TAJ Hair Studio

I love my grey ✨

It’s probably one of the best things you can say during your first grey-blending session. The rest can follow.
Accepting your grey is often the hardest part of this transformation.
You won’t really know how you’ll look with your natural hair colour until you give it a chance to grow ideally at least until it reaches your eyebrows.
Most people struggle with the regrowth at this stage because the crown is the highest point of the head and the first area to interact with light. This can make the regrowth look much more obvious than you expect.
But once you get past this stage, you can start to get a much better idea of what you actually look like with your natural roots.

So, what happened in this case?

We weren’t able to bleach the hair to the level we originally wanted. However, we were able to create something that blends with her natural roots as much as possible.
Her hair had been heavily coloured, including previous bleach. This type of colour history can make a grey-blending transformation extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to achieve in one session.

Important tips
If you’re thinking about embracing your grey now, or you might want to start the transformation within the next 5 years, start preparing your hair from today:
1. Stop using permanent hair dye.
2. Never use box dye.
Not on your roots, not just once, and not even on those tiny hairs around the front.
3. Be careful with random highlights.
Don’t let your local salon add highlights underneath or around your hairline simply because they tell you it will “blend your grey.” This can actually make your future transformation more difficult and may even be a reason for your colourist to decline the service.
4. Avoid chemical smoothing and anti-frizz treatments.
Especially treatments done abroad. It doesn’t matter what you’re told about the treatment
5. Start looking after your hair now.
Your daily hair-care routine can make a huge difference. Healthy, strong hair gives you a much better starting point when you’re ready for your transformation.
Give your natural grey a chance. Be patient with the process, look after your hair, and most importantly…

Le

Grey Blending vs Grey Softening 🤍

Grey blending means blending with what’s naturally coming through from the roots.

It’s for those who are ready to embrace their grey but don’t want to go through the process of simply growing their colour out.

Grey softening is for those who still prefer some colour, but don’t mind not having full coverage.

The aim is to blend with the natural root and soften the grey in between, creating a hint of depth.

Whatever method we use, maintenance is still important:
✨ Follow-up appointments
✨ Correct home care & treatments
✨ Regular trims
✨ Reducing heat

Even with a semi-permanent colour, the colour will eventually wash and fade and your grey will show again.

Applying colour every 3 weeks isn’t always the answer. You need to allow the colour to fade to avoid colour build-up and a harsh line.

And most importantly, the condition of the hair comes first.

Healthy, strong hair gives us the best chance of achieving the result we want.

Grey blending = embracing the grey without the grow-out.

Grey softening = keeping some colour while allowing the grey to show through.

All the way from Tanzania 😌🇹🇿

It’s always extra pressure and a big responsibility when someone travels such a long way to have their hair done. It makes you feel like whatever you do for them will never be enough to show how much you appreciate their trust and support.

When it comes to blending with your grey, you don’t have to go fully grey or blonde from the very first appointment. I always recommend doing it gradually, so you have time to get used to seeing yourself with a different colour.

So, how do you start the transition?

• Grow your roots. Ideally, you’ll need at least 2 months of regrowth before starting the transition.
• Stop colouring the roots, or switch to a softer option such as a semi-permanent or demi-permanent colour.
• Target unwanted warm tones—orange, yellow, gold, copper, and other warm tones. These can stand out against your natural grey and make the regrowth look more noticeable.
• Start adding babylights, especially around the areas where you have the most grey. Placement is extremely important when creating a natural-looking blend.
• You don’t have to tone your hair grey or silver if you don’t want to look too grey. Cooler shades such as ash, mushroom or smoky brown can look beautiful alongside natural grey.

A true fact about grey blending…

Many think grey blending is a one-time fix, but it still needs maintenance to keep hair healthy, shiny and vibrant. Darker hair hides imperfections; lighter hair makes dryness, damage and unwanted tones more visible.

A common question: “Will my hair become warm over time?”
The answer is yes. All hair colour can warm over time. Developer can expose underlying red, orange and yellow pigments, which may gradually show through.

To embrace natural grey and reduce warmth, avoid repeatedly applying permanent colour especially where you’re growing out grey. Permanent colour penetrates the hair and can make the transition harder.

Grey blending is a journey, not a one-time service. Questions about blending or your transition? Leave them below, and we’ll answer as many as we can! ✨

You can’t fully cover your grey hairs and keep low-maintenance hair.

Many people are unsure of what they should have or what to ask for. Answers to some questions can guide you and help plan your next steps. Whatever you decide, you should be completely happy and confident about it. Your self-image is the most important, not how others see you. If you want to change your reflection, you need to change how you see yourself. You don’t have to accept what you have until you’re ready. Take your time; there’s no need to rush. Still, some hair maintenance is necessary. The main goal is to help people work with what they have instead of fighting it.

