The silver hair trend is as much of an attitude as it’s a hair color, and it isn’t just for “the elderly” these days. Silver is chic, sexy, edgy, and super on-trend. Women of all ages are rocking shades of silver from bright platinums to smokey grays.
If you’re wanting to know how to maintain silver hair, a great purple shampoo treatment will keep the color lasting longer. However, you’ll want to ask your stylist or colorist about your specific maintenance because silver has high upkeep.
Before your next hair coloring appointment, check out these pictures of silver hair color ideas.
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.
Silver Ash Grey
If you don’t want all of your hair entirely influenced by the silver color popularity, you can always opt for the ever-beautiful silver ash grey balayage.
Bright Silver Blue Ombre
A bright silver blue ombre plays tricks on your eyes as the color moves from a warm, rich brown base to a spectacular mix of cool, vibrant colors. Talk to your hairstylist about its maintenance and avoid high heat as it tends to fade vivid colors faster. Use a shine serum to finish this look.
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 the 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. Don’t shampoo more than twice weekly, and use a pigmented hair mask every other week to keep the color looking on point!
Silver Lilac Hair Color
This silver lilac hair color mixed with platinum grey on the ends deserves a double-take. 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.
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.
Edgy Short Silver Pixie Undercut
This short silver hair has a fearless undercut and it’s asymmetrical.
To keep the integrity of your hair, slow and steady lightening is the proper way to do it.
Silver Mermaid Hair
Color your long hair silver and give it a half-up braided ‘do to look like a unique, edgy mermaid.
Ice Gray Silver
No space for warmth with this ultra-cool icy silver shade! This hair color is perfect for any hair length and texture. Keep the gray hair roots if you have a natural dark mane for easier upkeep.
Silvery Rose Gold
Warm and cool tones may be extreme opposites but could actually work fantastically like these rose gold and pink tones on silver hair!
Braided Silver and Purple Hair
This silver purple hair is such a hairspiration, created by stylist Stephanie of Japan.
In order to get this silver hue, Stephanie used Ion purple, a dot of Ion magenta, Olaplex No.1, and lots of clear conditioner.
She washed the hair with Amino Acid Shampoo from Kiehl’s and Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask from Shiseido. Then, applied a small amount of argan oil while blow-drying and before styling.
Unicorn Silver
The color is 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 the hair no matter what is used, so a strict home regime is essential. 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.
Silver Ash Brown
Silver ash brown hair will fade out quickly because the hair is bleached to a level 9 (that’s almost a platinum). You need to bleach it that much in order to obtain that silver look.
Barcelona-based stylist Zix warns that if you’re a woman that doesn’t care a lot about hair color, this one is not for you.
The hair is bleached. So even if your hairdresser cares about the hair and takes care of it, it’s always bleached and it would dry out the hair. Zix adds, “Keep in mind that you must hydrate and condition the dyed hair as much as possible to keep it healthy and shiny. I recommend Olaplex N3 as a weekly treatment.”
Silver Babylights
This color features a slightly lighter gunmetal silver grey. “I love the different tones throughout the hair. It was a beautiful result,” says hairstylist Samantha Simpson of Sunshine Coast, QLD.
“It’s imperative that you understand what it takes to achieve this color: time and money for maintenance,” she points out.
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.
Simpson warns, “Be patient with your hairdresser and purchase the products he/she recommends! We actually do care greatly about keeping the integrity of your hair! We want it to be healthy and for your colors to last! Using cheap shampoo and conditioner only strips your color out.”
Finally, Simpson makes a reminder to be prepared to visit the salon every 4-6 weeks. These types of colors have a tendency to fade as they’re high-maintenance.
Silver Mauve
The silver and mauve colors melt together so well, creating a shade of pale violet silver fox. Rachel Kay is the stylist from Renton, WA who made this look.
“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,” Kay warns.
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. Once you achieve your new look, you’ll want to protect your investment with proper products.
Silver Periwinkle Hair
A transitioning color from red to silver turned out to a dimensional cool tone color melt, which is smoked sapphire and smokey ash blue. This hair gem was created by stylist Allison Oliver of Texas.
Oliver suggests using color-safe shampoo and conditioner that are sulfate and paraben-free. “I suggest AG hair care because they’re cruelty-free and each their product goes towards women’s education in Africa,” she explains.
Ice Blue Silver Hair
This hair color is a smokey, silver, pastel blue-violet by stylist Ashley Lynn of Dulles, VA.
Many ladies ask for this hair color. This silver hair dye is by far the hardest to achieve, according to Lynn. If one has a very light hair color naturally, it makes it easier to accomplish.
“I would encourage ladies to consider what their natural color is, and understand that the darker their 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,” Lynn advises.
Silver Hair Ombre
This hair color is a silver ombre, created by stylist Sarah Boling of Utah. It’s a deep smokey root melted into a light silver or violet.
Boling discusses clear expectations for women who want this type of color. These colors take time, and investment, but are fun during the process.
