20+ Flattering Ideas for Gray Highlights Brown Hair over 50

As women approach their 50s and beyond, it's common for gray hair to start appearing. While some women choose to color their hair to mask the grays, others embrace the natural aging process and allow their locks to go gray. An increasingly popular choice for women with brown hair is to add subtle gray highlights. Done right, gray highlights can beautifully blend brown and gray tones in a way that looks youthful and helps play up the natural highlights already present in brown hair. Here are some top hairstyle ideas to highlight gray on brown hair over 50.

Soft Dimensional Layers

For brown hair going gray, subtle dimensional layers are a lovely choice to showcase the new tones emerging. Ask your stylist to add subtle face-framing layers around the brows and soft layers throughout to add lift and movement.

The layers break up the solid brown color and allows wisps of gray to subtly peek through. Your stylist can use a lightene brush to highlight a few face-framing pieces and add subtle dimension throughout. The look is lived-in and natural rather than a starkly highlighted look. Face-framing layers draw attention to your features to soften eyes and cheeks.

Shaggy Lobs and Long Bobs

For women over 50 interested in an easy-care cut, consider a shaggy lob or long bob. Ask your stylist to cut the hair in soft, face-framing layers with subtle wispy pieces around the crown and hairline.

Then, have them slowly add highlights throughout the cut, starting two levels lighter around the hairline and bringing the color up in brightness towards the ends.

The result is a shaggy, lived-in look with dimensional color. Playful, choppy pieces allow gray highlights to peek through naturally around the hairline and brows. Daily styling is as simple as spraying with texturizing spray or sea salt spray and scrunching for beachy texture and wave.

Wispier Grays at the Hairline

Another lovely way to incorporate highlights is to focus the lighter grays more at the hairline and temples with full brown color throughout the lengths.

Ask your stylist to hand-paint subtle silvers and platinums just at the hairline and sides of the hair. Use a light hand so the gray is wispy and diffused rather than a stark strip. Keep the rest of the hair in rich medium to dark browns. This helps play up face framing and play up a natural progression of color that accentuates features. It's a more dramatic color technique than an all-over blending of tones but still looks incrediblynatural. Finish with a smoothing serum from mid-shaft to ends to unite the tones.

Soft Waves and Curls

Texture is your friend when embracing gray highlights on brown hair. Have your stylist add lived-in loose waves throughout with a curling iron or hot rollers.

The texture helps the colors blend together seamlessly rather than having distinct bands of brown and gray. For added texture, ask them to rough dry your hair with a round brush instead of blow drying straight. Scrunch in a sea salt spray or creme for beach waves.

Curls soften the face and play up the dimensional color beautifully. Finish with a lightweight oil like argan to polish the look. Waves and curls work well for any hair length, from shoulder-grazing bobs to longer styles below the shoulders.

Face-Framing Layered Bangs

Subtly highlighted face-framing bangs are a gorgeous way to draw attention upward and play up gray peeking through brown locks. Ask your stylist to add soft, wispy layers around your forehead and sweeping across your brow line.

Then have them paint in subtle highlighting throughout the bangs, progressing to lightly brighter tones toward the ends. The end result is natural, dimensional color that flatters facial features. Finish bangs off with a touch of molding cream or wax for bendable texture. Blow dry them off to the side or toward the middle part for a flirty, updated style that's low-maintenance.

Soft Layers with Face-Framing Highlights

Finally, a combination cut and color idea that flatters features on brown hair turning gray is soft layers with face framing highlights.

Have your stylist add subtle U-shaped layers throughout to keep movement and lift without heavily weighing down fine hair. Then, they can paint in graduated highlights just around the face using a blend of platinum and snow white tones. The end result frames features beautifully while blending seamlessly into rich brown locks. Ask for soft tousled waves throughout with a texturizing spray for a youthful, carefree style. Finish with a touch of oil on ends.

Embracing Gray Highlights with Confidence

As your hair transitions over 50, feel confident embracing the colors of wisdom emerging. With the right stylist and techniques, gray highlights for brown hair can blend beautifully together in a way that looks completely natural. Focus on hairstyles that play up your best features like face framing layers, texture, and movement. Nurture your hair with quality products to keep it hydrated, healthy, and shiny through the transition. With the right haircut and highlights, you’ll feel your most gorgeous self embracing the changes.