Secret to Healthy, Shiny and Frizz-Free Grey Hair

As we age, the natural process of greying hair also takes place.

Some women may choose to colour their hair and cover up the greys, while others embrace their natural hair.

While this can be a beautiful and distinguished look, however, grey hair tends to be more delicate, dry, and prone to frizz, making it crucial to adopt a specialized hair care routine to keep it healthy, shiny, and frizz-free.

Fortunately, there are several secrets to achieving healthy, shiny, and frizz-free grey hair that can help you feel confident and beautiful at any age.

In this article, we’ll explore some of the most effective tips and tricks for taking care of grey hair, from choosing the right products to adopting healthy lifestyle habits.

Whether you’re just starting to see a few grey hairs or you’ve been embracing your natural colour for years, this guide will help you keep your hair looking and feeling its best.

So, let’s start…

Conditioning of Grey Hair is Crucial

Gone are the days when you sometimes skipped the conditioner after a hair wash. No conditioner means dry, brittle and weak hair. Grey hair is already dry, so skipping conditioner can make it more fragile and dull.

Whatever high-quality shampoo you use, it lifts the hair cuticles to some extent so that the surfactants present in your shampoo strip off the dirt and also essential oils from the hair and scalp.

Cuticle is the outermost layer of hair that protects the inner layers of hair. Opening of cuticles means exposing hair to frizziness and breakage.

Conditioner penetrates the hair shaft and seals the cuticles by replenishing the moisture and oil contents lost during shampooing.

Grey hair lacks the formation of natural oils and has no/least shine. Conditioner forms a protective coating on the hair that adds shine to grey hair and also protects against harsh environmental conditions, heat styling hair and adds smoothness and shine to grey hair.

So, never ever skip the conditioner! Specifically, the tips of hair need extra attention.

Tip: After the hair wash, remove excess water from the hair and then apply the conditioner so that the hair may soak in the product well.

Shampoo and Hair Rinsing Mistakes

If you have grey hair and are oily, it is fine to shampoo it every day.

But grey hair that is normal, dry, curly or coily does not require frequent hair washes. Shampooing once or twice a week can help. Don’t over-wash your grey hair. Overwashing can strip it of its natural oils, causing dryness and frizz.  

Be gentle with washing your hair. Shampoos can be harsh and must be applied only in the quantity required, more will always increase dryness in grey hair.

I further dilute the required shampoo with water. This way it evenly spreads all over the scalp and hair strands ensuring every part of my head and hair is saturated with the product making the washing process easy and requiring least quantity of shampoo.

So, on the one hand, you save the shampoo, and the diluted shampoo is not so harsh on grey hair. Isn’t it a win-win!!

This practice remains the same for the purple shampoo application!

Now, the rinsing part…

Half of the grey hair problems are due to the remains of the products after hair wash.

Rinsing hair thoroughly after shampoo and conditioner is crucial. If not done properly the residue that remains back on hair and scalp creates buildup that can further worsen the dryness of grey hair making it look dull and lifeless. It also weighs down hair.

So always make sure the product is rinsed out of hair completely after the wash.

Tip: Use cold or lukewarm water for the final rinse. It seals the open cuticles and makes grey hair smooth and shiny.

Overusing Purple Shampoo:

Purple shampoos, which are designed to neutralize brassiness in blonde or grey hair, typically contain a combination of ingredients that can be drying to the hair. For eg. sulfates, alcohol, salts, fragrances etc.

So purple shampoos can be quite drying to the grey hair if they are not formulated properly or if they are overused.

Purple shampoo is a treatment to remove brassiness from grey hair and must not be used as a regular shampoo to remove dirt from hair.

Using purple shampoo once a week can help out to tone yellowness in grey hair or it is to be used only when your grey hair suffers from brassiness else try to skip and just do the regular hair wash.

I use the purple shampoo once or twice a month as I don’t see any major brassiness on my hair. But yes it has to be in your grey hair care arsenal as it can be helpful to camouflage yellowness caused due to irreversible damage to grey hair like heat damage, sun damage etc.

Purple shampoos also can create buildup if overused, so be cautious.

Tip: Dry and damaged grey hair can suck up colour more than required. To be on the safer side, add the purple shampoo to your regular conditioner. If you don’t get the desired results try upping the purple shampoo ratio until you get to the desired results.

Hair Clarification:

Hair clarification is just as important for grey hair as it is for any other hair type. In fact, clarifying grey hair may be even more important, as grey hair tends to be more prone to dryness and brittleness. Here are some reasons why clarification is important for grey hair:

1. Buildups caused on grey hair due to the use of hair care products, heat styling products, mineral deposition on hair strands from hard water or environmental pollutants may create a coating on the hair shaft making it dull and brassy or yellow. Clarifying the hair can help to remove these minerals and reduce yellowing, restoring a bright, silver color to the hair. 
2. Promotes scalp health: As we age, our scalps may produce less oil, which can lead to dryness and flakiness. Clarifying the scalp helps to remove dead skin cells and excess oil, promoting a healthy scalp and reducing the risk of scalp irritation.

