To make silver hair look great, focus on moisture, brightness, and a great cut using purple shampoos to fight brassiness, deep conditioners for softness, and professional styling for definition, complementing your look with vibrant clothes and makeup that pop against your cool tones. Regular scalp stimulation, UV protection, and good nutrition also keep it healthy and lustrous.
Gray or silver hair may have a different texture due to less sebum production. Upgrade your haircare routine with products like purple-toning shampoos and hair masks, which can correct brassiness and dullness in gray or silver hair.
How often can you use purple shampoo on gray hair? It is widely recommended only using purple shampoo on gray once a week.
The main downside of purple shampoo is that overuse can lead to hair becoming dull, dry, brassy, or even tinted purple/ashy because it deposits pigment and can strip moisture, so it should be used as a treatment (once or twice a week) rather than a daily shampoo, with plenty of conditioning afterward to counteract dryness. It's a toner, not a cleanser, and excessive use can build up, making hair darker or harder for stylists to work with.
If you have blonde highlights, you most likely have light to dark brown hair. If your hair has more orange or brassy tones, you will need the Purple version. If you have more yellow undertones, you'll need blue or silver. Purple also works for gray hair and was the reason Clairol invented purple shampoo way back when.
Another option is to mix a bit of apple cider vinegar into a dollop of shampoo. This clears build up from environmental toxins and hair products. It also seals the hair cuticle, making your grays silky, shiny and frizz-free.
Adding baking powder to your shampoo is an amazing detox treatment you can do at home. Its alkaline properties help to break down product buildup, oils, and residue from styling products, leaving the hair feeling cleaner. It's fantastic for lifting out minerals and metals than be found in hard water.
HOW TO ENHANCE NATURAL GREY HAIR
To keep your gray hair bright and shiny, switch out your hydrating shampoo for a clarifying shampoo once a week. This helps to remove impurities and product build-up. Follow the clarifying shampoo with a purple-based conditioner (more on this in a minute).
For a youthful look at 60, opt for warm, soft, blended colors like honey blonde, caramel, warm auburn, or chocolate brown with caramel highlights, which add brightness and soften features, avoiding harsh, solid dark colors or platinum blonde. Adding subtle highlights or lowlights creates dimension, and embracing natural gray with a silver or platinum shade can also be very modern and flattering, especially with a soft, layered cut.
Avoid stormy cool colours, particularly grey-blues, mushroom purples and other muted cool tones. These will not only make your skin look flat, but will steal the vibrancy from your hair- which is bright for it's colour. If you aren't already, switch the makeup you're wearing to all warm colours.
Think natural, but enhanced
'Some people are lucky enough to have naturally white, glossy hair, but they're the exception to the rule,' says Gustav. 'When people go grey, there's usually a slightly ashy or yellow tone, so I recommend adding creamy, soft, paler pieces over the grey to make it look polished.
Are you accidentally going too blonde while trying to blend your greys? One of the biggest mistakes I see is using highlights with no depth, which can leave hair looking washed out and overdone. Grey blending isn't about packing in foils. It's about working with your regrowth and adding balance …not just brightness.
Korean grey hair treatments focus on nourishing the scalp, using natural ingredients like ginseng to boost melanin (like WT Methode or Daeng Gi Meo Ri) for potential color restoration, or employing pigmented shampoos (like Moda Moda or Ryo) for temporary darkening, often avoiding harsh chemicals for gentle coverage, alongside general hair health via oils, serums, and toning. While no magic cure reverses all gray, these K-beauty approaches manage premature graying and maintain color naturally.
Using a product with such a high pH may harm the hair. Over time, baking soda can strip the natural oil from the hair, lead to breakage, and make the hair fragile.
The "Big 3" for thinning hair generally refer to Minoxidil, Finasteride, and Ketoconazole shampoo, which target hair loss through different mechanisms: Minoxidil stimulates growth, Finasteride blocks the hair-shrinking hormone DHT, and Ketoconazole reduces inflammation and has mild anti-androgenic effects. While Minoxidil (Rogaine) and Finasteride (Propecia) are the most common core treatments, Ketoconazole (Nizoral) is often the third, though some experts swap it for microneedling or professional therapy.
When washing your hair with baking soda, you can apply the baking soda and water mixture to either dry or wet hair. Start at the roots and work into the hair until reaching the ends. Pay special attention to oily spots on the scalp or hair and rinse thoroughly. Follow with a routine shampoo and conditioner.
According to Friese, ACV smooths and seals the hair cuticle, making it ideal for reaching high-shine levels. It is thought that the enzymes from the fermented apple close and smooth the hair cuticle, the protective layer that locks in vital lipids, proteins, and moisture.
Mix and coat your hair gently from root to tips, leave on hair for around 3 minutes and then rinse thoroughly, you can shampoo again if you feel you want to get all the baking soda out, and then do the QSH mask.
Gray Hair Shampoos
Use Color-Depositing Products
In the same way you would use a purple shampoo to neutralize brassiness in blonde hair, it can also make silver hair retain its crisp hue by neutralizing yellow tones. Colombini recommends the L'Oréal Paris EverPure Purple Shampoo and Conditioner to keep gray hairs popping.
Your hairdresser likely advised against purple shampoo to prevent dryness, dulling, uneven color (ashy/muddy), or over-toning (purple/blue tint), as it's a temporary fix not for everyday cleaning, and can interfere with future coloring by creating buildup, especially if your hair is very porous or already a bright, cool blonde. They might prefer professional toners, moisturizing treatments, or detox shampoos for better, healthier results.
Maintain Your Vibrant Silver
For the best silver shampoos in New Zealand, check out our top picks like Schwarzkopf BC Bonacure Silver Shampoo and Olaplex No. 4 Blonde Enhancer Toning Shampoo. These products ensure your silver strands stay as stunning as ever.