Silver hair color has been a trending hair color for the past few years, and it’s no surprise why. This hair color is stunning and can be tailored to suit many different styles and skin tones. However, achieving silver hair color is not an easy feat, and it requires a lot of maintenance to keep the color looking its best. To help you navigate the world of silver hair color, I’ve gathered some advice from an expert stylist and color director, Lisa Dinh. I’ll also provide you with some stunning silver hair color ideas that will inspire you to take the plunge and transform your locks into a gorgeous silver hue. So, buckle up and get ready to explore some of the most beautiful silver hair color ideas out there!
Meet The Expert
Lisa Dinh
Lisa is a stylist and color director with over 14 years of experience.
You can find Lisa at her hair studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Silver hair has been gaining popularity in recent years, and for women considering this striking color, there are a few things to keep in mind. I spoke with Lisa Dinh, a stylist and color director, who shared some tips on how to achieve and maintain this look.
Lisa says that achieving silver hair is a process that requires time, patience, and maintenance. “From dark virgin hair, we need to strip the hair to a level 10 and then tone silver,” she says. “From natural grey growing out, it’s a Color Correction and we need to slowly strip out colored ends. We recommend a clarifying shampoo before visiting the salon. If they have existing color on the ends, we also agree on a haircut!”
When it comes to maintaining silver hair, Lisa recommends Fanola Purple Shampoo. “It’s the most pigmented purple shampoo on the market and really helps tone the hair in-between hair services,” she says. “Purple shampoo is a must in order to maintain the color as it will fade and go to blonde. I recommend using it once a week or every 2 weeks.”
For women considering silver hair who currently have the opposite hair color, Lisa advises coming in for a hair strand test. “I recommend all women with the opposite hair color that want silver to get a strand test because we can really tell from a strand test if the hair will lift and set the expectations based on their hair history,” she says. “This provides the client with a lot of detail as well and a game plan for the hairstylist.”
Lisa also cautions against some common mistakes women make when it comes to getting and maintaining silver hair. “Women usually don’t use the right products or get wrong that this is a ‘permanent’ color,” she says. “Every color fades and requires professional toners in-between and professional products to maintain the hair color and the integrity of the hair as it is a lot of bleaching to get the silver color. Without proper care, the hair will fade.”
Finally, Lisa suggests that before deciding to go for silver hair, there are a few important questions to ask the hair colorist. “Is this possible on my hair based on my hair history, hair texture, and the integrity of my hair?” she says. “That is such a big question because it gives the hairstylist the opportunity to really have a thorough consultation based on that client’s hair. Also, another important question is how to maintain the color. Having silver hair is almost a lifestyle. It’s a luxury to maintain and to upkeep.”
Get ready to be mesmerized by the silver hair color ideas I’ve curated – you won’t be able to resist checking out every single stunning picture!
#1: Sleek Shoulder-Length Straight Cut
Go for a trendy look with a sleek shoulder-length straight cut. Shoulder length is one of the easiest lengths to style and manage. Your hair needs to be lifted to a pale blonde before you are able to achieve a silver hue. Be prepared to have frequent highlighting sessions before you are able to achieve your desired silver tone.
#2: All Over Gray-Silver Makeover
This all-over grey-silver look is a gorgeous option if you want to stop coloring your hair. Do you feel you have aging hair or are you looking to lower your in-salon maintenance? If so, this cut would be a great option to keep your locks looking luscious.
#3: Wispy Silver Curls
A wispy silver curly hairstyle is perfect for women of any age. I suggest embracing the curls if you want to lower chemical exposure. Plus, this cut will enhance your natural beauty. Using Oway’s Silver Steel Hair Bath helps natural grey and white hair stay pretty. It has an anti-yellow illuminating hair bath.
#4: Long Silver Hair with Short Layers
Ask for a long silver style with short crown layers. To embrace your gray and stop coloring your hair, see a colorist who specializes in this technique. You will be going through a long 10+ hour process and could do it in one day or break it up into a couple of appointments. It all depends on what your current color and hair health situation looks like. Always do a consultation to get the best results.
