Submit to aging by embracing it instead of going against it. Trendy salt and pepper hair is a seamless concoction of black and gray tones with traces of white. It allows your hair to unravel its metamorphosis and offers a great way to showcase your coming of age.
Salt and pepper hair is one of the most coveted hues for women to try, but its upkeep varies. Samantha Peters, a hairstylist from Sunshine Coast, BC, debunks the myth of the salt and pepper hue. “Sometimes, women don’t get that the color might need higher upkeep than they thought,” she says.
Peters explains how it all depends on your natural hair color. “If you already have salt and pepper hair hue naturally, it may not call for high maintenance,” she says. “If you have darker hair naturally with no salt and pepper shades in your hair, you might demand higher upkeep.”
Patience is a vital component in attaining a gray hue, according to Peters. It involves close contact with your stylist, frequent salon visits, and high-quality hair products.
Before your next hair coloring appointment, check out these popular photos of the best salt and pepper hair color ideas.
#1: Contrasting Salt and Pepper Ombre
Salt and pepper ombre is a great way to add contrasting colors to your gray hair without worrying about high upkeep. Having your natural hair color as the base and the statement color blended at your ends will give your root regrowth a seamless grow-out. Keep in mind that a layered haircut may affect the color placement and that a one-length cut would probably work better with a multi-dimensional hue.
See more shades of silver ombre.
#2: Dark Roots with Salt-and-Pepper Bobbed Hair
You might want to consider dark roots with salt and pepper bobbed hair. Especially if you want less maintenance to your bleached or highlighted roots. Or to add some extra dimension to your already blonde hair. You do not want to miss out on this style!
#3: Salt and Pepper Brushed Up Pixie
Go for an ageless look with salt and pepper brushed-up pixie. Cutting off dead limp strands is beneficial to the health of your hair and will make your hair look thicker. Aging hair gets thinner over time and a pixie cut will refresh those ends and make you feel 10 years younger.
#4: Tapered Salt and Pepper Pixie
A tapered pixie is a great style if you want to change up your regular haircut. Show your hairstylist this photo for reference. Be sure to ask for a tapered texturized pixie with a long disconnected side bang.
#5: Natural-Looking Salt and Pepper Hair
Consider natural salt and pepper hair if you want your hair to be natural-looking. Adding platinum highlights and deep rich lowlights to your hair color will add brightness instantly! The salt and pepper hue is perfect if you want to blend in your natural grays.
#6: Lived-In Salt and Pepper Color Melt
Ask for a salt and pepper color melt if you want a lived-in color that compliments your natural hair color. This is more of maintenance than a full session, color melting helps to preserve your previous treatment (balayage, foiling, etc.) while embracing the true color of your hair.
#7: Brunette Hair with Salt and Pepper Highlights
Brunettes with salt and pepper highlights add sparkle and shine to solid brown hair. Rich brown hair with natural silver streaks is a subtle way to embrace your grey while remaining a brunette. You can check the shades of your salt and pepper hair by pulling your hair back away from your face and looking in the mirror to reflect how the lighter colors suit your skin tone.
#8: Salted and Peppered Hair for Women Over 60
If you’re a woman over 60, salted and peppered hair color can be done in a funky and modern way. 60-year-old women should consider trying a fun, edgy pixie cut by embracing their natural hair color. It allows you to be youthful-looking while sporting a trendy, low-maintenance haircut at the same time.
#9: Gorgeous Grey Hair Color with Dark Streaks
Grey hair color with dark streaks will make your hair stand out from the crowd. Bold salt and pepper hues are super funky and bring individuality and contrast to your hair color. Bring white and silver streaks around your face to help accentuate your face and soften dark brown or black hair hues.
#10: Mature Dark Salt and Pepper Hair
Dark salt and pepper hair is full of dimension and will look great on your skin tone. Darker hair tends to take on deeper silver and brown tones than white tones when going grey, which helps suit women with dark skin complexion.
#11: Popular Salt and Pepper Reverse Ombre
A salt and pepper reverse ombre is a statement hair color that is very popular. When embracing grey and growing out, it’s best to allow your hair to do so naturally to avoid bleaching and damaging hair. Be vigilant about getting regular haircuts for salt and pepper hair in order to keep your mane looking and feeling its best. Blue or purple shampoos are needed to combat brassy tones.
#12: Very Low-Maintenance Salt and Pepper Hair
Low-maintenance salt and pepper hair gives you a breath of fresh air. The best way to speed up the process of growing out your colored hair to reveal your all-natural grey is by doing the “big chop” and sporting a super sexy shorter haircut, like a pixie cut. Rocking your natural salt n pepper hair color will give you a boost of confidence and free you from monthly root touch-up appointments.
