5 Modern Men’s Haircuts That Make Gray Hair Look Its Best

Nobody should have the same haircut at 60 as they had at 16—but that’s no bad thing. Gray hair can create some of the strongest cuts out there, as long as you know what you’re dealing with.

“Pigmented hair tends to create more contrast with the scalp,” says Lisa Franchi, General Manager at luxury hair and skincare brand LOYA. “Lighter or silver strands, meanwhile, can make the scalp more visible, so the same amount of hair may appear less dense.”

The fix is a cut that creates thickness, and the right one depends on your hair type. “Gray hair is naturally stubborn so you want to work with what you have instead of trying to bend it into something it can’t be,’ says Bill Coles, master barber at Murdock London’s Covent Garden barbershop. “If your hair is fine and sparse, a short, choppy cut will compliment your hair texture, but if your hair is much thicker, and there’s more of it, a longer style always looks really cool.”

If you’ve got plenty to play with, that could mean a soft pompadour à la Jeff Goldblum or or a Patrick Dempsey-style tousled, textured cut. If not, something shorter and cropped will be better suited. Here are five cuts that look better at 60 than they ever would have at 16, plus some tips on how to find your match.

The Jeff Goldblum soft pompadour

Best for: Straight or slightly wavy hair with density at the front. Since everything’s sweeping up and back, it’s not one for receding hairlines.

The cut: This is the Danny Zuko pompadour after it’s grown up, secured a mortgage, and discovered a love for golf. It’s longer on top, brushed up and back for a little height, with short, neat sides. Gray’s natural coarseness actually helps, here, because it holds its shape more easily.

Ask your barber for: Three to four inches on top with short, scissor-cut tapered sides—the razor comes in at the neckline, though, for a neat, tidy finish.

How to style: Blow-dry it up and back with a round brush, then work a small amount of light pomade or matte paste through from the roots. Just avoid anything too shiny that causes separation, which has the opposite effect.

The Patrick Dempsey tousled, textured cut

Best for: Wavy or curly hair with medium to thick density. A style for a good head of hair.

The cut: Patrick Dempsey was McDreamy way before he went gray—and, if anything, he only looks better now. His cut is a little shorter at the sides with a longer, messy top, almost like he’s taken off a helmet and separated it with his hands (which is highly likely considering he’s trackside at the F1). Waves are doing the work here: with straight, coarse hair it’ll look more like you’ve rolled out of bed.

Ask your barber for: Three inches on top and scissor-cut sides with a very soft taper. Everything should feel connected, though, rather than separated, and point cutting through the top can create extra texture.

How to style: First, start by drying your hair lightly with a towel. When it’s damp, spritz with sea salt spray and work in a tiny amount of curl cream. Finally, scrunch with your hands all over and let the air-drying do the rest.

The Barack Obama close cut

Best for: Afro-textured or coiled hair, or anyone that’s thinning all over who needs a low-maintenance option.

The cut: Obama’s graying journey is a famous one: He went into the White House with dark hair and came out eight years later fully gray. That’s politics for you. Anyway, he kept a similar haircut the entire time: short all over with a little extra length on top which keeps the gray looking full.

Ask your barber for: A short taper, with about half an inch left on top, and the sides blended naturally to the neckline. Ask for a soft hairline rather than sharp, which can make gray look harsh.

How to style: Styling’s easy: all you need is a light leave-in conditioner after washing to stop it looking dull. The hard part? Keeping on top of cuts every three weeks so it stays looking sharp.

The Gary Lineker short, scissor cut

Best for: Straight or wavy hair that’s fine, thinning at the crown, or starting to recede. If you’re losing density, this is a good place to start.

The cut: This is one of the few cuts that can grow old with you, and Gary Lineker is all the evidence you need. It’s been more or less the same since his striker days, through brown, salt-and-pepper, and now bright silver—and it’s never looked outdated. It’s cropped and textured, pushed up a little at the front, with soft, natural sides. It’s the grown up version of a textured crop, without a fade in sight.

Ask your barber for: Go for one to two inches on top, point-cut for texture, and scissor-cut sides: for the latter you want them tapered short but not faded.

How to style: Work a pea-sized amount of matte paste between your palms and run it through dry hair from front to back, keeping everything neat, before pushing the front up slightly so it looks natural, not forced. Too much product will look greasy, so make sure to keep it light.

The Hugh Grant undone side sweep

Best for: Straight or curly hair of medium density. This one’s also good if you’re thinning at the temples.

The cut: Back in the 90s, Hugh Grant’s floppy heartthrob curtains were his signature. Now that he’s grown up—from romcom roles into his creepy horror era—so has his hair. It’s now medium length on top, short at the sides, and swept up to one side. A bit scruffy, but intentionally so.

Ask your barber for: Usually, you’ll want three to four inches on top, with enough to sweep across, with the sides scissor-cut and tapered short. Go for a natural parting—nothing shaven in—and, though it might sound counterintuitive, you might want a little weight taken out so it doesn’t lie flat.

How to style: Start by rough-drying with a hairdryer, using your fingers to push it up and over. Once it’s dry, work a small amount of matte cream or clay all the way through, keeping the same laid-back, messy feel. Avoid using a comb, which would reveal more of your scalp.