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Grey Blending with Master Colourist, Jodie

October 04, 2026

Grey Blending with Master Colourist, Jodie

Going grey doesn’t have to mean covering your roots every few weeks. For many clients, a time comes to think about their grey differently. Instead of wanting to hide every white hair, we offer ways of working with your natural greying while still having beautiful, considered colour. As the looks featured throughout show, embracing grey doesn’t necessarily mean giving up colour altogether – often it’s about using colour more thoughtfully. Grey Blending is a tailored option giving natural effects with less upkeep.

What exactly is grey blending, and how is it different from traditional grey coverage? Jodie: Traditional grey coverage was about obliterating any evidence of white hair to create a consistent colour from roots to ends. That can become problematic as the amount of white increases around the hairline or parting and within a week, roots start to show and call for attention. It’s a high maintenance strategy where results may only look perfect for a limited time.

With Grey Blending I may use some white hair as part of the pallet of colours. Or I may make white coverage less opaque and more translucent within the overall effect. I can use techniques such as highlights, lowlights and toning to soften the difference between your natural grey and the rest of your hair. The grey is still there and that’s the point. We’re making it part of the overall colour rather than treating it as something that needs to be hidden.

Who is grey blending most suitable for?
Jodie: I love the versatility of grey blending. Whether you’re almost completely grey and it’s becoming too much work, or you’ve just started to see white hairs and want to soften the contrast.

Everyone’s hair is different, so Grey Blending is a bespoke service. I’ll consider how much grey you have and where it’s coming through, your natural colour, any previous colour, the condition of your hair and, most importantly, what you actually want to achieve.

Some people want to keep quite a lot of their existing colour, while others want to gradually become lighter and more silver or eventually grow their colour out completely. The starting point and end goal will be different for everyone.

How does grey blending work in the salon?
Jodie: The consultation is key. Before deciding on a colour technique, I want to understand what you’re hoping to achieve and, just as importantly, how much maintenance you’re comfortable with. We can then map out a plan together with realistic timeframes.

Depending on the hair, I might use a combination of techniques: fine highlights to introduce lighter pieces and soften the contrast between the natural grey and existing colour; lowlights to retain depth and stop the finished colour becoming too light or one-dimensional; and toners or glosses to adjust the tone and bring the different shades together.

I may also carefully place colour around areas such as the parting and hairline, where grey can sometimes be more noticeable.

The condition and history of your hair will always influence what we can realistically achieve. For example, if you have years of dark permanent colour and would like to become much lighter and more silver, I may recommend doing this over a number of appointments rather than trying to do everything at once. Keeping the hair in good condition means the colour we achieve is more stable.

How often will I need to come back?
Jodie: This will be unique to the individual but the regrowth with grey blending is softer than with traditional root coverage.

What can grey blending achieve that an all-over colour can’t?
Jodie: The biggest difference is dimensional. With an all-over colour, you’re generally creating one overall shade through the hair, whereas with grey blending we can introduce different tones and shades, with your natural grey becoming another part of the colour.

This can create a softer, more dimensional result, with a mixture of light and dark tones rather than one solid colour, as well as softer-looking regrowth.

Is grey blending a good option for someone who wants to move away from regularly colouring their roots?
Jodie: Absolutely. This is something I discuss with a lot of clients. If you’ve been covering your grey for years, deciding to stop colouring completely can feel like quite a big step, and the difficult part is often the transition. If you have dark or medium-coloured lengths and naturally grey roots, simply stopping your colour can leave quite a strong contrast.

Grey blending gives us a way of gradually reducing that contrast. We can introduce lighter pieces and adjust the tone of the existing colour so your natural grey starts to sit more comfortably alongside the rest of your hair.

Your goal is unlikely to be going completely white but achieving a softer more natural effect with less maintenance.

Can grey blending work on blondes, brunettes and darker hair?
Jodie: Yes. Grey blending is for everyone who wants it, but the approach will be different depending on your starting colour.

Blondes: If you’re naturally blonde or already have lighter hair, the contrast between your natural grey and the rest of your hair can be softer. Fine highlights and carefully chosen toning can create anything from a soft beige or champagne result through to a cooler pearl or silver finish.

Brunettes: With brunette hair, we may use lighter pieces alongside some deeper tones to soften the difference between the brunette base and the grey. This can create a beautiful salt-and-pepper effect without necessarily taking the whole head significantly lighter.

Darker Hair: Darker hair can require a little more planning because there can be a much stronger contrast between dark colour and white or grey hair. In some cases, gradually lightening the existing colour will be the best approach, particularly if maintaining the condition of the hair is a priority.

We also need to look at the grey itself. Some people’s grey is soft and silvery, while others have very bright white hair or grey that is more resistant to colour. That’s why I don’t see grey blending as one particular colour formula; it’s an approach tailored around the hair you actually have.

What should someone ask for if they are interested in grey blending?
Jodie: First, I recommend booking a consultation. The phrase “grey blending” can mean different things to different colourists, so it’s much more useful to talk through what you’re hoping to achieve rather than simply asking for a particular technique.

We’ll look at how much grey you currently have and where it’s coming through, your natural hair colour and previous colour history, what you’d like to keep from your existing colour, and whether you eventually want to grow it out completely. We’ll also discuss the tone and depth you like, how often you realistically want to visit the salon and, importantly, the condition of your hair.

And please bring photographs! I love seeing pictures of what a client does like, but I also find it really helpful to see what they don’t like. If you show me a picture and say, “I love this, but I don’t want it this light,” or “I like the silver but I don’t want it too cool,” that gives me much more information about what you’re looking for.

Words such as natural, silver, blended and low-maintenance can mean something completely different to different people. Pictures help us get on the same page.

Ultimately, I don’t believe there is one right way to deal with grey hair. Some people love having their roots coloured every few weeks, some want to embrace every grey hair they have, and others want something in between.

Grey blending gives us another option. It isn’t about giving up on colour; it’s about using colour differently. Instead of constantly trying to hide your grey, we can work with it and make it part of the overall look. The aim is to create hair that feels like you – beautiful, natural and manageable, without feeling like you’re constantly fighting against your regrowth.

Which celebrities do you think have ‘gone grey’ particularly well?
Jodie: There are lots of well-known women who have shown just how beautiful grey and silver hair can look. Andie MacDowell is a great example and looked incredible at Paris Fashion Week. Others include Sarah Jessica Parker, Jodie Foster and Katie Holmes.

What I like about looking at celebrity examples is that there isn’t just one way to wear grey. Some have a more natural salt-and-pepper look, like Olivia Colman, who was spotted with her natural grey at Zurich Film Festival, while others embrace a much lighter, brighter silver finish, like Emma Thompson.

It’s a good reminder that going grey doesn’t mean everyone has to have exactly the same result. It’s about finding the tone and approach that works for you.

Thanks so much Jodie.

You can book an appointment with Jodie or any of the Van Clarke team via the tab to the right of your browser.



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