What is gray blending and how does it work?

Gray blending is a hair color technique that integrates your natural gray with your existing hair color rather than fully covering it. At Taylor Monroe in San Francisco, we use demi-permanent color for soft, gradual grow-out; permanent color freehand-painted to disguise root lines; or highlights and balayage for clients who are 75% or more gray.

Does Taylor Monroe accept tips?

No — Taylor Monroe is a gratuity-free salon. All service prices are set to reflect the full cost of time and product. No tip is necessary or accepted. Prices are transparent and discussed during your consultation.

Where is Taylor Monroe located?

Taylor Monroe is located at 146 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94117 in the Lower Haight neighborhood. Hours are Monday–Tuesday and Thursday–Friday 10:30AM–7:00PM, and Saturday 11:00AM–4:00PM. Closed Wednesday and Sunday.

How do I book an appointment at Taylor Monroe?

You can book online at phorest.com/book/salons/taylormonroe or text (833) 647-5962. A 48-hour cancellation notice is required. Late cancellations within 24 hours are charged 100% of the service price.

Does Taylor Monroe specialize in Asian hair or dark hair?

Yes. Taylor Monroe and master stylist Benji Pow specialize in dark hair color, including Asian hair textures. Services include balayage, ash brown color, and gray blending tailored to darker base tones.

What is the Community Forward Program?

The Community Forward Program at Taylor Monroe offers premium hair color services at reduced rates for nonprofit workers in San Francisco. It is designed to honor the contributions of community workers. Apply through the website to see if you qualify.

How long has Taylor Monroe been in business?

Taylor Monroe was established in 2010 and has served over 25,000 clients. The current owner, Benji Pow, has over 17 years of experience and took over in 2019 to continue the salon's legacy in the Lower Haight neighborhood.

Gray Blending

The Silver Standard

San Francisco's benchmark for soft, seamless gray grow-out.

A Solution For All Gray Patterns

how to blend gray hair

No more 3-week root touch-ups. Just hair that looks like you, with a little more life experience showing through.

Embracing your gray doesn’t have to mean growing out your natural color completely — and it certainly doesn’t mean covering it up every 6 weeks with permanent dye.

Most gray coverage is built to fight your regrowth. The Silver Standard was created to work with it — so the line between "colored" and "growing out" is seemless, your maintenance visits stretched out, and your hair actually gets healthier instead of more damaged with every appointment.

If this sounds familiar, I designed this for you:

I'm back in the chair every 3–4 weeks and it's expensive, time-consuming, and my hair is getting damaged." → I create your formula to soften the grow-out line, so your interval stretches to 3–6 months depending on the method — not weeks.

"My roots look like a hard stripe the second I'm two weeks out." → Demi-permanent and custom blending techniques feather the transition instead of drawing a line, so grow-out looks intentional, not overdue.

"My gray won't take color evenly — it goes brassy or yellow instead of blending." → Resistant, coarse gray needs a different formula than fine or fully-pigmented hair. I determine your gray percentage and texture before we ever mix color, and use a combination of custom gray-blending formula + color placement specifically for stubborn strands.

"I don't want to go fully gray, but I don't want to look like I'm covering it up either." → Gray blending isn't "hiding" gray or "growing it out" — it's placing color to complement the silver you already have, at whatever pace you're comfortable with.

"I've done box dye before — is my hair too far gone for this?" → No, but it changes your formula and the approach. We ask about your last 12 months of color history up front so your first appointment is built around your hair's actual condition, not a guess.

"I don't know which service I need." → That's what the consultation is for. Below are the three paths — we'll tell you which one fits your gray pattern, not the other way around.

PRICING

The Silver Standard

all inclusive service

One service. One specialist. A formula built entirely around your gray pattern and hair history — then paced to fit however much time you're ready to commit.

What's Included

Personalized consultation on your gray pattern, texture, and color history
Custom-mixed formula — never a one-size-fits-all application
Softer, seamless grow-out with no harsh demarcation line
Stretched maintenance intervals (3–6 months, based on your formula) instead of 3–4 week root touch-ups
On-going hair color + haircare maintenance throughout your hair growth journey
Tailored home-care plan
Take home haircolor kits available
No hard line of demarcation
Gratuity-free, judgment-free studio in the Lower Haight

Marilda rated us 5 out of 5!

"After two consecutive hair color fails with other stylists, Benji fixed it all and has now given me both what I originally wanted (the previous two stylists literally ignored my request to blend my natural grey!) and something that looks way better but still very natural. It’s perfect and I’ll be coming back to keep it this good."