The Best Shampoo & Conditioners For Gray Hair That Address the Needs of Mature Hair

Did you know that human hair doesn’t “turn” gray at all. Once the hair follicles produce hair, the color of the hair is set for life. What happens is the hair follicle produces less color as a person ages. And, of course, human hair goes through the natural cycle of dying and regeneration – like every other cell in the body.

Generally, gray hair begins to appear in humans between the ages of 35 to 40 years as a result of this natural cycle. (For me, it happened when I was 25.) Genetics, illnesses, and stress play a major role in generating gray hair in humans. ¹

If you are looking to up your gray hair care game, you have come to the right place. This article provides the information you need to choose the best shampoos and conditioner specifically for your gray hair.

Challenges To Overcome When Maintaining Your Gray Hair

Caring for gray hair has its own challenges since there are so many factors involved. The most important thing is to understand these factors and how they apply to your specific gray hair.

Here are some of the challenges that you need to overcome to up your hair care game:

Heat

Heat is the #1 culprit that causes damage to mature hair. Heat from the sun and styling tools causes the most damage to mature hair. You need a good shampoo and conditioner to protect the hair from heat damage.

Scalp Dryness

A dry or itchy scalp is another challenge that you need to overcome to maintain your elderly hair. When a person ages, his/her body produces fewer oils that result in a dry or itchy scalp. Regular exposure to heat and wind also can dry the scalp. 

Thinning Hair

Most people start to experience this condition from the age of 45 and up. Stress, disease, trauma, certain medications, and thyroid issues are the other causes of this condition. You should use a good shampoo and conditioner to get a volumizing boost and care for your gray hair.

Hair Breakage

Scalp dryness leads to hair breakage as a person ages. To prevent hair breakage as you age, you need to rely on a good moisturizing shampoo and conditioner. Don’t forget to throw in a hair treatment once in a while to prevent hair breakage.

Coloring The Hair

Even though coloring the hair is quite natural as a person grows older, some hair colorings can further damage your hair. Conditioning shampoo and color protection treatment will help improve the condition over time.

Features To Look For When Buying Hair Care Products For Gray Hair

Choosing the right shampoo and conditioner for your specific hair type is the first step in caring for your gray hair. The list of tongue-twisting ingredients on shampoo bottles can confuse many people.

Sodium laureth sulfate and ammonium lauryl sulfate are some of the most common ingredients in shampoos. These ingredients give the shampoo that lather factor that most people equate with cleansing. But these foaming agents can irritate your scalp and strip the hair of its natural oils. Look for a sulfate-free shampoo to prevent the scalp from drying out and the hair thinning out as a result.

The shampoo you choose should either contain argan oil, Biotin, or proteins to build up the structure of your gray hair. Look for natural shampoos and conditioners that are approved by the FDA for the best results in caring for your gray hair. 

If you have thin hair, avoid creamy shampoos since thin hair tends to get oily fast. Look for a shampoo with a clear formula for thin hair.

Frizzy hair is another condition that affects mature people. A good conditioner is ideal for frizzy hair rather than shampoo. On the other hand, if you have dry, coarse hair, you should opt for a creamy moisturizing shampoo and a conditioner to treat your hair.

There are shampoos and conditioners that are specially designed for color-treated hair. Look for a protein-based shampoo with ingredients like wheat and soy extracts or silk amino acids for such hair.

The Best Shampoo & Conditioners For Gray Hair

With hundreds of products on the market, choosing the best shampoo and conditioner for your gray hair isn’t easy. There are many things to consider when purchasing the best products to suit your hair condition. I’ve done the research (for my own use too!) and found some of the best shampoos and conditioners to up your hair care game.

Here are 10 of the best shampoos and conditioners for mature hair.

This is one of the best shampoos for mature hair. It promises to remove yellow and brassy tones from your graying hair. It also softens and instantly restores the vitality and youthful looks of your mature hair.

For color treated hair, it contains a color-safe formula and is sulfate-free to prevent dryness of the scalp. The formula is effective for strengthening and softening dry and brittle hair over time.

The manufacturers claim that the shampoo is all-natural and free of artificial colors and fragrances. It contains geranium, rosemary lavender, and other essential oils to reinvigorate the hair follicles to make your hair look fuller.

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The expert Silver Shampoo from the Fanola Store is another great shampoo for mature hair. It is ideal for seniors and adults who want to show off their gray and silver hair. The shampoo brightens the gray and white tones of your hair while reducing its brassy and yellow tones.

This product also gently and effectively cleanses your mature hair. It is an all-natural and vegan shampoo that strengthens and conditions your hair for a soft, supple, and shiny look and feel.

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This is one of the best conditioners for mature hair. It instantly neutralizes the brassy and yellow tones of your hair. The conditioner will leave your gray hair looking bright and vibrant after some time.

