A salt and pepper hair color is a mix of black (or dark brown), gray, white and/or silver hues that is usually synonymous with aging.
As we get older, our hair loses melanin, which gives it its distinctive color, resulting in more and more white, gray, or silver hairs that, together with the darker strands, form a beautiful salt and pepper (white and black) combo.
Now, graying usually starts as we hit our 30s and 40s, but this can vary widely from person to person, with some people noticing first grays already in their late teens and early 20s. (I found my first gray hair when I was in high school).
If you’re in your 40s or 50s (and have never dyed your hair), you might already be pretty close to having natural salt and pepper hair.
However, if you’ve been hiding your grays using some sort of dye until now, or you’re still young and are looking for ways to achieve this more natural look sooner, there are a few different ways to deal with this.
I put together this article to inspire women to embrace their silvers and show just how beautiful gray can be. But I also want to show you all the different ways hair colorists can help their clients to enhance or achieve a gorgeous salt and pepper look.
Perfect for younger women who don’t have a lot of grays yet, this subtle salt and pepper look was achieved by blending ashy highlights into the client’s brown base.
A technique like air touch or babylights can be used to add very fine highlights exactly where they’re needed.
Although it can get a bit expensive, you’ll only need to refresh the roots a couple of times a year, making it totally worth it.
These ash gray all-over highlights look absolutely stunning, but achieving a tone like this can be challenging.
To get the right level of lightness for ashy tones to even show, your stylist will likely have to bleach your hair multiple times, which could seriously damage your hair health.
On top of that, ashy tones are some of the quickest to fade, so you’ll need regular toning treatments to keep the colors vibrant.
This is another look that seems completely natural but is actually salon-made.
Stylist @haisalonwichita took her client from grown-out blonde with white roots to this stunning salt and pepper look by incorporating a combination of highlights and lowlights.
The darker lowlights blend well with the darker base color, and we absolutely love the glow of the chunky silver highlights!
If your hair still has a lot of remaining color, sometimes you need to go back to the beginning.
@miguelshairstudio colored their client’s hair from brassy blonde to medium/dark brown and added ashy silvery highlights to get this darker salt and pepper look.
As the natural grays start to grow out now, they will blend perfectly with the highlights.
This isn’t a traditional salt and pepper style but I think it’s still worth a mention because it looks incredibly cool!
Going from grown out blonde highlights on dark hair to this ash blonde balayage look took some serious work but the results are totally worth it.
Any new growth will hardly be visible, and the only maintenance needed for the color is to keep it vibrant by using purple shampoo and toning treatments.
Natural-Looking Salt & Pepper Color Blend With Bold Money Piece
@jordanmichaelhair pulled off a magic trick when he took his client from light brown to this natural-looking salt and pepper color combo with highlights.
The silver face-framing color block is a bold touch and suits this beauty 100%!
Here, we have a more salty look, but it’s absolutely gorgeous, thanks to the golden brown lowlights that add a lot of dimension to the hair.
While most salt and pepper styles are achieved by lightening darker strands for a more even spread of colors, this lovely lady wanted to add some darkness to her hair and go from an almost evenly gray/white to this lighter style with plenty of depth.
Sometimes, what you need to do to get a natural-looking black and white color combo is add some pepper to the salt, when using the words of stylist @hairflairinc.
She strategically placed black streaks all over her client’s head to achieve this beautiful result.
If you’re bold enough to rock a darker salt and pepper look like this, I say go for it!
The client’s black base was a perfect canvas for this masterpiece. All stylist @shear_drama had to do was add some platinum highlights starting from midway to blend with her natural grays.
The result is absolutely beautiful and looks amazing, along with the blunt bob haircut.
A salt and pepper hair color combo usually involves lightening hair by adding blonde, silver, and/or white highlights to mimic the natural pattern of emerging grays.
While this style is a lot easier to maintain than a one-tone color, it still takes a bit of work to keep it bright and full of life.
Stylist @hairbymonicaperez knows that sometimes, all it takes is a bit of toner to keep things fresh.
This is a beautiful look that could be completely natural but would take years to grow out from previously dyed hair. Luckily, a good colorist can help you get there faster!
Stylist @hairby_kaylakillday color-corrected her client’s old coppery hair dye and added beautiful salt and pepper highlights for a style that will remain gorgeous as the roots grow out over time.
Although it’s a look that could happen naturally as you’re starting to get more greys, this salty look has actually been achieved through a lot of work.
Stylist @la_bianca_hair started from a canvas of partly grown-out blonde and used her talents to lift out the old color, blend her client’s natural greys with the darker base color, and finally tone them to give her that silver glow.
The transition between the old blonde color and new growth is now minimal, so it will continue to look just as gorgeous as the grays grow out.
From brassy blonde to natural salt and pepper, this hair transformation is unbelievable, and @maria_stylist_ really pulled out all the stops to achieve this look.
Proper maintenance is crucial going forward to restore moisture and bounce and keep the new colors vibrant and shiny.
Salt and Pepper Lowlights and Highlights Combo on Curly Hair
Although the easiest and most typical way to achieve a salt and pepper look is to add highlights to dark hair, it doesn’t always have to end there.
Stylist @nandn.beauty turned her client’s box dyed dark hair into this silver blonde balayage and ombre masterpiece instead, and it is seriously gorgeous!
It’s a very youthful style that is perfect for women who want a more modern look.
As you start to notice more and more grays emerge, adding silvery blonde highlights like these is a great way to lighten your overall look and hide the grays without an all-over color.
@beautybybowman did an excellent job blending the grays and getting this gorgeous salt and pepper look.
We love the sparkly blonde hues and the youthful vibe of the thicker, chunky streaks!
A salt and pepper hair color combo can look equally good on younger women, so if you don’t want to wait for your grays to grow out naturally, you can get the look in just a couple of sessions!
Stylist Shaya took her client from grown out yellow-y blonde highlights to this gorgeous black and gray style using a combination of highlights and lowlights, plus plenty of toner.
You would never believe that this is not a natural hair color!
Stylist @tizzy_bella from Stow, Ohio, used a partial color and added darker lowlights for her client, Stephanie, to achieve this gorgeous salt and pepper masterpiece.
If you want to speed things up a bit instead of waiting for your natural grays to grow out over time, adding fine highlights like these is the way to go.
Depending on your natural color, your stylist might go for ashier, icy silver, or warmer blonde hues to match your natural growth.
Stylist jasminkinghairdressing’s client came in with grown-out gray roots on her otherwise dark base.
Using the natural color and growing pattern, she added half a head of highlights and applied some toner to take her from light brown to this natural looking ashy salt and pepper queen.
Silver Money Piece and Strategic Babylights on Natural Hair
Even if you already have the perfect salt and pepper look, it doesn’t mean you can’t enhance it and make it even better!
@ali_artz_ added some silvery white babylights following her client’s natural growth pattern and a beautiful silver money piece to get this gorgeous style.
