Men’s Gray Coverage: From Consultation To Retail

Gray coverage clients are your major moneymakers, but there’s an untapped market—the guys! Floyd’s 99 Barbershop handles a LOT of gray coverage on men in their 100+ locations, so we went right to Technical Education Director Patrick Butler for his best tips.

1. Get Him To Open Up

The convo about haircolor doesn’t have to be awkward. Start by saying, “I can make you look 10 years younger in 10 minutes,” Patrick suggests. “This catches their attention. I then talk about how I can ‘blend’ the gray away so it’s not noticeable, or I can make it disappear altogether—this shows them they have options.”

2. Charge Appropriately

Pricing gray coverage color for short hair is different than other color services. For 10-minute haircolor, you can often book a 30-minute haircut, add the color on the end and still stay within the 30-minute time window. In this case, Patrick suggests adding the cost of a 10-minute color service onto the 30-minute base haircut price. “Don’t undercharge, but still make it line up with your averages,” Patrick said.

3. Formulate Wisely

For most men, the goal isn’t to add highlights or contouring with color—it’s simply to get rid of the gray. “Many people make the mistake of just choosing a shade and applying it without accounting for the fact that the gray hairs are missing its original pigment,” Patrick says. “When that happens, you can end up with a muddy or drab result. Add some cool tones. Ash helps a lot to cool it down.”

4. Always Cut First

Men’s gray coverage is one situation where you must cut first. “You need to see how the hair falls and how the guy wants to to style it,” Patrick says. “Then you determine where to place color to gain the most impact.”

5. Blend, Blend, Blend

Again, the goal is to be unnoticeable, so Patrick applies color into the hair that still has natural color and lays next to gray areas. “I want to create a natural blend and make sure I’m not creating any lines.” He combs through colored sections thoroughly to ensure saturation.

6. Sell Him On Retail

Explain to your client that his color will last longer if he uses the right products, then show him the color-safe shampoo and conditioner you recommend. Bringing the product directly to him and describing how to use it makes it a no-brainer for him to buy!

7. There’s A Flipside…

Just like female clients wanted the trending “granny gray,” Patrick is seeing more men embrace gray and ask to have it more pronounced and consistent. Make sure your clients know that this is an option!