This article has been updated since it originally published on March 7, 2023.
It’s no secret that gray and silver hair is beautiful, and that there are so many ways to rock it! We rounded up 23 hairstyles for inspiration, as well as trendy celeb examples.
We also checked in with hair experts for tips on how to maintain a healthy look and care for gray hair.
Read on for suggestions and insight from Dr. Roshan Vara, hair transplant surgeon and co-founder at The Treatment Rooms, Adriana Tapia, color specialist at Pierre Michel Salon, Ghanima Abdullah, hair expert and cosmetologist at The Right Hairstyles and Gina Rivera, celebrity hairstylist and founder of Phenix Salon Suites.
With that said, here are 20 exciting ways to add oomph to your gray tresses:
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1. Layered Salt-And-Pepper Pixie
Jamie Lee Curtis is the eternal queen of chic, short gray hairstyles and frequently sports a layered 'do that flatters her features effortlessly. "A pixie cut is always fun and can be styled in such a way that is youthful but also mature," Vara says.
2. Silver, Side-Parted Pompadour
Pink is also known to rock epic short hairstyles, and her silver hair color is truly unforgettable. With this pompadour look, she adds instant volume and a side part for even more pizzazz.
3. Piecey Black-And-Gray Pixie
Halle Berry's edgy, side-parted pixie cut is timeless, and shows that you can also add another color to gray for a two-tone look anytime! This, as Vara says is a "great statement hairstyle and always makes gray hair stand out."
4. Sleek, Chin-Length Gray Bob
Cynthia Nixon stunned fans with a sleek and understated gray bob during the first season of And Just Like That. The look works so well thanks to its angular ends and neat part.
5. Metallic Wavy Bob
Ciara wowed everyone at the 2016 Met Gala with a wavy, deep side-parted, silvery hairstyle. This look epically channels Old Hollywood glam.
6. Wavy Gray Bob With Side Bangs
Glenn Close's gray shoulder-length bob and side bangs pairing is elegant and ageless. "A longer bob is always very flattering," Vara says, and it is a "great way to grow out your gray hair."
7. Ultra-Voluminous Gray Pixie
Nicole Richie turned up the volume for her 2013 Met Gala appearance, and we never forgot this gray look! Adding volume to a gray pixie, Vara says, can really help "make the color pop."
8. Center-Parted, Wavy Silver Lob
Nafessa Williams' wavy lob commands attention with its symmetry-promoting part, shiny, silvery hue and stunning waves.
9. Layered Gray Bob With Wispy Fringe
Helen Mirren always shines with her short, gray styles, and this one is hard to beat! With wispy, eyebrow-grazing fringe and soft waves, her bob has subtle and exquisite movement.
10. Curly Dark Gray Lob
Andie MacDowell's dark gray look is longer than other bobs (making it fall more into the 'lob' territory). Its collarbone-level length and rich dark hue is undeniably chic.
11. Silvery, Side-Parted Curls
Like MacDowell, Amandla Stenberg also pulled off a longer collarbone-length lob with a cool silver hue, but made hers more of a trendy gunmetal color.
12. Wavy Charcoal Gray Bob
Lily Tomlin's gray, wavy bob stands out with its dark charcoal color. Her go-to center-parted look will never go out of style, and her waves won't either!
13. Black-And-Silver Ombré Bob
What makes Jourdan Dunn's black-and-silver ombré coloring look even cooler is its blunt cut, Vara says. "A short blunt cut is fun and whimsical and helps to really highlight gray hair," he notes.
14. Curly, Icy Gray Lob
Blythe Danner's hairstyle is similar to MacDowell and Stenberg's, but her gray color is even lighter. With bouncy, collarbone-length curls, her look is reminiscent of retro Golden Age glam yet still so modern.
15. Curly, Dark Gray Pixie
Tia Mowry wowed her Instagram followers with a darker gray, curly pixie. A style like this, Vara says, is "very low maintenance and doesn’t require much styling," which is great for "those who want to stay away from heat.”
16. Icy Gray, Layered Pixie
Rita Moreno also highlighted her radiant skin and timelessly gorg features with the help of a pixie. Hers, however, differs from others in this list as it boasts an even lighter gray hue.
17. Blue-Gray Wavy Bob
Lucy Boynton instantly shined on the 2019 Met Gala red carpet with blue-gray hair! The actress debuted a wavy, middle-parted bob with a striking, must-try grayish color that we're still not over.
