Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon have a habit of making all Targaryen hair look rather one-note, and in the same bleached platinum-blonde color. However the books offer a wide variety of descriptions which I plan on covering today.
Disclaimer: The pictures used are to show color, not texture. In the books there are several different textures, and in the show the Velaryons have afro-textured hair and locs. Not every example (or most) is going to be texture-accurate, this post is is purely about the different shades of hair color found in the family.
Silver-Gold
The most common hair color Valyrians are said to have is "silver-gold". Aegon I, Rhaenys, Visenya, Rhaena Targaryen (Aenys's daughter), Daenerys, Viserys and many others of Valyrian descent (as well as Hightowers) have been described with this color. Interestingly in the portraits GRRM commissioned years ago, their hair looked something like this:
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The difference between the silver and the gold is stark (pun not intended.) However other depictions have been more blended to resemble something like this:
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That is personally how I first imagined Daenerys's hair in A Game of Thrones looking.
2. Silver-White
The Dragon Twins Baela and Rhaena Targaryen (Prince Daemon and Lady Laena Velaryon's twins) are described as having "silver-white" hair. Which can be interpreted as a very bright silver color with no hints of gold or blonde.
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The wig department for HotD better take notes! This is what Rhaena's locs should've looked like.
3. White
King Aegon III Targaryen is described as having hair so pale it appeared white. White differs from silver due to silver having a gray base.
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4. White Gold
Prince Aemon (son of King Jaehaerys I & Queen Alyssane) was said to have white gold hair, which was considered rare. White-gold can be interpreted as just a very pale blonde/gold color. You may think that white gold is silver-looking in color, but that is only because much of modern-day white gold has been plated with rhodium to reduce the pale yellow color. White gold that hasn't been plated is a (very pretty) pale gold color, which is what I'm assuming GRRM meant because I am fairly certain rhodium plating wasn't a thing during the medieval period.
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5. Honey
Not all Targaryens are pale haired! [Best] Queen Alysanne's hair was said to be honey colored. It was believed that her hair came out this way due to her grandmother being Lady Alarra Massey, who was Andal not Valyrian.
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6. Dirty-Blonde
Princess Alyssa Targaryen (daughter of King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne) was said to have dirty-blonde hair without a trace of silver.
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8. Brown
I'm including Prince Jacaerys Velaryon and his bros here, because while his parentage was disputed, and confirmed in the show, he's still a Targaryen on his mother's side and would have taken on the name Targaryen when he became king. Jace is said to have brown hair. No flowery language used to describe it by GRRM...just brown.
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7. Black
Yes, there are black-haired Targaryens! Rhaenys Targaryen (daughter of Prince Aemon and Jocelyn Baratheon) had black hair, as did the children of Prince Rhaegar and Princess Elia Martell (sweet Princess Rhaenys and Prince Aegon.) Aegor Rivers, also known as "Bittersteel" (the son of King Aegon the Unworthy and Barbra Bracken) also had black hair.
I fell in love with Kelis when she dropped "Caught Out There" in 1999. I remember being glued to the tv, wondering who she was. I fell in love with her edgy, colorful image. She's the one that made me really love my nautral curly hair even more and made me want to color it. 🥰 She really is a trendsetter and that girl. 💅🏾