Wash that grey back into his hair!

November 26, 2007 2:45 PM

How do you keep grey hair from yellowing? Without going the 'bluehair' route!

My husband is 37 and he has a head full of thick, beautiful, grey hair. Think Anderson Cooper's color. He doesn't like it but it suits his coloring, makes him appear older and distinguished (a plus in his business) and it's different! Recently, it is starting to yellow. We don't know why, nothing in his routine has changed but it definitely is getting a yellow tint. He has been using the Pantene shampoo for grey hair hoping to restore the color but it is not working. Why would this happen all of a sudden and what can we do to stop it? Any natural fixes? I know my grandma would go every week to have blueing put on her grey but that is really not an option. If he has to do that, he'll probably just dye it a color and I really don't want him to have to have his roots done every 6 weeks. It's hard enough for me to keep up that maintainence schedule on my hair. It would be impossible for him with his work duties. Thanks for any tips you can offer!

posted by pearlybob to clothing, beauty, & fashion (10 comments total)

Does he smoke? I had a long conversation with a hair stylist the other day who said that smoking is the main cause of yellowing...

He has been using the Pantene shampoo for grey hair

Nothing you buy off the shelf at Safeway is going to do the trick...best to buy something from a hairdressing salon.
posted by KokuRyu at 2:51 PM on November 26, 2007

No smoking...
posted by pearlybob at 2:53 PM on November 26, 2007

Pantene turned my highlights green; my stylist knew what had happened before I said anything ("you were in a hotel, weren't you? It was Pantene, wasn't it?"). She directed me to find some Prell (it'll take paint off your car, apparently) and use it 2-3 times to strip the Pantene deposits and then swear to never use Pantene again. That might be part of his problem.

I personally don't think there's any magic serum in salon products that you can't get anywhere else, but go with a gentler shampoo for grey hair to start with. There are plenty of blue products, including styling products, that will help without permanently changing his color or requiring upkeep.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:14 PM on November 26, 2007

Lush make a great shampoo precisely for this problem, called Daddyo. The name was the reason I bought it for my white to grey-haired dad, but it's brilliant and he loves it. And his hair looks a million times better - silvery not yellow. The shampoo smells lovely too.
posted by tiny crocodile at 3:15 PM on November 26, 2007

I know Aveda makes a grey hair shampoo, and there's a good one that they sell at Whole Foods ... it looks purple and it comes in a squeeze-tube instead of a regular bottle. It's what I use ... I'm at work, or I'd go in the shower and get the exact name of it for you.
posted by mccxxiii at 3:20 PM on November 26, 2007

Get something called a "drabber" which is a purple additive you put in shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, etc. It nutralizes gold tones in hair. You can find it at a beauty supply store in a small plastic bag/bottle that holds an ounce. Add that to shampoo/conditioner and that should take that gold tone right out. I think there is a kind for grey hair which is a bit bluer, but be careful not to get the "grey magic" type which just makes grey hair easier to dye. It will get worse in that case.
The drabber should be cheaper than buying expensive grey hair shampoo.
posted by idiotfactory at 3:33 PM on November 26, 2007

Seconding Daddy-O from Lush, which has worked wonders on my silver-haired dad and blonde-headed self. Like all Lush products, it's made from all kinds of great natural stuff, it's a groovy dark purple color and smells awesome.

If you don't have a store in your area, you can shop their online store here.
posted by non sum qualis eram at 4:28 PM on November 26, 2007

Thirding Daddy-O. It's marvellous stuff.

And nthing don't smoke. If there's no smoking in your house, perhaps some kind of air pollution is attaching to the hair and turning it gray? In any event, Daddy-O should solve this problem.

If your husband isn't taking a daily multivitamin (with B-complex) that might help, too.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 4:50 PM on November 26, 2007

lemon juice and sunlight also work, or so i'm told.
posted by taff at 2:27 AM on November 27, 2007

If nothing else works try Invite vitamin E bath oil under a shower cap for an hour or so/ over night.
(Don't ask...)
But yeah just shampoo it out and voila! (The yellowing is some kind of build up from the water in my case, I think.)
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har at 11:29 AM on November 27, 2007