I love seeing how many women are embracing their gray hair and sharing their journeys on social media. As women, we tend to have unrealistic expectations for ourselves, in all areas of our lives, and this carries over into our hair. But, the fact is, pretty much all of us will go gray at some point, and sure, we can spend hours of our time and lots of money trying to hide it – which you should do if that brings you joy – or we can say hey, let’s accept this new phase of our lives for what it is. Or, as some silver sisters do, we can even celebrate it.
As I get older, I’m learning to let myself be okay with whatever age that I am. I don’t want to spend my whole life fighting to look 21 forever. I wasn’t even that happy at 21 – sure gravity was on my side, but a lot of other things in my life certainly weren’t. I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. So, I’m starting to love the idea of gray blending to ease the transition, or just letting it grow in, demarcation lines and all. The fact is, there’s no wrong or right way to go gray, so long as you feel comfortable with it and it works for you.
So, if y0u’re here for gray blending inspiration, I’ve got you covered. I hope you feel less alone in your journey and maybe even find something that excites you about embracing the grays. Also, because this post is so image heavy, images can take a few seconds for images to load as you scroll.
Gray Blending Hair Inspiration:
1. Gray Blending by @locksbylauryn:
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Love this gray color correction. The hair artist says in the caption that this was applied over old highlights and a faded base color. I think many of us go through the same stages when the grey comes in and a lot of it ends up damaging our hair. One of the reasons I love gray blending is it restores the hair back to health and allows you to stop fighting the gray coming in.
2. Gray Blending with Salt & Pepper by @hairbylorenaaa:
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This salt and pepper gray blending is so beautiful. I have caught myself feeling like I shouldn’t grow it in until it’s going to be more of an all over color, but then I see this and I think – no, it’s okay for things to be a mix, in fact, it’s a beautiful part of the journey.
3. Lob with Gray Blending by @domyhairdrew:
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Y’all with lighter hair really have it made a little bit because those grays blend in so nicely with highlights. This is a beautiful color and I don’t even see the gray here. The lob cut is also very cool and brings out all the pretty tones in her hair.
4. Gray Blending with a Money Piece by @thatrebelstylist:
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I really wish mine was growing in with a big money piece in the front like this. Or, maybe the money piece was added? The blending is so lovely here that you can’t tell. Either way, I think that if I do some gray blending, I’d like to get that impact right in the front like this. Mine is growing in to the side more than in the middle. The upside is that if I part it certain ways, I can hide the roots almost entirely.
5. Gray Blending on Dark Hair by @happyfit_elizabetheubanks:
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Incredible transformation. Absolutely love this one. The change is incredible. To get a gray match like this, I’ve had stylists tell me that you should come in with at least 3 months of growth, ideally more, so they can see what your natural gray pattern is. I’m almost at 12 weeks since my last salon visit and I’m starting to see it really grow in, so I can understand now why this is the recommendation.
6. Gray Blending on Highlighted Hair by @lavida_artist:
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This is wow. You can see how much growth she had on the left, which becomes the guide for how to do the gray blending. The match is incredible here and another great example of how much better your hair can look when you embrace your natural color.
7. Gray Blending Balayage by @the.balayage.babe:
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Love your balayage and want to embrace the gray? Yeah, it can be done, and Gaby Slone shows how to do it well. I really love this whole look and also that she shares exactly what she used in the caption.
8. Silver Babylights by @flyingscissorssalon:
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This gray blending is done so well that at first glance, you don’t even really register that there are gray hairs there. It really looks like an intentional color. I’ve seen quite a few women around town that are doing the gray hair color or gray highlights thing and that’s what this looks like to me at first. But, the natural gray hairs are there – blending in beautifully.
9. Gray Blending Transformation by @salonmilage:
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Listen, this one is going to make you do a double take. The first picture looks so natural, I almost thought it was her natural color with some grays in it. Nope, scroll to the right to see what they started with. Truly jaw dropping. What an insane transformation. Absolutely gorgeous.
10. Gray Blending on Light Hair by @chelseaatspeakeasy:
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Can someone please show me where the gray hair is here? I’m obsessed with this! So many beautiful tones here to create this shimmery, slightly ashy blonde, and those grays just tuck right in like they belong there (which they do). Stunning.
11. Gray Blending Color Correction by @sunnydos_oc:
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Here’s another one where I literally thought this was how her hair grew out of her own head. I looked at the first few pictures just trying to figure out where the color correction was. It looks so natural, so soft. Then, you get to the last picture and see it: old grown out highlights that have turned brassy, a darker base color, little pops of silvers. It’s honestly what my hair will probably look like as all the color fades and the grays are coming in. Amazing transformation.