#5: Soft Pixie Cut for Silver-Haired Women
Silver-haired women look great with soft pixie cuts. Aging hair does amazing at a short length because the styling efforts do not need to be extravagant. A simple wash-and-go and a texturing spray create a super sexy voluminous chop. Don’t forget to ask your stylist for lots of texture for the perfect grow-out.
#6: One-Length Silver Curly Bob
The perfect shape for thick curly hair is a one-length bob. Keeping the style weighted can help hold the shape. All without your curl pattern springing up too tightly. My preferred way of cutting curls is typically dry. Don’t forget to ask for a dry haircut if you intend to preserve length.
#7: Long Silver Waves
Nothing brings out a stunning silver like some long waves. This color would be great if you have been rocking the all over platinum blonde but want to try something new. A silver toner is all that is needed to achieve this look on platinum-blonde hair. An amazing conditioner to maintain the tone at home would be Biolage Color Balm in Earl Grey.
#8: Silvery Short Wavy Bob
Silver-toned hair will be shining in every season to come. Don’t be timid of jumping into this color, it will make your hair trendy and modern. My best advice is to find the grey tone that is right for your skin tone. For example, olive tones can pull off a deeper sliver without being drained out. Pale skin tones will need a softer lighter silver. For products use a blue toning shampoo once a week to keep up, but do not overuse as it can dull your color.
#9: Gorgeous Natural Grey
If you want to embrace your gorgeous natural grey, you can! One of the most common challenges with grey hair is the moment you decide to go from a monthly dye to au natural. But thanks to modern salon tech, this transition isn’t as hard as it once was. Call up your local salon to help get your transition started!
#10: Chic White Silver Hair
A white silver color is an awesome option to think about if you have thin hair. The silver strands add dimension and can make thin hair look voluminous.
#11: Salt-and-Pepper Gorgeous Bob
Don’t be afraid to go back to your roots with a gorgeous salt-and-pepper bob cut. A unique silver hue will make your hair look chic and stunning. If you can, let your natural white grow in softly, because bleach can be harsh on your strands. Don’t forget to use a purple shampoo for at-home use to keep yellow tones away.
#12: Trendy Silver Ash Grey
If you don’t want all of your silver hair entirely influenced by the silver color popularity, you can always opt for the ever-beautiful silver ash grey hair balayage color.
#13: Bright Silver Blue Ombre
A bright silver blue ombre plays tricks on your eyes as your color moves from a warm, rich brown base to a spectacular mix of cool, vibrant colors. Talk to your hairstylist about silver hair maintenance and avoid high heat as it tends to fade vivid colors faster. Use a shine serum to finish this look.
#14: Stunning Silver Hair Highlights
Sultry, ashy, silver highlights are the types of pastel and metallic tones that can be quite an undertaking to achieve. Pastels and silvers have such little density of pigment, so your hair needs to be very pale blonde (almost pure white) in order for them to show up unless you have salt and pepper hair already. A good at-home haircare routine is crucial for silver highlights. Don’t shampoo more than twice weekly, and use a pigmented hair mask every other week to keep the silver hair color looking on point!
#15: Eye-Catching Silver Lilac Hair Color
A silver lilac hair color mixed with platinum grey on the ends looks spectacular. Keep in mind that this is a high-maintenance hue as fantasy colors tend to fade quickly. Keep your calendar open as you’ll be visiting the salon often for touch-ups. Use a heat protectant when styling, as excessive heat can make the hue fade quicker.
#16: Sweet Pastel Silver Pink
Try pastel silver pink hair color if you want to bring out your inner unicorn vibes! To achieve silver and pink pastel tones, you will need platinum blonde hair to start. The silver color melted into the pink hue will leave people dreaming about your tresses.
#17: Edgy Short Silver Pixie Undercut
Short silver hair looks fearless with an undercut and when it’s asymmetrical. To keep the integrity of your hair, slow and steady lightening is the proper way to do it.
#18: Trendsetting Silver Mermaid Hair
Color your long hair silver and give it a half-up braided ‘do to look like a unique, edgy mermaid.
