Gone is this old notion that you have to immediately dye your hair at the first gray hair that pops up on your head. Instead of trying to cover up the natural signs of aging, more and more people are choosing to embrace and show off their silver hair — and for good reason. Gray, white, or silver hair is just super cool and the best part? There are are countless ways to wear it, no matter your age or hair texture.
Before diving into some hair inspo, there are a few things to consider when wanting to style this shade. Celebrity colorist and Olaplex ambassador Bianca Hillier says the first thing to keep in mind your hair’s texture. “Often times when hair transitions from color (brunette, blonde, red, etc.) to gray, the texture and feel of the hair will change,” says Hillier. “Most times the strands become more coarse and unruly.”
The next thing to consider is maintaining the silver shade. She explains that when hair turns gray, it loses its pigment and it can look brassy or yellow as it transitions (similar to color-treated hair). So you’ll be wanting to use the right hair products to keep your silver hair healthy. The first thing you should use is a good purple shampoo like the Olaplex No. 4P Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo to keep unwanted yellow tones in your silver hair. Celebrity colorsit and co-founder of IGK Hair Care Chase Kusero agrees and recommends something like IGK’s Mixed Feelings Leave In Toning Drops, which are purple drops that can be added to any hair styling cream to tone blonde and silver hair.
With all that that in mind, going gray has never been easier. See below for all the ways you can wear silver hair for every hair length and texture.
Short Fine Hair: Gray Dimensional Pixie
Hillier loves Jamie Lee Curtis’ silver short hair for its varying shades, which she says gives the cut dimension and depth. Mixing bright silver highlights and soft gray roots is perfect for short pixie cuts.
Short Thick Hair: Feathered Bob
Silver all over is bold on its own. To elevate the shade, opt for deeper undertones and feathered layers in your bob cut like Jane Fonda to frame your face.
Naturally Curly Short Hair: Natural Highlights
Tia Mowry celebrated her 42nd birthday by letting the natural gray shine through. In her selfie, the actor showed off her naturally curly short pixie with gray and white highlights.
Medium Fine Hair: Two-Toned
Meryl Streep showed that going dual toned makes for one of the most dynamic hair color looks out there. The actor let her silver hair grow in, with her white strands up top and natural dirty blonde shade at the ends.
Medium Thick Hair: Pastel Undertones
Add subtle color to your silver hair with a tint of soft pastels. Kusero likes Kelly Osbourne’s silver lavender shade, which is a perfect mix to give her hair a cooler undertone that’s still rocker chic.
Naturally Curly Medium Hair: Deep Shaded
Lean into the silver and go dark and deep. Amandla Stenberg’s all over silver shade is a rich hue that really accentuates their natural curls.
Long Thick Hair: Silver Platinum Hybrid
Kusero recommends Kim Kardashian’s silver hair for some inspo. The star’s super long platinum blonde strands were so bright you could argue that it gets into silver hair territory.
Long Thick Hair: Ice Princess Pony
Another pick from Kusero, Ariana Grande’s signature pony got the silver hair upgrade. Opt for this if you’re wanting to channel your inner ice princess.
Naturally Curly Long Hair: Gray Ombré
Hillier loves Andie MacDowell’s bright gray hair. “It is so stunning with her natural curls,” Hillier says. Here, the actress wore her naturally curly hair in a gray ombré shade. Light silver strands sat at the crown of her head and gradually turned into darker gray color at the ends.