How to Go Gray Confidently

Beauty School, a new series from T Magazine, answers common beauty questions with help from creative people who’ve become experts on the job. Sign up here to find us in your inbox once a month, and send any questions of your own to [email protected].

“Going gray is a personal journey,” says the model JoAni Johnson, who made her runway debut at 65. “It’s also empowering.” Still, transitioning between colors, while keeping breakage-prone gray hair both healthy and luminous, isn’t always straightforward. To help you along the way, Johnson and two other experts — the actress Andie MacDowell, who has welcomed her salt-and-pepper curls, and the New York colorist Lena Ott, whose clients include Meryl Streep — share their tips and product recommendations below.

• When my hair started growing out during the pandemic, I felt like it was time to embrace my age and be comfortable with where I was in my life. I didn’t find many women who had silver hair, so I was inspired by men. I’d look at George Clooney or Hugh Grant and think, He looks great. I realized going gray wasn’t going to be detrimental [to my career]; in fact, I think it made me more unique and powerful.

• Dying your roots to match the rest of your hair can be harsh; your top layers can be very brittle, and some of mine broke. [If you want your hair to be one cohesive color,] I highly recommend just cutting it short.

• I use a lot of conditioner because my gray hair is coarser and a little frizzier now. L’Oréal has a shampoo and conditioner that are great for silver hair, and I’ll add a small amount of their Bond Repair Oil-in-Serum when my hair’s damp, before styling, or when it’s dry, to finish my look. It helps to make everything shinier and softer.

• I’ve noticed that wearing certain colors enhances silver hair, including silver hoops and gray accessories. Shades of blue and mint green also look so pretty against my hair. I have a great collection of blue Hermès silk scarves. But I still wear every color. I don’t stop myself!