Tips on Going Gray in a Pandemic

Going Gray During the Coronavirus Lockdown of 2020

So you'd always thought that maybe one day you'd let your roots grow out and seeing what all that gray you'd been hiding actually looks like. And now, in spite of you not being ready to see how much gray you actually have, that day has arrived and you're fully going gray! 

You're trapped in lockdown because of the horrid COVID-19 and can't get to the salon. What to do?

Don't color it yourself!   

(All this home dyeing is rather tragic, isn't it?)

Why not let this be your time to see how if you're secretly a silver fox!

This is a stressful time for all, consider letting you gray hair naturally grow out as an act of self care. As we re-prioritize our lives now, some of the lengths we've put ourselves through for beauty don't seem to be as important anymore. Give yourself a break and give your hair the break it's been needing for too long. (Plus, you can always let your hairdresser dye it back if the doesn't work for you!)

But let's not confuse "going gray" with "letting yourself go"! 

You're not going stir-crazy in lockdown or giving up on how you look, you're taking extra care of your hair by re-finding its natural beauty. You're going to make yourself look gorgeous while you go gray. Vibrant gray hair is stunning. 

Your colleagues, friends, and lovers better watch out! 

The transition can be the tricky part. Waiting for the gray to grow out to a decent length to cut off the colored ends requires patience. (Something that lockdown may have depleted you of!) So you might want to wear a headband some days when you don't want the whole office chatting about how gray your roots are on your office Zoom call. Make sure your headband coordinates with your face mask, of course.

If you want to hide your transition so you can do a big "ta-da!" when you finally get back to the office, get a product like hair mascara or a colored hair pencil to color in your roots temporarily. They wash out with shampoo. It's all about making you feel good about yourself, and if that's what you need in the short term then that's what you need. Try a product such as Color Wow Root Cover Up, Roux Hair Crayon, or Bumble and Bumble's Tint Powder.

For men, skip waiting for the roots to grow out and just give yourself a buzz cut. They're the easiest type of home hair-cut, and it's a proven fact that silver foxes with buzz cuts are 75% more attractive. For women, a buzzed head is a striking look that can be both stunning and liberating, but you need a lot of mental fortitude to pull it off and as we're in a time of crisis it might be a little too much for you and the people around you to handle right now. Or, it might be just the right choice for you? We support loving your hair as well as yourself at all times... especially now! 

And even though we are living in unprecedented times, there's one thing we know for sure:

USE A GRAY HAIR BRIGHTENING SHAMPOO!

Special gray hair shampoos and conditioners have been discussed extensively on this site. Get used to adding one to your shower routine. Not every day, just as part of the rotation to keep any yellowy dinge at bay. Start with our list of the Best Gray Hair Shampoos and Best Gray Hair Shampoos for Men.  And don't forget a good conditioner! Gray hair tends to be courser and more wirey, so make sure to condition regularly. 

Enjoy seeing the progress as you grow into your new look. Take lots of pictures. Let this be one of your positive memories from this period of our lives, that you used it to become the grey haired goddess you were always meant to become! 

Stay home. Stay healthy. And LOVE THE GRAY!

5 Best Gray Hair Shampoos For Men

The Five Best Gray Hair Shampoos For Men

Congrats, you've just realized you're a Silver Fox! 

Now what? 
Let's start with your shampoo. Even if you only have a little bit of gray on the sides or a bit in the beard, you would benefit from an occasional "brightening" shampoo specifically designed to whiten grey hair and remove the yellow brassiness it can sometimes get. Don't use it every day, but often enough until you notice your gray start to sparkle. 

Warning: you will start receiving compliments on how Silver Foxy you are after only a few shampooings!

5. American Crew Gray Hair Shampoo for Men

If any of you men have ever used anything made by American Crew, you know they're always a solid, no-fuss, well formulated grooming product. Their Shampoo for Gray Hair is no exception. It's a bit on the drying side as many purple shampoos are, but used occasionally it's a decent option. 

4. JOICO Color Balance Purple Shampoo 

This is the stylist's choice to keep gray and blonde hair from getting brassy. JOICO has been a salon staple for ages, and they are finally embracing those going gorgeously gray by coming out with a quality purple shampoo. Their Color Balance formula is very moisturizing unlike many purple shampoos, but still packs powerful whitening power. This XXL pump size is perfect for the man who doesn't want to have to think about when it's time to buy more shampoo! 

