The Best Professional Hair Color to Cover Gray Hair Strands

Wisps of gray hair starting to crop up? Don’t you worry, there’s an easy fix to keep you looking young and fresh. With the right dye and highlight, you can easily and conveniently hide those gray hairs with ease.

To help you out, we’ve searched and tested for the best professional hair color to cover gray hair. Below is a review of the best permanent and semi-permanent solutions we’ve found, as well as a buying guide to help you decide which hair color is best for you.

Read also related articles: Best blonde hair dye, how to get rid of yellow hair after bleaching, best black hair dye, most common hair colors, and best bleach for dark hair.

10 Best Professional Hair Colors to Cover Gray Hair

Check out these ten best professional hair colors for gray hair that are guaranteed to completely cover those stubborn hairs. We’ve included lots of different options for you to choose from, including products made with all natural ingredients, so you can find the best hair color that works for you.

1.  Revlon Colorsilk Beautiful Color Permanent Hair Dye

Our top pick is the Revlon colorsilk beautiful color permanent hair dye, a permanent ammonia free hair color that delivers complete gray coverage, as well as a host of other excellent features to make your hair look great and wonderful.

For one thing, it’s formulated with Revlon’s 3D color gel technology, including a mix of conditioners, dyes, and polymers which all work together in giving you great hair that looks natural and comes with added dimension from roots to tips.

It’s gentle on your hair, works in smoothening and strengthening your hair, and delivers natural looking results in rich and long lasting colors. It even comes in many different colors to choose from, such as the ash blonde (ultra light), which is perfect for those with light or platinum blond hair that has a bit of gray undertone.

2.  L’Oreal Paris Excellence Creme Permanent Hair Color

We also really like the L’Oreal Paris excellence creme permanent hair color, which promises to deliver complete and gorgeous gray coverage, and the thing is, it actually works on even the most stubborn grays.

It features a triple protection system that contains collagen, ceramide, and a pro-keratin complex that work together in nourishing and protecting your hair, as well as sealing, replenishing, and conditioning it so it looks and feels healthy even after coloring.

This hair color also delivers a rich and long lasting color that covers your gray hairs from roots to tips, and even comes in different styles and formulations for you to choose from, including bold and stylish permanents, semi-permanent, temporary, and cover-up variants. Pro tip? If you have warm blonde hair, try the medium blonde shade for

3.  Schwarzkopf Color Ultime Hair Color Cream

Taking the third spot is the Schwarzkopf color ultime hair color cream, which is a high definition pigment mix designed to give you brilliantly vivid results by complementing your natural hair color and making it incredibly shiny.

In terms of gray coverage, it delivers a pretty long lasting effect that lasts for up to nine weeks, so you can go for much longer in between color treatments. It makes use of a breakthrough formula and contains a diamond brilliance serum to deliver the level of premium performance and intensity that you need for excellent color results.

All in all, this hair color is an excellent choice if you want a fade resistant intense color vibrancy that makes your hair shine like a diamond. You can even go bold and try the vintage red shade if you want a show stopping look.

4.  AGEbeautiful Anti-Aging Permanent Liqui-creme Hair Color

Ranking fourth is the AGEbeautiful anti-aging permanent liqui-creme hair color, which helps prevent all signs of aging hair by restoring it to its youthful health, color, moisture, and shine, while adding volume and making it more manageable.

It’s made with a superior formulation that contains keratin peptides, melanin, silk proteins, and a conditioning agent to help fight signs of aging, as well as completely cover gray strands for as long as eight weeks.

You can even use this with the AGEbeautiful gentle creme developer to achieve the best results, and choose from the many different shades available, such as the lovely strawberry blonde. It’s easy to apply and delivers excellent results.

5.  Clairol Natural Instincts Hair Color

In fifth place is the Clairol natural instincts hair color, which is an amazing choice for anyone who wants to effectively cover gray hair without having to commit to a permanent hair color treatment that is also more damaging to your aging hair.

In fact, this hair color even contains antioxidants that work in preventing the formation of damaging and highly reactive hair molecules, so you can enjoy better hair health with predictable color results and excellent gray coverage. Try it with the Malaysian cherry shade if you have red hair, and you’ll be surprised with the results.