#19: Wonderful Ice Gray Silver
Try an ultra-cool icy silver shade! This hair color is perfect for any hair length and texture. Keep your gray hair roots if you have a natural dark mane for easier upkeep.
#20: Vivid Silvery Rose Gold
Warm and cool tones may be extreme opposites but could actually work fantastically with rose gold and pink tones on silver hair!
#21: Cool Braided Silver and Purple Hair
A silver purple hair is such a hairspiration. In order to get this silver hue, your colorist could use Ion purple, a dot of Ion magenta, Olaplex No.1, and lots of clear conditioner. Wash your hair with Amino Acid Shampoo from Kiehl’s and Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask from Shiseido. Then, apply a small amount of argan oil while blow-drying your hair and before styling.
#22: Remarkable Unicorn Silver
Consider a steel silver with blue highlights. It’s meant to be icy and reflects a more winter glacial look with the deep cool that creates the contrast to the more subtle silver ends. Bleaching is damaging to your hair no matter what is used, so a strict home regime is essential. I recommend you use a variety of protein-based masks followed by a hydrating mask, and either a violet or blue shampoo to contract the yellow tones. These types of colors require maintenance when being washed, but only require a wash once or twice a week.
#23: Subtle Silver Ash Brown
A silver ash brown hair color will fade out quickly because the dark brown hair is bleached to a level 9 (that’s almost platinum). You need to bleach it that much in order to obtain that silver look. Keep in mind that you must hydrate and condition your dyed hair as much as possible to keep it healthy and shiny. I recommend Olaplex N3 as a weekly treatment.
#24: Beautiful Silver Babylights
Consider a slightly lighter gunmetal silver grey hair. I love the different tones that will show throughout your hair. It’s a beautiful result. It’s imperative that you understand what it takes to achieve a silver color like this: time and money for maintenance. It can take many hours and many visits to your hairdresser’s chair to achieve this color. It can be a very challenging color to achieve, especially if you’ve been box-dying it on your own at home for the past few years. Be patient with your hairdresser and purchase the products they recommend! They do care greatly about keeping the integrity of your hair! They want it to be healthy and for your colors to last! Using cheap shampoo and conditioner only strips your color out.
#25: Sexy Silver Mauve
The silver and mauve colors melt together so well, creating a shade of pale violet silver fox. This is a very fun, but high-maintenance silver hair color. It may even require several bleaching sessions to achieve the root-to-tip, icy look you’re going for. As for maintenance, you’ll also want to schedule a bleach re-touch and tone every 3-4 weeks. Plan ahead and budget for the cost of your new locks.
#26: Silverish Periwinkle Hair
A silver periwinkle looks stunning and dimensional as cool tone color melt. It looks like smoked sapphire and a smokey ash blue. I suggest using color-safe shampoo and conditioner that are sulfate and paraben-free. Consider using AG hair care because they’re cruelty-free and each product goes towards women’s education in Africa.
#27: Bold Ice Blue Silver Hair
A smokey, silver, pastel blue-violet is very eye-catching, but hard to achieve. If you have a very light hair color, it makes it easier to accomplish. I would encourage you to consider what your natural color is, and understand that the darker your hair, the harder it is to achieve this look. If you’re starting with a dark canvas, you most likely won’t achieve this look in one sitting.
#28: Enchanting Silver Hair Ombre
A silver ombre looks stylish when it has a deep smokey root melted into a light silver or violet. Here’s what should know if you’re considering a silver ombre color. These colors take time, and investment, but are fun during the process. When applying the silver tones, your stylist may take a slightly deeper to give more time before it fades out. The deeper smokey gray will fade beautifully, and give your more time with your new fashion color.
#29: Cool-Girl Platinum Silver Hair
Try chic platinum silver hair as it shows off a white platinum look, but without the drama of having to keep up with regrowth every four weeks. It’s a low-maintenance platinum because it’s balayaged (hand painted) into your natural root color. This allows a forgiving and natural grow-out that can go on for months out of the salon. This platinum, silver hair color works great for light skin tones. Especially if you have yellow undertones to darker skin tones. Silver hair color has a tendency to wash out if you have pink undertones, so remember this when talking to your stylist.
