How to Make Your Hair Look Gray for a Costume

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: September 2, 2022 References Approved

There are several ways to temporarily color your hair gray if you are trying to go all in on a costume. For a quick solution, you can brush talcum powder or white face powder into your hair to coat it, then spray with hairspray to set the powder into your hair. You also can use grey hairspray color or hair chalk to temporarily color your hair and give it a more realistic look.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Brushing Powder Into Your Hair

1
Dip a sponge or brush in white powder. Purchase loose white face powder, talcum powder or cornstarch. Pour the powder into a bowl and dip a makeup sponge or brush into the powder.^{[1]
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Brush the powder along your temples. Begin graying your hair by brushing the hair along your temples with the sponge or brush, reapplying the powder when needed. Even though the powder is white, the natural color of your hair will come through to make your hair look like it’s gray.^{[2]
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- If you want a subtly older look, just brushing the powder at the temples is enough to make you look older and grayer, since people tend to go gray first around the temples.
- Focus on working the powder from the roots of your hair up, especially around the hair that frames your face. Since hair naturally greys from the roots up, this will give it a more realistic appearance.
- Make sure to avoid getting powder on your face. Brush away powder with a wet cloth if you get it on your forehead or neck.
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3
Sprinkle the powder onto your hair. If you want a dramatic, all-over white look, sprinkle powder over your hair. Do this by leaning back over the sink and sprinkling a pinch of powder over your hair. You may want to drape a towel around your shoulders, as this can be a messy process and powder will likely fall onto your shoulders.^{[3]
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4
Work the powder through your hair. After you sprinkle the powder on the top of your head, use your fingers to work the powder through your hair, starting at the top of your head and spreading the powder down your hair shaft.
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Spray your hair with hairspray. Once you have finished working the powder through your hair, spray your hair liberally with hairspray to set the powder.^{[4]
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- White powder should wash out after a thorough shampooing of your hair.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Using White Greasepaint

1
Dip a toothbrush in white or gray greasepaint. Purchase professional grade white or gray greasepaint makeup, which is often used in clowning and can likely be found at Halloween or costume specialty stores. Dip a toothbrush in the greasepaint and rub to cover the brush in paint.^{[5]
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- Greasepaint has better staying power than powder and is less messy to apply.
- If you have long hair and are applying it all over, it will likely feel heavier and stiffer than powder.
- White or grey greasepaint can work, depending on the shade of grey you want. If you use a light hand, your natural hair color will come through so that even if you use white it will likely look grey.
2
Brush the greasepaint through your hair with a toothbrush. Brush the greasepaint through your hair in the same way that you applied the powder, starting at your hairline around your temples and forehead and brushing out to the rest of your head.^{[6]
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- Use a light hand and work in layers, as too much greasepaint in one spot can look blotchy.
3
Use a hairbrush to cover your entire head. If you want a dramatic, all over grey effect, use a hairbrush to apply the greasepaint. Smear a thin layer of greasepaint onto the tips of a hairbrush and brush the paint through your hair until you get the desired effect.^{[7]
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- Greasepaint will wash off after shampooing your hair.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Spraying Your Hair With Temporary Gray Hairspray

1
Brush your hair out with a wide toothed comb. Use a wide toothed comb to brush all your hair out. Then take the comb and comb down a section of hair at the side of your face until midway down the hair shaft.^{[8]
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- Combing out your hair separates all the strands so that you can more evenly spray your hair.
- If you have short hair, you don’t need to comb through your hair.
2
Spray gray hairspray at the top of your hair. Still holding the comb in your hair, spray the top of the section of hair you are combing lightly and evenly with gray or silver hairspray. If you have short hair, you can simply spray your entire head evenly and with the hairspray, building it up in layers if you want a more dramatic effect.^{[9]
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- You can find temporary gray or silver spray color at most beauty stores and Halloween stores.
- Silver spray may be more common but it also may have a metallic effect, so it’s best to check the packaging or consult a store associate before purchasing a temporary silver hairspray.
- Hairspray is very effective at coloring your hair, but it may make your hair stiff depending on how much you use.
3
Run the comb to the tips and spray. Once you have sprayed the top of the strand of hair you are combing, run the comb down your hair shaft and spray to the tips of your hair.^{[10]
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4
Comb and spray the rest of your hair. Repeat the spraying process on your whole head, partially combing a section of your hair, spraying it from the top of your head down to the comb, then combing out the rest of the section and spraying. Use a mirror for the back of your head and apply the spray until you are satisfied with the result.^{[11]
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- Colored hairspray usually lasts from 1-3 shampoos.^{[12]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Using Hair Chalk

1
Wet your hair and the chalk. Purchase gray or silver hair chalk at a beauty supply store and dip the tip of the hair chalk in water. Use a spray bottle filled with water to spray and dampen your hair.^{[13]
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- Hair chalk is very strongly pigmented, much more so than sidewalk chalk or even artist pastel chalk.
2
Hold a section of your hair out. Brush your hair to separate all the strands, then separate a strand of your hair and hold it at the tips away from your face.
3
Rub the chalk through the section of hair. Starting at the roots of your hair, rub the dampened tip of the hair chalk downward to coat and color the section of your hair.^{[14]
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Color the rest of your hair. Repeat the process of holding out a section of hair and coloring it with the gray hair chalk on the rest of your hair. You may need to re-dampen the tip of the chalk several times if you have long hair.
5
Set the chalk with heat. Once you finish coating your head, wait for about one minute and then blow-dry your hair to set the color into your hair for the day. If you want the color to last a few days, use a hair straightener or curler on the gray parts of your hair to encourage the color to last longer.
6
Spray with hairspray. Since hair chalk has the tendency to rub off on your clothes without using hairspray, spritz your hair all over with hairspray to make sure it doesn’t rub off.^{[15]
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- Hair chalk should come out in one to two shampoos.