It’s official: You’ve got gray hair. No matter how much you may have fought against Mother Nature, she’s finally won.
In reality, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Gray hair can be beautiful — it’s a sign of wisdom, maturity, and distinction. You don’t have to hide it. In fact, you can flaunt it.
How to Dress for Your Gray Hair: The Best Colors to Wear
Below are some of the best colors to wear when rocking your gray hair.
Black: Classic and Distinguished
Black is always a classic choice and will make your gray hair stand out in a very distinguished way. The contrast between your hair and the color of your clothing will be striking. Contrary to popular belief, black can be very flattering on anyone, regardless of age or skin tone.
It’s the one color that never goes out of style and always looks good. Black tops or shirts paired with darker pants or skirts create a sleek, polished look. For something more casual, try a black t-shirt with some colored jeans. Add some pizazz with colored accessories, such as belts and scarves.
Beige: Light and Airy
Beige is another great option for those with gray hair. The color is light and airy, making it perfect for summertime outfits. Beige pairs well with many different shades of gray, making it a very versatile color to work with. The nude, sand, and cream tones in beige clothing help brighten up your look and give you a more youthful appearance.
A beige top or dress is perfect for a summer day, paired with some white jeans or shorts. You could also try a beige cardigan over a colorful dress to add some contrast.
Blue: Brighten Up Your Look
Blue is a great color to wear if you want to add brightness to your look. Its versatility also makes it a great choice for any age group. You can go with light blues for a more feminine and delicate look, or dark blues for a more powerful appearance.
A blue top or dress can help brighten your complexion and make your gray hair look more vibrant rather than washed out and dull — and it can make you look overall younger.
Purple: Glamour and Sophistication
Purple is a great color if you want to add some glamour and sophistication to your look. This deep, rich color can be very flattering on those with gray hair and makes a bold statement. Whether it’s royal purple, lavender, orchid, or grape, there is a shade of purple for everyone.
Pairing a purple top or dress with complementary accessories can really make you look like a glamorous goddess. Try pairing a purple dress with some simple silver jewelry.
Red: Bold and Warming
Red is a color that can be very flattering on those with gray hair, as it brings out the warm tones in your complexion. Like purple, red comes in many different shades. You can go with a bright cherry red or try a darker wine color for a more elegant look.
A red dress or blouse is perfect for special occasions like weddings, parties, and holidays — and it can be dressed down for everyday wear by pairing it with some jeans or slacks.
Green: Refreshing and Invigorating
Green is a great color to wear if you want to add some warmth to your look. It pairs well with various accessories and works for both fall and summer outfits. A lighter shade of green can make you look more vibrant, while a darker shade gives you a bolder, more powerful look.
Colors to Avoid When You Have Gray Hair
The wrong colors can make you look older than you are and wash out your features. Below are the colors to avoid.
White Washes You Out
White is a color that can often make you look washed out and older than you are. It’s best to avoid wearing white clothing when you have gray hair. Not only will it not complement your hair color, but it will also make your hair look dull and lifeless.
If you do wear white, make sure to pair it with colorful accessories to brighten up your look. Learn more about not looking washed out with gray hair in this guide.
Same for Pastels
Pastels are another color family to avoid when wearing gray hair. Light pink, baby blue, pale yellow, and other soft pastel colors can often make you look washed out and drained. Stick to deeper, richer shades instead for a more flattering look.
Browns Add Years to Your Appearance
The wrong shades of brown can be too somber and drab, often making you look dull and uninteresting. Too light or too dark a brown can be unflattering — if you love brown, stick to medium shades and test them against your skin tone in natural light.
Related Reading: Best Color Glasses for Gray Hair
Other Tips for Choosing What to Wear With Gray Hair
- Accessories are a great way to brighten up an outfit and add personality — a lovely scarf, necklace, or belt can make all the difference.
- Don’t be afraid to add color and print to your outfits. They can help you look younger and more vibrant.
- When in doubt, go with black. It’s always safe and never goes out of style.
- Experiment with different textures and patterns. Lace, suede, stripes, and florals can all be very flattering.
- Avoid matchy-matchy outfits — they can look dated. Mix and match colors and textures for a more exciting look.
- Pay attention to fit. Clothes that are too tight or too loose won’t look flattering either way.
- Be brave and have fun with your clothing. You might be surprised at how great you look in something you’d never have tried before.
Dressing Well With Gray Hair
As we age, our skin becomes paler and less vibrant. Wearing colors that add warmth to your look — oranges, reds, blues, and rich purples — helps counteract that. The goal isn’t to fight your gray hair. It’s to dress in a way that lets it be what it actually is: a striking feature worth showing off.
Feel free to play around and try colors you feel most confident in. At the end of the day, if you’re happy with your outfit, it shows in your face — and that’s what matters.
I think you need to take peoples skin and eye colouring into consideration, just as colour analysis does. And whether they have warm grey or cool grey hair. Hair isn’t actually grey, it’s a mixture of white and your normal coloured hair.
I have warm grey hair, a pale skintone with slightly warm undertones and dark brown eyes. Black is too strong and too cool for me. Beige looks dreadful, washes me out completely, just all blends in with my face and hair and makes me look older. But baby blue is acceptable, not too light or icy. Aquas are great, I like some darkish red, fairly strong pinks, blues of most shades are good. Yellow is totally out but always has been for me. White is good in the summer.
As your skin color changes a bit and there are many shades of grey hair, it is hard to make broad statements about the colors that will look great on you. Work with colors that have always worked for your coloring and adjust them to that new hair shade and skin tone. Coral, periwinkle, and the right shade of blue-green pretty much look good on anyone. Thank you. for saying that black can look good on anyone.
Remember that changing the lightness and darkness of your hair changes your contrast. If you had dark hair and it goes light grey, silver or white it will change how much contrast you have in hair, skin, eyes, etc.. This affects the amount of color contrast you should wear.
I would never wear Black it makes me look like I have been recently dug up!
The only Black garment in my wardrobe is a pair of trousers kept for funerals. Other peoples.
I like these Ideas, I’m trying to figure out how to dress my age, while crossdressing with my beard. I guess you can say I’m gender blending as I age
See I turned grey early in life, and the womens clothing that I wore when I was younger, don’t look the same on me today.
You don’t seem to mention grey clothing – like a grey sweatshirt. I love grey – I’m salt and pepper still.
I try on clothes and give myself a good assessment of what I see in the mirror. Is that woman beautiful or unremarkable? I know if I succeeded in looking beautiful if strangers compliment my outfit or pieces of it.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!