We all are aware of the fact that natural gray hair tend to be dry. The reason is as our hair starts turning white it loses its natural pigmentation. At the same time the sebaceous glands begins to secret less oil than before.
Hair that starts turning gray have a different texture than the naturally pigmented hair.
Its a natural process. Something that nature has decided for you. I beleive that every natural process is manageable as we don’t need to add extra efforts to carry on the process.
Natural frizz in the gray hair is manageable naturally. In any of the cases if the dryness seems to be unruly, it indicates that we are in wrong hair practices that’s worsening the condition.
Have you ever tried to know the possible reasons that are responsible for that EXTRA dryness in your gray hair?
Let us uncover the major mistakes that worsens the gray hair frizz:
Also take a note of the little tips and tricks to keep the natural silvers hydrated and healthy. Who doesn’t want soft, smooth and healthy silvers!
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SO, LET’S START…
1. Disturbed hair pH:-
For overall health of the hair, its necessary to maintain the pH value of the hair and the scalp. The neutral value of hair pH must be 7 for healthy hair.
Some of the hair products we use can disturb the natural pH of the hair causing dryness in hair.
Products with a pH value between 4-7 are considered beneficial for hair health.
Its advisable to check the product labels for the pH value of the product. Any of the products out of the range must be STOPPED using.
A miraculous way of bringing back the pH of hair is ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) rinse for all type of hair. To know how to use it read this article.
Hard water can also disturb the natural pH. Using distilled or filtered water can also be helpful bringing back the pH balance.
Tip: Get pH test stripes for checking the pH of the product. Get it from here.
2. Night hair care:-
Three simple things to be considered before going to bed for frizz free healthier hair.
First, combing hair gently before going to sleep to ensure tangle free hair at night. Using a boar bristle brush is very good to tame frizzy hair.
Secondly, sleeping with a silk or satin cap on the hair can be a major game changer protecting hair ends from damage while sleeping. A silk or satin scarf can be used as well.
Third, a silk or satin pillowcase. Silk is gentler fabric than cotton and can reduce hair frizz and breakage.
3. Lack of water intake:-
As we know that a body that lacks water can be a home to several diseases and deficiencies. It is true for hair too.
Water is best moisture for hair to keep it hydrated and, scalp healthy. It keeps away hair problems like itchy scalp, dandruff and dryness.
It even boosts the growth of hair by providing essential nutrients and minerals to body.
AGREED!? So, check your water intake. Are you drinking sufficient quantity of water everyday?
This was internal check. But one thing to be noted here, our hair is porous and holding moisture by itself is difficult and impossible unless it’s sealed in.
Now the question is HOW to seal the moisture? It’s Simple! Just rub a fistful of your favorite oil on your combed DAMP hair to seal in moisture. You can also use a spray bottle for this.
Tip : Don’t apply any sealant on dry hair. It will make hair more dryer. It must always be used on damp hair.
4. Reduced use of hair oils:-
Well, when we are thirsty we drink water, isn’t it? What about hair? What do we do to quench the thirst of hair?
You might not have felt the need to apply hair oil to your natural pigmented hair but your gray hair need it.
Give your hair hot oil massage at least once a week. Its the best way to tame the frizz, that too in a natural way.
Applying hot oil can be beneficial for anybody, no matter their hair type.
I personally love this technique. While I was growing out my silver pixie after the transition, I was surprised to see the shine and smoothness on my hair without any frizz. I used virgin olive oil.
Tip : Oiling and massage should always be done on clean washed hair.
If you want to add some more magic, add a few drops of essential oils to what ever carrier oil you are using. If you need the instructions on how to do hot oil massage read this article from wikiHow.
This is my hair oiling massage technique:
Each and every oil has it’s own unique properties. Choose the one that best suits your hair.
Oils that are considered to be wonder to fight frizz are Argan oil, coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil and olive oil.
Though all above oils tame frizz very well, Argan oil or also known as Moroccan oil proved to be the best. HOW?
- It is two times powerful than vitamin E.
- Helps in mending split ends and deep conditioning.
- Accelerates growth of hair cells.
- Works pretty well as a hair moisturizer, softener and conditioner.
- Fights dandruff and dry scalp.
- It even repairs damage caused by earlier use of chemicals, hair products and dyes.