It’s also fast acting and works in just twenty minutes, it’s easy to apply and leaves no mess or buildup, it comes in an ammonia free formulation that includes a color treatment conditioner made with coconut oil and other healthy ingredients, and can be used with the CC+ color seal conditioning therapy to seal the deal and leave you with wonderful looking hair.

6.  Garnier Nutrisse Ultra Coverage Hair Color

You may also want to try this ultra coverage nourishing hair color creme from Garnier Nutrisse, a staple drugstore brand that delivers professional quality results at an affordable price tag. It makes use of cover plus technology to effectively cover those stubborn grays, and more.

It also mimics your hair’s natural textures, highlights, and undertones for a natural and consistent look. And, it’s made with the best and healthiest ingredients such as avocado oil, shea oil, grapeseed oil, and olive oil to add and seal in moisture while conditioning your hair from inside out.

This hair color is also formulated to deliver a rich and permanent color that nourishes your hair, so you can not only cover and hide those stubborn and resilient gray strands, but also end up with fabulous-looking hair that lasts for a long time. If you have naturally brown hair, we suggest you try the sweet pecan shade and see the difference.

7.  John Frieda Precision Foam Colour

Another excellent choice when it comes to hair color treatments that cover gray hair is the John Frieda precision foam color, which is a brilliantly engineered non-drip foam formulation that’s ridiculously easy to apply and evenly spread on your hair from roots to tips.

As such, it allows for a precise application that saturates each hair strand with vibrant color in order to cover gray hair and deliver a consistent and natural look. With this one, you can conveniently cover your hair in the comforts of your home, and not have to worry about coloring hard to reach areas such as your roots, hairline, and the back of your head.

What’s even better is that this foam also condition and nourishes your hair after coloring to provide that long lasting lushness and keep your hair moisturized and looking shiny and vibrant. Our best recommendation for you if you have brunette to black hair is the deep brown black shade that looks magnificent on dark hair.

8.  L’Oreal Paris Superior Preference Permanent Hair Color

Another amazing hair color treatment from L’Oreal Paris is the superior preference permanent hair color, a fade defying formulation that delivers rich and long lasting results so you can ejoy gray-free and natural looking hair for longer.

It’s made with a translucent gel formula that effectively covers gray strands while adding shine and luminosity to your otherwise dull hair. And of course, it also features high tenacity dyes that deliver excellent color performance that lasts for up to eight weeks.

This uniquely blended hair dye is guaranteed to deliver multi-dimensional color, as well as ensure silky and shiny hair with the use of antioxidants, UV filters, and camelina oil. You can choose from over fifty hair color shades, or try the light auburn shade, which is perfect for those with red and copper toned hair.

9.  L’Oréal Paris Couleur Experte 2-Step Home Hair Color

Also from L’Oreal Paris, there’s the couleur experte two-step home hair color, which is easy at home system that gives you a dual coloring kit to let you apply a permanent base color as well as a complementary highlight color for a nice and defined look.

This harmonizing package allows for a quick and easy application that delivers rich and elegant salon quality results with perfectly coordinated shades, which you can achieve within just two steps and under thirty minutes.

To top it all off, the highlight dye comes in a blue high visibility formulation that lets you easily see where you’re applying the highlights, so you don’t have to work “blind” and hope for the best. If you want a nice, multidimensional look, try this with the ginger twist shade, especially if you have light brown hair.

10.  Schwarzkopf Keratin Color Permanent Hair Color Cream

For our last hair color, we have another one from Schwarzkopf, which is the keratin color permanent hair color cream that is specifically made for mature hair and effectively targets gray strands from roots to tips.

This hair dye is formulated with a unique keratin coloration and collagen care complex to effectively repair damaged hair, so you don’t have to suffer from excessive hair breakage and just focus on enjoying your vibrant and healthy hair even after coloring.

If you want an intense yet caring color that applies evenly from roots to tips and protects your hair from damage, all while completely covering your stubborn grays, this is one of your best options. It even comes in a lot of nice skin flattering pigments for you to choose from, such as the red velvet brown shade that gives brunette hair a gorgeous red tint.

Best Hair Color to Cover Gray Hair Buying Guide

Gray hair may be chic and trendy nowadays, but for many of us, we prefer to keep our hair looking nice and vibrant, and as such, hair dyes are often the way to go in order to hide those stubborn gray strands that keep popping up as we get older.

