“How long will this take?” is the first question almost everyone asks. There’s no single answer, but there is a simple way to estimate yours.
The basic math
Hair grows about 1.25 cm, or half an inch, a month on average. Some people grow faster, some slower. To estimate your grow-out, divide the dyed length you still have by that rate.
- Short hair, about 8 cm of dyed length: roughly 5 to 8 months
- Chin to shoulder, about 20 cm: roughly 13 to 19 months
- Past the shoulders, about 35 cm: roughly 22 to 34 months
These ranges allow for hair growing a little faster or slower than average. They’re estimates only. Your growth rate, your hair and your stylist will change them.
Why the route matters
The math tells you how long until the last dyed hair is gone. Your route decides what you see in the meantime.
- Cut and Grow shortens the math. Cut to a shorter length after a few months and there’s simply less dyed hair left to grow out.
- Blend doesn’t change the math much, but it softens the line all the way, so the months in between look gradual.
- Lift to Light brings your ends closer to your silver early, so you see the least contrast for the fewest months, at a higher cost and with more risk.
- Demi Fade steps your color down gently for a few months before you stop, then you grow out as usual. Demi color is still dye, so it needs a patch test every time.
More on each in how to go silver: the four routes.
How to measure your own
Wait two to three weeks after your last color and stand by a window in daylight. Measure from your part to where your color ends at the longest point you care about, often the back or the ends of a bob. That’s your dyed length.
Then track it. A photo from the same angle once a month shows progress better than the mirror does day to day.
Making the middle months easier
The months with visible contrast are the hardest part. A few things help:
- Shift your part so new growth shows less
- Use root powder that matches your dyed shade between visits
- Keep up regular trims to take off dyed ends
- Start a toning routine once a few centimeters of silver show; see purple shampoo for silver hair
Get your own estimate
The free Silver Route picker gives your route and an estimated range, plus the first three months of your timeline. The full plan uses your actual length and lets you adjust your growth rate.