#30: Deep Steel Brown Silver Color
A deep steel brown silver shade looks lovely because the tone is so ashy. The dark grey toner is directly placed onto your hair without using a filler first, giving the toner no “glue” to hold on to. This makes these colors very high-maintenance.
#31: Stunning Steel Metallic Silver
Opt for a shade of silver that’s a wintery, metallic steel. The best thing about it is the pop of pigment, as well as, the violet and blue undertones. This look is for you if you’re not too defiant with the natural colors but are daring at heart. This shiny metallic hue is perfect for you if you’re beating your own drum.
#32: Dimensional Silver Bob
Try a hair color that is dimensional by pairing the silver with a feathered bob. Ask your stylist to put some highs and lows in your hair to give a multi-dimensional effect. If color is just one-note, it has less movement and tends to look like a wig. Your hair should definitely fit your own personality and style. If you’re a lady with shorter hair in the 60+ age category, this is definitely a stylish hairdo.
#33: Tousled Medium-Length Silver Hair
A mid-length silver mane is very trendy and fashion-forward. It’s not something you see every day! It definitely sets you apart from others and really shows your style and personality. This silver hair is definitely for a woman that’s trendy and into fashion. You’ll need to regularly visit the salon! It’s for the female who already has blonde hair. To get this tone, you have to be very close to a level 10 (white blonde). You’ll not get the vibrancy or target color if your hair isn’t lifted to a level 10.
#34: Rooted Icy Gray and Silver Blend
Try a silver hair trend, which is a rooted icy blonde color. You’ll love the contrast between the darker base and the bright pops of balayaged blonde throughout. This really captures the lived-in color that everyone is embracing lately. So many times icy blondes and grey blondes can seem one-dimensional, but I love that this look has many different cool shades to compliment the others,
#35: Amazing Dark Silver Hair
A dark silver hair color is striking yet subtle. The more natural light your hair is to start with, the better. Nevertheless, this color is not possible on darker hair, it’s just dependent on the level of lightening needed. It may take you multiple sessions, lots of care, patience, cooperation, understanding, and acceptance from both the stylist and yourself.
#36: Bright Icy White Silver
An icy white silver hair is one of the most requested silver hair colors right now. However, it’s difficult to achieve as your hair needs to be initially lifted to a level 10, but ladies love it! This color is definitely not for everyone, and not everyone can achieve it, either. Some hair will never get this light due to natural underlying pigment or will break off before we can get near it. This is even with the use of the amazing Olaplex.
#37: Incredible Silver Blonde
A silver-blonde hair color is for women who don’t mind visiting their hair salon every three to four weeks to refresh their color. Silver-blonde hair is beautiful but requires a lot of maintenance! Lightening your hair also requires regular treatments to prevent breakage. So if you’re a busy, always-on-the-go woman may not be the best fit for this type of look.
#38: Multi-Dimensional Platinum Silver
You should consider a multi-dimensional platinum blonde silver hue. This color has serious depth and still grows out beautifully. Dimensional ice blondes like this are on-trend. The dimension makes it easier for ladies to stretch the time between appointments for easier upkeep.
#39: Chic Silver Lavender
Consider a color that’s silver platinum with lavender undertones. I love how it fades from a darker grey into platinum. The melting from the dark to light creates dimension. It also makes for a better grow-out. This hair color is ideal for cooler skin tones, but it looks awesome with every eye color! Be aware that this is a high-maintenance color. This will be the lowest maintenance and easiest to achieve on women with a natural level of 7-10 hair. But that doesn’t mean you can’t achieve this color on natural level 1-6 hair. It may take longer to achieve and will be a higher maintenance color, but still beautiful!
#40: Pearly Blonde Silver Hair Toner
Opt for a pearly blonde silver hue, which shows soft tones and a clean blonde. For the upkeep, I suggest using the Fudge violet toning shampoo. Cool-toned skin with brown, blue, or green eyes will look great with this color. This look is perfect if you’re a woman who likes to look after yourself because it requires a lot of upkeep.
