Dull Grey Hair

grey hair care products

The Best Grey Hair Treatment Products in SA

It’s not just blonde locks that get brassy tones. It’s common for perfect grey tresses to lose their richness and develop unwanted yellow, orange or red tones. Fortunately, the right hair products can neutralise them and fix grey hair suffering from unwanted undertones.

For in-depth information about what causes grey hair to discolor, see our yellow grey hair FAQ below.

How to fix grey hair

Many of us admire grey hair on other people, but take fright at the first sign of white hair on our own heads. Using the best grey hair treatment products to banish yellow tones and turn dull grey hair into shimmery tresses can give you the confidence to embrace your hair, whether it’s white, grey, silver or peppered.

Hair products designed to enhance dull grey hair will counteract dull and yellow tones and add moisture, enriching dry, wiry hair and making it soft and lustrous.

For in-depth information about what causes grey hair, see our grey hair FAQ below.

1

Grey hair core solutions

Hairhouse Warehouse offers the widest selection of salon-grade products and treatments for dull grey hair in South Africa. Choose the customised core solution for your hair type, whether it’s natural or coloured treated. For the best results, we recommend a three-step process.

2

Best shampoo for grey hair

The best shampoo for dull grey hair gently cleanses while enriching colour and turning wiry grey hair into silky, manageable locks.

3

Conditioner for grey hair

Use an enriched conditioner for grey hair that’s formulated to mask unwanted brassy tones, brighten silver strands and inject deep moisture into matted, wiry hair.

4

Best hair mask for grey hair

Experts recommend using an intensely hydrating hair mask at least once a week to nourish white or dull grey hair while enhancing the colour and radiance of silver tones.

5

Soothing serums, oils & treatments for grey hair

Regularly use a serum, oil or treatment to create instantly smooth, straight hair from natural grey hair that’s typically wiry, unmanageable and hard to style.

6

Heat protection for grey hair

Hairhouse Warehouse offers a range of heat-protection products that shield grey hair from the damage caused by UV rays and hot styling products.

Grey Hair FAQ

It’s easier to embrace grey hair when you understand the reasons for hair going grey, when you know how to care for grey hair and when you know how to turn grey, wiry hair into shimmery silver locks.

Causes

The process of going grey occurs when hair follicles stop producing melanin, the pigment cells. This happens as we age. When there’s no pigment, the hair becomes more transparent – different shades of grey, silver or white – as it grows.

The big question we all want to know is, when will this happen? The answer is determined by one factor – genetics. Look at your mother and father to see when they turned grey. It’s likely you’ll follow the same pattern as one of them.

While greying is caused predominantly by your genes, some studies suggest that stress may play a part in prematurely turning hair grey. A bad day at the office won’t make a difference. Ongoing extreme stress could potentially turn hair grey earlier, but there are no definitive scientific studies to confirm this.

This is thought to happen because your sympathetic nervous system is activated during stress. This can permanently damage the melanocyte cells that are responsible for colouring your hair. As we know, when these cells are gone, you’re left with hair that contains no pigment, so it appears white or grey.

It’s common to see grey hair going yellow. There are a couple of causes.

Grey or white hair has little or no pigment in it. You might get grey hair turning yellow because it picks up pigment from the environment or from hair products. If you use a yellowish shampoo, for example, a trace of the colour might be deposited in your hair.

Also, it’s common to see white hair going yellow when you’ve been in the sun. White and grey hair contains very little pigment, but it still contains some. That pigment can be bleached by the sun and the natural molecules than contain more blue are removed, leaving the molecules with more yellow becoming prominent.

Averages mean very little when it comes to grey hair in women, but studies show that half of the female population will have 50% grey hair by the age of 50. The age most women first notice grey hair is 35. Grey hair in men is first seen a few years earlier at the age of 30.

The age you first go grey will depend on your skin tone. Typically, people with paler skin tend to go grey earlier than people with darker skin.

While grey hair and aging go hand in hand, that’s not always the case. Some men and women have a full head of grey hair by their mid-20s. This is known as premature aging. Once again, it’s genetic and there’s little you can do to prevent it.

