Spice Up Gray Hair with Highlights – A Great Look for Every Woman

In case you didn’t know: gray hair is all the rage right now. In the past, the discovery of the first gray hair meant that you had to plan a visit to the hairdresser immediately to get your hair colored. But these days it is becoming more and more common that those who actually go gray (and don’t dye their hair on purpose) prefer to hide their gray hair with highlights. Dark and blonde highlights bring beautiful contrasts to every hairstyle and are not as noticeable as complete coloring. Gray hair has become a synonym for women discovering the power of their natural beauty. Does that sound interesting? Read on to find out everything you need to know about gray hair and highlights, and how to get the look yourself.

Spice up gray hair with highlights and lowlights

Highlights and lowlights bring movement into the hair and help creating a multidimensional hairstyle through a mixture of natural-looking shades. This modern technique allows you to show off your gray hair in a stylish way! Gray hair with dark and light highlights looks fresh and makes you younger too!

Since highlighting and lowlightening requires a certain amount of skill, it is best to leave this task to a professional colorist. One thing to keep in mind before asking your hairdresser for highlights is that they must first bleach your hair and then recolor it. Also, as with most highlight and lowlight techniques, consider your natural hair color when deciding which color of highlights would look best. Not sure where to start? In the following we present you the best ideas for every natural hair color.

If you’re a natural blonde, you can spice up your graying blonde mane with a mix of different hues – from pearly to honey blonde. These natural-looking, cool shades of ash harmonize wonderfully with cool, silvery grays.

If you’re a natural brunette and want to spice up gray hair with highlights, consider playing with dark lowlights. Espresso and caramel brown, for example, give hair an exciting depth. And when you add lightening blonde highlights to your brown hair, you will bring out the shades of gray that you already have.

If you’re a redhead, it’s a good idea to use a range of lowlights and highlights with chocolate brown and golden blonde tones. Not ready to say goodbye to your fiery mane yet? If you only have a few gray hairs, you can treat them with the Hair Glazing method so that they don’t stand out so much from your natural hair color.

3 techniques how to use highlights in gray hair

Another point to consider when choosing which highlights to use for your hair is the type of technique that will give you the look you want. Below, you’ll learn about three different techniques for gray hair that you can ask your colorist about.

Balayage

In both balayage and hair painting, highlights are applied freehand to the hair with a brush to create a natural-looking look. The ombre dyeing technique is not suitable in this case, as highlights that start halfway up the head won’t do much about gray hair roots. With the balayage technique, on the other hand, you can customize the placement of the highlights and even make them closer to the hairline.

Foilyage

Foilyage is a combination of balayage and foil technique. The hair tips are also colored lighter. The only difference is that foils are used. The highlights are placed in the desired location and then wrapped with foil to enhance the effect. The foils make your strands brighter and more radiant for a dramatic, eye-catching look.

Babylights

This technique is perfect for people with thin hair or those who only want to hide individual gray hairs. Babylights apply super-fine blonde strands all over your hair for a sun-kissed look. These blonde highlights will lighten your mane and make you look younger.

How to care for gray hair with highlights

No matter what hair color you started with, or whether you opted for dark or light highlights, the care tips for gray hair remain the same. So that your freshly dyed hair always looks and feels good, you should follow these three rules:

Get rid of all conventional hair care products out of the shower and make space for a shampoo and conditioner that care for colored hair very gently.

Use cool rather than hot water when showering. This will prevent further dehydration due to high temperatures and your mane will retain the moisture it so desperately needs.

Improve the moisture levels of your hair by adding a hair mask to your weekly beauty routine. Apply a conditioner with a moisturizing hair mask once or twice a week.

Keep heat styling to a minimum so it doesn’t damage your hair unnecessarily. For example, after the shower you can air dry your hair. To give your air-dried locks more structure and a messy look, use texturizing hair styling products such as sea salt sprays, hair pomades or pastes. For more volume, spray some texturizing spray into the roots and tease the roots with a comb to add fullness and create a blown-out look.

Browse through our picture gallery and find the perfect look for you!