Is there any way to temporarily try out gray?

ttoosday

I grew up naturally very dark brown, and I have an olive complexion. I've been graying for 15+ years, since I was about 20. Im almost 39 now. Im really kind of tired of dyeing roots every 3 weeks. I've been dyeing dark dark brown so long I seriously don't even know the percentage of gray coverage I have. I think its all over my head tho. Is there any way I can try out gray without doing the horrendously damaging multiple permanent bleach job? I sometimes wonder if I could pull off the trendy gray/silver look and then that way I could just transition and stop all this dyeing. Thanks!

jeepcurlygurl

I've never dyed my hair (except for fun when I was young) but I wouldn't think you could dye it grey without bleaching. I will say what I tell others when they say they're not sure if they will like their hair grey. I hated mine at first. I never thought of dying it, just not my thing, but I really didn't like it since it was such a change from my normal dark brown. But after awhile it just became the new normal and now I love it. 

ellaj

If you are dark brown I don't think you could try out the gray without bleaching first. I have been living with my natural (mostly gray with a small of amount of my natural brown) hair for coming up on three years now. I asked my stylist the same question and she said my hair would have to be bleached and strongly advised against it. I ended up going cold turkey and kept my hair in a pixie throughout the transition.

BrittanyM

The only way I know without bleaching is temporary color sprays. Tasha Leelyn  (YouTuber) just uploaded a video where she "dyes" her boyfriend'so hair silverfish grey with a loreal temporary spray. It showed up on his dark hair. It would washout as soon  as you washed your hair, and probably wouldn't look good to wear out in public. But it might give you an idea of how the color would look on you without commitment. Just a thought.

ttoosday

Hmm thanks for the input everyone. I did read about a wax product that is supposed to be pretty good and a temporary thing- people use it on halloween and such and for a pop of color for a night. I have thought about trying that since it may be a better application than a spray product. Anyways, thanks for the input!

Gretchen

I'm so glad you asked this question, @ttoosday .  I've been wondering the same thing. I'm not there yet but was wondering how to do it. 
Pixie's a good idea @ellaj

Lileire

My friend lowlighted her hair for awhile so it was a gradual thing. Think that is what I’m going to try

bomega

@Lileire: Welcome to nc.com. I'm not quite ready to go gray, but a low-light sort of thing is probably what I would do.

Soj

Wig.

CurlyCanuck

Another option for those of you who are grey-curious: demi-permanent color. This type of color is less damaging than permanent dye, as it uses a lower concentration of peroxide. You could use it to cover the obvious greys on top of your head, while leaving the rest underneath to reveal its true color. Then you can get a sense of how much grey you actually have while still maintaining your current look. If you are feeling bolder, you can let the color just fade out over time, which looks less startling than a clear line of demarcation. 
I've been using demi-permanent color on my greying, dark-brown hair for about 8 months now, and I'm very happy with the coverage. If you follow a CG regimen, the color lasts quite a while. I use Wella Color Charm, which is available at Sally Beauty. 

thugtomas

Can't make it to a salon? Just blast your roots with this tinted spray to temporarily conceal grays until your next shampoo.