Silver balayage is the rage, taking the beauty realm by storm. This trend blends cool silver with your natural hair for a chic, edgy look. Learn how to rock this style with expert tips from style guru Amanda Hyson.
Meet The Expert
Amanda Hyson
Amanda is a hairstylist with over 5 years of experience.
You can find her at Bella Moda Hair Salon in Albany, NY.
Matching Silver Balayage to Skin Tone
“Silver balayage looks best on cooler & neutral undertones or fair & olive skin tones,” says Amanda. She adds that besides skin tone, eye color also matters. Dark natural hair with silver balayage creates a major contrast, while lighter hair brings out bold pops. Regardless of your skin tone, you can rock this style.
Maintaining That Silver Balayage
“A toner refresh is my best advice to maintaining a silver balayage,” suggests Amanda. How often this is needed depends on your hair care routines. If you have hard water at home, a shower filter is a smart buy. Purple shampoo can also be a great at-home maintenance tool. “Redken Shades EQ is my top pick for gloss,” suggests Amanda, while recommending Virgo De Novo’s purple shampoo.
Talking About Silver Balayage with Your Stylist
Considering going silver? Have a chat with your stylist. Amanda advises, “It’s crucial to discuss lifestyle, as a busy one might not jibe with a silver balayage due to maintenance needs.” The current color of your hair also matters. Amanda advises, “Lighter hair may last longer with this style than darker bases.” Also, prepare to invest, as silver balayage comes with a hefty cost. Amanda assures that good results take time, but they’re worth it.
Photos of Most Gorgeous Silver Balayage Ideas
#1: Silver Blonde Balayage with Shadow Root
A silver blonde balayage with shadow root is a perfect low-maintenance choice for achieving bright blonde hair. If you’re looking to introduce some lightness to your brunette locks, this well-settled hair color is an excellent choice. To understand the process better, shadow root is a method used by stylists. They carefully apply a darker, semi-permanent dye to the root of your hair to create a ‘shadow’ effect. Using the shadow technique ensures seamless hair growth and adds dimension to the overall look of your hair.
#2: Ashy Platinum Hair Highlights
Try adding ashy platinum highlights to your dark hair to achieve a style full of contrast. The ashy tint contrasts with your dark roots and adds shine and vibrancy. To achieve this style, you need to highlight your hair all over first. Then, apply the silver hues to tone your hair.
#3: Smoky Bright Silver with Root Smudge
This hair color is a bright, smoky silver with a smudged root. If you want depth in your silver look, your stylist must lift your hair to a level 8/9 to get the best result. Typically at a level 8 and 9, your stylist will do a lot of lifting and toning to create the perfect balance in tones. A deep, smoky root adds depth to this color, making for a lower maintenance option. It’s achieved by slightly elongating the root area, which contrasts with higher-maintenance hair color choices.
#4: Silver Balayage Hair with Choppy Waves
Choppy waves in silver balayage hair add texture and versatility. Adding waves highlights the beautiful tones in silver hair.
#5: Dark-Rooted Ashy Silver Long Hair
Ashy silver long hair with dark roots is a beautiful way to lighten your brunette hair. This color option, though high-contrast, offers a subtle way to add more depth to your hair. It’s crucial to note you’ll need to lighten your hair sufficiently for it to take the ashy tone. You should find a stylist who specializes in blending hair colors and highlighting hair strands.
#6: Long Wavy Hair with Dimensional Silver Tones
The ashy silver tones on this long wavy hair are bright and muted! Ashy tones are best maintained with a purple or blue shampoo at home. Also, use a hydrating mask weekly to keep your hair shiny and strong.
#7: Silver Fade on Shoulder-Length Hair
Add a silver fade to shoulder-length hair for a unique look. Black blending into silver is a beautiful color option but difficult to achieve. Ask your stylist to use the ombré foilyage technique to make your mid-length hair a bold silver. This technique allows for maximum lift on dark hair, which is key to going silver. To maintain this color, wash with a silver depositing cleanser or visit the salon every 6-8 weeks for a gloss.
