Grey balayage is a popular hair trend that can beautifully complement various skin tones. To shed light on this stylish look, we interviewed Elaine Cavada, an expert colorist with extensive experience in creating and maintaining a balayage. In this interview, Elaine shares her expertise and offers valuable advice for those considering this trendy hair color.
Meet The Expert
Elaine Cavada
Elaine is a salon owner & hairstylist with over 17 years of experience
You can find her at Blush + Ivy Salon in Wheaton, IL
Ideal Skin Tones for Grey
Elaine suggests that certain skin tones are particularly well-suited for this look. Olive skin tones are highly versatile and can effortlessly rock different shades of grey. Elaine explains, “Olive skin has tones that reflect beige, yellow, green, and grey, making it easy to sport any shade of grey.”
On the other hand, lighter greys work well with most dark skin tones. Therefore, individuals with deep brown or tan skin should opt for lighter ash-grey tones. Deeper greys are recommended for light skin as they reflect best on this skin tone. It’s important to note that lighter shades may wash out lighter skin tones or make the skin appear paler.
Maintaining Your Balayage
Elaine emphasizes the significance of proper aftercare and maintenance to keep your balayage looking its best. During consultations, Elaine takes the time to understand her clients’ hair stories and asks for inspirational pictures to ensure they share the same vision for the end result. She highlights the importance of managing expectations and sometimes exceeding them, saying, “I underpromise and over-deliver.
There is never a promise of getting the client to their goal on the first sitting.” Preserving the integrity of the hair is paramount to Elaine. She states, “No one wants pretty color with damaged hair.” To maintain the grey tone, Elaine recommends getting a glaze or toner refreshed every 4-6 weeks. This quick appointment is crucial for preserving the vibrancy and richness of your balayage.
Key Considerations and Communication with Your Colorist
When consulting with your colorist, there are several essential aspects to discuss. Elaine emphasizes the need for clear communication and alignment regarding inspiration and the number of sessions required to achieve the desired hair goal. The chosen tone should flatter your skin, so it’s important to discuss this aspect with your colorist. Additionally, if you prefer a low-maintenance routine and don’t plan to refresh your toner regularly, a grey color might not be the best option.
Elaine also encourages clients to be mindful of the budget since balayage tends to fall into a higher cost bracket. Despite the investment, the benefits of balayage include a natural, sun-kissed look with a forgiving outgrowth that eliminates harsh lines. Elaine advises, “Keep in mind all toners fade warm, and in order to keep up your look, you need to commit to maintenance appointments.”
Elaine also explains that achieving the desired grey may require multiple sessions depending on the darkness and condition of your hair. It’s essential to manage expectations and understand that the desired level of lightness may not be fully achieved in the first session. However, even if it’s not as light as initially envisioned, the result will still be beautiful and seamless.
Pictures of Most Gorgeous Grey Balayage Ideas
#1: Metallic Grey Hair with Lighter Ends
Metallic grey hair with lighter ends creates a captivating and futuristic hairstyle. It will accentuate your unique style and personality. This edgy look combines the coolness of metallic grey tones with the contrast of lighter ends. And this results in a stunning and eye-catching appearance. The metallic grey color adds a sense of intrigue and sophistication to your hair. The metallic finish creates a reflective quality that adds dimension to the look. This will make your hair shine and stand out.
#2: Gray Foilayage
When it comes to blending greys, a grey foilayage is your best option. This style allows your natural color to grow without showing any line or hint of demarcation. However, the maintenance will be higher unless you use blue shampoo at home to keep your hue really icy.
#3: Gray Balayage for Long Hair
Long hair with a gray balayage is a popular hairstyle among young women. Purple shampoo is the best product to maintain your gray-haired look. I suggest using purple shampoo every third wash to preserve the gray color.
#4: Gorgeous Grey on Short Straight Hair
If you love the grey hair trend, consider a grey balayage for short, straight hair. This color is great for a bob cut, and it’s also more visible on straight hair. It adds depth and catches light well.
#5: Smokey Gray Balayage
A smokey gray balayage is a chic and modern hair trend. It involves toning a blonde balayage to gray hues with a seamless technique. This technique creates a smoky, cool-toned effect throughout the hair. This style can be a bit difficult to achieve. So it’s best to seek out a colorist who is able to lighten you to the desired level of lightness to tone grey. One of the best things you can do is ask your stylist about a test strand. This will give you and your stylist realistic expectations going into the process.
