How Get Dark Smoky Gray Color?
Printed From: HairBoutique.com
Category: Hair Talk
Forum Name: Hair Color
Forum Description: The tricks and tribulations of changing your hair color
URL: https://talk.hairboutique.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=66835
Printed Date: October 30 2025 at 9:48pm
Topic: How Get Dark Smoky Gray Color?
Posted By: kenny
Subject: How Get Dark Smoky Gray Color?
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 12:45pm
Hi:
My hair is practically white.
I'd like to tone it to a dark, sooty, smoky gray color. Something like what it looked like when my naturally very dark brunette hair was about 30% gray overall.
The appearance was of a silvery, smoky gray-black head of hair. Unless up close and checking, you didn't see the individual white hairs. And I had no large patches of whiter hair.
Is it possible to do this?
I know most people want to hide gray. I just want to tone it. Get it darker, but not give up "gray."
And want to do this without turning too greenish.
Advice?
Thanks,
kenny
P.S. I just went dark brown for a year. Am back to white now (with some platinum toning and a highlight which overall is blending very well with the new growth). Gave up on dark brown because of the required root maintenance every 5 days or so.
My hair grows extremely fast and every 5 days I had a white ridge showing at the front of my scalp. I would usually go two weeks between root treatment on the whole scalp, but needed the touch up on the front more often.
Am believing that if I can tone in a dark smoky gray color that the contrast between the new growth and the color will be lessened and easier to deal with.
P.P.S. I am using Wella colors to tone with. And 10 volume developer.
P.P.P.S. I first colored my long white hair when I saw the "Touch of Gray" Just for Men product. It was a disaster.
First use it added a nice smoky hint of darker color, but very flat looking.
Second use it turned my hair jet black.
I "Color Fix" removed that. Then switched to Clairol's "Beautiful Brown" alternating between dark and medium and that worked really well so long as I left it in a shorter time than the instructions called for. (When I left it in for full processing time, it oversaturated.) Tended to do the roots for 3/4 suggested time and then work it out through the ends for 2 minutes max.
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Posted By: kenny
Date Posted: August 10 2010 at 3:03pm
Have been studying the Wella Color charts.
Am wondering if perhaps a 7A or 4A might do what I want, mixed with 5 or 10 volume developer (so that I am using the color as a toner)? Those are described as medium smoky ash blonde and medium smoky ash brown.
And.... if I end up with too much yellow-ish green (from the ash) maybe I could add some violet toning?
Before doing any of this all over, I'll definitely test a small section -- or strand test... Maybe I'll come up with a perfect mix for me....
Any pros want to comment, suggest, warn?
Thanks,
kenny
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