Silver Highlights Are the Coolest Way to Upgrade Your Color

Updating your look with silver highlights is the latest dimension-boosting hair color trend. Yup, silver and gray highlights are all we see across our social media feeds, and we’d be lying if we said we aren’t obsessed. While embracing all-over silver hair is also a serious trend, highlights are a great option if you aren’t quite ready to commit to a whole new hue. This multi-faceted take on the statement hair color trend makes for the perfect amount of shimmer and depth.

If you’re interested but not sure where to start, we’re here to help. Whether you’re starting with black, brown, blonde, or even gray hair, find 11 of our favorite ideas for gray and silver highlights below.

1. Ash Brown Hair With Silver Foil Highlights

It’s no secret that silver and gray pair beautifully with cool, ashy hair colors, which is why it should come as no surprise that ash brown hair with silver highlights—getting more specific, foil highlights—is the first highlight option on our list. This involves your colorist painting uniform silver strands throughout your hair, giving your entire mane a smokey upgrade.

2. Black Hair With Gray Foil Highlights

If you’re starting with a darker base than ash brown, black hair with gray highlights is equally as stunning. We love this color combo when done with the foil highlighting technique to get a cohesive look that’s full of dimension.

3. Black Hair With a Silver Money Piece

If you aren’t sure about embracing a full head of highlights, the money piece highlighting technique may be the perfect way for you to try silver or gray highlights. This method involves highlighting only your face-framing strands for a statement look. When done on a black base, a silver money piece creates a striking yet minor contrast.

If you want to try this look on for size before committing to a permanent mane makeover, use the L’Oréal Paris Colorista Hair Makeup Temporary 1-Day Hair Color Spray in Silver for a DIY silver money piece. This temporary hair color washes out in just one shampoo, so you’re safe to experiment.

4. Platinum Hair With Silver Blonde Foil Highlights

On the lighter end of the spectrum, we have platinum blonde hair. This nearly white hue was practically made to be blended with blonde silver highlights. Have your colorist paint foil highlights throughout your strands to make your mane icier than the Arctic.

5. Ash Blond Hair With Silver Babylights

Speaking of silver highlights on blonde hair, you can also add dimension to an ash blonde base with the help of silver strands. If you want an all-over lighter, cooler head of hair, ask your colorist for silver babylights. This highlighting technique involves creating ultra-fine highlights for a mane that looks kissed by the sun.

6. Ash Brown Hair With Gray Balayage

Can’t get enough of ash brown hair with gray highlights? If foil highlights aren’t your thing, gray balayage may be the perfect option. This highlighting technique is ideal for those who want a low-maintenance hair color option. Since the gray highlights will be focused at the ends and subtly painted throughout your mane, you won’t have to worry about a harsh line of demarcation as your roots start to grow out. This means you can extend the time between your salon visits!

7. Black Hair With Silver Balayage

On the topic of balayage, the same technique works perfectly for black hair with silver highlights. The gradual transition between colors will bring the ideal amount of contrast and dimension to your midnight strands—without the need for constant root touch-ups.

8. Black Hair With Silver and Gray Foil Highlights

It’s safe to say we have a special place in our hearts for black hair with gray highlights, which is why our next option combines the two shades. This multi-dimensional foil highlight look will give your mane serious movement with a slight metallic shimmer, thanks to those silver strands that are balanced out by tones of gray.

9. Dark Brown Hair With Silver and Platinum Balayage

Dark brown hair with silver highlights sounds gorgeous as it is, but when you add notes of platinum blonde and the balayage highlighting technique into the mix, it’s a whole other level of trendsetting. This option for dark hair with silver highlights is straight out of our Pinterest hair dreams.

10. Gray Hair With Silver Highlights

Remember: Blending gray hair with highlights is one of the best ways to keep your color from falling flat. And while you can opt for blonde highlights, we’re partial to silver. Whether you’re embracing gray hair as you age or you’ve opted to DIY an all-over gray hue (which you can do with the L’Oréal Paris Féria Multi-Faceted Shimmering Permanent Hair Color in Smokey Silver), you can create gorgeous dimension by placing shimmering silver highlights throughout your mane. There are plenty of highlighting methods that work well with this color combo, although this is another case where we’re partial to traditional foil highlights.

11. Black to Gray Ombré Hair

Fans of gray highlights on dark hair and low-maintenance hair colors should look no further than black to gray ombré hair. This highlighted look involves your black base gradually changing to a gray color at the ends, creating a gradient effect. Since your roots will be your natural black hue, you won’t have to rush to the salon as soon as your roots start to grow—no one will be able to tell!

How To Maintain Silver Highlights

Keeping your silver highlights looking fresh doesn’t have to be hard work. Ahead, find a few tips to help maintain your gray highlights.

Use color-safe products

If you spend the time and money to color your hair with silver highlights, you don’t want it to fade even faster with every shampoo by using the wrong products. Sulfate-free formulas are the best way to ensure your locks won’t be stripped of color on wash day. We advise using the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Silver Care Shampoo and L'Oréal Paris EverPure Silver Care Conditioner, which are specifically formulated to maintain silver and gray highlights with strengthening peptides.

If you want to avoid the tone of your silver highlights turning brassy, you can integrate the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Shampoo For Toning Bleached Hair and L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Conditioner For Toning Hair into your routine. Use it one to three times a week in place of your regular shampoo and conditioner duo. This can help reduce any orange or yellow tones that may appear as your color fades.

Refresh with a gloss

In between coloring treatments, you may feel like your silver highlights need a refresh. To save you a trip to the salon and prolong your color even further, give a hair gloss a try. The L’Oréal Paris Le Color Gloss One Step In-Shower Toning Gloss in Silver, Silver White, or Silver Slate can give your mane a quick dose of color and shine.

Schedule regular touch-ups

Of course, the best way to keep your silver highlights looking fresh is to create a regular touch-up routine. Speak with your stylist to understand how often you should come in for new color treatments and refresh your silver highlights based on how quickly your roots grow in and color fades. If you color your hair at home, refreshing your shade every six to eight weeks is generally a good rule of thumb.

Next Up: How to Transition to Gray Hair When Your Hair Is Colored

Photo Courtesy of L'Oréal Paris