3. Pantene for Gray Hair

You want an everyday shampoo that's simple yet effective. Removes the yellow tones and has a nice fresh scent. Pantene has been around long enough to deliver the goods at the price you want. Their special gray hair formulation offers a gentle cleansing action that is free of paragons and silicones, although a bit drying if not used along with a conditioner.  

2. United Male Bright White Shampoo

We'll admit it. We fell for the masculine packaging. (But hey, this list is about "male hair products" which really are just "hair products" being sold to men.) So we went for the race car red bottle with the military inspired logo and now we can tell you fellas, it ain't bad! It's a whitening shampoo that successfully brightens, thoroughly cleans, and is a little bit unexpected. Oh, and United Male is a company with a conscious because they don't do animal testing. (They make a great beard oil too!) - apparently this company has gone out of business -May-2025

#1 Phyto Phytoargent No Yellow Shampoo

It's not a secret that we love Phyto products, their previous Phytoargent was #3 on our all-time Top 5 Gray Hair Shampoos list. This new incarnation has a great masculine medicinal scent, and the botanical formula is incredibly hydrating and nourishing for a gray hair shampoo. Use once or twice a week for a brighter white mane. But don't overuse or you'll be in blue hair territory!

Honorable mentions:

Jhirmack Silver Brightening Ageless Purple Shampoo Set is a winner. Everyone loves it.

Klorane Anti- Yellowing. Our #1 alternative to purple.

Shimmer Lights. Your grandmother's gray hair shampoo.



Need advice on a conditioner? Here are our 5 Best Conditioners for Gray Hair. 

Of course, here's our famous Top 5 Gray Hair Shampoos post that started it all.

The Guardian's Best Men's Shampoo for Gray Hair List

GQ Has a Gray Hair List too now. Everybody is learning to...

LOVE THE GRAY!

DUMP THE PUMP!

So you've found your favorite shampoo and conditioner... why not save some money and enjoy some convenience by buying them in giant pump bottles, right?

WRONG!

We say: DUMP THE PUMP!

Why?
You should never go through such a long cycle using the same shampoo and conditioner. Mixing up quality products is the best way to maintain a lush head of gray hair. Switching up your products is the shock therapy that your hair needs!
The main issue is buildup, of course. You want to mix up the detergents you use to cleanse, and the conditioners you use to condition. Gorgeous gray hair thrives by being washed with different shampoo combinations while getting nourishment from a wide mix of pack conditioners, leave-ins, and ordinary conditioners.
Silver Foxes should already be used to shampoo rotations having had to incorporate whitening/purple shampoo in their routines, and those should be rotated too. As much as we would use this enormous bottle of Shimmer Lights we will also be using other purple shampoos and don't need this in our shower for the next seven years.

(Check out our five fave Gray Hair Shampoos here!)

When it's okay:

1. If you work in a hair salon.

2. If it's shampoo for a dog.
3. If you work in a dog grooming salon.

4. If you have a giantic shower and plenty of room for those monstrous bottles and the willpower to only use the product in rotation with the other, smaller shampoo and conditioner bottles your bring as rotting guests into your shower situation. 

4. If it's the mildest of conditioners. NEVER a shampoo. And you promise not to use it more than three times in a row without using another conditioner. Aveda's Shampure is about the only conditioner we could possibly see doing this with.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Dr Severin's Silver Shampoo

Review: Dr Severin's Silver Shampoo

PROS: 

Great anti-yellowing/whitening power

Less drying than most Purple Shampoo

Pleasant clean/sweet fragrance

 Dr. Severin's Silver Shampoo has one of the the most gorgeous shampoo bottles we've ever had on display in our bathroom!  

PETA-certified cruelty-free manufacturing

CONS: 

Yup, another Purple Shampoo.

Small bottle.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you're looking to change up your purple shampoo, or simply want another gorgeous bottle to line your shower, Dr. Severin Silver Special Shampoo is a great addition to your hair-whitening rotation.

Gray Peoples Problems #1: DRY HAIR

So by now you've made the commitment to stop fighting and Love The Gray. (GOOD FOR YOU!)  

You've scoured our site looking for how to brighten and whiten your gorgeous gray filaments and found the perfect gray hair-specific shampoo from our list of recommendations.

You may have picked one of the classic "purple ones" like Shimmer Lights or Natur Vital Henna Shampoo. 

You like how it's eliminated the yellow brassiness, but find that it is drying your hair out!

