The best hair colors for women over 50 are hues that can either conceal or enhance gray hair without causing damage. It can be tricky to select a shade that makes you appear more youthful by masking your silver strands while maintaining healthy locks. That’s why I put together this guide and collection of photos.
According to colorist Lizett Gomez from the Artika Salon in CA, when it comes to coloring your hair in your 50s she advises, “I recommend keeping your hair color more natural. Avoid going too dark because it can be harsh on the hair, skin, and features. Dimensional and more natural shades are preferable because they soften the features and blend with grays.”
A hair color that infuses warmth back into your mane will help restore that youthful glow – and extend its longevity!
Gomez’s favorite product is Aveda’s hair colors. “Either permanent or demi depending on the woman,” she states. “Older women in their fifties often face increased allergies and reactions to chemicals. Aveda is plant-based, making it gentler on the skin. It also covers those grays exceptionally well.”
If you’re in your 50s and are unsure about choosing lighter or darker, always lean towards going lighter. Hair naturally lightens as you age, and lighter shades like ash blonde, honey, and platinum are sure to blend seamlessly with your natural gray hair.
Before your next coloring session, take a look at these inspiring images of the most flattering hair colors for women over 50.
Elegant Black and Brown Balayage
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Brunettes should explore a beautiful black and brunette balayage hair color because it offers a gentle yet impressive dimension. To enhance shine, apply tonic oil and volumizing foam to your long, layered cut. Both products are advantageous for darker hair shades.
Beautiful Strawberry Blonde to White Ombre
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Yes—you can rock long youthful hairstyles with vibrant shades as if you’re meant to wear one! And, if you’re seeking inspiration, here’s a strawberry blonde to white ombre that complements lengthy and wavy locks beautifully. Once you embrace a blonde hair trend, maintain the hues bright by using a purple shampoo.
Beautiful Chocolate Brown Tresses
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A beautiful chocolate brown hair color works well with fine hair! Opt for a neck-length cut and waves to make your dark hair look fuller and voluminous. With the help of oil for styling, the result is sure to look luscious and classy on older ladies. If you want an extra dimension for your dark brown locks, cinnamon highlights are a great addition.
Radiant Auburn Graduated Bob
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You’ll adore a vibrant auburn graduated bob if you have straight hair. The tapered layers in the back will provide volume to your neck-grazing, angled cut. For a shinier finish of the auburn hair color, apply a shine-enhancing oil onto your strands.
Charming Copper Layered Bob
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Experience the excitement of exploring new styles now, including a balayage ombre! Consider the copper-layered bob that is ideal for an elegant lady in her 50s. The root is a bit darker, complemented by some lighter copper pieces throughout.
Elegant Dark Mocha
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Transform your wavy pixie with a beautiful dark mocha hue. It will enhance natural volume and curls in the most refined way. The final look delivers both funky and striking short hair!
Textured Salt and Pepper Hair
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Salt and pepper hair color is highly fashionable and an excellent way to introduce some dimension to grey hair. By incorporating ashy, darker lowlights, you can enhance depth in grey hair while providing fullness to finer hair textures. An edgy, shag style pixie cut with plenty of layers will highlight the salt and pepper color and contribute to adding texture and volume to shorter haircuts.
Striking Burgundy Hair
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Feel fabulous every day by opting for a burgundy hair color for women aged 50 and above. The rich red dye produces a stunning effect when paired with a textured and wavy lob.
Stunning Caramel Balayage
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A caramel balayage looks remarkable because bronde highlights are soft and muted warm tones that add shine and luster to aging hair. Ask your hair colorist for a caramel beige gloss at your next color service to revitalize your dull and lifeless tresses.
Champagne Blonde with Rooted Highlights
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Rooted blondes are a wonderful choice for those seeking minimal upkeep or effective gray coverage. Inquire about incorporating highlights and lowlights along with a root shadow. Each technique aids in softening stark lines and easing the grow out process.
Vibrant Light Blonde with Deep Roots
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A radiant blonde with dark roots is among the top hair colors for women over 50. This shade can significantly rejuvenate your appearance. The blonde balayage enhances the long, layered hairstyle, adding dimension for extra texture.
Stunning Timeless Blonde
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Why don’t you experiment with a fresh hair color and try out a stunning timeless blonde? It’s sure to enhance your jaw-length round bob with bangs. The hue will bring luminosity to your complexion.
Vibrant Cherry Red for a Feminine Look
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If you’re looking for a lively, feminine shade of red, cherry red is an excellent choice. This color requires regular salon visits for refreshing. Additionally, I suggest requesting a red color-enhancing mask. Use it at home weekly to help maintain the shade between appointments.
Ash Brown Balayage Straight Hairdo
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Consider this ash brown balayage straight hairdo if you naturally have darker hair. The ash-brown tone blends seamlessly with your natural dark hair color. In contrast, a lighter highlight shade might appear a bit harsh. People with this look should use a good shine spray to maintain the gloss and make the color radiate.
Revitalizing Soft Blonde with Cool Undertones
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Are you a woman in your 50s searching for a vibrant hair color that’s both refreshing and soft? Embrace this revitalizing soft blonde with cool undertones! This hair color blends cool shades like silver and platinum with warm tones such as honey and beige. It’s an ideal choice for women desiring a gentle transformation. Ash-blonde looks stunning on fair skin tones, providing a youthful radiance. Maintain your hair’s moisture by opting for sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner.
Cool Ash Blonde Hair
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Rock this cool ash blonde hair with a smart inverted bob that embraces your silver growth, ideal for ladies with an oval face shape and finer locks. Its gradient from natural roots to lighter tips provides depth and a delicate lift. It’s low-maintenance and merges effortlessly with incoming grays. While styling, shield with a heat protectant to preserve that airy texture. Note: Ashy shades may not suit warmer skin tones as effectively, so discuss this trendy look with your stylist.
