5 Expert Tips for Growing Out Gray Hair

Joining the slew of D.I.Y. projects we’ve seen this year in lockdown—here’s looking at you, sourdough— is something we’d like to think of as quite the dark horse of hair trends: the quarantine gray hair revolution. Embracing this new gray hair style is a refreshing—not to mention easier and more convenient—approach to the silver hair trend altogether. Are you ready to take on a gray hair transformation of your own? Read on for our top tips on the best way to care for gray hair, and keep it soft, shiny, and healthy-looking while doing so:

1
Invest in a strengthening wash and care system.
Seeing as the graying of hair is part of the natural aging process (hair follicles produce less color as they age), it oftentimes also comes with a change in texture and density as well. Naturally grayed hair is typically drier and finer, so it’s important to nourish your strands and ensure they’re in optimal condition. For a Shampoo and Conditioner that nourishes and strengthens fragile hair, leaving your hair healthy and fortified from root-to-tip from the first wash, try Dove Fortifying Ritual Shampoo and Fortifying Ritual Conditioner.
2
Get the nutrients you need.
Getting the right nutrition is always essential to healthy-looking and healthy-feeling hair. When learning how to transform gray hair to its very best state, picking the right foods that encourage hair growth is highly beneficial. Choose those that contain minerals like iron, beta-carotene, folic acid, vitamin B, magnesium, protein, silica, and Vitamins C, E, and A.
3
Believe in the power of the deep conditioning treatment.
A mask helps moisturize and nourish rough, dry areas along the strand, and that weekly #SelfCareSunday session doesn’t hurt on the mental health front, too! We love the frizz-fighting properties in Dove Smoothes + Pink Clay Hair Mask, which helps hair feel softer and smoother after just one use.
4
Use a heat protectant each time you pick up the hot tools.
Another way to ensure your strands stay protected while in the gray-out process is to keep them shielded from any heat damage while styling. Not only is a heat protectant a handy pre-styler that helps detangle after you shower or wash your hair, it also does the crucial job of, as its name suggests, protecting the strand from direct heat damage incurred through wear and tear of daily styling and manipulation.
5
Reinvigorate your strands with dry shampoo.
A good hair hack to stave away any color-happy tendencies is to play with your parting and refreshing hair with a dry shampoo, which helps infuse extra freshness into the root, thus creating lift and body and more potential for some interim root camouflage.

If you do ever decide to go on this gray hair journey, we’re right here rooting for you and can’t wait to see the stunning results. Good luck!