Grey hair is very fashionable right now and, when done well, it’s undeniably flattering. Social media abounds with aspirational ‘grey blending’ makeover videos, showing women swapping harsh strips of root regrowth for a full head of shimmering, elegant pewter tones. A few hours in the salon and voilà – years off your hair, and an escape from the monthly drudgery of dyeing.
Except, it’s not quite that easy. Elite hairdresser Gustav Fouche, who discreetly tends to the A-list in his exclusive London salon, is lifting the lid on the grey journey, and the truths he thinks all women need to hear before making the switch.
‘Social media has made it appear that going grey is something that’s done very easily,’ he tells GH. ‘It’s something you do once, you never do it again. Then you live your whole life happily ever after. But basically that’s a fairy tale.’
His job is to give women the full story, and ensure they understand what’s really involved. ‘When clients come in, my first mission is education,’ Gustav says. ‘Working with grey hair is one of the most complicated things you can do – you need to understand the tone, understand how grey hair changes scientifically, and how that grey journey will develop over a long period of time.’
Being honest is Gustav’s number one rule. ‘Sometimes you need to give clients the hard truth. Some things are achievable, some aren’t, and it’s very important to be realistic with people.’
Here are the five things he tells everyone who’s thinking about making the leap to grey.
Your natural greys may not suit you
Gustav often hears clients express a wish to ‘just let the greys come through naturally’. In reality, that’s unlikely to look good on its own. ‘I do believe that there are some people that do look good with just their natural grey hair but they are the exception, not the rule,’ he says.
‘The first thing that we need to understand is that we have different skin tones, and not all skin tones are suited for natural greys. Some people are lucky enough to be ‘high contrast’ – silver-grey hair, warm-toned skin, blue eyes – which looks really striking,’ he explains. ‘But if you don’t have that contrast between your hair and skin tone, you’re at risk of looking washed-out.’
The most flattering grey involves work
Forget breaking up with your colourist; this is simply about entering a new era. The sort of greys that women aspire to right now are usually enhanced by a professional hand, in Gustav’s opinion. ‘Someone like Andie MacDowell is a great advocate for grey hair, but she has colour put in her hair to get it to look like that,’ he explains. ‘There’s nothing wrong with that. But people just need to understand that this sort of look is what we call ‘grey blending’, where we add tones and colours to help grey suit our skin tone.’
And yes, that involves upkeep. Having a grey blending transition doesn’t mean that we’re never going to see our colourist again, Gustav emphasises. ‘It blows my mind that people think grey hair shouldn’t require maintenance. Everything in life needs maintenance; our homes, our gardens, our car. And hair is one of the most fragile things we have, but also one of the most important, because it’s the crown we never take off. The truth of the matter is that when you go grey, you still need to see a hairdresser four times of the year as a minimum.’
If you secretly think you can get away with less for greys, you’ll quickly discover the truth. ‘People don’t need a root touch-up every few weeks, so it will cut down the amount of time you spend in the salon, but you still need to maintain your greys with a toner or a gloss to make sure that the hair doesn’t take on unwanted tobacco tones,’ he says. ‘Oxygen changes the colour of hair, as does anything from hard water to UV light – so even if your grey hair is totally natural, it can still go yellow.’
You may need to change your clothes and makeup
If you’re somebody who becomes ‘low contrast’ by going grey, that’s totally okay – but you’ll benefit from a little adjustment, says Gustav. Because you’ll have less distinction between your skin and hair shade, ‘you need to add colour through your wardrobe or your makeup to help compensate,’ he advises.
‘Wearing beige tones can really wash you out if you’re a ‘low contrast’ grey,’ he says. ‘But wearing brighter clothes will lift you. When clients go silver, I will recommend they wear a bit of lipstick or blusher to bring a little bit of colour, or have a beautiful scarf popping against their skin. Having something like that to elevate your complexion is super-important.’
Not all hairdressers do grey blending the same way
'Grey blending' is a trendy term but it’s something that’s interpreted very differently by different hairdressers. ‘I look at a lot of social media and I don’t always see people doing what I consider to be grey blending, which is enhancing your greys with tones to suit their skin tone,’ says Gustav. ‘A lot of people will just add lots of darker tones to grey hair so people look very different to what they came in with.’
In Gustav’s view, grey blending needs to be more nuanced; ‘it’s not just slapping a full head of foils on somebody’s head. It’s understanding that client. What needs to be lightened? Where do they need a little bit more depth? It is a very subtle art that’s a bit like sculpture, putting a bit here, a bit there, and voilà.’
For this reason, it’s crucial to have a thorough consultation with reference pictures so you know exactly what to expect. Look at their real-life before and afters, too, and be on your guard for AI-generated hair makeovers.
You need to work out why you want to go grey
You might have seen some great inspiration on social media or the red carpet, but the secret is figuring out why grey is relevant to YOU. ‘I believe that if your heart is set on going grey, you need to understand your reasoning behind it, and communicate that to your stylist,’ says Gustav.
‘Is it because you’re tired of being in the salon every three weeks? Do you not like the dyed colour you have anymore? Is it a health reason? Once I understand the reason, I can then build something to really work with you and your lifestyle. And that’s the key to making the best transition to grey hair.’
