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We've been conditioned to feel a certain urgency when we notice our first few grays. Commercials for at-home hair color, going back decades, would have you believe that the only course of action after a few silver strands show up is cover, cover, cover. (Never yoink, though—old wives' tales would have you believe that plucking one gray hair will trigger more to grow in.) The “quiet silver” trend, also known as gray blending, rebuffs the notion that grays must be hidden, allowing for the previously frowned-upon blend of gray and color to shine.

The concept of easing into your gray era isn’t exactly new. We’ve reported on how colorist Farah Hurdle does it at her San Diego salon. But as with many trends, it’s been rebranded—this time by Annabelle Taurua of Fresha, a booking platform, who coined “quiet silver” while speaking to Glamour. But the question remains: Why is the conversation about being okay with your grays coming up yet again?

How to achieve quiet silver hair

The process of going gray gracefully is extremely personal. After all, everyone arrives at the salon with a different base color, varying degrees of gray, and unique goals. It starts, though, with a professional consultation.

Hurdle, who calls her approach to quiet silver “grayblending,” previously told Allure it’s all about distraction. “Initially, we’re trying to highlight the areas where they have more silver, and then on the areas where they might be darker, we’re lowlighting,” she said, explaining that she uses toners and demi-permanent color to add dimension around the gray.

L’Oréal Professionnel is launching a hair-color application method to achieve this. Called “French blending,” it’s “designed to match every level of gray acceptance,” says Jacob Habib Khan, a stylist and global creative contributor for the brand. "We formulate the shade that's right for you using one of three different coloring techniques—first blending, retouch blending, and total blending—to not only cover gray hair, but also blend them for a more natural look and seamless grow-out.”

First blending involves creating contrast with the first patches of gray for a natural, camouflaged look. This restrained approach ensures softer regrowth between salon appointments. With retouch blending, the goal is to move away from the “helmet effect” line of demarcation that comes with gray coverage, softening the banding. Total blending fully embraces grays for a more visible transformation.

French blending, overall, is based on a highly personalized strategy. “For some clients, it could take a micro-teasing approach—which involves gently back-combing tiny, thin sections of hair before applying lightener—and others could be candidates for a balayage,” Khan says. “It’s all about mirroring and re-creating the gray pattern to give the best possible blend for each client.”

If you think starting with lighter hair might make for an easier path to quiet silver, you’re not wrong. “I do think it’s a bit more of a seamless look on someone with a lighter natural hair color,” says Victoria Suarez, a colorist at Anushka Spa & Salon in Palm Beach. “The blend is much better since the two colors do not have such a stark contrast.” But that doesn’t mean it’s out of the question for those with dark hair. Says Khan, “absolutely any hair color” can look gorgeous with gray mixed in.

How to achieve quiet silver hair at home

It probably comes as no surprise that the colorists we spoke to are all but dead set against attempting to achieve quiet silver at home, not just because they're not getting you as a client but because it's really something best left to the pros. That being said, Chloe Williams, a hairstylist and co-owner of He+Loe Studio in Delray Beach, Florida, reluctantly shared her recommendation if you're determined to do it on your own.

“You could use a demi-permanent color that wouldn’t cover 100 percent of your grays,” she tells Allure. “This would just add a bit of a tint to the hair without the opaque gray coverage of your typical single process.”

Shvonne Perkins, master colorist and education director at Madison Reed, concurs. “I call it ‘gray camouflage’ because some hairs will be almost totally covered and some will be tinted, shaded, or camouflaged, resulting in an effect that is more dimensional and multi-tonal,” she says, recommending the brand's ColorWonder Demi-Permanent Hair Color. “That variation gives a very natural blend, and it fades gradually that way too.” We're also fans of DpHue Color Dream Demi-Permanent Kit for an at-home option.

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Madison Reed

ColorWonder Demi-Permanent

$34 $29 (15% off)

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$34

Ulta Beauty

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dpHue

Color Dream Demi-Permanent Kit

$33

Ulta Beauty

Madison Reed also has an option for getting the gray-blending look quickly and temporarily: the Gray Escape Hair and Brow Mascara is a complete problem solver, and it’s so easy to use. “Identify the strands you want to cover, and swipe from root to end,” Perkins says. As the name suggests, you can also use the brow tint wand you may already have in your makeup bag. Don't have one? We like Tarte Busy Gal Brows and Kosas Air Brow Tinted Gel.

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Madison Reed

The Gray Escape Hair and Brow Mascara

$20

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$20

Ulta Beauty

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Kosas

Air Brow Tinted Eyebrow Gel

$26

Nordstrom

$26

Sephora

$26

Credo Beauty

How to maintain quiet silver hair

It might take a while for you to decide to move forward with fully embracing your gray. Staying in this quiet silver phase is completely okay.

To maintain it, Suarez says, it’s key to consider your base color and how much warmth you’re willing to tolerate. For lighter colors, she recommends using a purple shampoo once a week to keep your tones from getting too brassy. We’re fans of the Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning milk_shake Icy Blond Shampoo, as well as Pravana Perfect Blonde Toning Shampoo.

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Milk_Shake

Icy Blond Shampoo

$28

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Pravana

Perfect Blonde Toning Shampoo

$22

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For darker hair, Suarez says, use a color-safe shampoo that won’t strip away the richness of your deeper tones. Biolage Color Last Shampoo or Wella Ultimate Color Shampoo should do nicely.

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Biolage

Color Last Shampoo

$45

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$26

Ulta Beauty

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Wella Professionals

Ultimate Color Shampoo

$35

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$35

Ulta Beauty

Regardless of your shade, color-treated hair can always benefit from the occasional mask to address the dryness that often comes with coloring. For an easy but impactful five-minute treatment, there's the Allure Best of Beauty Award-winning Isima Súperbomba Triple Repair Peptide Mask, as well as the equally speedy K18 Leave-In molecular Repair Hair Mask, which doesn't even need to be rinsed out.

Glosses may seem like a smart idea, but the results are unpredictable with color-depositing versions, Williams says. However, a clear gloss, like the Best of Beauty Award-Winning Ouai Hair Gloss and the Playa Nuevasol Fragrance-Depositing Gloss Rinse For Hair, undoes dullness to keep your color its shiniest.

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Isima

Súperbomba Triple Repair Peptide Hair Mask

$38 $19 (50% off)

Ulta Beauty

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Ouai

Hair Gloss

$34

Amazon

Not convinced it’s time to mix it up? Take a look at some celebrity examples, and you may find that quiet silver is practically screaming at you to go to the salon.

Quiet Silver Inspiration

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Meet the experts

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• Jacob Habib Khan is a hairstylist and L’Oréal Professionnel global creative contributor.
• Shvonne Perkins, master colorist and education director at Madison Reed.
• Victoria Suarez is a colorist at Anushka Spa & Salon in Palm Beach.
• Chloe Williams is a hairstylist and co-owner of He+Loe Studio in Delray Beach, Florida.

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