As we age, our hair color choices become increasingly important. The right shade can brighten your complexion and take years off your appearance, while the wrong one can wash you out or highlight fine lines.
Many earthy tones that look natural and beautiful on younger faces can appear flat and aging on mature hair.
1. Muddy Brown
Flat, one-dimensional brown lacks the depth needed to complement mature skin. The dullness can emphasize fine lines and make your complexion appear sallow rather than radiant. Mature faces need dimension and light-reflecting qualities that this basic shade simply doesn’t deliver.
2. Ash Blonde
Cool ash blonde can blend too closely with gray undertones in mature skin. Without warmth, this shade creates a washed-out effect that ages rather than refreshes. Many women mistakenly choose ash blonde thinking it will complement gray hair, when it actually flattens their features.
3. Olive Green Tints
Experimental olive green might seem earthy and natural, but it casts unflattering shadows on mature skin. The yellowish undertones tend to highlight discoloration and age spots. Save this trendy shade for accessories instead of your precious locks.
4. Flat Black
Harsh black creates stark contrast against softening skin tones. The severity emphasizes every line and wrinkle while draining natural color from your face. Many women don’t realize how dramatically this shade harddens their features until they see photos of themselves.
5. Mouse Brown
Neither here nor there, mouse brown lacks character and vibrancy. This middling shade blends into the background, making mature faces appear tired and lackluster. Adding even subtle highlights would immediately lift this forgettable color from drab to fab.
6. Matte Taupe
Taupe sounds sophisticated but often translates to a lifeless, grayish-brown on mature hair. Without dimension or shine, it creates a helmet-like appearance that ages rather than flatters. The flat finish absorbs light instead of reflecting it, diminishing your natural glow.
7. Khaki Blonde
Yellowish khaki blonde brings out sallowness in mature skin tones. The greenish undertones create an unhealthy cast that emphasizes rather than disguises signs of aging. Many salon mishaps occur when attempting to achieve a neutral blonde but landing in this unflattering territory instead.
8. Mushroom Gray
While embracing gray can be liberating, the specific mushroom gray shade often looks deliberately drab. This particular tone lacks the silver brightness that makes natural gray beautiful. Without deliberate styling, this color can make you look like you’ve given up rather than made a confident choice.
9. Dusty Mauve
Mauve with too much gray undertone creates a dated, powdery effect on mature hair. What looks ethereal on younger women often appears faded and tired on those with more mature complexions. The muted quality tends to drain rather than enhance your natural coloring.
10. Dark Chocolate Without Highlights
Solid dark chocolate without dimension can create a severe frame around mature faces. The stark, single-toned effect draws attention to fine lines rather than your beautiful features. Adding subtle highlights would immediately soften this otherwise harsh shade.
11. Dull Bronze
Bronze sounds glamorous but often turns brassy and flat on mature hair. Without proper maintenance, this shade quickly loses its metallic sheen and becomes a muddy, unflattering orange-brown. Regular toning treatments are essential but often overlooked with this high-maintenance color.
12. Muted Sage
Trendy sage green diluted to a muted tone creates an unhealthy pallor on mature skin. The grayish-green undertones can make you look slightly ill rather than fashionably edgy. What works in fashion doesn’t always translate well to hair color for those over 50.
13. Clay Brown
Reddish-brown with too much clay undertone creates a dated, ’90s effect. This particular shade tends to look artificial and emphasize redness in mature skin rather than provide a youthful glow. Many box dyes result in this unflattering shade when attempting to cover gray.
14. Flat Cedar
Medium brown with reddish cedar tones often looks artificial against mature skin. Without dimension, this one-note color emphasizes fine lines and can make your complexion appear ruddy. The warmth needs to be balanced with cooler lowlights to avoid this aging effect.
15. Blue-Black
Dramatically dark with blue undertones, this severe shade creates harsh contrast against softening skin. What looks edgy and glamorous on younger faces often appears costume-like and aging on mature women. The unnatural blue cast highlights rather than disguises signs of aging.
16. Muddy Purple
Purple can be playful, but muddy eggplant tones often look dingy on mature hair. The brownish undertones create a faded, washed-out effect rather than the vibrant statement you were hoping for. Clearer violet shades would be much more flattering and intentional-looking.
17. Mossy Green
Dark, yellowish green creates an unnatural effect that emphasizes sallowness in mature skin. What looks earthy and natural in theory often translates to an unhealthy cast in practice. Few complexions over 50 can truly carry this challenging shade successfully.
18. Murky Teal
Teal with too much gray creates a dingy, faded appearance on mature hair. Without brightness, this trendy color looks accidental rather than intentional and draws attention to tired features. A clearer, more vibrant jewel tone would make a much more flattering statement.
19. Rusty Auburn
Too-orange auburn can emphasize redness in mature skin and look obviously dyed. This particular shade often results from at-home color attempts and creates a brassy, unflattering effect. Professional colorists know to avoid this specific tone for clients over 50.
20. Slate Gray
Flat, dark gray without dimension can drain all warmth from mature faces. While natural gray can be beautiful, this artificially flat shade creates a harsh, aging effect rather than a sophisticated one. Adding silver highlights would immediately transform this drab color to fab.