ICYMI, L'Oreal Paris and Vogue have declared silver the official Hair Color of the Year, and ever since the news broke, I've spent all my free time scrolling Instagram and seeking out silver strands as inspo. The hue is both bold and muted, standout and subtle, and more and more people are dying to give it a spin. If you're on the silver-haired bandwagon, these photos of silver hair are the inspo you'll want to take to the salon, as I've been rounding up the best looks from almost-white platinum to rooted smoky silver, and one is more gorgeous than the next.
When I think of a true hair color guru, my personal go-to is Guy Tang, a hair stylist with his own range of products who just so happens to be a serious master at correcting "paranormal hairtivity," his coined phrase for strands that are, to put it frankly, a hot mess. Tang often transforms grown-out, lackluster dye jobs into beautiful works of art, and while he often learns towards hues like pinks and blues, his line helps many a colorist create beautiful silvery hair with ease.
Exhibit A: This paranormal hairtivity Before and After, which stylist Angela Mujica transformed into a cool silver with dark brunette rootage using Mydentity Color products:
Another great example is this super smokey black-to-silver balayage, created by hair stylist @yoshio_0 using the Mydentity Color line yet again:
TBH, I think these rooted color melts are my favorite take on the trend. Peep this fade by hair stylist Andrea Osztrovics that had me swooning:
So major, right? The coolest part about the silver hair trend is that there's so many ways to rock it, whether you want a sleek whitish platinum or fifty edgy shades of gray. Another personal fave of mine has to be Iskra's latest look, achieved using Loreal Colorista products, which is such a far departure from her typical buttery blonde.
Iskra's locks have such a cool-girl, grungy vibe to them:
Oh, and let's not forget when celeb hair guru Cash Lawless took Ms. Kylie Jenner silver. KJ, please bring this color back:
If I do end up taking the plunge into a silver aesthetic, I'll probably want a new cut as well, and in my mind, nothing says chic like short hair. The combo of a fierce cut and a silver hue gives off intimidating vibes in the best way possible, aka very Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada.
I couldn't pull off a super short cut like Meryl Streep, though, so something like this lob by Asian hair specialist @pajar_hair_art has just the girl boss energy I'm craving:
If you're into an icier shade, though, this pearly silver by hair stylist Tyler Plemmons might be more your speed:
Plemmons is owner and colorist at Tyler's Art Studio, and he's noticed a recent spike in clients asking him for help nailing a silvery look. "Silver hair is top of the hair trends right now, and it's one of the hardest colors to achieve and to keep up with," says Clemmons. "The hair has to be lifted to the palest yellow, almost-white stage for a toner to make it silver. It can take many sessions to achieve this beautiful tone, so be patient with your stylist, guys!"
Based on the looks of his silver-haired clients, the results are clearly worth the wait:
"All of my silver hair clients, have to come back for a toner refresh about every three to four weeks to keep their hair silver and looking fresh," says Plemmons, who insists this is the only way to really keep color icy and prevent brassy tones. "For at-home maintenance, I tell my clients to use Matrix Total Results Brass Off Shampoo ($14, ulta.com) and Conditioner ($14, ulta.com) about one or two times a week to keep their silver looking fresh as long as possible."
Other faves? Plemmons loves using Olaplex products to ensure color-treated hair stays strong, especially the Olaplex Hair Perfector No. 3 ($28, sephora.com), a mask that targets breakage and damaged strands. "I also tell my clients to not wash their hair a lot, as the more you wash, the more the silver comes out," adds Plemmons, who also tells clients not to go overboard with hot tools on a daily basis.
Bottom line: If you want silver strands, you need to ensure your hair is healthy enough to handle a routine bleach and tone sesh:
And if it is, then you're ready to be a silver fox, or a silver foxy lady:
After looking at all this gorgeous inspo, I'm seriously itching to book my next dye job. The silver trend isn't going anywhere any time soon, so if you're bold enough to try it out, be sure to stock up on replenishing, color-friendly haircare products in advance.
