealers and colour depositing masks, disguising your greys at home is easier than ever. For a quick ColorWOW's Root Cover-up (£29.50) is magic and comes in an array of shades. Or John Frieda's Defy Grey Shampoo (£6.99) deposits disguising pigments each time you wash your hair to build up coverage without adding any extra steps.
Here are the best products to embrace your greys or blend them away...
Best product for grey hair: for last-minute touch-ups
Bumble & Bumble Brownish Hair Powder, £28, Feel Unique
Blend away emerging greys from your hairline with Bumble & Bumble’s tinted dry shampoos which come in two options: brownish or blondish.
Save when you shop for grey hair products with these Feel Unique discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for long-lasting wash-out root concealer
Josh Wood Colour Root Touch-Up Blending Brush, £19, Boots
This root blending brush stands up against stubborn greys, and can keep them hidden for up to three washes.
Save when you shop for grey hair products with these Boots discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for everyday care
Redken Colour Extend Graydiant Shampoo, £14.40, LookFantastic
One of the biggest problems grey hair comes up against is brassiness – where silver strands naturally give off a yellowish hue. Redken’s purple-tones Graydiant shampoo helps to counteract unwanted buttery hues with custom dyes that neutralise brassiness and enhance silver tones for a brighter finish. Employ just once every week or so otherwise the purple colour will begin to build up.
Save when you shop for grey hair products with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for banishing brassiness
Josh Wood Colour Shade Shot Gloss Icy Blonde, £19, Boots
As well as leaving hair with an enviable gloss and silky feel, this semi-permanent shot of colour will banish any signs of brassiness if you have chosen to dye to your hair grey through bleaching.
Save when you shop for grey hair products with these Boots discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for adding shades of grey
Bleach London Fade To Grey Toner Kit, £5.99, Superdrug
This nourishing toning kit will add subtle semi-permanent charcoal tones to bleached or pre-lightened hair, as well as helping to banish brassiness at the same time.
Save when you shop for grey hair products with these Superdrug discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for strengthening
Philip Kinglsey Elasticizer Pre-Shampoo Treatment, £27.20, Feel Unique
Grey hairs can suffer more from dehydration, often feeling coarser than other strands, so some deep-conditioning is essential. Philip Kingsley’s Elasticizer is magic for this. Generously coat dry hair in a layer of the stuff, leave for 20 minutes then rinse off and follow with your usual hair routine.
Save when you shop for grey hair products with these Feel Unique discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for everyday cover
John Frieda Defy Grey Shampoo, £6.99, Boots
Part of a three-piece collection that also includes a conditioner and a Blow Dry Foam, each product has a different semi-permanent brunette pigment that coats grey strands and adds different dimensions of colour. This works just like a normal shampoo – it won’t get your bathroom and towels messy, and won’t add any additional steps to your hair care routine. Each time you shampoo it will help to build up a richer colour.
Save when you shop with these Boots discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for heat protection
Cloud 9 Magical Quick Dry Potion, £20, John Lewis
Grey hair has more of a tendency to dry out, so limit heat styling where you can, and where you can’t, make sure you have a decent heat protection spray. Not only does Cloud 9’s Magical Quick Dry Potion help to reduce drying time (saving your hair from unnecessary heat), it also guards against high temperatures, contains a UV filter and leaves hair soft and sleek.
Save when you shop with these John Lewis discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for colour-toning
L’Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo, £9.65, LookFantastic
An effective colour-toning shampoo that sees off brassiness and unwanted yellow tones and imparts shine instead.
Save when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for root concealing
ColorWOW Root Cover-Up, £28.50, LookFantastic
ColorWOW’s waxy root concealer has a devoted following thanks to the easy-to-use brush applicator, variety of shades, and waxy coverage that stays put until you wash it out.
Save when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for enhancing colour while softening strands
Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask, £28.85, LookFantastic
Part nourishing hair mask, part colour depositing tint, Moroccanoil’s Color Depositing Masks help to enhance and enrich hair colour whilst simultaneously leaving it feeling silky soft. There’s plenty of shades to choose from, including a platinum grey to emphasise natural greys or switch up your hair colour if you’re a natural blonde. But there’s also a pretty rose gold if you want to veil silver strands with a wash of pink, there’s a cocoa brown that has a loyal fan following for its ability to add depth to brunettes and colour over greys and several other options, too.
Save when you shop with these LookFantastic discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for colouring in greys
Rita Hazan Root Concealer Touch-Up Stick, £18, Selfridges
Rita Hazan’s root crayons enable you to literally colour in grey roots with expert precision.
Save when you shop with these Selfridges discount codes.
Best product for grey hair: for experimental colour coverage
Lime Crime Unicorn Hair Tint, £14.50, LookFantastic
If you’re looking to cover greys, but want to be a bit more experimental, Lime Crime’s wash out Unicorn Tints offer lipstick red, smoky mauve, bright lilac and more. Or for something a bit more traditional, there’s always caramel.
