Silver, gray, white - whatever you call them - these hairs can be assertive. Getting silver hairs sometimes means getting a whole different head of hair. Even if your hair doesn’t change much, there can be a new set of issues to deal with.
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This post will cover 1) changes you may notice in your hair - like more frizz. 2) Changes in porosity in silver hairs. 3) How to manage silver-hair frizz. 4) Stopping or starting to use hair color. 5) Managing discoloration in light-colored hair.
Silver hairs have a tendency to be wider (greater diameter) than pigmented hairs, especially under age 65. Wider (more coarse) hairs need flexibility to be manageable.
Silver hairs may also be more likely to contain the medulla, which is a semi-hollow core at the center of hair increases rigidity. If your individual silver hairs don’t feel wider than the others (held between the fingers), but they behave in a less-flexible or more “wiry” manner, this is probably the reason.
Silver hairs may have more - or different - kinking than pigmented hairs. You might notice hairs have a different texture or curl pattern than the rest of your hair. Kinking also calls for more care directed at flexibility and lubrication [see Part 2] for easier styling and manageability.
What Does That Mean!? Your hair needs flexibility!!! That’s going to come from:
- Choosing products that might be designed for hydration, for moisturizing, for color-protection [See Part 2].
- Using a hair mask or deep conditioning treatment sometimes
- A little oil before washing (as a treatment, or to help detangle hair that is long, thick, curly or tangly). -OR-
- Oil pre-wash treatments, especially on the more-wiry places.
- Deep condition - before washing or after. Before if your hair gets limp or flat with deep conditioners.
How to get hairs to group together (not frizz)
(Hint: Use the power of water.)
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| This paintbrush (left) spreads out and is inflexible when dry. It will be difficult to contain this "frizz!" When dipped in water (right) the power of surface tension between water and fibers holds them together. When dry, this force is lost. But while drying - hair re-shapes itself in this form. Weak (temporary) bonds in the proteins will hold hair in the shape it was while wet. Frizz management starts with wet hair. |
- Squish to Condish with conditioner and styling products (video coming soon)
- Leave-in conditioners, styling creams - to increase flexibility.
- Use a brush/comb/finger comb to align hairs and press them together.
- Slide sections of hair between your palms, or pinch locks between your fingers - pressing hairs together, sliding from root to ends during conditioning. Often called the "praying hands" technique online, this is like smoothing out a decorative ribbon - or straightening the legs of pants as they go on a hanger to stay un-wrinkled.
- Twists, braids, rollers, “no heat” curls - those work for a wide variety of hair-types and pre-smooth hairs for whatever you’re planning next. While you're at it - direct the roots in whatever direction you want them to go when dry too.
- If you’re a wash-and-go or wash-and-wear ONLY person, use a styling product that has some thickness and density to pull those hairs into a group or into your desired shape. That could be a leave-in conditioner or a styling foam or gel, cream or whatever works for you.
- See the theme? Catch those silver hairs while they’re wet and give them some directions. When you give hair direction while wet, you are temporarily changing part of it’s support structure - some of the hydrogen bonds in the internal protein structure. That’s the reason hair that’s “set” while wet lasts longer. It works for frizz too. Managing your silver halo frizz starts on wet hair.
Porosity: Silver hairs may be more persistently low-porosity. You might notice groups of silver hairs never seem to get wet - they appear dry and springy right out of the shower. Low-porosity hair tends to make people think, “My hair doesn’t soak anything up - it just sits on top,” and then they avoid richer products. Low porosity hair can work well with conditioners containing a little oil, or styling creams, or oil pre-wash treatments to add flexibility. Hydrolyzed proteins may be helpful for retaining hydration in difficult-to-hydrate hair. The trick can be to apply the products with water and focus on even distribution (water helps with that) do you get your hairs well-treated - bit don't end up using so much product your hair is heavy or coated-feeling.
- Be careful about product residue. If any product makes your hair feel more-dry or frizzy or tangly, it could be leaving a residue that isn’t removed during cleansing. Low porosity hair interacts with oils and hair products differently than more-porous hair (dyed, highlighted, etc.).
Transitioning from coloring or highlighting to your natural color:
- Porosity tends to decrease as un-dyed hair grows in. During that growth process - focus especially on the formerly-dyed hair with conditioner and treatments. Your hair’s new growth may need less of some products or smaller amounts of conditioner. It may behave differently with products you have used for a long time. Lower porosity hair tends to be more selective about which products is responds well to.
- Most styling products are designed for somewhat porous hair, given that they are designed for the majority of women - who dye their hair.
- Hair may behave differently. Dyed (or lightened) hair has a less-smooth surface due to damaged cuticles and loss of the oil-based layer that sits atop un-damaged cuticles. Those two effects create some surface roughness and “grip” that helps hair hold a style and keeps curls from slipping out. If hair grows in with less damage, it loses that built-in “styling grip.” That grip or traction can be replaced (if you wish) with:
- Texturizing or volumizing shampoos, conditioners, styling creams or foams, sea salt sprays, “air-dry” styling creams.
