Disclaimer: I am not a hair stylist or professional. I am just sharing the process I did to achieve this color and my opinions about the products I used. 

Silver hair. Grey Hair. Granny hair. 

This has been my go-to hair color for when I take a break from dyeing my hair.
It's neutral yet eye-catching, so why not?

I've read so many blogs and watched too much Youtube videos on how to achieve this hair color and now I am sharing the process and the products that worked for me. And I am also including in this post all the dyes, toners, shampoos and conditioners that are available here in the Philippines.

Let it be known that this hair color needs a high upkeep and requires your full commitment. So before you dye your hair, make sure you do your research and you do it well.

Let's begin.

The first step in this process is to set your hair goals.

Do you like it ombre (like mine pictured above), light silver or dark grey?

I began looking for inspiration on Pinterest by pinning them on my board so I can use it as a reference.

Here are some hair inspiration for you.

Images are from Pinterest

Now that you have your hair idea on the shade that you want, the next rational thing to do is to have seconds thoughts. Really. Do you really want to do this? Are you ready to damage your hair? Because I won't sugar coat anymore. It does damage your hair. But of course, you can do something about it. Like I said earlier, you just need to be committed with the upkeep.

BLEACH. BLEACH. BLEACH. 

You can hire a professional stylist or do it DIY. I chose to do it by myself but I would recommend that if you have not done this before, go to a salon and make sure it is a decent one. It costs more than doing it yourself but a professional can save your hair from unnecessary damage from DIY bleaching.

I have been bleaching my hair for years now and yes, I had my share of boo-boos.

I got too eager to lighten my hair because I want to dye it pastel but one thing I learned is that you have to have PATIENCE. Especially if you have thick black Asian hair like mine, you will never achieve that Level 10 or that super pale blonde hair that you need to get to achieve that granny hair. Wait for at least a month before bleaching it again. It's a long waiting game but totally recommended to help your hair bounce back to its healthy state. I can write about my bleaching process in another post, but for now here are my tips before you start bleaching your hair.

At least a month before:

♡ Avoid heat-styling your hair

♡ Try not to dye your hair in any color

♡ Condition your hair every day

♡ Make time for weekly hair treatments

A day before you bleach:

♡ Do not shampoo your hair. You'll need that extra grease to protect your hair!

♡ APPLY VIRGIN COCONUT OIL ON YOUR HAIR

♡ Pray that your hair can tolerate the torture :P

After bleaching:

♡ Continue on your weekly treatments

♡ TONE THAT YELLOW/ORANGE/BRASSY HAIR

♡ Use purple shampoo and conditioner to keep that hair from going brassy

♡ Wait at least a month before bleaching again
♡ Try bleach bathing instead of doing the full bleaching process

Finally, let your hair breathe.

IS YOUR HAIR READY? 

Did you achieve that perfect blonde? 

After 3 months, I think my hair is now ready for it. I kept the roots natural to achieve the black and dark grey ombre I am going for. Here is the blonde I had before I went grey.

Excuse my thirsty, dry hair.

TONE THAT BANANA HAIR! 

It is a must to tone your hair to get rid of those yellow hues to make grey dye work.

You can use a toner like Wella Color Charm - T18 Lightest Ash Blonde.
To apply this product, you need to mix it with 10/20 volume developer. I suggest using 10 instead to keep you from damaging your hair further.
If you want, you can also opt to use semi-permanent dyes like Manic Panic's Virgin Snow or any blue/violet based semi-permanent dye that you will mix with white conditioner. It's not damaging and smells good too.

IT'S TIME TO DYE. 

I have searched high and low for the perfect dye to achieve this beautiful color.

Here are some of the products I tried and a little description on what it did to my hair.

iON COLOR BRILLIANCE
SEMI-PERMANENT HAIR COLOR IN TITANIUM

♡ No need for developers, can be used alone or mixed with conditioner

♡ Last up to 4-6 weeks depending on your shampoo ritual

♡ 2.5 oz a tube (You'll need more if you have long hair)

♡ Bought it at 550php per tube 

I don't fancy the smell of this of product though, it smells a little chemical because it's not a vegan product, unlike other semi-permanent dyes. Take note that it is a blue-based dye. Make sure you have almost white blonde hair unless you want your grey dye to fade into greenish color.

Yellow hair + Blue dye = Green hair. You get it, right?

Wella Color Charm
050 Cooling Violet

♡ Violet-based toner

♡ Lasts for at least a month

♡ Fades into white if your hair is very pale blonde

♡ Not made with natural ingredients

♡ Bought it at 600php with developer included

It's actually a toner! So you can skip the toning part. :)

However, it is made of chemical ingredients and of course, it will damage your hair if you keep on using this product. I also find the smell irritating to my nose because it's too strong.

Lolane Pixxel
very light ash blonde

♡ Permanent hair dye

♡ Easy to apply

♡ Not made with natural ingredients

♡ Smells bad like full of chemicals

♡ You need to buy a pair of gloves, mixing bowl and brush

♡ Around 140php

I like how it's easily available, got mine in Robinson's Department store's beauty section. The shade is an ashy grey with violet undertones. It turned my hair a little violet but after another wash, it left a beautiful slightly dark grey color. What turned me off was the awful smell, it was so strong that I need to open up all the windows to keep my room well ventilated. But overall, I think I will stick to this dye because it's permanent, which means less maintenance!

THE RESULTS

Here are the results of the 3 products I used. Can you notice the difference?

In the first photo, I used the Ion Color Brilliance, if you're trying to achieve the silver hair then this is for you. I used Wella Color Charm for the second photo, I liked the result but it left my hair dry.

The last one, I used the Lolane Pixxel dye. I think it's the most neutral shade among all of them.

I think it looks a bit on the brown side in this picture because of the lighting, but in person, it's a true grey shade. 

THE UPKEEP

You did it. Now, what?
You cannot just let all the hard work go to waste! Maintain that beautiful grey hair.
Keep it from turning to ugly yellow or green. Uggh. 

MY RECOMMENDATIONS

♡ Purple Shampoo. Try Bleach London's Silver Shampoo!

♡ ROUX FANCI-FULL TEMPORARY HAIR COLOR RINSE - TRUE STEEL

♡ Dove Dry Shampoo. Avoid Shampooing your hair everyday, instead use dry shampoo to freshen up your locks! And it smells nice too.

Whew!!! What a long post. What do you think about my silver grey hair process?

I really hope I gave you an idea of how I achieved it at home. Just remember, what you need most is a good canvas. So, take good care of your hair after bleaching. The dyeing process is easy, there's so many ways and products to achieve this color, the biggest challenge is to get a pale blonde hair.

If you want a more detailed review of the products I use for my upkeep, just drop a comment below and I will write about it.

xx