Do You Need a Special Shampoo for Gray Hair?

Whether you’re embracing white hair with the help of bleach or maintaining naturally silver strands, picking the right gray hair shampoo is a must. Gray hair has unique needs, and stocking up on formulas that cater to those distinctions can greatly impact how your tresses look and feel. Combatting dullness, enhancing shine, and banishing yellow tones are just a few benefits you may see from using a shampoo for gray hair. Ahead, we’re sharing details on our best shampoos for gray hair to ensure your grays (both natural and color-treated) are as radiant and healthy-looking as possible.

Why Does Gray Hair Need Special Care?

Gray hair has different characteristics than other hair colors and often requires a targeted haircare routine to help it look and feel its best. According to a 2018 study in the International Journal of Trichology, natural grays are drier, coarser, and more wiry than other hair colors. As such, these strands can be more difficult to manage.

For example, you may need to arm yourself with moisturizing or smoothing formulas to help tame unruly gray flyaways. This way, those stiffer hairs can blend more naturally with the rest of your hair for a silkier, more flattering finish. Another concern you may have to battle is unwanted undertones: Grays typically lack pigment (especially if they’re silver or white), making any brassy discoloration stand out more prominently. Toning formulas may quickly become staples in your haircare regimen to help keep strands looking bright and cool-toned.

What Are the Benefits of Shampoo for Gray Hair?

Not all gray hair shampoos have the same benefits. However, there are a few key features to look for in a formula for silver strands. Among them are:

Toning

Product buildup, styling tools, hard water, and UV exposure can all transform bright gray hair into a dull, brassy shade over time. That’s where a toning shampoo comes in. A toning shampoo deposits vivid pigments (often blue or purple) onto the hair’s surface to help it appear cooler and more vibrant. Since brassiness tends to appear yellow on gray hair, you’ll want to reach for a purple-toned shampoo to help offset it. This works because of the principles of color theory: Shades opposite from each other on the color wheel help cancel each other out when combined. Pull up a picture of the color wheel, and you’ll see that yellow and purple are complementary colors.

It’s important to note that you shouldn’t use a toning shampoo every day. Overuse can actually stain your strands a pale shade of lavender (which is pretty but likely not your goal). It’s generally advised to use a purple shampoo for gray hair no more than twice a week.

Moisturizing

You can go gray at any point, but it usually happens as you get older. As you age, how much sebum (or oil) your scalp produces can also decline, and this tends to give grays a dry, wiry feel. As a result, gray hair shampoos are typically sulfate-free and formulated to give hair a gentle cleanse without stripping it of essential moisture. In addition, they often feature hydrating ingredients, such as hyaluronic acid, to help combat dryness and frizz so your silvers are more manageable.

Enhancing shine

Dryness, a coarse texture, and a loss of pigment can all create the perfect storm to make gray strands appear dull and lackluster. A good shine-enhancing shampoo for gray hair can help boost the natural luminosity of your mane. Using a clarifying shampoo on gray hair can also help increase shine. It can help thoroughly cleanse the hair and scalp of buildup, allowing light to reflect off the hair shaft more easily,

What Is the Best Shampoo for Gray Hair?

The best gray hair shampoo for you ultimately depends on your hair type, the shade of your gray (slate, silver, or white), and whether your grays are natural or color-treated. You may even need more than one shampoo to help keep your grays bright and dazzling. For example, you may have to rely on a purple shampoo for gray hair one day to nix brass and a hydrating shampoo on another to help restore softness. You can also look for formulas that combine multiple benefits, so you can address your concerns all at once.

It’s worth mentioning, however, that you don’t necessarily need a dedicated gray hair shampoo. Regular shampoos can work for gray hair when chosen wisely. As you browse the aisles (or the Internet) for a gray hair shampoo, look for sulfate-free, hydrating, and color-safe formulas, which are generally suitable to apply on gray hair. It’s also a good idea to pair your shampoo with a corresponding conditioner, if available. Shampoo and conditioner are usually made to work synergistically, allowing you to get the best possible results from your chosen range.

Our Best Shampoos for Gray Hair

From our best moisturizing shampoo to our favorite toning formula, here are a few of our go-to gray hair shampoos to try now.

L’Oréal Paris EverPure Silver Care Shampoo, For Gray Hair

Consider this shampoo for silver hair if you want a formula specifically designed to enhance gray locks. This gentle brightening shampoo helps purify the hair and scalp without stripping natural oils from gray hair. Plus, it’s enriched with skincare-inspired ingredients, including strengthening peptides, and can help leave hair noticeably smoother with added bounce and volume.

Finish your silver care routine with the matching L’Oréal Paris EverPure Silver Care Conditioner, For Gray Hair to help strengthen and rehydrate strands without weighing them down.

L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Bond Repair Shampoo with Citric Acid

The bleaching process that is required to achieve a snow-inspired hair color can be particularly damaging. If you’re on the hunt for the best shampoo for white hair, look for a color-safe repairing shampoo to help strengthen bleach-worn locks. We recommend reaching for this citric acid-infused bond repair shampoo, which penetrates inside the hair cortex to help rebuild weakened hair bonds from the inside out.

For a complete routine, add the other two steps from the EverPure Bond system to your in-shower lineup. Apply L’Oréal Paris EverPure Bond Strengthening Pre-Shampoo Treatment before shampooing to help reinforce hair’s structure,* then wash your hair and finish with the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate Free Bond Repair Conditioner with Citric Acid to help smooth and detangle your strands.

L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Clarifying Shampoo with Antioxidants

To help revive a dull, gray hair color, pick up this clarifying shampoo. The color-safe formula is designed to help remove weighty product buildup and hard water exposure to reveal a visibly brighter and more vibrant hue. It can also help lock in hydration for clean, restored strands.

Make sure you follow up with the creamy L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Restoring Conditioner with Antioxidants to help replenish your hair with twice as much moisture after washing. Together, this duo can help keep your mane looking healthy and feeling soft.

Editor’s tip: Purifying shampoos typically aren’t meant for daily use. Those with thin, oily hair may benefit from using one once every other week, while once a month may be sufficient for someone with thick, dry hair. Your lifestyle and styling habits can also play a role in how frequently you’ll need to use one, so pay attention to how your hair looks and feels to determine whether a deeper clean is needed.

L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Shampoo

Those with light blonde and gray hair colors may need to use purple shampoo to help tackle brassy tones that can appear in their strands. If you notice your cool-toned hair turning yellow, swap out your regular lather for our best purple shampoo for gray hair. Purple dyes in this sulfate-free formula help correct brassy tones in blonde, silver, and bleached hair. After just one wash, you can expect to notice brighter color and moisturized hair.

Round out your toning session with L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Purple Conditioner for Toning Blonde Hair, which helps hydrate your hair while further toning strands with a light purple pigment.

L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Shampoo, Paraben-Free

Keep your strands hydrated and moisturized with this nourishing shampoo. The formula, which includes hyaluronic acid, helps deeply nourish and transform dry, lifeless hair into soft, healthy-looking strands for up to 72 hours. Use the complementary conditioner for the ultimate hydrating experience. The L’Oréal Paris Elvive Hyaluron + Plump Hydrating Conditioner, Paraben-Free (formulated with the same moisturizing ingredients) helps instantly detangle, moisturize, and re-plump dry hair for a bouncy, free-flowing mane.

Next Up: How To Transition to Gray Hair