Best colors for grey hair

Shades that suit you

These 12 shades fall into three loose groups.

• The quiet base shades: soft white, charcoal and blue grey
• From the pink and purple family: dusty rose, raspberry, berry and amethyst
• From the blue and green family: periwinkle, cornflower, royal blue, teal and emerald

For coats, knits and trousers, the neutrals are the simple everyday pick. The pinks, blues and greens bring color to the spot where eyes go first, which is right at your face.

Why do cool shades work with silver hair?

Grey hair reads cool and silvery, so cool colors echo what your hair already does. That's the reason the seasons that usually hold grey hair sit on the cool or soft end of the 12 seasons.

Your undertone means the warm or cool cast that lives under your skin's surface. When hair, skin and clothes all lean the same direction, your face usually looks fresher and less worn.

Depth plays a part as well. Depth describes how light or deep your whole coloring looks, from hair through to eyes and brows. Deep colors like charcoal and royal blue bring more contrast, while dusty rose and periwinkle keep things soft.

The 4 seasons grey hair often fits

This site sorts people into 12 seasons, built on 4 families: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every family breaks into 3 seasons named for its main trait, like light, cool, soft or deep. Most often, grey hair lands in these 4.

When your coloring feels strong and high in contrast, the bolder colors in the list will probably suit you. If it feels light or delicate, the softer shades tend to be more flattering.

If your skin leans warm

Your season isn't set by hair color alone. If your skin leans warm, you may still look best in gentler, less icy versions of these colors.

If your skin leans warm, the deepest cool shades can feel harsh. Teal, dusty rose and blue grey are softer places to start. A mirror check in daylight will tell you more than any rule can.

Shades to skip

The 5 colors worth keeping at a distance from your face are camel, mustard, gold, bright copper and olive. All of them are warm and yellow-based, so they fight cool silver hair instead of supporting it.

There's no need to give them up. A coat in camel or trousers in olive can still look right, as long as something cool (a scarf or a top) sits between them and your face.

Keeping your best colors near your face

The shades closest to your face matter most, so begin there.

1. Stand near a window in daylight, since indoor bulbs can change how your skin appears.
2. Put a cornflower top or scarf under your chin, then a camel one, and compare how your skin looks in each.
3. Bring the shades that make your skin look clearer into tops, collars and scarves, the pieces that sit beside your face.
4. Save warmer favorites for trousers, skirts and shoes, where they sit far from your face.
5. For blush and lipstick, turn to the pinks: dusty rose, raspberry or berry.

How to find your full season

Grey hair narrows things down to 4 likely seasons, but it can't make the final call. The season quiz asks 3 quick questions: whether silver or gold looks better on you, whether your coloring runs light, medium or deep, and whether strong or gentle colors look best near your face.

Your result names one of the 12 seasons and points you to that season's palette of 60 named colors, along with colors to avoid. There's no photo, no upload and no account, and your answers never leave your browser. Think of a quiz as a first step; a mirror check in daylight or a draping session in person can settle the matter.