The Best Hair Colors to Cover Gray, According to a Pro

Tricia Cosgrove, L’Oréal Professionnel artist, gave us her top tips for finding the best hair color for gray hair. We even share some of the latest salon innovations that conceal your grays in 10 minutes. Keep scrolling for everything you need to know, plus a curated list of inspirational looks that prove anything is possible with gray hair.

Good hair day by @__domidoeshair

Key Takeaways

• Go to a Pro for Best Results: Gray hair has a coarser, more resistant texture than professional color formulas are designed to handle. A stylist can choose the right technique and product, like Redken Color Gels Oils, to ensure 100% coverage and a soft, conditioned result that's difficult to achieve with box dye.
• Lighter is Often Better: A common mistake is going too dark to cover grays, which can look harsh against maturing skin. Opting for strategic highlights, a soft blonde, or a warm caramel balayage can blend grays seamlessly and offer a much softer, lower-maintenance grow-out.
• Maintenance is Key: To keep your gray coverage looking fresh, use a color-safe, sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner system like Redken Color Extend Magnetics. In between salon visits, a temporary root concealer spray like L'Oréal Professionnel Hair Touch Up is the perfect tool to mask regrowth.

Your Gray Coverage Questions, Answered

What’s the best way to cover stubborn gray hair?

For resistant grays, a permanent professional color service is the most effective solution. Ask your stylist for a formula specifically designed for 100% gray coverage, such as Redken Color Gels Oils. Its oil-based formula saturates wiry strands more thoroughly than traditional color, resulting in rich, long-lasting coverage.

Should I choose highlights or all-over color to cover grays?

The best coloring technique for gray hair ultimately depends on your desired look and how much coverage you want. If your goal is to fully mask every gray hair on your head, you might want to opt for an all-over color service with a uniform shade. However, highlights — or a combination of highlights and lowlights — may be better if your goal is to seamlessly blend your grays for a more natural effect.

Are highlights or lowlights better for gray hair?

Both highlights and lowlights can work beautifully for gray hair. It depends on the look you want to achieve. Highlights are great for blending grays and creating a bright, dimensional effect that softens regrowth. Lowlights, on the other hand, add depth and richness by weaving in darker tones, which can make gray strands less noticeable without lightening your overall look. Many colorists recommend a combination of both to create the most natural, multi-dimensional result that flatters your complexion and makes maintenance easier.

Good hair day by @hellocindeee

What’s the lowest maintenance hair color for gray coverage?

Choosing highlights and lowlights that are close to your natural shade is usually the easiest to maintain. Techniques like “herringbone highlights” or “greige balayage” (see examples below) seamlessly blend your grays into the overall look, making root regrowth far less noticeable.

Is it better to go lighter or darker when covering grays?

Most colorists, including expert Tricia Cosgrove, recommend choosing a shade slightly lighter than your original hair color. As skin tone naturally softens with age, overly dark shades can appear harsh, while lighter tones are often more flattering and make regrowth less obvious.

Cosgrove points out that it’s easy to overwhelm your face with color: “I think the most common mistake is going too dark. It’s important to remember that as our hair loses pigment, so does our skin. A softer color than what we had before we went gray is probably best.”

Our advice is to go lighter, then add more if you want to make a dramatic statement.

How often should I dye my hair to cover gray?

Because gray hairs can be so sneaky, maintaining a lapse-less hair color schedule is probably the most important part of managing them. How often you’ll need to come back depends on the difference between your natural shade and the salon color, as well as the technique your stylist uses. It’ll be a little bit different for everybody, but certainly not an opportunity to walk away for six months at a time.

Good hair day by @_irinamukha_

Your Gray Coverage & Care Toolkit

For In-Salon Color

There’s nothing better than salon hair color if you’re dealing with grays. Have you ever noticed that gray hair is coarser than pigment-producing strands? That’s because as follicles stop producing color, they also stop creating sebum that keeps hair soft and moisturized. This results in a wiry texture that can make it difficult for the at-home dye to penetrate and latch onto strands.

“The best tip I have is to consult a pro! Professional hairdressers are well-educated in the chemistry of hair color. This really isn’t the type of thing most people can tackle themselves, and corrective [sic] color gets expensive!” Cosgrove explains.