That said, it can be difficult to find the right hair color solution, since gray hair is more difficult to penetrate with pigments, especially for rich and dark shades. So, how do you find the best professional hair color to cover gray hair?

The thing is, there’s no single solution that works for everyone. For one thing, different ingredients deliver different results, and there’s also the choice between permanent and semi-permanent solutions. To help you out, here’s a quick guide on how to choose the right hair color for your needs:

Choose the right shade

When it comes to hair color, choosing the right shade alone can be a difficult and overwhelming task. The key here is to pick one that works well with your complexion, so your hair looks natural and complements your face and body.

The general rule is that warm skin tones go well with warm hair color shades, such as honey blonde, chocolate brown, and rose gold, while cool skin tones work best with cool shades such as ash brown, ash blonde, and platinum blonde.

So, if you have a fair skin tone, for example, opt for blonde, copper, or light brown. Or, if you have darker skin, try browns and maroons. For those with olive skin tone, ash toned hues are great for accentuating your complexion, whereas for those with caramel skin, dark blonde and brown shades, coupled with warm highlights, are your best options.

Permanent vs semi-permanent

One important thing you need to decide on is whether you want to go with a permanent or semi-permanent solution. On one hand, permanent colors cover gray better and leave the color on for longer, but they are also more damaging on your hair, and show off new hair growth faster.

On the other hand, a semi-permanent formula will be gentler on your hair and will also minimize damage while providing you with added nourishment. It’s also free of harsh chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide and ammonia, but the color won’t hold up as long, and you will need to recolor after a few weeks.

Tip: pick one shade lighter

Regardless of whether you opt for permanent or semi-permanent hair color, it’s always best to pick one shade lighter. For permanent dyes, this is because darker shades show off gray hair faster, and also make your hair look flat and unnatural.

Meanwhile, for semi-permanent dyes, these are meant to darken your hair, so if you want to maintain your natural color or avoid going darker, it’s best to stick with a shade lighter than your original color. It’s also better if you want to change your color after the dye fades, since it won’t leave any dark tones that are more difficult to work with.

How to achieve professional results

There is, in fact, a right way to apply hair color in order to achieve professional salon quality results. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. Start by applying the dye on hard to reach and color areas, such as the back of your hair, the front hairline, and on your natural hair partition.
2. Prioritize covering those stubborn gray strands before dealing with the rest of your hair from roots to tips.
3. Completely saturate your hair with the dye. If you must, apply a second coat of hair dye to really cover those stubborn grays and other color resistant areas.
4. Comb the dye through your hair with a wide toothed comb, then massage the color all over your hair and scalp for a deep and even saturation.
5. After coloring, wear a color cap to cover your hair and to seal in the heat for the color treatment to work better. Then, wait for a little more time to help your hair really absorb all that dye so less of it washes out.

If, after everything, some gray strands are still visible, it might be wise to cover them with one shade darker, and apply this color from your roots down to the tips. And, make sure to recolor your hair regularly to prevent these grays from popping up. Besides, regular treatments “bend” gray hairs into submission by making them softer and significantly more receptive to dyes.

How to take care of colored gray hair

Now that you know how to successfully cover those gray strands and make your hair look amazing, it’s also important that you know how to properly take care and maintain your colored hair so the color lasts longer and your hair stays healthier. Here are some things you can do:

• Switch your hair care products to those that are specifically made for color treated hair to prevent the color from fading prematurely.
• Try to go longer in between shampoos to keep the dye from bleeding and washing off. You may opt to use dry shampoos and leave in conditioners instead.
• Apply a good conditioner on your hair after every wash. If it feels like you need it, you can also opt for a weekly deep conditioning treatment along with the daily conditioning.
• Dry your hair out naturally rather than using a blow dryer and other heat styling tools in order to prevent damage.

Overview

There are lots of excellent options for you to choose from when it comes to finding the best professional hair color to cover grays. You’ve got your typical at home remedies in permanent and semi-permanent formulations, natural herbal dyes that don’t use any harsh chemicals, and professional salon grade treatments that really work in those dyes.

In terms of home solutions that deliver the best and most satisfactory results, our top recommendation is the Revlon Colorsilk Beautiful Color Permanent Hair Dye. it’s a permanent solution that completely covers grays and makes your hair look vibrant without the use of ammonia, so your hair is less prone to damage, and just keeps on looking and feeling healthy.