Gray or grey, we’ve all got it o the brain. To be gray or go gray? Fast or slow? Naturally or with some help or fight it with all you’ve got? Some of us have embraced the gray, letting it do its thing, while others are watching those spidery silver strands as they spin their magic on our formerly lustrous roots.
As the trend for gorgeous gray has taken root (sorry) the prognosticators of how to treat the new gray have been working overtime to ensure that we are armed with a shower full of brand new hexes and charms to keep our hair shiny and full. It is the rare gifted bird whose gray hair is fantastic all by itself, so let’s assume we have to preserve what we’ve got, nature made or not.
We spoke with Fabian Lliguin, Founder of Rahua Amazon Beauty, first, because frankly, we love his line of Color Full Shampoo and Conditioner that work double duty in that they protect your investment in “enhanced color” whether it be all over heightened gray or partial gray and it is so luxurious without the extra weight.”
So it’s not an illusion that gray hair is wirier, Lliguin tell us ” new science has just discovered that gray hair is the combination of the reduction of pigmentation as well as the result of the natural peroxide produced by the body and its exposure on the hair root. Hair grows at approximately l/4 inch per month. Each day that little bit of hair that grows through the scalp is being lightened by the natural peroxide present at the root. The presence of natural peroxide on the scalp dries the hair and that is why it gets wiry.” He adds, “Gray hair needs a good, plant-based moisturizing shampooing and extra moisturizing, generally from natural oils that will help put back lost moisture. Color treated hair is extra porous and the Rahua molecules push the the pigments deep into the hair to preserve color. ” Try his Color Full Hair Mask for added restorative assistance.
A veteran beauty industry executive at the conglomerates Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal, Sonsoles Gonzales, 54, didn’t hear much discussion about the hair issues she was dealing with on her own. Gonzalez commented “as we age our hair follicles shrink, causing our hair to be fragile and the facts of declining melanin in gray hair make it even more brittle.” Our scalps age even faster than our faces and we are all suffering from some kind of scalp neglect” said Gonzales. She has responded with a new line of products called Better Not Younger that are launching October 15 at Sephora.com “The hair must be moisturized and these days you need not trade conditioning for volume,” says Gonzalez. Her product, Its Hair Redemption Restorative Butter promises both.” We love that this line is the result of Gonzalez’s’ own gray hair challenges.
Blue and purple shampoos have been a mainstay of keeping the potential yellow and duller tones often seen in gray hair but many stylists recommend extreme caution. The blue can be drying and should be used on a periodic , not regular basis. Too blue or too purple a shampoo may work for some time, but after that the extra color cast can build up making the cure worse than the problem. Less harsh hair care products such as Oribe’s Silver Shampoo, System Professional Silver or the super gentle Klorane Anti Yellowing Shampoo are better versions of their former blueing selves.
In addition to shampoo and conditioner, we can see how masques and serums for scalp health are essential for overall hair health, especially the gray strand variety. We are excited about Rahua’s new Founders Blend which is slated to revolutionize our scalp care by re-adjusting the microbiome of our scalps. From our guts to our grays the microbiome is the new gospel.
All of our recommendations are curated by Susan & the In The Groove editorial team. In some, but not all cases, we receive a small commission for leading you to what, how and where to buy all this wonderful stuff.