It is a purple conditioner with a violet dye to balance out the coppery tones in gray hair. While the conditioner is great for making your gray hair look brighter, some have complained that getting it out of your hands can be difficult at times. So, you might want to consider wearing disposable gloves when applying the conditioner.

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The Moroccan argan oil shampoo from Artnaturals is another great shampoo for mature hair. It is a completely natural and organic shampoo for your hair. The product will promote hair regrowth and prevent hair from falling out.

It is a sulfate-free product with DHT-blockers to prevent hair fall over time. Artnaturals argan oil shampoo also contains volumizing ingredients to moisturize and thicken your hair. It is great for all types of mature hair including colored hair. 

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This conditioner from Redken Nature Science is specially designed for mature hair. It has specialized ingredients to reduce hair breakage and improve its condition.

The product is ideal for all types of mature hair including damaged, dry, and colored hair. It contains natural birch sap & amino acids to soften and strengthen your mature hair.

The conditioner is sulfate and paraben-free and is ideal for fragile hair.

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This is another great product for mature hair from Carol’s Daughter Store – a minority-owned small business that started in Brooklyn, NY. It is an all-natural organic shampoo designed to care for your mature hair.

This is a great product for dry and brittle mature hair since the product will strengthen your brittle hair in the long run. The product also smooths frizzy and curly hair while conditioning it at the same time.

The Black Vanilla moisture shampoo is 100% sulfate-free and made from all-natural ingredients. 

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L’Oreal Paris EverPure is a great conditioner for your mature hair. The product contains purple pigments to neutralize yellowish and copper tones while brightening your gray hair. The formula of the conditioner contains hibiscus extracts to better condition your mature hair. The product doesn’t have sulfates, harsh salts, silicones, and allergy-causing gluten.

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This is a Pro-V technology silver shampoo designed to tone and brighten your mature hair. It reduces dullness and makes your mature hair look brighter and silver over time. The health formula of the product keeps your gray hair shiny and smooth.

It also contains purple pigments to neutralize yellowish and brass tones. It is easy to use the product just like any other shampoo. The shampoo is lightly scented with notes of fresh luxurious lotus flowers.

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This is a great color-depositing conditioner for mature hair. There are several color options for you to choose from depending on your personal preferences including three shades of gray and silver. Users report significant color changes after two uses. This is a great product to use while transitioning back to your natural gray hair if you’ve been coloring it in the past.

This is a 3-in-1 product that helps cleanse your hair as well. The formula contains shea butter, jojoba oils, rosehip oil, and keratin complex to control frizzy hair and untangle knots. It smoothes the hair and adds shine to it over time.

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This product is ideal for thickening and restoring mature hair. It guarantees the youthful vibrancy and vitality of your gray hair in the long run. It is available as a shampoo, conditioner, or a set of shampoo and conditioner.

This shampoo for gray hair is sulfate-free and contains anti-breakage and strengthening ingredients. It helps fortify thinning hair while preventing breakage and fragile hair. The product is gentle and moisturizing without harsh sulfates.

Tips To Maintain Mature Hair

Here are some quick tips to keep your gray hair happy and healthy:

• Wear a hat when you are outside to protect the hair from sun and wind damage.
• Keep heat-styling and blow-drying to a minimum and use a pre-treatment when styling your hair.
• Limit coloring or processing your hair to prevent drying out and damaging your gray hair.
• Use a good detangling brush to brush your hair when it’s dry. It will prevent damaging and breaking the hair.
• If your scalp is too dry, don’t wash your hair every day. Instead, wash the hair once or twice a week to allow natural oils to stimulate the hair.
• Hydration is important for your hair. Consider using a moisturizing mask on your hair for extra hydration.
• Use only suitable shampoos and conditioners to fit the needs of your mature hair.
• Balance your diet and add vitamin supplements for gray hair to improve the looks and feel of your aging hair.
• On the other hand, stress is the #1 culprit of hair thinning and balding. Reduce your exposure to stressful situations or practice meditation or mindfulness to control your stress levels. 

Wrapping Up

Purchasing the best shampoos and conditioners for gray hair isn’t easy. With hundreds of such products in the market, selecting the right one should be done with utmost care.

Look for a shampoo and conditioner that meets the needs of your personal, unique gray hair. If your hair is dry and brittle, look for deep moisturizing options. If your hair could use a little pampering and repair, products with argan oil are a great choice. And, if you really want to enhance your gray, choose one of the purple tinted products.

To give you some options to consider, I’ve researched many of these shampoos and conditioners for gray hair and found some of the best so that you can up your gray hair care game.

Hey, if you got it, flaunt it, right? Embrace your grayness – it doesn’t have to make you feel old!

1. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/hair-turn-gray-2017091812226