#6: All Natural Gray Balayage
A balayage may be perfect if you’re a mature woman with gray hair looking for a subtle update. This elegant look involves a hand-painted gray balayage onto your existing hair color. This is a low-maintenance color. It’s perfect for those seeking a change without the harshness of an all-over dye. Ensure that your colorist uses quality products to prevent damage to your strands. Trust us you’ll feel effortlessly chic with this gorgeous hair color.
#7: Grey Slob with Balayage
For a sleek bob, ask your stylist for a slob haircut. You can also request an under-bevel with this style of cut. This helps to ensure the hair’s nape is slightly undercut to help tuck it under. Ask about adding darker grey balayage pieces over light grey for a dimensional edgy color.
#8: Soft Grey with Dark Roots
This modern hair color blends the softness of grey tones with the boldness of dark roots. This look creates a seamless and stylish transition from the roots to the ends. This results in a dynamic and eye-catching hairstyle. The soft grey balayage adds a touch of elegance and uniqueness to your hair. The softness of the grey tones brings a modern twist to the overall look, creating a cool and edgy vibe.
#9: Silver Balayage Hair with Choppy Ends
Silver balayage hair with choppy ends is a fashionable and daring hairstyle. It combines the elegance of silver tones with the edginess of choppy layers. This hair color and texture combo create a bold, modern, eye-catching, and on-trend look. The silver balayage adds a cool and futuristic element to your hair. The hand-painted balayage technique ensures a natural blend of silver tones to your locks. This creates a multidimensional effect. The silver hues can range from shimmering platinum to a smoky gray. Both allow you to personalize the shade to suit your style and complexion.
#10: Brownish Grey with Soft Waves
Go for a brownish-grey balayage with soft waves. It’s a stunning hairstyle that combines the richness of brown with the cool tones of grey. This mix creates a harmonious and modern look that is elegant and eye-catching. The highlights are placed to create a natural and blended effect. They allow the brown and grey tones to transition and melt into each other.
#11: Ash Grey Babylights with Big Waves
Ash grey babylights with big waves create a chic hairstyle. It combines the coolness of ash-grey tones with the glamour of voluminous waves. This hair color and texture mix adds depth, dimension, and a touch of elegance to your overall look. These cool-toned highlights add a modern and edgy vibe to your hair. They create a chic contrast against your base color. Be sure to ask your stylist for recommendations on professional products to keep your color from fading.
#12: Soft Silver-Grey Color Melt
A soft color melt is a hair color technique that creates a seamless blend of soft silver and grey tones. This combination of colors produces a mesmerizing and ethereal effect. It adds a touch of elegance and sophistication to your overall look. The soft silver-grey color melt involves the gradual transition from silver to grey shades. This creates a melt of colors that seamlessly flow into one another. The silver tones bring a reflective quality to your locks, while the grey hues add depth and a sense of coolness.
#13: Dark Brown Hair with Subtle Ash Tone
Dark brown hair with ash tones is a versatile color choice that complements a wide range of skin tones. It also adds a touch of modernity to your look. Adding subtle ash tones to dark brown hair creates a beautiful contrast. And it enhances the overall richness and depth of the color. The subtle ash tones in dark brown hair create a cool and muted effect. They soften the warmth of the brown and add a hint of smokiness.
#14: Grey Blonde Balayage Highlights
Grey-blonde balayage highlights are a chic and sophisticated hair color choice. It combines the cool tones of grey with the softness and brightness of blonde. This stunning hairstyle adds depth, dimension, and a touch of modernity to your look. The grey-blonde balayage highlights technique involves hand-painting or sweeping the hair. Carefully placed highlights in shades of grey and blonde are used. The highlights are placed to create a natural and blended effect. They mimic the way the sun lightens the hair.
#15: Charcoal Ash Balayage
Charcoal ash balayage is a modern hair color technique. It blends the richness of charcoal tones with the coolness of ash undertones. This unique combination creates a multi-dimensional look that is both striking and stylish. The charcoal ash balayage seamlessly blends dark charcoal shades with subtle ash highlights. The charcoal tones provide depth and intensity to the overall color, adding a touch of drama. The ash undertones bring coolness to the mix, creating a visually captivating contrast.
