Gray Hair, Don’t Care – Why Silver Is the New Power Color

When we launched LOVE THE GRAY, we had no idea this blog would help so many people feel seen as they let their natural color shine through. Gray hair is more than a trend now—it’s an identity. Here’s why 2025 is the best time ever to love your silver.

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From “Cover It” to “Flaunt It”

Once upon a time, the first grays were a crisis. Now? They’re often an aesthetic goal. People are even dyeing their hair gray on purpose. Men are loving the gray, not just on top of their heads but the gray in their beards.   

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Why People Are Going Gray (and Staying There)

• Freedom: No more root touch-ups every 3 weeks.

• Savings: Salon color = £££. Gray = 💰 in your pocket.

• Healthier Hair: Less bleach, more bounce.

• Confidence: Nothing says “I’ve arrived” like a great head of silver.

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Must-Haves for Your Gray Hair Routine

✔ A purple shampoo once or twice a week

👉 I’ve reviewed the best here: Top Gray Hair Shampoos

✔ A moisturizing conditioner—you can’t skip this step!

👉 Try this one

✔ A UV protectant spray to prevent yellowing in the sun

👉 This one is lightweight and effective

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🎉 Want to Embrace Your Gray in 2025?

Check out our gray grooming guide, our archive of product reviews, and honest advice. Whether you’re just starting or long silver-proud, this blog’s for you.

Jhirmack Distinctions Silver Plus Ageless Shampoo - Product Review

Product Review: Jhirmack Distinctions - Silver Plus Shampoo

"Ageless"? "Distinctions"??  

Jhirmack may be trying a bit too hard to convince you that your gray hair doesn't make you look older. But we're willing to forgive them.

Jhirmack Silver Plus is one of the highest rated gray hair shampoos on Amazon, and with good reason. It's a solid performer: a purple shampoo with excellent de-yellowing powers, it lathers well, and has a pleasant, light fragrance. 

And the best feature: it's about half the price of Clairol's best-selling Shimmer Lights. Like many purple shampoos it is a tad drying, so use it in rotation with more nourishing hair products such as its companion Jhirmack Silver Plus Ageless Conditioner.

It ain't fancy, but this might just be the budget purple shampoo you've been looking for.

New York Times Style Section learns to Love the Gray

The New York Times Style Section has finally discovered Gray Pride. In an article entitled "For Millennial Men, Gray Hair is Welcome", the editors offer this revelation:

"Gone are the days when guys would actively avoid graying hair. For a new generation of adventurous men, dyeing one’s hair gray is gaining traction, appropriating a naturally occurring phenomenon from older men and giving it a millennial twist."

So for men, going gray is officially "trending", and hipsters are now dyeing their hair grey as a "fashion statement." The "Gray Lady" also credits celebrities like One Direction's Zayn Malik, Olympic athlete Gus Kenworthy, and YouTuber Tyler Oakley with bringing the gray look into the public eye.  

Of course, we here at Love The Gray have known this for ages. That well kept, well groomed gray hair is gorgeous on both men and women. And of course, women were already on the forefront of this trend, and the sexism of the NYT's coverage is laid out in this excellent piece on The Frisky: "The Times is a Year Behind on Hair Trends".

"It’s annoying that the 2015 piece on women and grey hair talked about embracing ageing while the men’s piece on grey hair claims that it’s not about embracing aging, it’s just about being fashion forward, making the women’s piece an appraisal of women’s entire bodies while affording men the ability to just have it be about their hair. It’s annoying that the women’s piece got stuck into their “Women in the World” vertical while the men’s piece got put into the Fashion & Style section, as if the topic didn’t belong in the more widely-read section until men were doing it."

And if you're looking for tips on easy ways to color your hair gray check out our post How To Go Gray Fast!

Blue Hair Territory

We have never understood how old ladies let their hair get blue!?! 

Clearly they are aware enough to use the special blue rinse shampoo to keep it from yellowing, do they not notice their heads look like grape cotton candy? 

Are people afraid to tell them out of a sense of respect for the elderly? 

Or maybe that's just the look they were going for!

What do you think?

(Photo: Mrs Slocombe from BBC's "Are You Being Served")

Your OTHER Gray Hair Shampoo

We've written before about the best gray hair shampoos to eliminate brassiness and keep white hair vibrant and bright.  

But let's face it, some of those shampoos can be too harsh and drying to use every day. 

(Not to mention the more you use the blue-tinted shampoos the more they might stain the shower grout!)

 Gray hair specific shampoos are best used in rotation with some sort of conditioning shampoo. Since gray hairs tend to be more wiry and coarse than pigmented hairs, be sure to supplement your regular routine with some sort of nourishing shampoo.

Our current favorite is by Silky Sexy Hair formulated for Thick/Coarse hair. 

It contains softening hydrolyzed silk, enriching avocado oil, strengthening soy protein, and soothing matricaria flower extract (also known as Chamomile).

It has a sweet, comforting scent, and always leaves our hair softer and more manageable. We highly recommend it if you want to Love The Gray!

And of course they make a matching Silky Sexy Hair Conditioner!

What are your favorite conditioning shampoos?