Here are a few tips to solve this classic Gray Peoples Problem:

1. Don't use purple hair shampoo every day!

For whatever reason, these shampoos do have a tendency to cause drying. So use them in rotation with other shampoos just when you need a whitening boost. Once or twice a week should generally be enough once you have tamed your initial brassiness problem, and depending on how long your hair is.

2. Use a purple conditioner

Thankfully there are loads of gray hair-specific conditioners on the market now. Here's a link to our list of favorite gray hair conditioners. Some purple, some not. For most people simply using a regular purple conditioner may be all the whitening you need, and you may not even need the purple shampoo! 

3. Mix your purple shampoo with your current conditioner

This is our favorite gray hair hack of all! 

Use a regular shampoo just to clean your hair when it's dirty, and simply add a tiny bit of purple shampoo to whatever regular conditioner you like the most. You'll whiten and nourish your hair at the same time! Some of our personal favorite conditioners include Silk 18, PUREOLOGY Hydrate conditioner, and good old Nexxus Humectress.

What are yours? 

Let us know in the comments below!

Product Review: Oribe Silverati Shampoo

First things first... 

Oribe's Silverati Shampoo is THE MOST EXPENSIVE GRAY HAIR SHAMPOO WE HAVE EVER USED!

$46 for just over 8 ounces of shampoo? That's only slightly less expensive than caviar. 
But Oribe is one of the most famous hairdressers in the world, so it's very on-brand for him to release a luxury hair care line. And we're very grateful he hasn't overlooked the Gray Pride community. 

Second things second...
We LOVE the name "Silverati"! 
We'd like to think of ourselves as being among the gray-haired ELITE! 
So bow down to us you salt-and-pepper peasants, we're members of the Silverati!  

But how is the shampoo? 
We like it! 
Oribe's Silverati Shampoo is gently cleansing, has a lovely fragrance, and isn't as drying as most gray hair shampoos. The anti-yellowing effect isn't quite as intense as some of our favorite purple shampoos, but we kind of like that. It's a milder, every day gray-hair shampoo for the luxury customer. Silverati shampoo includes exotic elements we've never heard of before in a shampoo, such as "European Silver Fir Extract", "Lycée", "Moringa Seed Oil" and "Mirabelle Plum". You can almost feel how expensive these ingredients are as you lather them into your hair... Or are we just buying into the hype? 

Is it worth it? That depends how much is $46 worth to you. We think it's worth a try.
There's an even pricier Silverati Conditioner, but we're waiting for our next pay check to give that one a go!

The Best Colors to Wear With Gray Hair

Dressing For Gray Hair

Okay, so you've committed to loving your gray, let it grow out the right way, and you're using the proper shampoos and conditioners to brighten and whiten your hair so it's practically luminescent! Now it's time to dress to impress!

There are very few colors that don't work with gray hair. Earth tones like olive or beige may wash you out a bit, and the yellow undertones in ivory or cream could bring out the yellow in your hair and make it look dull. But we subscribe to the never-say-never school of thought when it comes to fashion, so if you find a yellow sweater you love we say wear it!

However, there are colors that always help make gray hair even more striking. Let's take a look... 

BLACK

The contrast between black clothing and white hair always makes a dramatic statement. Wear black when you want to be taken seriously, like Meryl Streep in "The Devil Wears Prada" or José Mourinho managing Manchester United.  

GRAY

Gray-on-Gray is ALWAYS a winning combination! 

There's nothing like seeing a silver fox in a cozy gray sweater.

When in doubt, go gray!

JEWEL TONES

Dazzling jewel tones provide a wonderful compliment for gray hair in any shade. 

 When you want to stand out, wear a bright and bold jewel tone such as Ruby, Turquoise, Jade, Amethyst, Emerald Green, Cobalt, or Citrine. 

Wear a jewel tone when you're feeling flirty, fresh and want to draw attention.

BLUE

There's nothing like a soft blue color to bring out the cool tones in your hair.  A denim shirt says you're comfortable with who you are, and that you love your gray!

BOLD COLORS

Daring to wear a bright color says you may be gray, but you're still not afraid to make a big statement. As the pigment drains from your hair follicles, adding color into your wardrobe is a brilliant idea. Pinks, greens and purples are great, and a bright red may be the most flattering color of all with gray hair.  So be interesting, and go bold!

WHITE

A crisp white shirt is a absolute necessity for any Gorgeous Gray to have in their closet. It's an easy everyday look that is timeless and always looks classy.

 

What's YOUR favorite color to show of your gorgeous gray hair??