So go ahead and invest in a good clarifying shampoo and see your hair shine bright.

And if you don’t believe in increasing the number of chemical-based products on your shelf, you can go for a natural cleanser or say treatment for grey hair. It is ACV rinse. Believe me, since I have started doing ACV rinse on my grey hair, I no more need any other hair clarification method to try.

ACV can give complete care to your hair and scalp by detoxifying and also gives a natural shine to grey hair.

The benefits of this organic hair rinse are enormous. Learn more about ACV rinse on grey hair in this article. 

Related Article: ACV Rinse For Healthy And Shiny Silver Hair

Never Ever Skip a Heat Protectant:

Once I had a heat styling disaster where I did three mistakes altogether and caused severe damage to my grey hair.

One was I didn’t prepare my hair with a heat protectant before using the flat iron which directly exposed my hair to heat and caused hair burn.

Secondly, my hair was wet and not damp or dry which turned my hair into a frizz ball and caused hair breakage.

The third mistake was huge. It was the high temperature of the flat iron that was too high for my fragile grey hair and caused severe damage to my hair.

All those mistakes were so harsh and damaging to my grey hair that I got it cut again to a pixie for new hair growth.

Life lesson learned!!

Since then, I have used hot tools with caution and only when the occasion demands it else, no heat styling. If you wish to have a complete guide on how to heat style natural grey hair, this post is for you.

I rather prefer to use foam curlers to get curls on my grey hair.

Related Post: 5 Mistakes That Are Worsening Your Grey Hair Frizz

Deep Conditioning Grey Hair:

Ageing hair lacks pigmentation and natural oil production, so it’s clear it will be dryer and more prone to breakage.

On the other hand use of products with harmful ingredients. Hair clarification from time to time requires the use of harsh products which makes grey hair even more fragile.

Don’t you think giving hair back its moisture is necessary?
Deep conditioning helps to retain the lost moisture in grey hair and also keeps hair hydrated and soft.

If you are on a mission to grow your grey hair long, it can help improve the elasticity of the hair, reducing breakage and promoting healthier, stronger grey hair, also adding a natural shine to it, making it appear healthier and more vibrant.
So, invest in a good deep conditioner and use it at least once a week.

Switch to Grey Hair Friendly Products:

By grey hair-friendly products, I mean to say:

1. Products with the least harsh chemicals like sulfates, alcohol, parabens, silicones, mineral oils, etc.
2. Products with extra moisturising and hydrating qualities.
3. Products that enhance shine and improve the elasticity of hair.

It might seem expensive but salon hair care products are worth the effort. These products will have high-quality nourishing and hydrating ingredients perfect for grey hair.

Related Post: Tried and Tested Products for Grey Hair Care 

Protect Grey Hair from the Sun:

The sun can cause dryness in all types of hair, not just grey hair. However, grey hair is typically more susceptible to dryness because it tends to be more porous and absorbent than other hair types.

When hair is exposed to sunlight, the UV rays can break down the protein bonds that hold the hair together, leading to dryness, brittleness, and damage.

In addition, the sun can also cause the scalp to become dry and flaky, which can exacerbate the dryness of the hair.

To help prevent damage from the sun, it’s important to protect your hair with a hat or scarf when you’re outside. You can also use a protective hair product that contains SPF, a leave-in conditioner or hair oil to help moisturize and protect your hair from the sun’s rays.

Related Article: 13 Grey Hair Care Tips

Other than the points we discussed above, here are a few more things to consider for healthy, shiny and beautiful grey hair:

1. Eat a healthy diet: Your grey hair needs nutrients to stay healthy and shiny. Make sure to eat a balanced diet that includes protein, iron, and vitamins like B, C, and E. Foods that are particularly good for your hair include salmon, nuts, eggs, spinach, and sweet potatoes.
2. Get regular trims: Whether you are fully transitioned or in between, regular trims can help to prevent split ends, which can make your hair look frizzy and damaged. Aim to get a trim every 6-8 weeks.
3. Sleep on a silk pillowcase: Cotton pillowcases can cause friction and damage to your hair, causing frizz and breakage. Switch to a silk pillowcase to minimize damage and keep your hair smooth and shiny.
4. Avoid tight hairstyles: Tight hairstyles such as braids and ponytails can cause tension in your hair and make it prone to breakage and frizz. Try to wear looser hairstyles to prevent damage to your hair.
5. Drink plenty of water: Drinking plenty of water keeps your grey hair hydrated, which makes it less prone to frizz.
6. Brush your hair regularly: Brush your hair gently from roots to ends to distribute the natural oils and add shine. Use a natural bristle brush to avoid damaging your hair.

I hope this helps.

But this is not all. I highly recommend you to have a look at these posts too for complete information on grey hair care:

5 Mistakes that are Worsening Your Grey Hair Frizz

13 Grey Hair Care Tips

ACV for Healthy and Shiny Silver Hair

Feel free to share your hair discoveries in the comments. Start a conversation. Maybe you can help somebody out. We are all on this hair journey together. We can do it.