We’ve gotten pretty good at predicting beauty trends over the years, but that doesn’t mean a few things don’t still surprise us! Recently, one of the biggest trends we’ve seen on celebs is none other than silver hair. Better yet, many are choosing to not keep up with their fresh color and let their gray hair grow out.
The gray hair trend truly started out as a result of the pandemic. It became harder for individuals to make their salon appointments, and rather than turning to at-home box hair dye, they let their natural hair color shine through. This also sparked many people with blonde hair to take the plunge and try the silver hair trend. It’s safe to say gray hair and silver hairstyles aren’t going away anytime soon.
If you’re looking for inspiration for your next haircut and color (and considering leaning into gray) check out these 15 gray looks straight from the red carpet.
1. Long Silver Strands
Lady Gaga is known for her platinum blonde hair looks, but just when trends started to lean more towards silver strands, she was quick to adapt. The great thing about Gaga is her skin tone lends itself well to very cool colors, like Game of Thrones-worthy platinum blondes and cool, almost ashy, silver tones. While it’s quite the opposite from her natural color (dark brown hair), we almost can’t imagine her stepping out onto the Hollywood red carpet without her signature hair.
2. Edgy Pixie Cut
Pink knows a thing or two about pixie cuts, and boy does she pull them off! While pixie cuts look great in all hair colors, there’s something about incorporating silver or gray strands that really makes them pop. You’ll note some of her pieces are darker than others, which give the cut and color dimension and volume; something that pixie cuts don’t always have.
3. Tousled Beach Waves
Have we even seen Blythe Danner without these natural, almost beachy waves? No way! They are definitely her signature look, and she’s been pulling off gray locks for years. The fact that she keeps long hair lends itself well to her natural wave pattern. If you’re worried about leaning into your natural color of gray, or even dying your hair gray because it will look “undone” or “unkept,” remember how effortlessly glam Blythe looks here.
4. Princess Diana Pieces
We love this Princess Diana cut that Jane Fonda is sporting on the red carpet. She keeps her short hair looking full with this specific style and lots of layers. It’s clear she’s been growing out her natural color, but you can see below her bangs are a subtle blonde from previous dye jobs. There’s no harm in asking your colorist for a “gray transition,” which is likely what Jane was going after here.
5. Long Gray Ringlets
Andie Macdowell has such an iconic hair type with her natural curls. They kind of scream 90s mom, which feels so comforting and familiar. She’s someone in Hollywood who’s kept her natural gray hair long before it was even on trend, but we suspect she has her colorist help add some dimension with those darker, almost brown pieces underneath.
6. Silver Fade
Kelly Osbourne always has some crazy hair color, whether a cool purple, platinum blonde, white hair, or silver fox look. You’ll notice her hair color here is a deep silver with almost purple undertones towards the top, yet underneath we see hints of what could be her natural blonde. If you’re unsure about a fully gray hairstyle, or want to ease in by trying silver, this could be a great reference for your hair stylist.
7. Punk Blowout
Nicole is definitely rocking the icy look here. With her natural color being dirty blonde, this hue took some work to get to with the help of her stylist. She most likely lightened her hair in phases, and this kind of color does require some upkeep. The good news is since it’s shorter, it’s much easier to keep gray roots by touching them up here and there.
8. Platinum Gray
Jamie Lee Curtis looks so chic with this platinum gray hair, perhaps even better than her natural brunette color. With her skin tone and style, we actually think this color makes her look younger and more on trend. It’s obvious she is choosing to keep some darker pieces for highlights that have a slight blonde tone to them. Well done Jamie Lee!
9. Icy Gray Long Bob
We love a piecey long bob, and it looks amazing on Helen Mirren. It’s clear her hair leans a bit more on the thin side, so her many layers help it to appear fuller and with more body. Her coloring also helps it look thicker as well, by adding a lot of platinum blonde and white pieces mixed in with her gray.
10. Blonde Gray Pony
There’s something so chic about an undone, unstyled ponytail. Very Parisian street style if you ask us. If you look closely you’ll notice a few caramel blonde streaks along the side, likely the color this individual was dying her hair before going gray. It looks great and intentional!
11. Money Piece Gray Strands
For a long as we can remember, Stacy London has been sporting gray bangs. Now known as money pieces, her short strands give her dark hair such personality. Eventually, she’ll likely have a full head of gray, but for now she’s embracing the gradual process. Lucky for her, it’s super trendy!
12. Gradual Gray Updo
We know Meryl Streep to be a natural blonde. But as time goes on, she’s leaning a bit more into her gray color. The cool thing about blondes is they normally turn gray much slower and can get away with more colors in their hair at a time. By this, we mean all those darker strands and blonde pieces still hanging on within Meryl’s updo. It makes for a more natural, gradual progression and style.
13. Multi-Dimensional Gray Layers
Diane Keaton has always given off chill mom vibes with her ahead-of-the-trend gray hair and many pairs of cool glasses. However (and much like Meryl), she knows to keep some additional colors in her hair for it to look multidimensional and full of body. You’ll note she also has chosen to keep some warmer tones in alongside her mostly gray layers.
14. Soft Silvery White
Have you ever seen softer hair than Emmylou Harris? Someday we’ll have to figure out exactly what products she uses... get us her hair mask recommendations STAT! Aside from looking soft to the touch, her hair color gives off such angelic vibes. It doesn’t look harsh or out of place, likely because it isn’t all one color. She has both white and silver colored strands which come together for a to-die-for platinum blonde color.
15. Silver Accents
Remember when Kim Kardashian dyed her hair platinum blonde for The Met Gala? It slowly grew out to reveal her jet black roots which actually looked...good. We love this look from Amandla Stenberg for the same reasons. If you have darker hair to begin with, don’t be afraid to experiment with gray or silver. It seems gray and black actually complement each other well!
Want to learn more about the latest hair trends? Take our Beauty Quiz now to get started. Already an Ipster? Refer your friends to earn points, which you can use toward products. Either way, don’t forget to check us out on Instagram and Twitter @IPSY.
Like this article? Share it with your friends by clicking the icons below!