It’s not just the color of the dye that matters, either. Formulas that are only available to professionals cover grays better than others. Cosgrove recommends demi or semi-permanent hair color for gray hair with a push toward permanent if you’re ready to commit to a new color.

If you’re unsure which coloring method is best for you, here’s a quick breakdown of three of the most common solutions.

For permanent gray coverage: If you’re looking for permanent hair color that also rejuvenates coarse, wiry grey strands, let us introduce you to Redken’s breakthrough hair color line: Color Gels Oils. Formulated with two percent apricot oil, they are the first permanent hair color to treat all symptoms of gray hair while boosting hair health. The ammonia-free range offers 100 percent gray coverage on every shade while leaving your mane conditioned, shiny, smooth, and manageable.

For quick coverage or touch-up: However, if you just need quick gray coverage or a touch-up, ask your salon if they’re stocking up on Redken Color Gels Lacquers 10 Minute Color. These permanent formulas provide 100 percent gray coverage on select shades and one level of lift in just 10 minutes. Color Gels Lacquers 10 Minute Color comes in 14 shades and offers fast gray coverage whether your strands are blonde, brunette, or copper.

For long-lasting, but not permanent coverage: For long-lasting (but not permanent) results, you can opt for a hair gloss like Redken Shades EQ. These demi-permanent, ammonia-free hair gloss formulas can provide temporary color change in just 20 minutes, including gray coverage. The results last four to six weeks, meaning you can try a new hair color for gray hair without the commitment.

For At-Home Touch-Ups

Reach for a root concealer: Can’t make it to the salon every time your grays start to show? We get it. The easiest way to refresh gray roots at home is with a temporary root concealer spray. Products like L’Oréal Professionnel Hair Touch Up Professional Root Concealer instantly mask grays and wash out with your next shampoo without interfering with your salon color.

For Daily Care & Maintenance

Switch to color protecting products: Between appointments, focus on using color-protecting products to help your hue last (and keep your grays totally disguised). We recommend Redken’s Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo and Conditioner. This sulfate-free system gently cleanses and conditions color-treated hair to enhance shine and hair color vibrancy

Use a heat protectant: Another way to prevent your hue from dulling is by keeping a heat protectant on hand whenever you reach for hot tools. We love Matrix Mega Sleek Iron Smoother Leave-In Spray, which smooths strands and simultaneously protects hair against heat damage up to 450 degrees.

Condition with a weekly hair mask: We already know that gray hair grows drier and coarser, but a deep-conditioning hair mask can keep tresses silky and healthy. You can streamline your routine with a nourishing mask that also protects the vibrancy of color-treated hair, like Pureology Hydrate Superfood Treatment Mask.

The 22 Best Hair Colors for Gray Hair to Try Now

Mocha

Afraid of going dark because you fear your silvers will still poke through? That’s where Redken Color Gels Oils in Shade 5NN Cafe Mocha comes in. The liquid formula contains adhesion technology for deep, saturated results that completely mask even the most stubborn of grays so you can rock brunette hair at any age.

White Blonde

Good hair day by @lamajbackwards

A shade like white blonde will seamlessly blend with your gray regrowth. Note: Achieving a shade as light as white will require a few bleaching sessions with your colorist, so be sure to use repairing products like Redken’s Acidic Bonding Concentrate Intensive Treatment. Part of the Acidic Bonding Concentrate system, this highly reparative rinse-off formula works within your hair to strengthen bonds weakened by stressors like hair color and lightening.

Caramel Balayage

Good hair day by @nicolawelshhair

There’s no need for us to sell you on caramel balayage because it basically sells itself. This warm, lighthearted take on blonde hair suits every skin tone, makes you glow, and fuses your grays. Who wouldn’t want to try it?

Ensure lightened brown hair remains bright, not brassy, with Matrix Brass Off All-In-One Toning Leave-In Spray. This conditioning leave-in spray uses blue dye color-depositing technology to neutralize brassy and orange tones that plague lightened brunettes and dark blonde hair.

Blonde Highlights

Good hair day by @desireealyssahair

Curious about what highlights are best for gray hair? We can name so many reasons why blonde highlights are a top choice. Blonde highlights soften the root area where grays start to peak through and let your colorist specifically target gray-prone sections.