#16: Straight Grey Lob
This hairstyle combines the timeless appeal of a lob (long bob) with the allure of straight grey hair. It’s a chic and versatile look that exudes confidence. It also adds a touch of intrigue to your overall appearance. The straight grey lob is characterized by its sleek and smooth texture. It enhances the elegant and sultry vibe of the hairstyle. The grey color adds a sense of maturity and sophistication. It allows you to embrace your natural greying hair or opt for a fashionable grey hue. This trendy color choice adds a modern and edgy element to your look, making a bold statement.
#17: Silver Blonde Tips on Dark Wavy Hair
Silver blonde tips on dark wavy hair create a contrast that adds a touch of boldness and modernity to your look. This hairstyle combines dark hair’s richness with silver blonde’s beauty. This results in a visually stunning and eye-catching effect. The silver blonde tips are strategically placed at the ends of the dark wavy hair. This effect gradually transitions from the dark base color to the silver-blonde hue.
#18: Ash Grey with Hints of Metallic Brown
Ash grey with hints of metallic brown is a unique blend of cool and warm tones. It creates a modern and stylish appearance that is both eye-catching and versatile. The hints of metallic brown are strategically added to the hair. They create subtle accents of warmth and richness. These metallic brown tones can range from a soft, coppery brown to a deeper, bronze-like shade. They add depth and create a multi-dimensional effect. The ash grey and metallic brown mix creates a harmonious and balanced look.
#19: Deep Ashy Grey with Root Melt
Deep ashy grey with root melt is a modern hair color that combines depth and dimension with a touch of edginess. This captivating hairstyle features a deep ashy grey color with a blended root melt. This creates a stunning gradient effect and an eye-catching look. The deep ashy grey shade is a cool-toned color with undertones of grey, silver, and hints of blue or purple.
#20: Platinum Grey for Short Bob
Try this platinum grey if you have a short bob. This color is so edgy and trendy. You will want to schedule regular in-salon toner appointment’s to keep your color refreshed.
#21: Straight Black Hair with Grey Strands
Try adding grey strands if you have straight black hair. You may also want to try and do a Keratin treatment for extra smoothness and shine.
#22: Cool-Toned Silky Grey Highlights
Try these cool-toned silky grey highlights if you want to try something edgy! This look will require you to use a purple shampoo at home. And you’ll need more regular salon visits for color refreshers, but it will be worth it.
#23: Silver-White Balayage Waves
Give this silver-white balayage with waves a try. This color is a great option for fall or winter. Be sure to use a shine-enhancing serum at home to keep your locks glowing.
#24: Grey and Brown Streaks on Layered Short Hair
Try these grey and brown streaks on layered short hair. The cool and warm dimensions give the ultimate depth.
#25: Dark-Rooted Smokey Grey Hair
Dark-rooted smokey grey hair is a stunning hair color choice that exudes an air of mystery and allure. This hairstyle combines the richness of dark roots with a beautiful smokey grey hue. It creates a striking contrast and a unique visual impact. The smokey grey color itself is cool-toned. It has undertones of grey, silver, and hints of blue or purple, adding an ethereal and modern touch to your hair. This color choice is perfect for those who want to embrace a unique look while maintaining an elegant vibe.
#26: Soft Grey Foilayage for Dark Hair
Try this soft grey foilayage if you have naturally dark hair. This is great if you love ashy colors or trendy mushroom browns.
#27: Chocolate Brown Bob with Soft Silver Tones
This look embraces warm and cool colors with chocolate brown and soft silver tones. This color looks great on a classic bob but can also be worn with medium or long hair.
#28: Dark Muted Grey Highlights
Try this ashy, dark, muted grey color with highlights. This balayage look is best in dark base colors. You should also try to use a blue or purple shampoo at home to keep this color as cool as possible.
#29: Grey Ombre Balayage with White Ends
This grey ombré balayage with white ends is stunning! This look is best if you have long hair and love ashy tones.
#30: Ash Blonde Ombre Balayage
Ash-blonde ombre balayage is a classy and timeless hair color technique. It seamlessly blends the coolness of ash tones with the elegance of a gradient effect. This style creates a stunning and dynamic, chic, and fashion-forward look.
#31: Natural Grey on Wavy Hair with Bangs
Natural grey on wavy hair with bangs creates a stunning dimension. It embraces the beauty of natural greying hair while adding depth and texture through balayage highlights. This hair color and texture exude elegance and a sense of effortless style. The natural grey adds a touch of sophistication and uniqueness to your hair. The balayage technique ensures a seamless blend of grey tones throughout your locks. It mimics the natural progression of greying hair. This creates a beautiful transition from natural color to grey tones, providing depth and dimension.
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