Tip : Do a patch test before applying any of the essential oils, to make sure you are not allergic to it.
5. Overuse of harmful chemicals:-
If your hair repeatedly looks dull or lifeless even after hair wash, the reason must be product build-up.
It can cause severe damage by choking the cuticles resisting it from absorbing moisture to keep it hydrated. The result is DRYNESS!
YES. And why not?
90% of products that we use on our hair are designed to coat a layer of harmful chemicals like silicone, paraben and waxes which help us achieve our dream tresses. We’ve already discussed these harmful chemicals and their effect on hair in an earlier post.
SOLUTION? Yes, you guessed it right! It’s CLARIFICATION!!
Use a clarifying shampoo. But if you don’t want to further use chemicals on your hair try Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse (ACV) to detox your hair (Once in a week).
Tip : Apple Cider Vinegar is considered best to get rid of product build-up on hair as well as scalp for all types of hair.
Product build-up is a sign that you are treating your newly born hair just the same as your previous coloured or naturally pigmented hair.
If you are using the same old products that you used before the transition, PLEASE STOP!
Start using gray hair friendly products.
Tip : Use Think Dirty App to know about the toxic ingredients in your products.
6. Overuse of hot tools and products:-
‘Aah! Not Again.’ I know this is what you must be thinking as you are well educated and smart enough to heat style your hair.
BUT, here we are talking about NATURAL GRAY HAIR. So read this carefully as you must be missing out some facts.
Let us know how heat styling effects our hair.
On using any of the heat styling tools, it breaks down the hydrogen bonds present in hair resulting in stripping off natural oils and protein from the hair.
This breakdown of bonds changes the HAIR TEXTURE. That’s how you get smooth straight hair with these tools!
So more heat styling means more dryness and damaged hair.
Now the question is how to stop the damage?
Well, the best way is PREVENTION. I know its difficult to totally eliminate the use of heat stylers but the usage can be limited to special occasions.
Tip : Switch to Ionic Thermal tools. They restore moisture balance by neutralizing positive and negative ions resulting in re-hydrating hair.
Use of heat protectants, protein rich shampoos and conditioner, hydrating hair masks and deep conditioning can make a big difference.
Tip: To repair the damage Try Olaplex Hair Perfector No 3 Repairing Treatment.
Simply BECAUSE its not the same old hair that you owned before going gray. Your silvers can be thinner depending on your age when you started graying. The more your age, the silvers will be thinner.
Secondly, gray hair needs more care from sun-rays, hard water, certain chemicals and heat styling because its naturally porous.
Thirdly, it lacks natural oil secretion which makes it coarse, dry and brittle. And as the skin changes its texture with aging so does hair.
Aren’t the above reasons enough to understand the fact that gray hair need a completely different care regime?
You may also like reading:
Anti Frizz Products:-
I am not recommending any products personally as each of us have unique hair. Products that may work for me might not work for you.
Here are links to some of the product pages with particular range of products to select from. TO BE NOTED THESE ARE THE BEST PICKS FOR GRAY HAIR with no or very less harmful chemicals according to this post. So go ahead and pick the appropriate products for your hair to let the silver crown shine.
Tip: Look for the products that are labelled- moisturizing, smoothing and that tame frizz.
Hair Masks:
Protein Rich Shampoos:
Clarifying Shampoos:
Heat Protectants:
Ionic Thermal Tools:
Essential Oils:
Hope this post helps you. Would like to share one more thing. In this world of products, it’s exhausting to choose the best out of them. Sometimes, things don’t work that causes frustration. Here I’d say “Embrace your natural hair.”
I would end up the post by a sweet message from one of our silversister Elizabeth who says,
” It’s so strange that we live in a world where we are constantly fighting what our natural hair (and other things) looks like instead of seeing the uniqueness and beauty in it.”
Please share this post, if you find it helpful! Also let me know in the comment box how you deal with hair frizz?
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Thanks so much for all your gray hair tips. I am wondering if you can give any recommendations for a good conditioner? I noticed you mention “protein rich”, but actual brands would be really helpful. Thank you!
Hi Monette, nothing can beat Olaplex https://amzn.to/2ZI7xZz but you may consider using OGX too https://amzn.to/3usUZ6o . Hope it helps!