- Products containing starches or natural gums tend to be volumizing as well.
- Products may leave residue or dryness that they didn’t before. Un-damaged hair interacts with products differently than dyed or highlighted hair. It is less quick to absorb water, less likely to absorb oils, and does not “soak up” or bond with conditioner the same.
- This might mean you need to use a “clarifying” shampoo more often. You may need lighter products. If you used oils on your hair, you may need to switch oils or use less (or use them in products instead of alone).
Beginning to color or highlight hair you didn’t color before:
These processes make hair more porous. It will need porous-hair-care to stay hydrated and flexible and avoid breakage. I have posts about porous hair care HERE and HERE. Colored or lightened hair tends to need extra time with conditioner, does better with oils, and needs extra help with hydration. Many of the new-ish bond-building hair products are very appropriate for dyed and highlighted hair.
You can prevent damage during coloring or highlighting with these tips:
- Use an oil pre-wash treatment with a hair-penetrating oil or use a protein-containing product or both. The reason using hair-penetrating oils or protein before coloring hair are beneficial is that both protein even out porosity in hair temporarily. This prevents the harsh chemicals of hair dye from having too much contact with the more-porous areas in your hair.
- An oil treatment would be applied to dry hair, 4-8 hours before the last wash prior to highlighting.
- A protein-containing conditioner or protein treatment would be applied before conditioning (for a protein treatment) or during conditioning (for a protein-containing conditioner) in the last wash prior to highlighting/color.
UV protection decreases as the amount of silver hair on your head increases. That’s both the hair’s ability to protect your scalp as well as the protection that color-pigments provide your hair. Pigments in hair filter out skin-damaging UV light from the sun.
- Wear a hat, a scarf, a UV buff if you’re in the sun for extended periods. This protects your scalp and also reduces the chance of hair-discoloration. There are UV protecting shampoos and conditioners, but most are not broad-spectrum protection. They also will tend to become less effective over the day (just like sunscreen on your skin). Those products may protect your hair, but you need a physical barrier for your scalp for the best protection. [UV protection posts HERE and HERE]
Discoloration: Silver hair can take on a yellowish or brassy cast. Here are some causes - and solutions.
- Hard water/high mineral content (especially iron). Use a hard water shampoo, rinse or demineralizing treatment regularly. Invest in an iron filter for the water if you own a home in a place where iron in water is very high, or allow some water to settle overnight and pour through a coffee filter for hair-washing. Reverse osmosis or distilled water may be an option. Products you might consider can be found in this post.
- Dark-colored products: Some oils and additives will deposit color on hair. Tar shampoos are a good example! But also coffee bean extracts, some essential oils and darker-hued plant oils. The solution is (for better or for worse) to avoid those products.
- Sebum: Depending on your climate and environment - not washing often enough may result in discoloration due to oxidation of sebum. On the up-side - lower porosity silver hair may tolerate more-frequent washing. Hair may need different wash-frequencies in different seasons and under different conditions.
- Environment: If you smoke, or live and work with smokers, that smoke can discolor hair. Smoky environments of any sort may cause discoloration. Air purifiers with HEPA filters that remove very fine particulate matter may help if you cannot eliminate the sources of smoke (such as wildfire smoke).
- Porosity: More-porous hair is more likely to be discolored long-term. Manage porosity by avoiding hair-damaging handling, limiting high-heat styling (use a heat-protectant!). Protect your hair from the sun, which increases porosity. Rinse or cleanse your hair after getting sweaty or swimming to remove salts and - whatever else is in your hair.
Purple and Blue Shampoos and conditioners: These work by depositing tiny amounts of pigment on the hair, which cancel out their opposite color.
On the color wheel at right, yellow-orange is opposite purple-blue. So if you can deposit a little purple, it’s meant to trick our eyes and brains into seeing the absence of either (the yellow-orange and also the purple-blue).
For some people, blue works better than purple.
Getting this right can take some trial and error. If shampoos don’t work, conditioners or toning masks might.
Some product examples:
Conditioners
- Overtone toning conditioners (you can choose purple, blue, pink or green "toning"). This link is to their shop - great photos to help you choose the color that's right for you.
- Clairol Shimmer Lights Conditioner: This has been around a long time!
- L'Ange Brunette Boost BLUE toning conditioner This one is Blue! For brunettes or hair that doesn't work well with purple toner.
- OGX Impeccably-Blonde Color Toning Drops - Add you your existing products.
- Ardell Color Corrector - Red and Gold - Add you your existing products.
- Would it shock you to know that you can also add food coloring to your shampoo or conditioner? As long as you're not allergic to the dyes. Blue + Red = Purple. Adjust the amount of blue to get the result you want.
Science-y Hair Blog © 2024 by Wendy M.S. is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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