Herringbone Highlights Are the Trendiest New Way to Embrace Graying Hair

Hair Herringbone Highlights Are the Trendiest New Way to Embrace Graying HairIf it's cool enough for Sarah Jessica Parker…

By Bella Cacciatore

May 23, 2022

• Facebook
• Email
• Pinterest

Craig Blankenhorn/HBO Max 

• Facebook
• Email
• Pinterest

Gray hair is nothing to be ashamed of. It's also something more and more women of all ages are embracing, which has led to trending shades incorporating tones of gray. Last year we saw the rise of gray blending, while this year is going to be all about a new trend: herringbone highlights.

They gray hair revolution has been bubbling up for years, but colorist Tom Smith credits the pandemic for the mainstream embrace of the shade. "Since the pandemic, it's wonderfully more acceptable to show your natural grays, and celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sarah Jessica Parker are leading the way when it comes to incorporating gray hair into their iconic hair colors," he says. Though these women haven't gone fully gray, they are instead starting to ease into gray by blending their roots into the shades we know them best for.

Instagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

Getty ImagesInstagram content

This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.

The coolest part about this trend is that it doesn't try to hide grays; it actually highlights them "using a herringbone pattern of highlighting," explains Smith. "Various shades are woven in among the gray strands, giving a finely balanced mix of warm and cool tones. This really celebrates gray hairs by including them in a hair color design as an additional highlight shade."

To get the shade yourself, Smith says to ask your colorist to incorporate your gray hair into your highlight pattern. Ask for a blend of warm- and cool-toned highlights and stress that they should be mixed in an irregular way. "Not alternating each shade, but scattering and diffusing the various shades around the irregular pattern of your own gray hair," says Smith. "Gray hairs tend to arrive sporadically and scattered—some even cluster into streaks, so work with this, rather than fight against it for a hair color design that is totally tailored to you."

This story originally appeared on glamour.com. 

More on hair:

• These Online Communities Are Helping Southeast Asian Women Embrace Their Curly Hair
• Why the Soft-Wave Bob Will Be Everywhere This Summer
• Can Castor Oil Actually Help Your Hair Grow?

Now, see how eye makeup has evolved within the past 100 years:

Don't forget to follow Allure on Instagram and Twitter.

Keywordssyndicationhairhair colorgray hair