Best Hair Color for Gray Hair

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Don’t let those stubborn gray hairs keep you down. We’ve gathered expert advice to guide you on your path to saving money between salon visits and looking great in the process (pun intended).

Graying hair is inevitable for most of us, and if you're among those who want to cover it, this guide is for you. We'll share stylist-approved at-home haircolors that don't cost a fortune to help you make sound decisions while dyeing your own hair, whether you want a root touch-up between salon visits or don't want to visit the salon at all.

To cover your roots and hide away grays, we've consulted master colorist Madison Garrett from Spoke & Weal to guide us on our journey. Finding the right match can be challenging. "Choose the lighter shade if you're between two colors because a lighter band is much easier to fix in the hair than a darker one," Madison explains. "Once you choose your color, it's best to apply the product at the part and hairline because if there’s an inconsistency in the color or hue—better to have it concentrated in a smaller area than all over." When coloring your hair, it's essential to protect it from brittle split ends and color abuse.

There are many special shampoos and conditioners to care for grays, but Garrett has found a magical solution for overprocessed hair of any color. She suggests using K18, a one-of-a-kind leave-in hair mask that repairs and reverses damage in under four minutes (yes, under four minutes!). It's scientific sorcery that'll keep your locks healthy. Whether you're looking for quick touch-ups between trips to the salon or prefer coloring your hair at home, she has kindly provided product recommendations to give salon-hair-flipping results.

This color creme is formulated with a Pro-Keratine complex that protects as it colors with a nourishing treatment. And it doesn't have a robust toxic smell when applied (seriously—always a plus!).

Created to adapt to any hair color, this temporary gel is paraben- and sulfate-free, and will not irritate your scalp.

The foam texture allows the dye to glide effortlessly all over so that it saturates your hair evenly for a no-drip, no-mess application and salon-worthy hair at home.

Developed with salon professionals, this at-home root touch-up kit uses permanent haircolor to cover up to one inch of root growth, available in six shades.

This product is ammonia-free and provides 100 percent gray coverage with salon-quality color and shine.

This color-depositing mask will tone the hair while nourishing it because of its gentle design.

Perfect for root touch-ups and extends time between salon visits by three weeks. Plus, it blends seamlessly with existing permanent color.

Finally, an all-natural approach to haircoloring at drugstore prices. It should last up to 28 washes, blending away grays.

Enriched with five fruit oils, this zero-drip haircolor is endorsed by Drew Barrymore, who swears by it to cover grays.

This a gentle, permanent haircolor with botanical pigments derived from five plants to keep your hair luminous and soft.

Emma is a New York-based writer focused on beauty, lifestyle, and fashion. When she's not scribbling novel ideas (pun intended), she's off performing on Broadway and recording movie scores as a Juilliard-trained violinist. Her bylines have appeared in Rolling Stone, Parents, InStyle, The Everygirl, and well, you get the idea.

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