I have coloured my once warm dark hair for 30+ years now I am having to retouch grey/white roots almost every 2 weeks. I have asked the hairdresser about and had full head blond highlights as I would like to eventually stop colouring and let the grey shine through but can’t bear the idea of 2" grey/white roots and don’t want to cut very thick course mid length hair short. Trouble is the highlights are brassy and unnatural looking. I know it can be done as I have seen a similar head of hair coloured by Nicky Clarke to perfection, I just can’t afford his prices, why can’t your average hairdresser do this. Is their a special trick or what should I ask them for to get it right? Should I have the colour stripped first? Currently 90% grey coloured light red brown

My advice would be to book a free consultation with a Wella Master Colour Expert. These colour specialists are highly advanced in all colour techniques and should be able to create the colour you are after.

I have used permanent colour for years - light ash brown - and have had occasional salon highlights. I have started to grow my hair out now; it’s a dark blonde with some grey. The previously coloured hair looks a bit brassy now as the colour fades. Could I use a home semi- permanent colour to tone and even it out as it grows? I have a lightly layered shoulder length bob. I try to take good care of my hair, but at 60 it has been through the mill! I chose you as my ’expert’ because I always wanted to tell you how good and reasonably priced your products are. They do what they say on the bottle and smell divine! Thank you for making such luxury affordable.

Thanks Chris, I really enjoyed your email - I love getting feedback about my hair care range, really pleased to hear you like it! It sounds to me like you want to go back to your natural colour, which is why I would try and stay away from even adding a semi-permanent colour to your roots. As you have high lights and quite ashy blonde hair I would recommend using my Poker Straight Dry Shampoo. This product is a light-coloured powder spray that can help to knock out the appearance of re-growth temporarily. This season’s trend of head/alice bands are another great way of covering the dreaded root area. Head bands are a fantastic way to get full on sophistication and glamour with very little effort. It’s a super feminine look that requires full locks and a lot of lift at the root. A variation of the 1860’s Bardot look, head bands can be used to create big hair and big sex appeal! The band acts to create the illusion of fullness at the roots pushing hair back away from the face, making the hair kick out from underneath. Headbands will automatically transform your look from plain Jane to va va voom volume!

Chris, I’ve come up with a great tip for creating a frizz free voluminous, high glamour look, which will draw attention away from any root regrowth. First off, put your locks in big velcro rollers when it is dry. Blast your hair all over with a hot hair dryer and leave in for twenty mins. Give your hair a fine mist of hairspray all over; try Hold Tight. When that has dried remove the curlers and brush it out using a product like Messed Up Spray Wax which stops your hair from frizzing and gives it a slightly messy look. You can also use Poker Straight Dehumidifier to stop fuzzy waves. To control flyaway hair, spray a comb with hairspray and run it through your hair or simply spray some Shine Head Shine Spray over your hair for the ultimate glass like effect. Then simply push the headband from the front of your hair to the back ensuring that it is set quite far back to open up your face and so it is less severe. Pull some strands out at the front to soften the look and to get that sex kitten flirtatious feel.

My hair is salt and pepper now, not a nice colour at all. I went blonde for a while but my hair went very dry and brittle. I therefore went back to reddish brown, however my grey shows through within a week and looks awful should I go back blonde so the roots don’t look so noticeable.

Going lighter or blonder will disguise the grey however look at other colours also that can create a contrast with blonde like honeys or caramels, these will add depth and interest. Creamier blondes will look most attractive to the eye and are much softer than a yellow tone or harsh blonde.

I am 15 and I have started to get a some grey hairs, as I’m a teen and young I’m worried if people see them and I was wondering what you would think the best thing for me to do is.

My answer is simple. Just pull them out.

I’m a natural brunette but I have been dying my hair red for quite a few years now. But each time I get my regrowth, I seem to get grey hairs at the roots. Could this be due to dying my hair too much?

This is not down to colouring your hair however it could be that you are naturally going grey but you have not seen your natural colour for a few years this is why we colour our hair.

I am grey and happy to be so occasionally I have a blondish tinge and I would like something to put on my hair to take it out and to look more silver grey

My best advice is to have a silver coloured toner applied to your hair where the blonde is to start to change the colour for you. You can also buy silver shampoos that work quite well.

I am 39yrs old with dark brown hair which is going grey at the front mainly with the odd grey hair all over at the moment I colour my hair a dark reddish brown so the roots don’t show too much but the grey at the front is getting worse. I’m thinking of having highlights to help hide the grey is this a good idea? Or do you have any other ideas please.