Tips

If you want your hair to be shimmery and silky rather than dull grey and wiry, you need to use the best treatments for grey hair. So, what are the best products for grey hair?

  1. Use a gentle, enriching silver shampoo that introduces colour to lifeless grey hair and shine to flat, coarse strands.
  2. Choose a colour-depositing conditioner with delicate shades of grey and silver to greatly improve the depth and sophistication of the natural colour while banishing unwanted brassy tones.
  3. Spritz a smoothing serum to iron out those kinks and create long-lasting shine and frizz control.

There’s nothing you can do that will reverse grey hair or prevent it from happening but you may be able to delay it. Some studies have linked smoking cigarettes to premature greying. Other studies say your diet could have an impact.

A deficiency in vitamin B, folic acid and biotin, which are associated with hair health, have been linked with earlier greying. Other research shows the levels of iron, calcium and vitamin D3 may play a role in going grey.

Keep your hair in top condition naturally by eating a nutritious diet, refraining from smoking and following a healthy lifestyle.

Embracing grey hair is easier when you know how to make grey hair look good. An appropriate style can make your silver locks look stunning rather than staid.

Avoid having your grey hair “set” in curlers. This will make you look and feel older. For ageless grey hair, choose a modern cut with clean edges. A short bob looks sleek and assured.

Alternatively, be bold and opt for a pixie cut. Whatever style you choose, have your hair trimmed every six to eight weeks.

Products

It’s not just the colour that some people find hard to embrace when their hair starts greying. The texture looks and feels different too. It’s common to have coarse grey hair, wiry grey hair and even kinked grey hair.

While grey hair may look and feel wiry, its structure hasn’t actually changed. As the melanin-producing cells run out, the hair follicles also produce less sebum, the natural oils that hydrate hair and skin.

As a result, grey strands are usually drier than pigmented hair. They look wiry, kinked and tend to frizz and appear dull.

The solution is simple. Replace the hydration that the follicle no longer produces. Use hair products that contain ultra-hydrating moisturising ingredients to keep grey hair hydrated all day.

When your grey or white hair turns yellow or brassy, a purple shampoo will help remedy the problem. Purple or violent shampoo contains violet pigments that neutralise brassiness to change the hair to silver and ash tones. Purple shampoo can be used to banish brassiness on grey, lightened or bleached hair.

One of the most common grey hair problems is its coarse, wiry texture. Use a delicate, rich cleanser that’s formulated to create a smooth texture and introduce amazing shine even to the most wiry and matted grey hair. Special shampoos also protect against frizz and tangles, leaving glossy hair with a silky surface.

Environmental pollutants and UV light can also make grey hair look flat and dull. Remedy this by washing your hair every other day to prevent build-up and use a heat-protection treatment to guard against UV and environmental damage.

Many online sources recommend specific foods, oils and medications that can help slow down or reverse the greying process. Unfortunately, there isn’t a reputable, scientifically-proven way to reverse the natural greying that happens as we age and is genetically determined.

If you’re choosing grey hair, embrace your grey and build your own customised grey hair enhancement regimen. This way, you can introduce colour, banish unwanted tones and inject deep moisture with a straightening effect for beautiful, natural shimmery hair.

While dying hair grey by choice may be on trend, silver locks aren’t for everyone. The only permanent solution if you want to hide natural grey hair is to colour your grey hair. There are many grey hair dyes that work well on grey hair colour or products that add semi- or demi-permanent colour.

If choosing grey hair is not for you, but you don’t want to dye your hair, there are other options. The choice to colour grey hair doesn’t end with tinting your whole head of hair.

Consider using a cover stick. It’s a compact, light and quick fix for discoloured roots or those pesky grey strands that peek through your hair. The result is instant and the cover stick can be carried in your bag like a lipstick for quick application. A grey-free hair mascara works the same way.

Alternatively, try colour shampoos and conditioners that enrich your natural grey to give you beautiful natural grey hair with depth.