How to Dye Stubborn Gray Hair

Gray hair is not like other hair. It is more stubborn in that it tends to resist dyes and/or reject coloring faster than normal hair. Depending on the coverage or presence of the gray, there are two effective ways to ensure that the dye more thoroughly penetrates the hair, thereby guaranteeing a more even coloring as well as a longer lasting one.

Things You'll Need

• Semi-permanent hair dye
• Permanent hair dye
• Peroxide
• Old towel or t-shirt
• Latex gloves

Instructions

For Hair that is Approximately 20 Percent Gray

1. Put on the old t-shirt or wrap the towel around your neck, put on the gloves, and apply the semi-permanent hair dye to the gray areas 10 to 20 minutes before applying dye to the rest of your hair. Since gray hair is more resistant to color, it can take up to 45 minutes for the dye to fully penetrate the hair.

2. Apply semi-permanent dye to the rest of your hair and leave in for about 25 minutes. Always reference the manufacturer's instructions for use on normal hair. Most coloring products develop in approximately 25 minutes.

3. Rinse the dye out of all of the hair. The color should be uniform. If not, adjust the initial timing when trying again, giving the dye either more or less time to penetrate the gray hair at the start. Semi-permanent hair dyes should last from between 24 to 30 shampoos.

For Hair That is 50 Percent or More Gray

1. Test the dye on your hair by snipping off an approximately 1/4-inch wide and 1-inch long section of your hair from the back of the neck. Wrap tape around one end of this sample lock, binding it together. Mix a small quantity of your permanent hair dye (following the manufacturer's instructions) and apply to the lock of hair. Check the hair after the minimum time specified by the manufacturer and note the color. Continue checking and taking note (photos could help) of the time it took to achieve each level of color penetration.

2. Combine the two ingredients included in your permanent hair dye as explained in the manufacturer's instructions, just as you did for the test above, mixing them thoroughly. Permanent dyes generally include the powder or liquid color itself and a developer or peroxide, often in cream or lotion form.

3. Put on your old t-shirt or wrap the towel around your neck and put on the latex gloves. Lighten all of your hair with the peroxide, applying it according the manufacturer's instructions. Lightening your hair will result in less contrast when the gray eventually begins to reappear. Also, lightened hair means that when roots come in, they will be darker than the surrounding hair, a look that is generally "younger" than the other option, lighter roots and darker hair.

4. Apply the permanent dye mixture to all of your hair, leaving it in as long as you saw most fit during the test at the beginning of the process.

5. Rinse. Repeat after approximately three months.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose a shade of hair dye that is a bit darker than your natural color. Since gray hair rejects color more than other hair, going with a slightly darker color is likely to get you as close to your natural color as possible.

• Extended exposure to sunlight can fade hair color.

References

• Essortment: How to Color Resistant Gray Hair Effectively
• Hair Finder: Color Resistant Gray Hair