#41: A Flirty Fun Shade of Silver
One thing about a silver hair shade is that it can be very challenging to achieve without compromising your hair too much. This is best if your hair is straight with skinny texture and about a level 7 or higher. It’s best for a high-maintenance woman that likes to get her hair done more often. It takes some time and more frequent appointments to keep your hair looking beautiful.
#42: Deep Dark Silver
A dark silver hair color has a deeper feel to it. It looks lovely when you break up your roots with a highlighting technique that will give you a nice grow-out. To maintain the beautiful color, I suggest you use Viral Extreme Silver ColorWash and Kevin Murphy Hydrate.me rinse.
#43: Vivid Silver Red Ombre
Opt for an ombre that’s definitely an unconventional approach to the world of silver. By combining both warm and cool tones, it becomes something eye-popping that stands out from the vivids you see day-to-day. This color may not work for you if you can’t break your hair washing habit, or if you frequently swim in chlorine pools. Your color will fade quickly if not cared for properly and you really don’t want to waste hundreds of dollars and literally wash your color down the drain.
#44: Grunge Silver Ombre Hair
Silver grey hair is no longer something to hide. What’s astounding about this wavy silver ombre hair is how it’s hand-painted into the natural brunette hair color. This makes the smokey gray look soft and elegant. Whether you have a short or long haircut, a straight or curly hair texture, you can rock this! It looks incredible with any skin tone or eye color, too.
#45: Cute & Sweet Silver Pixie Cut
Try an ultra modern classic pixie cut with a stunning silver tone to match its edginess. It has lots of current techniques that give it a contemporary edge. It’s also a great color if you want to be on-trend and stand out. Combining the silver tones with the pixie cut is such a beautiful and elegant way to give everyone else hair envy.
#46: Impressive Blue Silver Hair
A textured short to medium haircut looks incredible when enhanced by silver blue shade. Silvers and grey and even ash colors don’t particularly last long in your hair if your hair has been pre-lightened before applying the toner. Thus, I recommend using AVEDA’s Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner to really preserve your color as long as possible. If you want to keep up the tone at home, I recommend using Wella Color Fresh 10/81. This is a semi-permanent shampoo. It’s packed with blue/grey tones to refresh any color fading.
#47: Stunning Silver A-Line Bob
An a-line bob paired with a silver hair color is dimensional. Go for a rooted, cool blonde with accents of pearl and silver grey. It will beautifully blend into your roots and how it’s cooled down without looking muddy.
#48: On-Trend Black and Silver Layers
Ask your stylist for silver hair with dark roots, styled with layers. This hair color can also be achieved with a grey shadow root on black hair. For styling, use Mousse Up. After drying, use a little Finissage when styling for control.
#49: Agate Slice Silver Hair
Try an icy and metallic blonde with silver and metallic light brown lowlights. You’ll really love how the silver has underlying aqua tones in different types of light. To maintain, use L’anza Healing Color Care products and Celeb Luxury Viral Silver Shampoo cut in half with regular color care shampoo. An Olaplex Color B can also be made for take-home with Olaplex 3.
#50: Gorgeous Layered Dark Roots on Silver Hair
A lengthy silver hair color will look fabulous with a balayage and a choppy V-cut finish. With your dark roots, the tone creates a beautiful ash blonde hint.
Readers Also Ask
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Silver hair and grey hair are essentially the same thing. People tend to use the word "grey" if it's a dark silver. The more of your original natural color mixed in with the silver, the more "grey" it will look.
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Natural silver hair is pretty easy to maintain. The only thing to be cautious of is excess heat. Using too much heat on silver hair can cause yellowing.
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It's hard to determine if your hair will go silver or white before it actually happens. Hair color is determined by genetics though, so if anyone in your family has true white hair, you may end up with white hair also.
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Hair that is naturally silver will not fade. However, hair that has been colored silver will fade quickly.
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There are a lot of great ways to go grey without looking old. Mixing in highlights as the grey grows in can create a beautiful, natural-looking color. Using your natural grey as a base for a balayage will help you look youthful while going grey as well.