Are you ready to take a step towards going natural and embracing your salt and pepper hair? I said good-bye to hair-dye over 2 years ago now. I have to admit I was really nervous about going gray cold turkey so I opted to transitioning to gray hair with lowlights. Basically that is the opposite of hi-lights and it helps hide the demarcation hair line while you are growing out old hair color.
Fully transitioned now, I love the way my hair feels and looks. It is so soft and no longer brittle from over-processing. Not to mention I have more money in my pocket! No need to run to the hair salon every 3 weeks to cover up my roots.
What to wear with salt & pepper hair?
However, one of the things that really bothered me after letting my hair go gray was that none of my old wardrobe seemed to look good on me anymore. So I reached out to Jill Kirsh, the colour guru, for some help and tips on the best colors to wear with grey hair. She is an expert at choosing colors that won’t make you look pale and in fact she claims that the right fashion color choices make you look great, even without makeup. I am all in for that!
The difference between salt & pepper and grey hair
If you were born with brown or black hair like me, chances are that as you are transitioning to grey hair, you will probably notice that you have silver streaks of hair (natural hi-lites yay!) along with areas of your hair that are still close to your original colour. When you have that mix, you have salt & pepper hair. As time goes on, more and more of your hair will lose it’s colour (melanin). Then your hair will be either completely gray or platinum white. Natural blondes will go to the gray stage much faster.
Why is that difference important to know
According to jill Kirsh, the fashion colours that look good on you will be slightly different depending on how you have transitioned. So if you believe that you have gray hair, check out this post for the best colours to wear for you.
What Colors Look Best With Salt and Pepper Hair?
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1. Don’t wear camel, rust, avocado and ivory. Instead wear clear vibrant shades like royal blue, pure white, emerald and fuchsia.
2. Don’t wear yellow gold. Wear silver, white gold & platinum.
3. Don’t wear bronze, rimless or pastel eyeglass frames. Opt for black, pewter, navy or a deep royal purple.
4. Don’t wear coral, citrine and turquoise. Your jewels are lapis, onyx and ruby colored stones. P.S. Definitely set the diamonds in white gold or platinum. Just sayin!
5. Don’t accessorize with tan or earth tones. Your go-to basic handbag, boots, shoes & belts should be black, true red and navy.
***NOTE: These tips are for salt & pepper hair only. Check out this post for gray hair mistakes and solutions.***
Need some foolproof guidance on colour choices for your salt and pepper hair?
Jill Kirsh has designed a wallet size customized swatch book that’s filled with pieces of fabric of all your best shades for your salt and pepper hair. You use it as guide for shopping for everything from tees, shorts and nail color to party dresses, jewels and stilettos! In addition to these being all your best shades, every color in your swatch book coordinates with each other, so you can have a wardrobe that totally rocks. You can shop Target or Neiman’s, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about the hue!
Jill’s also has a line of products that are customized mineral based, fragrance free makeup kits filled with all your best shades for the eyes, cheeks and lips. All the lip products, blush and shadows are paraben free, all the products are cruelty free and are made in the USA and all these shades blend beautifully with each other and compliment the hues in your swatch book.
Thank you so much for sharing your expertise with me Jill, and I look forward to featuring you again soon.
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Check out these gorgeous silver sisters!
Rachel
Monday 29th of May 2023
I've just given myself a buzz cut as I'm so sick of colouring my hair and not getting great results. (For some reason my greying hair responds oddly to dyes, and they do not turn out the same colour as the box.) I'm left with salt and pepper hair. I'm an autumn and my wardrobe is predominantly warm, and my skin, even though it has changed dramatically since my youth still apparently leans warm. Can I still get away with dropping the earthy tones for cooler Jewell tones even though my skin seems warm? This was such an insightful article. I'm so happy I found it.
Rachel
Sunday 4th of June 2023
@Elena Peters, Good idea. I think this is what I'll do. I'm a bit scared!
Elena Peters
Tuesday 30th of May 2023
I suggest you try. Experiment with different jewel shades. Take shelfies and see what works for you best.
Susan
Monday 30th of January 2023
We should always remember that fashion 'rules' do not apply to everyone. For example the rule that says no tan/brown /camel, etc only applies to grey hair on light skin. On brown skin it's gorgeous! Just like the photo above. Work out what works for you !
Linda
Monday 1st of August 2022
I have lots of turquoise jewelry, and clothing, as it’s my favorite color, so I’m NOT going to stop wearing it! My hair is white, and I have brown eyes. I get lots of compliments on my turquoise, and when I wear royal blue. I have always hated earth tones, and never worn them. I do wear yellow because it’s a happy color, regardless of how I look in it! I prefer the soft yellows like butter and lemon.
Joan
Tuesday 1st of August 2023
@Linda, I have to agree with you on this. I tend to wear opposite of what she says I should be wearing, and I often get compliments on what I am wearing and my accessories. I have never noticed myself to look jaundiced and I would notice as I am a Registered Nurse
Ronda
Saturday 28th of August 2021
Hi I cut off all my blonde bleach, and am now dirty dishwater blonde and gray, what would be my best colors. I love all the gray sisters here, but even though I use purple shampoos and such, it highlights the gray but still not completely gray. So what are my best options. Thanks Ronda
Carolyn J. Griffin
Saturday 5th of June 2021
I had my hair dark blond for years and then I shaved my head for chemo. When I grew in last year it is now a mix of silver white and dark brown streaks. I always wore coral or brownish lipsticks. I hate pink and won't wear it in clothing. Dark mauve is ok but not on my lips. What makeup colors can I wear now? Fortunately most of my clothing is blue % green. How do I get past the pink stuff?
Elena Peters
Saturday 5th of June 2021
You don’t have to wear pink. I would suggest sapphire and emerald colours for eyes (liner only if you don’t want to go full on) and stick with a nude or coral lipstick.