When applying the silver tones, Boling likes to take it slightly deeper to give more time before it fades out. “I tell them that they’ll leave with a deeper smokey gray that will fade beautifully, and give them more time with their new fashion color. Nothing is worse for them than spending so much time getting there and then having it fade out in a couple of washes,” she adds.
Platinum Silver Hair
This is a chic platinum silver, done by celebrity hairstylist Brooke Benton of Los Angeles. “It shows off a white platinum look, but without the drama of having to keep up with regrowth every four weeks,” says Benton.
Benton adds, “My favorite thing about this look is that it’s low-maintenance platinum because it’s balayaged (hand painted) into her natural root color, allowing a forgiving and natural grow out that can go on for months out of the salon.”
This platinum silver color works great for light skin tones, especially those with yellow undertones to darker skin tones. Silver hair color has a tendency to wash out those with pink undertones, so remember this when talking to your stylist.
Deep Steel Brown Silver Color
This is a deep steel brown silver shade, a dark grey with the slightest glimmer of brown made by Roz Corpuz, a stylist from California.
Corpuz says a common misconception that women have about colors like these is the length of time it actually lasts. “In their mind they’re “going dark”, but hairdressers know that while the tone of grey is dark, she’s still ultimately blonde underneath,” she explains. “Because the desired tone is so ashy, the dark grey toner is directly placed onto the blonde hair without using a filler first, giving the toner no “glue” to hold on to. This makes these colors very high-maintenance.”
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.
To obtain and maintain this hair color, stylist Ashley Arial of California used 8SM by Guy Tang + Paul Mitchel Pop color in the shade steel after lightening using Wella Freelights. For the roots, Arial blended a level 3N with her metallic ends to create a seamless and timeless look. Blending is key!
This look is for those who aren’t too defiant with the natural colors but are daring at heart. Arial states, “This shiny metallic hue is perfect for those beating to their own drum. This look is modest, yet rock and roll. Perfect for any age, skin tone, and hair type.”
Dimensional Silver Bob
This hair color is a dimensional silver, designed by colorist Michelle Lindsay of Utah.
“I purposely put some highs and lows in the hair to give a multi-dimensional effect. I do this with a lot of my color, regardless of the tone, because I believe the most flattering hair color has dimension. If color is just one-note, it has less movement and tends to look like a wig,” she states.
Lindsay believes that your hair should definitely fit your own personality and style. “This lady with shorter hair is in the 60+ age category and has been nearly every color over the past several years. She has a great sense of style and always maintains a very stylish and classic look, even when doing the trends,” she explains.
Medium-Length Silver Hair
This mid-length silver mane is very trendy and fashion forward.
According to Illinois-based stylist Elizabeth Eiten, it’s not something you see every day! It definitely sets you apart from others and really shows your style and personality.
To achieve the color, Eiten states, “I had to bleach and tone and knowing that I wanted to get her to that icy silver hairstyle and knew I had to cool her off before applying my finishing color. To cool her hair off, I used Goldwell’s Colorance 10P. It can be applied right at the bowl on towel-dried hair. After that was processed and she was blow-dried, I used Elumen to give her that silver look! I used SV@10 and NA@2. If you want more of a charcoal grey, just add more of the NA@2!”
This silver hair is definitely for a woman that’s trendy and into fashion. Eiten adds, “You will 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 will not get the vibrancy or target color if the hair isn’t lifted to a level 10.”
Rooted Icy Gray and Silver Blend
Here’s a silver hair trend, which is a rooted icy blonde color by stylist Kristi Murdoch of Nebraska.
“I love the contrast between the darker base and the bright pops of balayaged blonde throughout. I feel like 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,” Murdoch expresses.
The great thing about this look is that it can work with any hair type and skin tone. Women with darker hair color will have to be patient and understand it’s a multiple-appointment process to lighten the hair to achieve this look while maintaining the hair’s integrity.
Dark Silver Hair
Here’s a is a dark silver hair color that’s striking yet subtle. It was designed by stylist Genevieve Caspillo from Vancouver, BC.
To create this color, Caspillo used Loreal Professional StudioBlonde Lightener with Brazilian Bond Builder to protect the integrity of the hair, then toned with Schwarzkopf Silverwhite and 0-11 Booster.
The more natural light the 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 multiple sessions, lots of care, patience, cooperation, understanding, and acceptance from both the stylist and the ladies,” says Caspillo.
Icy White Silver
This is icy white silver hair and the most requested color recently, according to colorist Karo Jade of Canada. This is difficult to achieve as the hair needs to be initially lifted to a level 10, but ladies love it!
Jade warns, “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.”
Silver Blonde
This is a silver-blonde color, made by hairstylist Mandy Allen of Canada.
“This look is great for gals who don’t mind coming in every three to four weeks to have the color refreshed. Silver blonde hair is beautiful, but requires a lot of maintenance! Lightening the hair also requires regular treatments to prevent breakage, so a busy, always-on-the-go woman may not be the best fit for this type of look,” Allen explains.
Multi-Dimensional Platinum Silver
Consider a multi-dimensional platinum blonde silver hue. Designed by stylist Lindsay Huth of Arizona, this color has serious depth and still grows out beautifully. Dimensional ice blondes like this are on-trend.