#13: Sexy & Dimensional Salt and Pepper Hair
Dimensional salt and pepper hair complements all skin tones with its cool, salt grey undertones. Your hairstylist will use a type of salt and pepper hair dye called a toner. It will help you get cool-toned hues while keeping your hair from looking brassy. The toning service is done every 2-4 months to keep the vibrance of your salt pepper hair.
#14: Flattering Salt and Pepper with Black Undertones
Salt and pepper hair colors with black undertones give gorgeous contrast and depth to your hair color. Ask your stylist to create a “money piece” in your hair by lightening and toning the face-framing layers while leaving depth. Embracing your salt and pepper strands is liberating and freeing.
#15: Effortless Brown Hair with Silver Strands
Brown hair with silver strands adds brightness and life to all over brown-colored tresses. Low-maintenance and natural hair colors are all the rage, so embrace your grays and let them shine through your long hair. When considering hairstyles for salt and pepper hair, opt for a longer-length cut with several face-framing layers to accentuate your grey hues.
#16: Stunning Silver Hair Color for Medium-Length Hair
Silver hair color for medium-length hair is right on trend and extremely low-maintenance. Salt and pepper hair has grey streaks that sparkle with a deep, dark strip that pops. A shoulder-length haircut with lots of layers makes styling easy and allows for a “wash and go” hairstyle.
#17: Classy Pepper and Salt Color for Short Hair
A pepper and salt color for short hair creates a fun way of pairing your gray hair with a textured style. Salt and pepper hair color ideas coupled with dimensional salt and pepper haircuts are a great combination to explore. The piecey pepper and salt colors paired with the several layers complement your overall style.
#18: Blended Salt and Pepper Hair Color
Salt and pepper hair color is a natural way of blending in your gray hair. Salt and pepper gray hair naturally grows out in small pieces and typically will have different levels of gray throughout your tresses. Having both salt and pepper colors in your hair repeats this natural pattern creating a seamless, natural finish. Avoid chlorinated water as it leaves a green residue on your hair.
#19: Gorgeous Light Salt and Pepper Hair
Light salt and pepper hair is perfect for women with light-colored eyes and lighter skin tones. It will brighten the overall look. Using a purple shampoo is more effective on light hair hues.
#20: Very Light Salt and Pepper Color for Women Over 70
If you’re a woman over the age of 70, having a very light salt and pepper hair color is flattering. It offers a youthful-looking glow for the elderly. The bright hue will not wash your skin out, and the darker tone will give some movement to your hair. It’s an easy way to give the appearance of fuller-looking hair since the multiple colors give added volume and depth to your tresses.
#21: Modern Salt and Pepper Hair with Lowlights
Salt and pepper hair with lowlights is a great hue for adding depth back to graying hair. The darker grays will make your brighter pieces pop. Consider a subtle lowlight underneath to have a softer root grow-out.
#22: Stunning Gray Hair Color with Light Streaks
Gray hair color with light streaks is a beautiful way to add natural brightness and movement. The salt and pepper tones complement each other and can create a more textured style. To achieve a grayish color, be sure to tell your stylist that you want the highlights to look natural with your gray and have a similar tone to blonde highlights.
#23: Trendy Salt and Pepper Color for Women Over 30
If you’re a woman over the age of 30, salt and pepper color is a great color choice to cool down skin tones and create a natural yet bold look. Keep in mind, that if your hair isn’t naturally light or already graying, it can take more than one color appointment to achieve this look. Women in their 30s benefit from this color as it will blend in the new grays as they poke out. It could also require frequent upkeep depending on how dark or light your hair was prior. Lighter hair will require less maintenance.
#24: Naturally Salt and Pepper Hair for Women Over 50
If you’re a woman over 50, Naturally salt and pepper hair offers a youthful touch to your tresses. Just as hair color changes, skin tone does as well. The cooler tones in the grays can brighten up your skin’s complexion. You will need a purple shampoo to protect your hair from sun exposure, mineral or product buildup, and even hard water when dealing with salt and pepper-colored hair.
Not sure if you want salt and pepper hair? Check out these hair color ideas for women over 50.
#25: Impressive Salt and Pepper Highlights on Darker Hair
Consider salt and pepper highlights on darker hair if you have grey hair in your regrowth that you want to blend out. To help you decide if this look would work for you, ask your stylist for a piece of advice! The mixture of salt & pepper will add depth and dimension to your hair.
#26: Sophisticated Salt and Pepper for Women Over 40
If you are over the age of 40, salt and pepper colors are trending huge at the moment. Women in their 40s are embracing their silver locks, and it’s stunning! It’s time to learn to love your natural locks instead of fighting them, so opt for salt and pepper hairstyles right now!