Sonic Silver Hair is the Ultimate Cool-Girl Hair Trend

As for sonic silver hair? Irwin explains her choice of words. “The reason I called it Sonic Silver is because the iPod launched in 2001 and really changed the amount of music we listened to. We weren’t really referencing the past, the music of the time was really quite original. It felt like a sonic generation, it’s very much referencing the time,” she says.

It’s not lost on us that digital devices, like the iPod, were synonymous with futuristic silver shades too.

Who does sonic silver hair work particularly well on?

Rather than a safe bet, the trend offers a shade that’s a little more alternative. And even though it’s delicate and soft, the shade still feels gritty and has a daringness to it that warmer tones simply don’t – so this shade is for the rebels.

“The beige, silver and ash tones are really flattering on people who have a high pink tone within their skin,” says Irwin. “But equally, one of the reasons this has become so popular is because it’s amazing on Asian skin. It’s been heavily influenced by Japan [and Korea] because of its versatility within skin tone.”

How to get sonic silver hair

The secret to pulling off the perfect silver? A great toner. The good news is, they’ve come along way since the nineties and noughties.

“If you think of previous ashes… I know that when applying ash toners to some clients they would be really nervous because they feel like you’ve lightened their hair and they’ve got a freshness and a glow – and then some ash toners can take that away and make it darker. This is the second generation of toners,” says Irwin, who likes the Matrix professional Silver Lining range.

“One of the big things with ash toners in the past, is when they’re developing, a lot of colourists get very nervous – so they often rinse them off very quickly. However, [Silver Lining] gives you this amazing confidence. You get a high shine and longevity of the color. You really are seeing a six-week result. This is not something that can be compared to a silver shampoo or mask, it’s way way more iridescent than that,” she says.

How to style sonic silver hair?

It’s your call, but to lean even further into the Gen X Soft Club aesthetic, short is the way forward. “In the 90s and early 2000s, we all had short hair. It was a huge thing – the cleanliness of it,” says Irwin. But we’ve also seen it applied to alt mullets, bobs, braids and long layers. Ahead, see some of our favorite ways to wear sonic silver hair.

Wet look sonic silver hair

’90s cropped sonic silver hair

Blown-out sonic silver hair

Two-tone sonic silver hair

Bouncy bob sonic silver hair

Sonic silver locs

Spiky sonic silver crop

XXL sonic silver hair

Softly-cropped sonic silver hair