Letting your hair go gray............

[maslex]

So I've decided to no longer color my hair and let it go completely gray. I've been going back and forth with myself for probably a year or so and decided it's now time.

Are there any shampoos/conditoners that are better than others for gray hair. I have noticed that my hair now has a different feeling/texture to it. Just wondering if I should be using anything specific or continue with just my regular shampoo (which I've used head & shoulders for years..........and I don't really have dandruff so I have no clue on why I even started using it lol)

Anyways, any suggestions?

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I use Clairol Shimmer Lights. Luckily, my hair came in silver, and this shampoo really accentuates it. I haven't noticed a big difference in texture, just that the silver hairs are brighter. But my hair is short so I tend to not use conditioner.

I took the leap into gray a few years ago, and I couldn't be happier. No more messing around with color, and with a nice haircut I don't feel like an old lady.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I knew there was a pretty good chance my hair would turn grey after observing my maternal family. All different shades and patterning of grey for 3 generations. On my paternal side no hair at all so that could be worrisome but a different concern, LOL.
Yes to Shimmer Lights, really good stuff and easy to get nationwide. I still use the same conditioners I’ve always used although more deep conditioning than in the past. I stopped chemically treating my hair about fifteen years ago but no significant amounts of grey then so can’t say what is causing the change in some of my hair texture. Made an appointment to see a “hair dermatologist“ in the beginning of January so guess I’ll know better after the med appt.

Enjoy your well earned hair color!
It doesn’t make me feel any older and now that I’ve found a stylist I trust, I'm back to my mirror, mirror on the wall routine

 

[leebee]

I've been using purple shampoo and conditioner to help segue from coloring my hair to letting it go gray. I've tried Jhirmack, L'Oreal everpure, and Not Your Mother's Blonde Moment. I like them equally well, and they leave my hair pretty shiny.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Idk the name of it, but her hairdresser gave my mother some shampoo that was purple, too, which made her grey hair look really nice. Good luck

 

[SueInBoston]

I also use whatever purple shampoo that's on sale but I use Overtone color depositing conditioner. It gives me various grey highlights.

 

[design_mom]

I don't have any advice on shampoos -- I've been using a purple one, but only once a week. Good luck on your journey growing it out. I have been growing mine out for about 16 months and I think my next appointment MIGHT be when we finally cut off the last of the dyed hair (chin length bob). My natural color is practically black and it was dyed pretty dark, so the roots looked BAD for the first couple of months. I got less self-conscious as I think it became obvious that I was growing it out vs. just badly in need of an appointment with my stylist.

 

[CGB]

You will probably need something to condition it more. I stopped coloring my hair about seven years ago. Most of my life I've had longer hair, so I've always had to condition more even when coloring it. The texture of gray hair is more coarse, but the extra moisturing seems to help it. I haven't bought any special gray hair products.

 

[cedricandsophie]

After a bout with cancer and chemo a few years ago, I decided not to start coloring my hair again. I don’t use anything special. It’s a pretty color of silver with a little strawberry blond and brown highlights in the back. I get a lot of questions about who does my hair to get the highlights. When I say it’s all natural I’m not sure I’m believed. Needless to say, for me it was a great decision

 

[ronandannette]

I don't have any advice on shampoos -- I've been using a purple one, but only once a week. Good luck on your journey growing it out. I have been growing mine out for about 16 months and I think my next appointment MIGHT be when we finally cut off the last of the dyed hair (chin length bob). My natural color is practically black and it was dyed pretty dark, so the roots looked BAD for the first couple of months. I got less self-conscious as I think it became obvious that I was growing it out vs. just badly in need of an appointment with my stylist.

I was just thinking about this topic this morning. I've also got a very dark natural colour and have dyed it various shades of the same tones for 10 years now; about once a month to keep up with the very stark roots. It may be another 10 years before I let it go, but when I do, I'll be having all the colour stripped and it all-over dyed silver, to ease the transition. Heck, I may get hooked on the silver dye as my natural state will be salt-and-pepper, which I hate.

 

[disneyseniors]

This subject is a touchy one for most women, IMO. I toyed with the idea of letting my natural sable brown hair go white. What made me do it was kind of funny. I am an RN and I was bending over checking a young boy's IV site, when he said, "Wow, you have a lot of gray hair". LOL. Don't you love kids without the filters of adulthood? I decided then and there to start dying my hair and I have never regretted it. But after years of dying my hair, I finally had enough and quit I have a lot of dark brown hair with very little white which look like I put highlights in my hair. Best decision ever, after I finally did it, LOL.

