Got Grays? Tips for Faster, Better, Longer Coverage
Cover grays, refresh the base, add some blonde and tone all in one process—here’s how. Schwarzkopf Professional® Artistic Team Member Ashlee Norman (@ashleenormanhair) shares how she incorporates full gray coverage into her color appointments. Spoiler alert: We’re only using permanent color!
Using Permanent Color As Toner: When & How
Instead of doing a messy root touch-up in between foils, then toning or applying a shadow root—you can achieve the coverage of ALL these services in one application with permanent color.
Since toners are typically deposit-only demi-permanent glosses, they sit on the outside layer of the cuticle and fade quickly. For clients without previous color or grays, toning with a demi is simple. But, for gray coverage clients that have previous permanent color, you need something stronger.
That’s where the power to deposit, fill, cover and soften is needed. A permanent color melt can deposit deeper into the cortex to cover grays, softly adjust the base to blend highlights, shadow root and tone—all at the same time.
Click the beaker to get Ashlee’s formulas:
Photo Credit: Instagram via @ashleenormanhair
“If I’m using color over highlighted hair, I want to see dimensional coverage. tbh – true beautiful honest® Permanent Color by Schwarzkopf Professional® has a translucent deposit: That means I’m not going to have hard lines of demarcation,” Ashlee explains. “It’s also the biggest timesaver for clients with 75 percent (or less) white/gray hairs.”
How To Avoid Brass When Blonding For Gray Coverage
If you’re going for natural-looking gray coverage but have clients that pull warm, all you need is tone softener.
“It eliminates all of the common issues [stylists have] with toning with permanent color,” Ashlee says. Schwarzkopf Professional®’s tbh – true beautiful honest® Tone Softener acts like a conditioner with a pH of 4.5 which allows it to do two things:
- 1. Drops the alkalinity, cutting down the ammonia content for a softer lift without a brassy shift in base color.
- 2. Dilutes the opacity for a more translucent deposit of color. This creates dimensional coverage over grays and highlights—without an opaque line of demarcation.
So, by adding an acidic conditioning agent to your ammoniated formula you will reduce the pH, cutting down the power of lift and the exposure of warmth that will be shown.
Ashlee’s Recommended Tone Softener Formulas
“Formulating your volume of peroxide is also a factor of lift or exposure of warmth,” Ashlee explains. Here’s her formulation guide when mixing permanent color with tone softener:
- 1:1:1 + 6-volume developer: No lift, deposit only
- 1:1:1 + 13-volume developer: Soft lift, base break
- 1:1:1 + 20-volume developer: Translucent gray coverage (a lighter base break)
Consider This: “Texture is also a factor of lift,” Ashlee says, adding that you should, “Use a higher volume of peroxide for coarse hair and lower volume for finer hair.”
Bright Blonde + Gray Coverage Color Melt—No Bleach Needed!
Unlike a typical color melt where you can overlap formulas, Ashlee prefers a more specific process for melting permanent color. “Because these formulas are cream-based, the two have to be physically melted one into the other,” she explains. Get her formulas and steps below!
Ashlee’s client is a natural Level 3 with 25 to 50 percent white/gray roots. She also has previous base color and highlights.
Photo Credit: Instagram via @ashleenormanhair
Step 1: Apply Formula A (scroll for formulas!) to wet hair, starting at the hairline. Use perm papers to help stick down wiry, gray hairs to get full coverage while processing.
Pro Tip: “I apply at the hairline first because that’s typically where the higher percentages of white hair are and, therefore, needs the longest processing time,” Ashlee says.
Step 2: Using quarter sections, continue to apply Formula A. Feather the product without applying to the exact line of demarcation. “You’re not doing a technical tint retouch. If you apply too technically, you will create lines,” Ashlee warns.
Step 3: Using diagonal forward sections, apply Formula B to the mids and ends. Begin melting the two formulas together with your fingers to create a midtone.
Pro Tip: “I’m creating a midtone by mixing two formulas together, but I don’t want to pull that midtone all the way down through the ends.” To avoid this, she wipes her glove on a towel that’s clipped to her tray to come back to the hair with fresh, clean gloves.
Step 4: Process for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Rinse, cleanse and style as desired. Click the beaker to get the formulas:
Photo Credit: Instagram via @ashleenormanhair
Press play (or click here) to see the bleach-free blonde transformation:
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