5 Best Gray Hair Conditioners

Our most popular post ever featured the 5 Best Gray Hair Shampoos, and since everybody loves a sequel...

The following are LoveTheGray's Official: 

Top Five Conditioners for Gray Hair! 

A rundown of our absolute favorite conditioners formulated especially for gray manes.  

#5 Pantene Silver Expressions Conditioner

Hair tends to get coarser and drier as it turns gray, so using an effective moisturizing conditioner is essential for Silver Foxes. A very basic and inexpensive option is Pantene Silver Expressions Color Enhancing Conditioner. You can do better, but it's probably the only one they sell at local your grocery store and may have to do in a pinch.

#4 Clairol Shimmer Lights Conditioner

Of course Clariol's grandmother of gray shampoos also has a counterpart Shimmer Lights Conditioner. (And we do mean grandmother!) If you're looking for anti-yellowing power than this is the conditioner for you. But be forewarned, Shimmer Lights is the classic "Blue Hair" maker.  Leave this in your hair for too long and you'll turn into a tragic old church lady! (Also, leave it in your shower too long and you'll have blue grouting!)

#3 Aveda Blue Malva Conditioner

Aveda's classic conditioner is specifically formulated with extracts of wild blue malva plant to neutralize brassy tones and coneflower to add brightness and boost color intensity. Aveda's Blue Malva Conditioner works especially well with gray highlights, making them appear brighter and more vivid. An organic anti-yellowing alternative, although less moisturizing than some of the other gray hair conditioners featured here.

#2 Silver Lights Conditioner by Biosilk

Not to be confused with Shimmer Lights, Silver Lights from Biosilk is a more modern take on gray hair care. Its silk protein infused blend leaves hair softer and more manageable, while performing the necessary task of extinguishing brassy highlights. A little on the pricey side but... you're worth it!

#1 Davines Alchemic Silver Conditioner

Italian haircare company Davines makes a variety of excellent styling products for gray hair, and this conditioner is no exception. Their Alchemic Silver Conditioner works especially well at removing brassiness from graying blonde hair.  With hydrolized milk proteins that enrich the hair while brightening it, this conditioner gave such great results that it earned the top spot in our countdown!

What are YOUR favorite Gray Hair Conditioners?  
Let us know in the comments!

LOVE the gray!

5 Best Gray Hair Shampoos

Whether you're a salt-and-pepper Silver Fox or a full-on Gorgeous Gray, the right shampoo is critical to keeping your gray hair looking vibrant and sexy.  

The following are Love The Gray's Official: 

Top Five Shampoos for Gray Hair!

5. Shimmer Lights

Shimmer Lights is the iconic brand of anti-yellowing shampoos.  So iconic that Clairol doesn't even promote it on their website! (That's how much Clairol hates gray hair!)  This dark purple Clairol classic is your grandmother's gray hair shampoo and YES you should use it too!  But don't be like granny and use it every day and become a "Blue Hair". Use it only occasionally to get rid of any yellow tinge or brassiness.  And be careful, this stuff stains your shower grout blue - permanently! 

4. Phyto Purple No-Yellow Shampoo

The French beauty company Phyto specializes in plant-based beauty products.  Their Phyto Purple No-Yellow Shampoo contains plant extracts with anti-oxidant properties such as walnut leaf, rhatay root, and broom.  They combine with a pigment to correct discoloration and a powerful fixative that neutralizes yellow tones, thus bringing out your hair's naturally beautiful, luminous highlights.  Another purple shampoo, so be sure to rinse it off your shower walls and down the drain before it stains the tiles!

3. One 'n Only Shiny Silver Shampoo

Since gray hair has a tendency to get dry and wiry, conditioning is extra important!  That's what we love about the ultra-conditioning "One 'n Only" Shiny Silver Pro Shampoo from the Conair Professional series.  It's formulated with lavender, lemon, orange peel, grapefruit and tangerine, it nourishes as well as restore brightness.  It's also has the most appealing fragrance of all the shampoos on our list! (Plus, it's cheap!)

2. Natur Vital Henna Shampoo 

Blueberries to whiten your hair? Sure, why not? We included this on our list because it features organic ingredients, isn't tested on animals, and contains no parabens, silicone, or mineral oils. Natur Vital Henna Shampoo is a popular purple shampoo in the UK, and they sure do have a lot of white hair over there! Again, not a shampoo to use everyday, use it a couple of times a week at most. Be sure to use it with one of our Five Best Conditioners for Gray Hair. This shampoo also works well with highlighted, tinted or bleached hair.

 

1. Klorane Silver Shampoo with Centaury

Klorane Silver Shampoo used to be the only non-purple shampoo on our list. But at some point they replaced it with purple Klorane Shampoo with Centaury. And the good news, we still love it! It keeps your gray hair nice and bright, but now you have to make sure it doesn't stain your shower like all the others. This is a grey hair shampoo that is gentle enough to be used every day.  We recommend conditioning every day but not shampooing every day, however if you must: Kloraine is the one! 

 


And even more important than what shampoo you use is the following advice:
Condition more than you shampoo.  And alternate shampoo brands to avoid build up!  


DON'T MISS: Our other product reviews and The Five Best Conditioners for Gray Hair


(page and links last updated 5/2025)