Covering grey with high/low lights is a great way of reducing the grey in your hair and also the re growth will not be as obvious when growing out.

Having said this it will only cover up to about 50% grey hair after this point you will need to consider a full head colour.

I’ve had blonde hi lites in my hair for a year full head tint 2 years previous to that. My problem is, after returning from Cancun in September my hair was completely white, which was fine except that my roots looked terrible, like black and white hair and because it had been hi lites was really dark underneath at the back as well. I asked my stylist if tint would be a better option and less damage and maintenance than constantly having to cover up what looked like black roots (I was a natural blonde but have got a lot darker over the years and probably very dark blonde or light brown now). The procedure was a disaster, the tint went orange and she put a toner on it but then this made the hi lites ash/grey. After 3 hours I had to leave as it was 8pm at night. Came home and my hair was yellow/orange on top and silvery/grey the rest. Went back to see her after the weekend and she said she would put a toner on the hi lites which should take the ash tone away and all she could do was put a brown tint on the top to mask the yellow/orange. I am totally distraught, look like an old woman and only 30. My hair has gone mousey brown but the hi lites still look grey. It has been 3 weeks and has faded a lot,(been shampooing with a tone correct and reconstructor conditioner. The hi lites look caramel at the top which is ok but the rest is this horrible brown/grey shade and breaking when I dry it. I will go to a professional salon but worried about anyone touching it but cannot bear to look like this anymore. In your professional opinion, can I go blonde at this stage without anymore bleach in my hair. My boyfriend is ready for dumping me as he says I look like my mother! Help!

OMG!!! you have been put through the ringer girl!!!

First things first, THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED if you went to a professional but we are where we are. Or should I say you are.

Without actually seeing your hair first hand I cannot say with any clarity, yet what I can state is that you should have a strand test taken. This way a sample of your hair is taken and coloured from roots to end. When developed you see the result that you would be paying for.

To stop your boyfriend dumping you and running off with your mum, only kidding, visit a good experienced salon and have a consultation, get good advice, ask about a strand test so you could see the colour result prior to going ahead. This way you will keep in on your head and not on the floor as it beaks off from over processing.

My Mum has always been blonde, I use a base 10 on her hair with a few highlights through the top. Recently it’s starting to look really yellow, she’s a bit grey at the sides but dark at the back, can you suggest any other colours I could use?

Try searching for a shampoo called shimmer Lites it’s great for taking out yellow tinges.

I hope this is not taken the wrong way but .. you always advise to visit a professional hair salon. I may just be the unluckiest person on earth but I never got good advice from salons visited. I paid full fee every-time and we are talking 7 - 8 different salons.. None have covered grey fully, they apologise and I needed to go back for second application.

My hair is curly and frizz prone. When I asked what I can do for a softer look I was told there was nothing.. I went into a salon on holiday and they relaxed it for me. Magic! Please do consider this as visiting salon is not cheap and I am sorry to say I found incompetence throughout. I am still compromising and not happy but gave up and learnt to live with it. As lighter shades never covered my resistant grey, I end up (at salon!) using close to black colour. As I had highlights at some point, there is a difference between the dark roots area and lighter rest of long curly hair. Quite unsightly. As for keeping hair in good shape, its sites like yours where I found the best advice.

Hope this is cool and that you can help. All I want is my natural warm, golden brown hair throughout with greys covered. I would also like to reduce volume overall. Can long curly, thick frizzy hair be thinned?

Ok let’s hopefully answer your questions for you.

Firstly long curly/frizzy hair can be thinned, either by having long layers cut in (but this can create more volume if the layers are cut too short) or you could have your hair thinned using either thinning scissors or a feather blade. Both of these will help reduce the weight in your hair and hopefully reduce the volume and frizz.
I also would strongly advise investing in some Sebastian Potion 9 which is a leave in conditioner/ styling product which is fantastic and calming frizzy and curly hair.

Right onto the colour.

This is a little more tricky, as it sounds like the problem your hair is VERY resistant to colour. Unfortunately lighter shades are going to have little or no effect on your colour which is why they end up having to use darker colours.

These are only suggestions and are not guaranteed to work but firstly I would advise an appointment with an Wella MCA/MCE graduate, who is an expert in colour, and also perhaps they may suggest ’pre softening’ your hair to help with the resistance and there is also a specific range of Wella colours that are for resistant hair which should be worth a try.

Hope this helps.