Part of the colour changes and corrections guides. Start with Hair colour correction: what it involves, what it costs and how long it takes, or see colour and colour correction in the salon.
Blending or coverage
| Grey blending | Full coverage | |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Weaves greys into a dimensional blonde or bronde | Paints a solid colour over every grey |
| Regrowth | Soft; 8 to 10 weeks between visits | Visible at 3 to 4 weeks; retouch every 4 to 6 |
| Looks best on | Up to about 50% grey, any base | Any amount of grey, especially dark bases wanting a solid finish |
| Technique | Fine foils, lowlights, translucent toner | All-over colour or a regrowth retouch |
| Salon price | Foils $200 to $310 or balayage $240 to $290, plus a finishing package | Retouch $190; all-over colour $235 to $280 |
Both are on the menu at Jenna Ellen Hair, and the consultation decides which suits how much grey you have and how often you'd like to visit.
Who blending suits
Anyone whose greys are scattered rather than solid, which is most people up to about 50% grey. Anyone who'd rather visit every 8 to 10 weeks than every 4. And anyone who likes the look of a lived-in blonde or bronde, because blending is that colour with the greys doing some of the lightening for free. On naturally light or mid-brown hair it's the natural choice; on very dark hair it works as a bronde with lowlights rather than a blonde.
How it's done
Fine foils go in around the parting and the hairline, where greys show most, lifting the surrounding hair to a blonde that sits close to the grey. Lowlights, a shade or 2 darker than your base, go in where depth is needed so the result reads as dimensional rather than pale. Then a translucent toner goes over everything, softening the greys into the blonde without coating them in solid colour. A root shadow finishes it so the regrowth stays gentle.
On dark hair
Blending on dark brown hair leans bronde: caramel and soft-gold foils around the face and parting, lowlights through the lengths for depth, and a neutral toner. The greys become the lightest thread in a warm, dimensional brunette. It's a 1-visit colour on most dark bases, because the target sits only 2 or 3 levels above the natural colour.
Maintenance
A toner and blow-dry ($150) at week 6 keeps the greys soft and the blonde cool, and a weekly purple shampoo does the same at home. Greys are porous and pick up warmth and minerals easily, so a Malibu C ($40) before the toner is worth it on tank or bore water. The full blonde care routine applies.
Moving from full coverage to blending
The transition is a plan rather than a single appointment, because a solid colour has to grow and lift out gradually. Visit 1 lifts fine foils through the coverage to introduce dimension and lightens the regrowth line. Visits 2 and 3, 8 weeks apart, add more foils as the solid colour grows down, until the head reads as blended. Each visit is a wearable colour in its own right, and the free consultation sets out the timeline and the price for your hair.
Booking
Grey blending is booked as foils or balayage; say "grey blending" when you book and bring a photo of the softness you'd like. The colour correction guide covers the transition from coverage in more detail, and the full price list has every option.