18. Silvery Mushroom Cut
Keke Palmer stepped out at a 2015 Hollywood party with a gray hairstyle that fans will never forget. The Nope star revealed not only how well she can pull off bangs, but also a mushroom cut with silvery, blunt-cut strands.
19. Ashy, Gray Pixie With Side Bangs
Jane Fonda is a true trendsetter and style icon, so we had to include one of her quintessential modern hairstyles on this list! The actress recently flaunted a flattering ashy, gray pixie with side bangs that highlights her bone structure and best features.
20. Bob With Herringbone Highlights (If You're Not Ready To Go Full Gray!)
If you look close at Gwyneth Paltrow's bob, you'll see that her gray hair at the top of her head is intricately woven into the rest of her blonde strands. This coloring technique, Tapia explains, “combines warm and cool toned” highlights.
Herringbone highlights intentionally include “natural gray hair into the hairs’ overall color” when coloring it to create a more natural overall look, she adds. Tapia stresses that it’s “not really covering or eliminating gray.” This works great for women who are “starting to go gray,” and who want to “ease into" the new color. “The highlights are blended into the natural color to make graying hair stand out less against someone’s original natural hair color,” Tapia says.
21. Gray Lob With Curtain Bangs
According to Abdullah, a stylish approach to rocking a silvery lob is to incorporate curtain bangs that enhance symmetry, like Emmylou Harris.
Adding curtain bangs to a layered lob can "make your hair appear thicker, and are a great way to add volume to thinning hair," she says. The style works well for "women who want to hide thinning hair in the front," she emphasizes, as it creates "a soft, natural looking wave at the top of the head."
Abdullah also swears by curtain bangs to especially conceal signs of hair loss and thinning, as she notes that "they add length and volume so you don't have to spend hours styling."
Abdullah adds that they are incredibly versatile and "can be worn short or long, curled or straight," and that the key is to "keep the bangs long enough to cover the eyebrows and frame the face and eyes."
22. Sleek-Straight Gray Lob
If you want to go for a mid-length cut but keep it neat and sleek, Rivera suggests the one-length lob, like Diane Keaton's. "The [blunt] lob, also recognized as a longer version of the classic bob, is such a popular look right now," she says. Rivera continues, "One of the main reasons for that is the fact that you don’t have to commit to shorter hair and it’s versatile. The lob is also terrific for creating a youthful look."
A long, sleek and one-length lob like Keaton's is a "great option" for beating the heat this summer, Rivera notes, "especially for those that don’t want to cut all of their hair off. "In addition, this 'do allows for the "removal of damaged ends" and its one-length "creates a lot of opportunities for styling."
23. Wispy Gray Shag
Rivera explains that a chin-length shag haircut with layers can look stunning and complement gray hair beautifully. She says it is "an amazing cut that is well-recognized for being versatile." Cara Delevingne here demonstrates this look with soft, feathered bangs and volume-enhancing, face-framing layers throughout her shaggy bob.
24. Bold Gray Buzz Cut
Cynthia Erivo amazed fans at the 2024 Grammys with her striking gray buzz cut. This style can truly highlight your facial features and be quite flattering. It's particularly useful for concealing thinning hair while also giving you a fresh look and accentuating your bone structure.
25. Crimped Ashy Gray Bob
During the 29th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, St. Vincent flaunted a chic, vintage-inspired crimped bob. Her ash-gray locks, styled into a full, chin-length cut, looked super edgy and trendy. The alt-rock musician also incorporated subtle layers into her hairstyle, demonstrating the striking and chic effect gray hair with layering can achieve when aiming for added volume.
The Bottom Line
Overall, there are many different ways to wear and love gray hair! When taking care of your silvery tresses, Vara explains, there are several important tips to keep in mind.
To keep your gray hair looking healthy and fresh, it’s important to keep up with regular haircuts. "Split ends can cause your hair to not grow properly and can cause major breakage," he says. Going to a salon about every three months can help to keep your hair looking healthy, and it makes it easier to grow out your gray hair.
It also helps to get to "know your own face shape" before hitting the salon, he suggests, so you know what "length and style looks best and will amplify your features." Talking to your hair stylist about what might look best is helpful as they can steer you in the right direction.
Lasty, gray hair can look dry and dull as it is a different texture than hair with more pigment.
"Therefore, it’s helpful to use a glossy serum that helps to amp up the shininess of your gray hair," Vara recommends. This can be used "each time you style your hair for an effortless look and that makes your gray hair pop."
