How to Cover Gray Hair at Home for the First Time

For a first home color on gray hair, choose a dye type that matches how much gray you want to hide, pick a shade close to your natural color, and do the skin test the label asks for before every use. Permanent dye covers the most gray, and demi-permanent dye blends it. Then follow the timing on the box exactly, and watch your skin for up to three days.

This post is part of our guide to ways to cover gray hair.

Step 1: Decide how much gray you want to hide

Start with the type of dye. A 2014 review in Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas compares them:

• Permanent dye gives the highest gray coverage, up to 100 percent. It lasts until the hair grows out, so the review says the roots need color again every 4 to 6 weeks.
• Demi-permanent dye covers up to 50 percent of gray. A 2015 review in the International Journal of Trichology says it fades after 10 to 15 shampoos.
• Semi-permanent dye softens gray rather than hiding it, and the classic kind uses no developer.

If you want every gray strand hidden, permanent dye is the type that can do it. If you want the gray softened, or you are not sure yet, demi-permanent color fades out after 10 to 15 shampoos, which makes it easier to choose something different later.

Our page on permanent, demi-permanent and semi-permanent dye explains the differences in detail.

Step 2: Pick a shade close to your own

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) suggests choosing a dye within three shades of your natural color. It also says dyeing hair darker is usually better than going lighter, because lightening by more than three shades needs stronger peroxide, which damages hair more. If you still have some of your original color, compare shades to that.

Gray hair may not take color exactly like pigmented hair. A 2009 review in the International Journal of Trichology says gray hair is often said to resist artificial color, though it calls that evidence anecdotal. Our post on why gray hair resists dye explains what is known.

Step 3: Do the skin test, every time

Do not skip this step. The FDA says to do a patch test on your skin every time before you dye your hair, even if you have used the same product before, because people can develop sensitivities with repeated exposure.

The FDA's caution statement for synthetic hair dyes says that "a preliminary test according to accompanying directions should first be made." The directions in your box tell you how. Follow them exactly.

Plan the timing. Follow the product directions for the skin test. The NHS suggests testing the dye on a strand of hair at least 48 hours before you dye, and it says symptoms of a reaction can take up to 72 hours to appear. The AAD says that a rash, redness, swelling, burning or itching means you are having an allergic reaction. If that happens, do not dye your hair, and see a dermatologist.

Take extra care if you have ever had a temporary "black henna" tattoo. The FDA says these contain PPD, a common hair dye allergen, and may increase your risk of allergy to hair dye. In the UK, labels on dyes with PPD must tell you not to color your hair if you have reacted to one of these tattoos, or to hair dye, in the past. Our page on hair dye allergies and patch tests has more detail.

Step 4: Prepare your hair and scalp

The FDA gives several rules for the days before you color:

• Do not scratch or brush your scalp for three days before you use hair dye.
• Do not dye your hair if your scalp is irritated, sunburned or damaged.
• Wait at least 14 days after bleaching, relaxing or perming before you use dye.
• Read the ingredient list, and make sure nothing that caused you a problem before, such as PPD, is in the product.

Follow your product's directions on whether to wash your hair first. The 2014 review notes that permanent dye is preferably applied to unwashed hair, so the scalp's natural oil can help protect it from the chemicals.

Set out everything before you mix. You will need gloves: the FDA and the NHS both say to wear them when you apply hair dye.

Step 5: Apply the color and time it

• Keep dye away from your eyes. The FDA says hair dyes have caused eye injuries, including blindness, when used in the eye area. Never use hair dye on your eyebrows or eyelashes.
• Follow the time on the box. The FDA says not to leave the product on longer than the directions say. For reference, the 2014 review gives 20 to 40 minutes for permanent dye and 20 to 30 minutes for demi-permanent and semi-permanent dye.
• Rinse well. The FDA says to rinse your scalp well with water after using hair dye.
• Store it safely. Keep hair dyes out of the reach of children, as the FDA advises.

Step 6: Watch your skin, then plan the next round

For the next three days, watch your skin closely. The NHS says to wash your hair and scalp right away with a mild shampoo if you feel you are having a reaction, and to see a GP (a family doctor) if symptoms get worse. Sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, throat or tongue, or trouble breathing, is an emergency, so call emergency services right away.

Then plan for regrowth. The 2015 review notes that white hair shows again 10 to 15 days after permanent dyeing, because new hair has grown in. When you color the roots next time, the same review advises applying the product only to the new growth. Between sessions, root touch-up products can hide the roots until your next wash.

LIUMIQ is developing a gradual color product for gray hair. There is nothing to buy yet. Join the waitlist if you want to follow the work.