To Book an Appointment
Call or text:
9 0 5. 6 8 9. 8 5 4 9
Hit the link below to Email me for
an online consultation
Finding the Right Shade of Grey That Suits You
Although this is a big trend, not everyone’s greys naturally complement them. How can you tell if your natural grey suits you? Could letting it all grow out make you look older, or could it highlight your natural beauty?
As a professional hairstylist, I’ve worked with countless shades of grey—and yes, there are many! Just as there are various tones of brown, there are greys with undertones that could either complement or clash with your skin tone. Some clients discover breathtakingly beautiful natural silvers or whites, while others find that their greys make them feel drab and unflattering.
Matching your unique skin tone with the right blend of grey or silver is an art—and one I love helping clients achieve!
Different Natural Shades of Grey and White
- White-Grey: Cloud: This shade occurs when all natural pigment is lost from the hair, resulting in a cloud-white appearance with a subtle hint of grey and no dark undertones.
- Yellow-White/Grey: Typically starting as white-grey hair, this shade takes on a yellowish tint due to environmental factors like air pollution, hard water, or smoking.
- Slate Grey: A deep, cool grey with darker undertones that resemble the colour of natural slate stone. This shade often appears in individuals who naturally had darker hair.
- Silver Grey: A vibrant metallic grey created by a blend of grey (with more grey than white) and threads of white that reflect light. This combination gives the hair a soft, shimmering, metallic sheen.
- Salt & Pepper Grey: A natural mix of light grey and darker shades, creating a speckled or streaked effect. This pattern offers a textured, balanced look that highlights the contrast between light and dark strands.
- Grey Streaking: Striking accents of pronounced streaks of white, grey, or silver naturally mingled with your original hair colour. These natural grey highlights add depth and texture, often framing the face beautifully and enhancing the hair’s overall character.
Steel/Silver Grey: A striking cool tone, this shade captures the brilliance and sleekness of polished steel or silver. Its high-shine finish reflects light beautifully, emphasizing the cool tones in natural grey hair. Steel grey adds a touch of elegance and refinement, perfect for creating a bold yet polished appearance.
Smoky Grey: This cool-toned shade features soft, light smoke grey with a touch of charcoal. Smoky grey is an excellent choice for toning away unnatural yellow hues in cloud-white or yellow-grey hair when applied all over. It can also be added through foils to lighter silver or cloud-white hair, creating velvety, understated depth. Smoky grey breaks up the white haze, giving the hair a shadowy effect that looks youthful and modern.
Check Out These Stunning Before-and-After Pictures
Coco Hair Studio 511 Plains Rd E, Burlington ON L7T 2E2 ( Book personally with Abby 905 689 8549 )
Classic Hair Design by Abby Birbari is a professional hairstyling service based within Coco Hair Studio in Burlington, Ontario, proudly serving clients from Burlington, Waterdown, Dundas, and Ancaster for over 39 years.
Blue-Grey: Cool and icy, this shade introduces a subtle blue undertone to grey, resulting in a crisp, frosty effect. Blue-grey works best in lighter grey hair, enhancing its natural brightness. When added through foils, it creates pops of colour that stand out against white strands, giving the hair a streaked appearance. This shade pairs wonderfully with pale skin tones for an ethereal look and offers striking contrast on olive or darker skin tones.
Ash Grey: A cool-toned grey, ash grey has a soft, muted appearance that harmonizes beautifully with existing hair colour. Its neutral undertone makes it versatile and universally flattering, adding understated dimension without overpowering the natural base colour. Ash grey is particularly complementary to lighter grey hair and suits pale skin tones seamlessly.
Beige-Grey (Warm): A warm, soft grey with beige undertones, this shade offers a natural and understated effect. Beige-grey works well on warmer skin tones, softening the overall appearance and blending seamlessly into hair that naturally transitions from darker warm shades. It adds subtle warmth and dimension without overpowering the natural grey.
The Most Challenging Hair to Transform: Redheads and gingers—these unique hair colours present distinct challenges when transitioning back to grey or, if already grey, finding the right tones to enhance their natural beauty. Warm shades, such as rich browns and mahogany hues, paired with a combination of lowlights and highlights, can counteract a flat or mousy appearance, adding depth and vibrancy to the hair.
Golden Grey (Warm): This warm-toned shade combines grey with golden undertones for a luminous and radiant finish. Golden grey is ideal for individuals with warm or olive skin tones, as it enhances warmth and brings a touch of brightness to the hair. It can be applied as streaks or highlights to break up cooler grey shades and add warmth to the overall look.
Natural Grey Match: This cool-toned shade features regrowth with grey evenly sprinkled throughout dark brown hair. The grown-out colour had a mix of dark dye with warm, brassy undertones. A simple colour match formulation was applied to the previously coloured sections to balance and blend with the natural grey, eliminating the gold tones. Cooler grey/violet shades were added to complete the look.