12. Gray Blending Highlights by Luz @Qi_hairsalon:
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Here’s another example of a transformation that looks so natural, it’s hard to imagine what the before looked like. Make sure to scroll to see all of the pictures on this one so you can see what they started with. Amazing.
13. Gray Blending with Dimension by @deborahlynnhairartistry:
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I really love the finished product here. There is just so much dimension to this color. You can see in the first picture that there are grown out highlights, and maybe some base color in there, but the finished product looks how her hair always should have been. Beautiful.
14. Blending Gray with Babylights by @jennyfercantrellbeauty:
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I’d really love to see more of this one, because the change in gray tone is so significant. It says she uses babylights here to really make the gray color pop, but coupled with the chunky, layered cut, it’s such an amazing transformation. The end result is edgy, funky, cool, and so chic.
15. Gray Blending Highlights by @honeyhairguy:
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See, transformations like this make me want to throw in some light pops in the front. I just love the look of it. I am curious to know what this looked like before, but regardless, the end result is truly beautiful.
16. Gray Blending Transformation by @honeyhairguy:
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Another one by Matt Blackburn. Obsessed with this. Make sure to look at the before picture. Wow. And, if you’re curious – he shares that this took 8 hours!!!
17. Gray Blending by @aaashleee:
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Ashley is a very talented hair artist and I love her transparency in her posts. She shares in the caption how long this process took and what the maintenance is like. It’s easy to look at these transformations and think it was one service, a few hours, and BAM, gorgeous gray blending, but in a lot of cases, lifting the hair light enough to get it gray is going to take hours, if not multiple appointments, and it is going to damage the hair. So, make sure to take care of your hair before, during, and after so it can look as healthy as possible.
18. Gray Blending by @hairbyreneeg:
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Loving this gray blending on dark hair by Renee Gonzales. I wish there was a little more information on what was added here, but it looks like maybe lowlights and some highlights to blend in the natural colors. I wonder what this client went in with to be able to reach this very natural blend.
19. Gray Blending Color Correction by @kali.vanegas:
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I really don’t know how they do this. It’s really incredible, IMO. Swipe to see the before picture. I bet your jaw will drop like mine did. Is there some pink hair color in there, too, or is that the lighting? Either way, the end result is so beautiful and it looks natural! These artists are able to replicate the natural gray color and pattern. Amazing.
20. Gray Blending Transformation by @n_g10100:
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Loving this transformation. Her hair before really wasn’t that bad, but you can see the demarcation line from the gray growing in and the older color has faded. Her new fresh color not only has a seamless transition from natural gray to colored hair, but she gets that pop of color in the front that makes her eyes sparkle.
21. Gray Blending on Mushroom Brown Hair by @e.v.glamour:
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I’ve been looking at a lot of mushroom brown hair color pics lately and wondering if that’s something I could pull off. This shimmery, pretty brown hides those grays so well, I can’t even see them. I am so curious what her original color was. Also, this hair artist is a traveling stylist! I didn’t even know that was a thing – but that means if you’re in the area where she travels, you can book her services!
Products for Color Treated Hair:
Remember to keep your hair healthy when coloring. I’ve been coloring my hair for many, many years and I’ve learned a thing or two about how to keep hair healthy or restore it once it has become damaged. Here are my favorite products (affiliate links used):
- I recently switched to this affordable shampoo and conditioner and I’m in love – it’s so hydrating, makes my hair so soft, and it SMELLS AMAZING!
- I highly recommend the Olaplex 3 hair mask.
- A much more affordable hair mask that is also very good is this one here.
- I also really love this leave-in detangler/styler by Davines.
- This repair serum by Kerastase has really transformed my hair! You don’t need very much, a little goes a long way.
- My favorite heat protector will really protect and improve your hair when heat styling.
- Let your hair air dry when possible. I wrote a whole post on how to air style hair so it’s not frizzy.
For more hair color inspo, check out these posts:
- 25 more Gray Blending on Dark Hair Inspo Pics
- 15 Blonde Balayage Pics That’ll Have You Running To Your Stylist!
- 20 Hot Copper & Spicy Red Balayage Looks That Are On Fire!
- 25 Delicious Caramel Balayage Combos You’ll Love!
- 25 Chic Brown Balayage Looks You’ll Want Right Away
There are tons more hair color and hair style posts on the blog, too.
I hope you found the perfect hair color inspo today.
Have a fabulous day,
E
I love the gray blending ideas! Very beautiful and instructing, BUT, why aren’t there any honest, seasoned faces to go with the gray well -earned hair?! As you show, gray hair can be beautiful and so are the faces framed by that gray hair!
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I agree. I can only share the pictures that are available. I am sure these colors would look beautiful on any woman.