What did we do here?

It’s Tarik’s signature package: a blend of baby foils to add brightness, helping to blend with the roots and reverse her natural brown to remove the orange tint from the old colour’s regrowth. Finished with a semi-permanent gloss to add depth to the roots. This will provide soft coverage and fade gradually, leaving no marks or lines. hair was treated multiple times, ending with a haircut and styling.

If your roots are completely white, this is for you.

The whiter the hair, the more complicated it will be to make the blend. When there’s no more pigment coming through the hair, the best decision you can take is to go completely white with some fine darker pieces to avoid a flat look and bring some depth to the hair.

I know this might sound a bit hard for those who are not ready yet to lose colour, but think about it: if your new hair that is coming out has about 90% grey or white, there’s no other options unless you are still willing to continue with the colouring cycle.

How did we achieve this?

In the first part, we had to bleach all of the hair using fine sections to lift the hair as much as possible. 20vol was used throughout the entire process, which means it can take many hours of gentle lifting—like cooking on slow heat—to ensure the hair remains intact and lifts cleanly. There were plenty of patches due to the years of colouring. After reaching the desired lift, we washed, treated, and toned the hair.

To add something more interesting that gives us depth and contrast, we added some of her natural brown to blend with her eyebrows.

We then finished with a second toner and clear gloss for 20 minutes. The entire process took 8 hours.

Do you feel old when you look at your grey?

Probably, this is the first question to ask when trying to blend with grey. It's very important how you feel about your grey because your feelings will determine how you look.

The hardest part of growing out grey is when your regrowth reaches your chin. If you cross this 6-8 months period, it will make things a lot easier because by then, we will have a better idea of how you look with your natural grey. We will be able to analyse the natural growth percentage, the placement of grey, and the type of grey.

Many people can’t reach this point because, as soon as the line reaches their eyebrows, they colour their grey. My advice is always to allow the grey to grow for at least 3 months before considering this transformation.

In this case, there’s been a buildup of box dye for many years, especially from the bottom of the hair. We managed to strip all the colour out yet keep the hair protected.
The most important part of this work is keeping the hair healthy and shiny. Pushing too much with bleach can cause a lot of breakage and damage the integrity of the hair.

For the first attempt, we bleached all of the hair using fine slicing to ensure a clean lift, then a second round of bleach focused on the areas where there was colour buildup. I used k18 throughout the process to protect the hair and allow me to go further. After reaching the desired lift, we did our first toner and applied a low-light to create some depth, as she still has some of her dark hair showing through in some places. We finished with toner, clear gloss, and treatment.
She was recommended the right products to use at home, including toner, to keep the colour looking fresh. The entire treatment took about 8 hours.

I love my dark hair, but nature has other plans.

The most important question to ask is: what is your reason for choosing to color your hair? Many people are happy with their natural hair color and do not wish to change it. However, once they start noticing grey hairs, they often feel they have no choice but to seek coloring options.

You only notice grey hairs more prominently because of the contrast between white and dark hair. The darker your natural color, the more visible the grey hairs will be. So, before deciding to dye your entire head with a solid dark color, consider that grey roots will become visible after about a month if you use semi-permanent dye. With permanent dye, you’ll face harsh regrowth lines.

What’s the solution?

If you have up to 30% grey hair that grows from the roots down, the best approach is to add subtle highlights. In this case, we used a high lift tint because her hair was virgin, ensuring even coverage and a natural-looking lift.

For curly and frizzy hair:

Do not use bleach, as it can leave your hair feeling dry, brittle, and damaged within a few months. If your hair is virgin, consider alternative methods that don’t involve bleach. They can provide a beautiful lift, protect your hair health, and require less maintenance.

When introducing a third color, it’s not about covering grey but about blending it into your style. This technique balances between dark and white hair, making the grey appear as intentional highlights rather than unwanted regrowth.

If you’re interested in this approach and want to learn more about blending with your grey hair while protecting your hair and maintaining a low maintenance routine, this may be suitable for you.

Please note, this treatment is only suitable for those with virgin hair who haven’t colored their hair in the past 3 to 5 years. If you need to touch up your roots or have previously dyed your hair, bleaching is the only effective method to lighten your hair.

Overseas clients can have a video call consultation
Send your request at least 3 months before your visit 00447944662264




colour used

We don’t always get perfect results!

This was a risky transformation due to the hair history, type, and condition. I wasn’t very happy with the outcome, but at least we take the first step towards a soft transition.
Please read this before jumping to comments about something you are not aware of and do not understand what it takes to remove many years of box dye from dry, rough hair without damaging the core of the hair.
The hair condition was my biggest concern, so I tried to lift it gently, allowing the hair to do what it is able to do.
A grey transformation isn’t something we choose to do; it’s a process that requires patience, someone who listens, and following instructions.