Joico Color Endure: Product Review

As one of the best-selling gray hair salon lines out there, people have been asking us to take a look at Joico's Color Endure Violet Shampoo and conditioner. And boy are we glad we did.

The Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo is often sold a a "toner" product, meaning using it occasionally will help prevent gray or platinum blonde hair from oxidising and getting yellow or "brassy". And as such, we have to say it was excellent. It helped eliminate yellowish tones and left our grey significantly more brilliant after just one use. It has a lovely sweet fragrance, contains uv-protectants and antioxidants, and is sulfate-free. It's a tad bit drying to use everyday, so alternate it with your regular shampoo whenever you need to brighten and whiten your gray. Of course pairing it with the Joico conditioner will help prevent your hair from drying out. Joico's Color Endure Violet Conditioner doesn't work as well as a toner on its own, so don't purchase it independently thinking it will work the same magic as the shampoo. 

This purple shampoo is a huge upgrade from using Clairol's Shimmer Lights!

OVERALL: EXCELLENT LINE, HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Note: we've seen the conditioner and shampoo paired together on Amazon for under thirty dollars so it's definitely worth looking for a deal.

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")

Product Review: Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo and Conditioner

We have always loved Aveda. 

The company has consistently been at the forefront of ethically-produced animal-friendly products, and in the 1980's they introduced "aromatherapy" to the masses (mumbo-jumbo for "products that smell good"). Even though Aveda has lost a bit of the home-grown Minnesota charm since founder Horst Rechelbacher sold the line to Estée Lauder in 1997, the company has continued to churn out some of the best hair care products available.

Aveda's Blue Malva Shampoo and Conditioner is no exception.
Made from an extraction of the malva flower, coneflower, and other botanicals, they enhances hair brightness and bring out the silver while toning down brassiness and yellowing. They're also a great for blonde hair as well. The price may look steep but the bottle is huge and it's actually quite economical. 

Whereas some grey-hair shampoos and conditioners have an off-putting odor, Aveda's Blue Malva has a delightful, intoxicating fragrance. The scent of the shampoo has a hint of almond, while the conditioner has more of that classic Aveda smell. It's almost like the aroma is therapeutic... hmm, someone should coin a phrase for that!




Truth be told, Blue Malva is no great new discovery, it has been on the market for decades. But while trendy new products come and go, this classic is a winner. Although be warned that like many gray-hair shampoos these are purple and will stain, so use caution to rinse your hair thoroughly as well as the tub.

P.S. Don't buy Aveda's BLACK Malva like this article in the Guardian mistakenly advises, that product actually makes your gray hair darker!

50 Shades of Grey Hair

When people talk about colored hair such as blonde they speak with a range of discriptors such as Ash Blonde, Platinum Blonde, Honey Blonde... Blah Blah Blonde!

The stereotype about gray hair is that it's just one color. In fact, gray hair comes in it's own rainbow of hues, from Gainsboro to Glaucous and every gorgeous gradation in between. Let's take a look at some famous celebrities modeling a few of our favorite shades...

SILVER RUST GREY

Anderson Cooper 

(Source:stylelist.com) 

PALE SLATE GREY 

Lady Gaga

(Source: coolspotters.com)

ALTO GREY

Halle Berry 

(source: Squidoo.com)

PUMICE GREY

Helen Mirren 

(source: TheGloss.com)

FLINT GREY

George Clooney 

(source: Askmen.com)

WILD SAND GREY

Richard Gere 

(source: hairopedia.com)

(Come to think of it, George Clooney and Richard Gere might be good choices to play Christian Grey in the movie adaptation of E.L. James' book "50 Shades of Grey"!)

What do you call your shade of grey?

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?

Gray Will Never Be Over

The latest anti-gray ad campaign for "Just For Men" features the tagline: "Gray Is Over".  

(watch the spot HERE)

Let us examine the ridiculousness of this statement.

First off, for gray to be over it would mean that at some point it would have had to have been in.  We don't remember gray hair being socially popular for a very long time! In fact, ever?

Since all hair follicles are on a journey towards gray, it's hard to say that gray will EVER be over.  In fact, it's safe to say that colored hair will at some point be over, but never gray!

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!