How Do Your Colours Change When You Go Grey?
Susan recently asked me, “I’d like to understand my colouring now that my hair has turned grey.”
And I know she’s not alone.
Going grey isn’t just about hair. It’s about identity. It’s about visibility. It’s about standing in front of your wardrobe thinking, Why don’t these colours work the way they used to?
So let’s talk about what’s really happening.
Because your colours do change when you go grey, but not in the way most people think.
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First: What Are You Greying From?
There are a few things to think about when we are going grey.
It depends on:
- Whether you’re greying from a warm or cool undertone
- Whether you’re greying from light or dark
- How light your grey ultimately becomes
These variables matter.
If we look at cool, dark brown or black, for example, one thing that happens as we go grey is that our colouring softens slightly.
You might move from a brighter palette to a softer palette. The colours are not as bright as they used to be, as the level of highly pigmented hair reduces and skin changes along with your hair (just in a more subtle way).
And depending on how grey you go, you may move:
- From darker to lighter
- From brighter to softer
- From warmer to cooler
Our colouring may actually change quite a bit as we grey.
I used to have dark hair (black, then dark chocolate brown). Then, when I had to dye my hair every 10 days so as not to look like a skunk with a halo, I decided to go blonde (which I’ve written about in my series on Not Going Grey Gracefully). I was blonde for approximately 10 years before I decided, after a long COVID lockdown, to embrace my silver foxette and ended up with lighter grey hair.
But your path might be different. And that’s important.
Warm Greys vs Cool Greys (Yes, There’s a Difference)
One of the things most people don’t realise is this:
There is a difference between warm greys and cool greys in fabrics.
- Warm greys contain more yellow or green.
- Cool greys have more blue or even purple undertones.
Top: Cool grey with a blue base, Bottom: Warm grey with a green base
Most fabric greys are not “true black-and-white grey.” They lean warm or cool.
And here’s what’s fascinating:
There is no such thing as grey hair. It’s just the appearance of the white, pigmentless hair that grows after the melanocytes stop producing colour, mixed with the hairs that still have pigment, which gives the impression of grey.
- If you’re greying from red hair, your grey will often look warmer. This is because your existing hair that is still pigmented with warmth in it, and when combined with the white hairs, makes it appear more taupe grey.
- If you’re greying from dark brown and you still have more dark hairs than light, you’ll get that salt and pepper look, and a darker grey.
- If you’re greying from very light blonde, your grey may look much whiter and cooler.
Where you started influences where you land.
Warm grey on the left, greying from red, and cool grey on the right, greying from dark brown
So even when you go grey, undertone still matters.
Does Your Undertone Change?
Sometimes yes. Sometimes no.
Often, if you were cool, you’ll stay cool, but you’ll soften and lighten.
If you are warm, you may still wear warm colours, but they might not need to be as warm as they once were and also may become more muted.
Because grey hair is inherently a little cooler.
You no longer have the same intensity of yellow in your colouring. So those very warm colours that once looked fabulous might suddenly feel… off.
It’s not that you’ve become cool.
You may need slightly less warmth.
That subtle shift makes all the difference.
The Biggest Change: Your Best Neutrals
This is the part most women miss.
Your best neutrals come from your hair, eye, and skin colours.
When your hair colour changes, your best neutrals change.
I used to have dark brown hair. Deep brown was a fantastic neutral for me. It related beautifully to my colouring.
Now?
There’s nothing brown in my colouring anymore.
Even though I can technically wear cooler browns, they don’t relate to me the way grey does.
Now cool greys, especially light cool greys along with white, are my best neutrals because they echo my hair, which is now almost 100% white around my face.
When I had darker grey hair, darker greys suited me better.
As my hair lightened, my best neutrals lightened too.
That’s the shift.
If you used to have warm brown hair, it may have been your best neutral.
Now perhaps it’s a warm grey instead, and a light taupe may now be your best neutral.
This is why going grey is the perfect time to reassess your neutrals.
Not necessarily your whole palette.
Your neutrals in particular.
That said, if you have lightened up considerably, your whole palette will need to lighten up with you.
Do You Have to Throw Everything Out?
Absolutely not.
Please don’t panic and purge your wardrobe.
We don’t have to throw everything out just because our colouring changes.
You can:
- Dye garments into your new best neutral – check out all posts on how to overdye your clothes here.
- Use shoe paint to change the colour of quality shoes – discover how simple it is to paint your shoes here
- Transition gradually from your old colours to your new palette, you don’t have to change your whole wardrobe at once.
I had black boots and shoes that were brilliant when I had dark hair. Now? They’re too harsh. But they’re comfortable and well-made.
So I painted them. And now I wear them again as they create a great bookend to my hair.
Your wardrobe should be like a great husband, not a bad boyfriend. We don’t toss it out at the first sign of change. We adapt intelligently.
If Your Colours Feel “Wrong,” Pay Attention
If you’re feeling uncomfortable in colours you used to love, that’s information.
Skin changes along with hair.
I do not have the same skin tone intensity as I had with dark hair. I couldn’t dye my hair back to that now; it would overwhelm me completely and look very harsh against my skin.
Your colouring evolves.
And that’s not a problem.
Life would be boring without change. My mother always said, “Change is as good as a holiday.”
Rather than railing against the changes, we can use them as a moment of reassessment.
A recalibration.
A refinement.
It may be time to get a colour update, as not only may your palette have changed, so will your value and colour contrast, along with your ideal value, so how you put outfits together will also have morphed and need to be updated.
The Science Behind the Shift
When we look at this analytically (and I know many of you love that), we’re talking about three properties of colour:
- Undertone – Warm vs cool
- Value – Light vs dark
- Chroma – Bright vs soft
Going grey most commonly affects:
- Intensity (we soften)
- Value (we often lighten)
- Undertone of grey may also slightly cool the overall effect
This is why your old bright warm orange might suddenly feel too strong. The black jacket you used to love now feels harsh.
It’s not you.
It’s physics.
Colour harmony is about repetition and resonance. Your clothing needs to repeat what is naturally occurring in you.
Just like beautiful music is in harmony. The colours that suit you today are in harmony and resonate with the colours that are innate in you right now.
When that changes, your palette needs to be adjusted.
The Invitation to Embrace Your Silver Foxette
Going grey is not the end of your style story.
It’s an evolution.
It’s an opportunity to refine, lighten, soften, and modernise.
It’s a beautiful moment to reassess:
- Are these colours still working?
- Are my neutrals still related to me?
- Have I lightened my wardrobe enough to harmonise with my new hair?
And if you’re unsure?
That’s not a failure.
That’s simply a sign that your colouring has shifted, and it’s time to recalibrate.
Style is not innate. It’s learnable. It’s observable. It’s adjustable.
And going grey is not about losing vibrancy or style.
It’s about discovering a new kind of radiance.
Not sure which colours work best for you now? Get an online personal colour analysis and discover your new signature colours, best neutrals and how to put your colours together to create harmony with your current look.
A Spicy Gal Goes Grey
A Spicy Gal Goes Grey Part 2
Warm vs Cool Grey Hair and How Going Grey May Change Your Wardrobe Choices