Subtle Light Brown Lowlights and Highlights
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Enhance your hair’s dimension with subtle light brown lowlights and highlights. An abundance of dimension creates the appearance of thicker hair by providing the eye with more to appreciate. This coloring technique is transformative for those with fine hair.
Shamrock Green with Subtle Peekaboo Highlights
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Opt for Shamrock Green, which features subtle peekaboo highlights. When you choose vivid tones, stay within one range of hues. Also, include some complementary colors for a vibrant contrast. If you are over 50 and embrace boldness, choose colors that suit your skin. No matter how bright these colors are, you will rock them and look stunning.
Platinum Side-Swept Bob
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A side sweep is an excellent method to enhance the volume of your bob. You can inject a little more excitement into this style with a platinum hair color. This combined look is both bold and elegant. Before you proceed, discuss this with your stylist to confirm it’s a suitable choice for you.
Multifaceted Bronde
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It’s never too late to experiment with beautiful hair colors that incorporate highlights and lowlights. A chic bob hairstyle with an eye-catching and multifaceted bronde balayage is perfect for a woman over 50. The dark root enhances the color’s depth, maintaining a low-maintenance look. Pair your fashionable bronde hue with a neck-length bob and waves for a truly striking effect.
Artfully Applied Highlights
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Incorporating artfully applied highlights into your hair can enhance your look, making it more dynamic and lively. The advantages of balayage or painted highlights include a seamless appearance and minimal upkeep. While your stylist might recommend a trim every 8 weeks, highlights typically need to be refreshed only 2 to 3 times a year, depending on how quickly your hair grows. You can also select the hue of your balayaged highlights to reflect your individual style.
Gentle Blonde for Thinning Hair
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A gentle blonde for thinning hair can create more texture in the hair, making it appear fuller after it is styled. Gentle blonde is the perfect hair hue for women over 50 since it promotes a youthful glow. To get your new blondish color, ask your colorist for some gentle blonde highlights.
Copper Balayage on a Pixie Cut
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Balayage isn’t exclusive to blondes and browns. Elevate your reflective reds with a balayage technique to enhance the dimension in your color. Invest in a high-quality color-preserving cleanser like Hairstory. Don’t forget to schedule gloss treatments alongside your haircut to keep that copper brilliance.
Beautiful Silver Gray Curls
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Don’t waste your time concealing your rebellious grays. Transform them into your standout feature instead, and revel in sporting silver-gray curls. Some strands have a rich charcoal hue to create a striking contrast, reminiscent of salt and pepper. Maintain your tresses by keeping the bob’s neck-grazing length in check.
Vibrant Ash Brown Lob
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Don’t let age hold you back from rocking a fresh, warm hair color to feel rejuvenated and stylish. Showcase a stunning ash brown lob if you’re a woman navigating middle age and embrace your confidence. With a warmer tone and face-framing layers, an ashy shade will beautifully complement fair and pale skin tones.
Auburn and Burgundy Hair Combination
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A blend of auburn and burgundy for an elderly lady is elegant, chic, and playful. Rich violet and red hues enhance all skin tones and breathe life and brightness into lackluster hair. Combine auburn shades with a trendy, pixie cut to refresh and revitalize your hairstyle.
Deep Brown Hue with Babylights
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Women aged 50 and above can appear significantly younger by sporting a deep brown hair color with babylights! This style includes face-framing highlights and a shadow root for an effortless grow-out period.
Stunning Gray Hair with Blonde Accents
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As a graceful senior lady, consider blending your natural gray and white hair with blonde highlights for a truly enchanting look. If you notice some unwanted ash tones, babylights will be your go-to option. Pair gray-blonde hair with a long layered pixie cut if you have fine hair for added volume, crafting a stylish hairstyle.
Effortless Grey Curls with Bangs
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Are you a woman who has embraced her grey hair and wants to celebrate your natural grey curls with bangs? This haircut and style can be a fantastic way to refresh your short hair. Don’t let the stereotype that grey hair isn’t fashionable discourage you because it’s truly the contrary! Let your self-assurance shine by allowing your natural hair color to take the spotlight. And be sure to request soft face-framing, keeping it understated and elegant. This look is ideal for mature women who desire a low-maintenance hairstyle.
Chic and Textured Platinum Blonde Bob
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Opt for a stylish bob featuring a textured platinum hair color on a short hairstyle. Blonde hair color works wonderfully for gray hair since the transition isn’t as stark when the gray begins to grow in. To achieve this look, request a base color coupled with highlights for enhanced radiance.
Stylish Ash Gray Hair
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Flaunt your silver hair with this textured inverted bob—a modern twist that speaks elegance and ease for the over-50s. The layered style boosts volume, ideal for fine hair, and flatters most face shapes. Keep your chic locks pristine with a heat protectant spray, crucial when crafting that bedhead texture with a texturizing product. The dark-to-light silver blend offers grace to growing roots, lessening frequent salon trips.
Gorgeous Honey Blonde Tresses
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Now that you’re in your 50s, it’s always a good time to discover new hair color ideas! Consider gorgeous honey-blonde tresses, which pair beautifully with soft waves for added dimension.
Amber Bronde
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A hue of amber bronde for mature women features a subtle grow-out and dimensional finish. It’s perfect for a woman with grey roots.
Glasses and Beige Blonde Hair Color
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A beige blonde hair color paired with glasses is an excellent choice for women over 50, as the beige blonde harmonizes beautifully with natural darker roots. To achieve this blonde hue, consult your colorist for soft highlights.