This is a great look for any type of hair. “The dimension makes it easier for ladies to stretch the time between appointments for easier upkeep,” says Huth.
Silver Lavender
Consider a color that’s a silver platinum with lavender undertones.
“I love how it fades from a darker grey into the platinum. The melting from the dark to light creates dimension. It also makes for a better grow-out since I bleach them all over to a level 10 before I apply the platinum color,” stylist Kelsey Kovacevich of Saint Paul, MN explains.
This hair color is ideal on 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 that have a natural level 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!
Pearly Blonde Silver Hair Toner
Opt for a pearly blonde silver hue, which shows soft tones and a clean blonde.
UK-based stylist Ashleigh Henson used Wella Professional Blond, Olaplex, and Re-lights Toner to achieve the color. For the upkeep, Henson suggests 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 for women who like to look after themselves because it requires a lot of upkeep,” Henson notes.
A Flirty Fun Shade of Silver
The best thing about this silver hair shade is that it’s fun and contemporary, but a very challenging color to achieve without compromising the hair too much.
Hairstylist Rebecca Oranges of Las Vegas, NV states, “This is best for a woman that has a straight, skinny texture and is about a level 7 or higher. It’s best for a high-maintenance woman that likes to get their hair done more often. It takes some time and more frequent appointments to keep the hair looking beautiful.”
Deep Dark Silver
This dark silver hair color has a deeper feel to it. Texas-based stylist Ana Lara says, “I love that we broke up her roots with a highlighting technique that will give her a nice grow out.”
To maintain the beautiful color, Ana Lara suggests Viral Extreme Silver ColorWash and Kevin Murphy Hydrate.me rinse.
“This shade requires a lot of maintenance, so this is the perfect look for pretty women who don’t mind the upkeep and long hours at the salon,” Ana Lara states.
Silver Red Ombre
Opt for an ombre that’s definitely an unconventional approach to the world of silver. Stylist Kylie Butler of Seattle, WA created this look.
“By combining both warm and cool tones, I created something eye-popping that stands out from the vivids you see day-to-day,” states Butler.
She continues, “This color may not work for you if you can’t break the hair washing habit, or if you frequently swim in chlorine pools. The 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.”
Grunge Silver Ombre Hair
Silver grey hair is no longer something to hide. According to hairstylist Chelsea Redman of Virginia, it’s grunge yet glamorous!
What’s astounding about this wavy silver ombre hair is how it’s hand-painted into the natural hair color, making the smokey gray look soft and elegant.
Redman explains, “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.”
Silver Pixie Cut
This look is described as an ultra modern classic pixie cut with a stunning silver tone to match its edginess. As per hair artist Nick Strong of the UK, 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. The combination of the silver tones with the pixie cut is such a beautiful and elegant way to give everyone else hair envy,” Strong points out.
Blue Silver Hair
This is a textured short to medium haircut with an enhanced silver blue shade.
Colorist Gary Corcoran of Motherwell, UK says, “Silvers and grey and even ash colors don’t particularly last long in the hair if the hair has been pre-lightened before applying the toner.” Thus, Corcoran recommends using AVEDA’s Color Conserve Shampoo and Conditioner to really preserve the color as long as possible.
Corcoran explains, “If you want to keep up the tone at home, I would 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.”
Silver A-Line Bob
This hair color is a dimensional, rooted, cool blonde, with accents of pearl and silver grey by Mathew Ocasio, a stylist from Wilkes Barre, PA. “My favorite thing about it is how beautifully it blends into her root and how it’s cooled down without looking muddy,” Ocasio notes.
To create this look, Ocasio recommends using Redken Shades EQ 9B, 9V, and 9T with clear, or Kenra Professional’s Guy Tang Metallic Series. To maintain the silver tones and keep the blonde cool, Ocasio suggests using a purple shampoo such as Fanola’s No Yellow shampoo, or Clairol’s Shimmer Lights.
Black and Silver Braids
Ask your stylist for silver hair with dark roots, styled with braids. Made by Colorado-based stylist Dawn Reece, this hair color can also be achieved with a grey shadow root.
The products Reece used for this black and silver hair color were all J Beverly Hills. Reece explains, “I prepped with Detangle and Glaze Me. For styling, I used Mousse Up. After drying, I used a little Finissage when I was braiding for control. Before pulling the braids out, I sprinkled some Volumis onto the braids to give them some grip while pulling.”
Agate Slice Silver Hair
This silver hair is named the agate slice by stylist Maggie Venour of Texas.
Venour points out, “It felt like looking at a thin slice of agate when finished. It’s an icy and metallic blonde with silver and metallic light brown lowlights. I 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 Bomb can also be made for take-home with Olaplex 3,” Venour mentions.
Layered Dark Roots on Silver Hair
A lengthy silver hair color would be impossible without taking the right steps like doing a fabulous balayage and a choppy V-cut finish. With the dark roots, the tone creates a beautiful ash blonde hint.