Blonde Herringbone Highlights

Good hair day by @katieaveryhair

Ask your stylist about herringbone highlights if you want to work with your grays, not against them. Instead of placing your foils on top of each other, your stylist will place them diagonally. This helps the cool and warm tones mesh together in a gorgeous fusion of color that intentionally includes your grays in its final result.

Creamy Blonde

Good hair day by @sydneypaintshair

We’ve seen every blonde rendition on planet Earth, so believe us when we say this soft, creamy blonde shade is unique in its neutrality and dimension. Fight the urge to bleach your grays into oblivion and choose this darker blonde instead. A little leftover warmth is never bad, and you can always ask to go lighter or brighter on your next appointment.

Dimensional Brunette

Good hair day by @salon_caroline_le

Add dimension to your brown hair color with subtle lowlights. Strategically placed lowlights can help hide graying hair while adding depth and dimension to your brunette strands.

Medium Brown

Good hair day by @adriennedara

We’re obsessed with this gray coverage result on medium brown hair using Redken Color Gels Lacquers 10 Minute Color in the shade 05N Walnut.

Coffee

Good hair day by @cassandraplatinum

This caffeine-inspired hue uses Redken Color Gels Lacquers 10 Minute Color in the shade 4NN Coffee Grounds.

Copper

Good hair day by @_annabellehooper

Redheads have a reputation for not going gray, but ginger shades lose their pigment over time, resulting in a lighter, duller color. Your colorist can refresh your fiery hue with a permanent hair color formula.

One caveat: Salon red hair is notoriously prone to premature fading, so make sure you’re ready for the commitment before you dive in. You can also invest in an at-home color refresher, like Pureology Color Fanatic Top Coat + Tone Copper, between appointments.

Sugar and Spice Copper

Good hair day by @beautybybrittanymcentire

For a lower maintenance take on red, have your stylist apply copper, brunette, and bright blonde highlights and lowlights. As brilliant as it is beautiful, this multi-tonal look helps your existing grays blend nicely and prevents a harsh line of demarcation for any new gray growth.

Greige Balayage

Good hair day by @konstantinos_hair

Think twice if you think balayage is only meant for the mid-lengths to ends of hair! Sweeping a few strokes of trendy greige (gray and beige) balayage near the roots creates a sun-kissed glow that seamlessly infuses your natural salt and peppers.

Gunmetal Silver

Good hair day by @makewoodwardup

If you can’t beat them, embrace them! Lean into your natural grays with a full-on deep silver shade. It’s on-trend and customizable for every skin tone.

For a shade as bright and cool as this one, we advise using a shampoo and conditioner like L’Oréal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Purple Shampoo once or twice a week to contrast yellow undertones.

Silver Balayage

Good hair day by @connorjay.tone.mcr

A full head of silver hair may not be for everyone, which is why we recommend silver balayage for a more subtle take on the look.

White with Lowlights

Good hair day by @hair.dominatrix

Lowlights will tone down a white shade while adding tons of dimension to your mane. If you notice your bright white fading within two weeks of your last color appointment, consider incorporating Redken’s High-Bright Pre-Shampoo Treatment, which is powered by its Brightening Care Complex and vitamin C to lift impurities that darken or dull blonde hair.

Mushroom Brown

Good hair day by @melaniedessauer_hairstylist

Like the delicious mushroom, this ashy, portobello-inspired shade appears to be standard brown hair at first glance. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice the light gray hues peeking through without stealing the whole show.

Dark Ash Gray

Good hair day by @seolahair

Want to conceal grays while still embracing the richness of a brunette hue? Dark ash gray lets you have the best of both worlds. This ashy matte color focuses on the bulk of your grays at the ends, not the roots, so you can go gray the fashionable way.

Two-Toned Slate Brunette

Good hair day by @xcellenthairsquare

Can’t get enough of this chalky slate gray? Ask your stylist to use Matrix SoColor Cult in Marble Grey on two-thirds of your dark base for a unique two-toned effect.

Ready to embrace your gray in a whole new way? Whether you opt for soft highlights, rich lowlights, or a bold all-over transformation, let your hair tell your story. Don’t forget to share your stunning new look on social media with #hairdotcom for a chance to be featured on our channel. Go ahead—be bold, be brilliant, and inspire others to celebrate their grays!