#8: Black Hair with Bright Silver Streaks
Check out this black hair color enhanced with bright silver highlights. Achieving this high-contrast color can be a challenge. However, a colorist with the right knowledge and experience is essential. Using very fine highlights, such as babylights, along with teasylights, can lighten this color more quickly. Apply a gloss to counterbalance unwanted tones and add silver for the final touch. Maintenance of this color treatment is required every 6-8 weeks to keep it silver, as it will fade quickly being a light tone.
#9: Muted Lilac Silver Hair
If you’re looking for a whimsical and stylish statement, consider muted lilac silver hair. Both muted lilac and silver can be subtle and striking, which makes them versatile and suitable for many people. I recommend finding a shade that compliments your unique skin tone in the silver and lilac family.
#10: Icy Silver Balayage Ombre
An icy silver blend, or balayage ombre, is a stunning color mix. This technique softens the change from dark roots to light ends. You can enrich your blonde shade by giving it an ashy hue, which brings about an icy look. This will contrast with the dark roots and give a reflection effect.
#11: Low-Maintenance Ash Silver Balayage Highlights
If you’re searching for a high-impact hair color that requires little to no care, consider ash silver balayage highlights. This balayage offers a beautiful way to lighten your locks. Keeping the balayage rooted is the optimal way to minimize maintenance.
#12: Smokey Silver Babylights
Smokey silver babylights will add an all-over ashy tone. Babylights are a type of highlight that offers a more blended look. Babylights give a softer, more uniform look rather than a chunky dimension. For maintaining this unique color of smokey babylights, you should use a purple or blue shampoo between coloring appointments.
#13: Light Brown Hair with Silver Ombre Highlights
Silver ombre highlights in light brown hair create a softly contrasted look. This trendy light brown hair with silver highlights is suitable for any age! Before you commit to this look, make sure this hair color matches your skin tone.
#14: Silver Gray Hair with Tousled Waves
Soft tousled waves create a perfect wash-and-go style for silver-gray hair. Styling this look involves using a hydrating purple shampoo to maintain an ashy tone and a curl gel to keep curls defined and prevent frizz.
#15: Ash Silver Balayage with Dark Roots
An ash silver balayage with dark roots offers low upkeep and a striking contrast. The lighter shade appears even brighter when contrasted with darker hues.
#16: Smoky Silver on Medium Hair
Hair with a smokey silver color of medium length can be slick or tousled. Any style you choose will bring out the cool ashy tones of this color. Try finishing this look with a shine spray for extra drama.
#17: Subtle Silver Highlights on Black Hair
Subtle silver highlights are perfect for giving black hair a soft dimension. These highlights create a lighter effect, enhancing the depth of the hair while keeping maintenance low.
#18: Voluminous Grey Balayage Hair with Root Melt
Opt for a large, grey balayage. Add a root melt to make this color stand out more. A root melt also softens new hair growth. Use a purple shampoo to keep your hair color bright, and avoid a yellow tint.
#19: Silver Light Ashy Blonde Waves
If you want a cool tone, try the look of silver light ashy blonde waves! While the highlighting technique looks beautiful, the waves enhance the subtle shades and depth of the color.
#20: Metallic Silver Balayage Hair
A metallic silver balayage hair style is an attractive and multi-dimensional style for silver-toned hair. This style is ideal for those who prefer a metallic shade or for those who are going gray and want to embrace their natural color.
#21: Dark Hair with Grey Silvery Ends
A beautiful and stunning way to rock a silver balayage is with dark hair with grey silvery ends. Keeping the root dark simplifies upkeep while providing your preferred shade at the ends of your hair.
#22: Light Silver Face-Framing Highlights
Get glamorous with light silver face-framing highlights! The money piece will help brighten up your appearance and add uniqueness to your hue.
#23: Purple Roots on Short Silver Hair
The popular trend of rooted tresses is everywhere! This take utilizes purple roots on short silver hair for an icy, cool-toned hue.
#24: Light Brunette with Subtle Silver Color Block
Try a light brunette that possesses a subtle silver color block. The silver balayage color block contributes a lived-in texture and a soft, natural growth from the root. Balayage offers a sweeping soft effect. It features a bold mid-length and ends that result in a beautifully bold, soft color block.
#25: Soft Silver Ombre with Black Roots
If your hair is black, consider an ombre effect in silver tones. Your stylist should add highlights all over your head and blend them into your black roots. These steps will create a gradient effect, giving you a cohesive look.
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