 

[design_mom]

I was just thinking about this topic this morning. I've also got a very dark natural colour and have dyed it various shades of the same tones for 10 years now; about once a month to keep up with the very stark roots. It may be another 10 years before I let it go, but when I do, I'll be having all the colour stripped and it all-over dyed silver, to ease the transition. Heck, I may get hooked on the silver dye as my natural state will be salt-and-pepper, which I hate.

That was originally my plan, too... but my stylist talked me out of it. She said it'd be very hard to strip the dark dye without really damaging my hair, so she encouraged me to try to grow it out as much as possible "before we tried that" and use root cover-up when I needed it to look nice. (That's a major pain, so I only did it a few times. Like when we attended a wedding and my company christmas party.) But I've seen people on social media who've done it and it seemed to work for them so ... maybe.

It was rough the first few months but I'm pretty happy with the way it's turned out now. I love never having roots. (mine had gotten enough grey that although I had it dyed every 4 weeks, by 2 weeks I could definitely see the roots and I hated that.)

 

[starry_solo]

When the parents went grey, they never changed the shampoo. They rarely use conditioner. I haven't noticed any major changes to their hair.

 

[kyton]

Covid lockdowns here in Australia were a blessing for growing out my grey. My hairdresser was always really loathe to let me go grey but once I went to her after 3mths the job was half done. I love it - I go for a toning rinse every 9-10wks then every 6mths or so she does a few fine highlights to break it up.

I try to only wash my hair once a week and use a toning conditioner mixed through a thicker condition to tame any fuzzy stray hairs.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Well, happily, I didn't grey as early as my sisters and I wound up just using a color that was a few shades redder than my natural color to cover the little grey I had.

I played that game for several years, and then decided it didn't matter. So no more dye jobs.

That said, here I am 5 years later, and I still have the same mouse-y brown hair I've always had, but there's a small patch of grey on the front right/middle. With my curly hair it really just makes my natural hair color sort of sparkle.

And I just use the same shampoo/conditioners I've always used.

 

[luvthatduke]

May I jump in with a secondary question, OP?

I have gone white, more than grey, with still having some brown left throughout.
For those that use the purple shampoos, would it work for white hair, do you think?

 

[design_mom]

May I jump in with a secondary question, OP?

I have gone white, more than grey, with still having some brown left throughout.
For those that use the purple shampoos, would it work for white hair, do you think?

I think that it would. I think the purple is intended to counteract any yellowing of the hair (white, grey, etc), so it should work just as well for white hair

 

[tinkerbellandpeterpan]

Purple shampoo works for very light blondes, white and grey hair. As someone upthread mentioned it negates yellowing.

I'm 44 and not ready to let it go grey because it will just be streaks. I've had grey since I was in my early 20s. Always on my crown and my hairline (the visible spots...just where you want it LOL). I have seen some ladies with gorgeous white and or grey hair including my grandma and one of my aunts. I'm just not ready yet, but if any of you ladies want to do, then go for it. It can be incredibly stunning. What's the phrase...."have the courage of your convictions".

I dye at home because I gave up doing it at the salon as it was too expensive. And I found a great color I love. I get my 30% off coupons from CVS and combine them with other coupons. Works for now.

 

[disykat]

My hair keeps getting darker. At 62, barely recognizing myself in the mirror because my hair is so dark, I've started adding grey. I'm spending a lot of money to turn myself grey! I have to use purple shampoo every other wash or it goes too blond.

 

[luvthatduke]

I think that it would. I think the purple is intended to counteract any yellowing of the hair (white, grey, etc), so it should work just as well for white hair

Thank you!

Purple shampoo works for very light blondes, white and grey hair. As someone upthread mentioned it negates yellowing.

I'm 44 and not ready to let it go grey because it will just be streaks. I've had grey since I was in my early 20s. Always on my crown and my hairline (the visible spots...just where you want it LOL). I have seen some ladies with gorgeous white and or grey hair including my grandma and one of my aunts. I'm just not ready yet, but if any of you ladies want to do, then go for it. It can be incredibly stunning. What's the phrase...."have the courage of your convictions".

I dye at home because I gave up doing it at the salon as it was too expensive. And I found a great color I love. I get my 30% off coupons from CVS and combine them with other coupons. Works for now.

Thank you, too!

It's funny, my stylist tells me that people pay for hair like mine,
I can't believe it but she's serious.
I got the natural big streak on the right side of my part/temple,
and then other streaks started showing up.
I did dye it in the beginning but gave up - now I like it.