Best Hair Colour for Grey Hair | Revive Shine & Tone Down Greys

The Best Hair Color for Graying Hair, According to Top Stylists

Many women find themselves facing a recurring salon appointment in their 50s – coloring their hair every few weeks to conceal emerging gray strands. However, professional stylists recognize the financial and time constraints this can create, leading them to recommend effective at-home solutions for maintaining vibrant color. Vogue’s experts have curated a selection of the best hair color products for older women seeking to cover their silver strands.

The Challenges of Coloring Aging Hair

While at-home hair color can be convenient, coloring aging hair presents unique challenges. “Always make sure you have more color than you think you need,” advises a seasoned stylist. “Gray hair can be resistant to color, so you want to make sure all of your hair is saturated when you apply your color.” Beyond saturation, the formula itself is crucial. Aging hair benefits from moisturizing ingredients that can restore lost luster and manageability. It’s also important to view at-home color as a maintenance tool, not a replacement for professional salon visits. “Don’t be afraid to ask [a pro’s] advice on how to maintain your look at home,” a stylist suggests. “As a stylist, I would rather see you a few times a year with great-looking hair than have you struggle and do any damage.”

Top At-Home Hair Color Products Recommended by Professionals

Here are some of the best at-home hair color options, as recommended by industry experts:

Best Colour-Depositing Shampoo: Celeb Luxury Gem Lites Colour Wash

Pro colorist Beth Minardi recommends Celeb Luxury Gem Lites Colour Wash for a “modern, soft colour boost” at home. This gentle cleanser, free of ammonia, sulfates, parabens, and peroxide, won’t strip moisture from brittle, aging hair. It also features bond repair technology and conditioning ingredients derived from coconut, sugar, and palm. The shampoo can be used daily or every other wash as a mask, applied to wet hair for two to five minutes, rinsed, and repeated for increased color payoff. Available in nine shades, from Diamond Platinum Blonde to Ruby Bright Red, it’s ideal for maintaining color vibrancy after a salon appointment.
Formula Types: Colour-depositing shampoo
Shades: 9

Best Permanent Colour: L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème Permanent Hair Colour

For those seeking full, long-lasting color, Elena Ruiz, a professional colorist, recommends L’Oréal Paris Excellence Crème. This permanent dye delivers excellent gray coverage and rich, even color from root to tip. Each kit includes a color cream with a protective keratin complex, along with a hyaluronic acid-infused shampoo and conditioner to maintain hair strength and shine – particularly important as hair becomes thinner and more fragile with age. The product is available in 30 hues, encompassing blonde, red, brown, and black shades.
Formula Types: Kit with colour cream, shampoo, and conditioner
Shades: 30

Best Semi-Permanent Colour: Clairol Beautiful Collection Moisturizing Colour

Beth Minardi praises Clairol Beautiful Collection Moisturizing Colour for its convenience and gentle formula. This long-lasting, semi-permanent color comes in a squeeze bottle, requiring no mixing. Infused with aloe vera, jojoba oil, and vitamin E, it’s gentle on fragile hair and enhances color for up to eight washes. Apply to freshly washed, towel-dried hair, process for 25 minutes, rinse, and condition – avoiding shampoo. Minardi notes it works particularly well to enhance neutral and soft golden tones, cautioning against using super dark or brilliant red shades unless a dramatic change is desired, in which case a salon visit is recommended.
Formula Types: Cream colour
Shades: 20

Best Touch-Up Spray: TRESemmé Root Touch Up Temporary Hair Colour

Celebrity hairstylist Hayley Heckmann recommends TRESemmé Root Touch Up Temporary Hair Colour for quick fixes between salon appointments. This spray stretches root grow-out, blends new growth, and creates the illusion of fuller hair. Apply to roots, let dry for one minute, and blend. Available in five shades – dark brown, red, and dark blonde – it lasts until the next wash.
Formula Types: Aerosol spray
Shades: 5

Best Root Colour: Schwarzkopf Keratin Root 10 Min Root Colour Revitalizer

Wendy Burns, a salon owner, calls Schwarzkopf Keratin Root 10 Min Root Colour Revitalizer a “dream product” for covering grays between salon visits. This kit, designed to completely cover gray hair in 10 minutes, includes a pre-colour serum with vitamin B and collagen, a color cream, and a lotion developer. The pre-colour serum moisturizes the scalp, and the kit features a two-sided brush for detailed application.
Formula Types: Kit with pre-colour serum, permanent colour cream, and developer lotion
Shades: 3

Choosing the Right Shade as You Age

When considering hair color, experts suggest embracing lightness. “As we get older, adding a bit of lightness, especially around the face, tends to look the most youthful,” says Elena Ruiz. “Soft brightness can lift your features, soften lines, and create dimension. Going too dark can appear harsh, while strategically placed lighter tones help create a more flattering, natural glow.” Beth Minardi adds that staying close to your natural shade or going slightly lighter is generally the most attractive option as the amount of gray hair increases, suggesting highlighting a base shade with lighter strands.

Tips for Successful At-Home Hair Coloring

Wendy Burns offers several key tips for mature women coloring their hair at home. First, avoid applying permanent color over temporary gray coverage products like powders or sprays, as these can block color penetration. Washing hair the day before coloring helps prevent scalp irritation. Preparation is key: apply a barrier cream around the hairline, neck, and ears, as skin becomes thinner and drier with age, making staining more difficult to remove. A patch test is essential to check for allergic reactions, as the body can change with age, diet, hormones, and medications.

Burns advises starting color application at the front hairline, where gray hair is often most resistant. If coloring every three to four weeks, refresh only the roots to avoid flattening the color. Finally, she cautions that color cannot lift color, recommending a professional stylist for drastic lightening transformations.