What To Do About Frizzy Gray Hair + Mistakes You Should Avoid

Graying hair becomes dry, unmanageable, and coarse. Mercifully, there are quick ways to transform your frizzy gray hair into smooth, healthy locks. You need to instead understand the root cause of the issue. Your hair loses its color and becomes gray or white as you age. Then the sebaceous glandsⁱ  Small glands that produce an oily substance called sebum and are found throughout the skin and hair follicles. produce less sebum, making your hair dry, rough, and frizzy. But some treatments and tips can help curb frizz and protect your gray locks. Keep reading to make your gray hair beautiful and frizz-free.

Why Does Gray Hair Become Frizzy?

Your hair may turn gray as you age. Various underlying conditions may also cause premature graying. Along with pigmentation changes, gray hair loses moisture due to less sebum production. This causes the cuticles to weather and becomes porous, causing dryness and frizz (1).

This is a natural process, and that is why you have to be extra careful with aging hair. Here are a few ways to minimize frizz and make your grey hair manageable.

How To Manage Frizzy Gray Hair

1. Trim Your Hair Regularly

Trimming your locks every six to eight weeks helps in hair maintenance and is the easiest way to prevent split ends. The hair ends often do not get the natural oils and may weather easily. Trimming may lessen your hair problems by preventing further damage and frizz.

2. Avoid Hair Accessories

Gray hair should be handled with care. Avoid tying, pinching, or binding your frizzy gray hair tightly.

This may cause hair breakage and aggravate frizz. Go for relaxed hairstyles. Keep your hair loosely tied or rolled up in a loose bun. Use gentle accessories like silk hair bands and scrunchies to style your hair.

3. Use Gentle Hair Care Products Containing Natural Ingredients

Choose sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners, devoid of drying ingredients like alcohol as they can alter your hair texture. Choose products with mild surfactants like Cocamidopropyl betaine. Go for hydrating conditioners and hair masks that contain plant oils like shea butter, argan, jojoba, and coconut oils. These ingredients reduce frizziness and lock the natural moisture in the hair.

4. Incorporate DIY Moisturizing Treatments In Hair Care Routine

Moisturizing hair treatments are essential to keep your gray hair looking nourished and shiny. Try some of the amazing DIY hydrating hair treatments suggested below:

• Avocado And Olive Oil Mask: Avocado oil moisturizes the hair and scalp and olive oil smooths out the hair.
• Coconut Milk And Honey Treatment: Both coconut milk and honey soften the hair and lock the natural moisture.
• Banana And Yogurt Mask: Bananas strengthen the hair roots while yogurt adds protein to the hair and reduces breakage.
• Aloe Vera And Glycerin Spray: Aloe vera smoothes and hydrates the hair while soothing the scalp. On the other hand, glycerin locks the moisture in the hair cuticles.

5. Avoid Hot Showers

Always use lukewarm or room temperature water to wash your hair. Hot water can damage the cuticles and cause further dryness and breakage. Cold water helps flatten the cuticles and keep the hair smooth and soft.

6. Handle Wet Hair Gently

Wet hair is prone to damage. Avoid twisting and rubbing your wet hair with a towel. Instead, wrap it with a microfiber towel and then air-dry.

7. Ditch The Blow Dryer

Minimize the usage of a blow dryer as much as possible. The blast of warm air from the tool can aggravate frizz. Hence, use it in a cool setting. Also, avoid using heat styling tools frequently for hair styling. Whenever you use heat tools, apply a heat protectant spray or cream to the hair to prevent heat damage.

Quick Tip

Start using your heat styling tool at the lowest heat setting and gradually increase the heat level to get the styling right.

8. Remove All Hair Accessories Before Bedtime

Make it a habit to remove all hair accessories and free your hair before you hit the bed at night. This will allow your hair to breathe and prevent traction.

Often, wrong hair care practices make the hair frizzy and unruly. Take note of these gray hair mistakes and avoid them to keep your hair manageable.

Gray Hair Mistakes That You Should Avoid

Mistake 1: Not Maintaining The Scalp pH

Like the skin, our scalp has a pH of 4.5 – 5.5 and is alkaline compared to the hair shafts. While the ideal pH range of maintaining the scalp, hair, and skin health is yet to be determined, it is ideal to use hair products that have a slightly higher pH than the normal scalp pH. Alkaline products can increase the friction between hair fibers and cause breakage (2). This will help soften coarse gray hair and avoid common hair problems like breakage.

How To Fix: When buying hair care products, ensure the pH is slightly higher than 4.5 – 5.5. You may buy products with pH values within a range of 6 to 7.

Mistake 2: Not Following A Proper Night Hair Care Routine

Just like your skin, your scalp and hair need nourishment during the night. Applying serums and oils and taking measures to avoid friction during the night is crucial to maintain overall hair health.

How To Fix: Always detangle your hair and wrap a satin or silk scarf around your head to prevent friction during sleep. Use hair serums and treatments to provide additional moisture and manage frizz. Follow an anti-aging hair care routine consistently to keep your locks healthy.

Mistake 3: Not Drinking Enough Water Throughout The Day

Dehydration affects your health, including your hair health. It halts hair growth and may make the scalp dry, triggering issues like frizz, itchiness, hair fall, and breakage.

How To Fix: Make it a habit to drink at least 2.7 liters of fluid in a day.

Mistake 4: Not Oiling Your Hair Regularly

Gray hair lacks moisture and nourishment. Oiling your mane is an excellent hair treatment as it may help to replenish the lost moisture. If you do not oil your hair often, it may become dry and frizzy.

How To Fix: Once a week, treat your hair to a nourishing oil massage. Use argan, jojoba, and coconut oils. After massaging, wrap your head with a warm towel and wash off after an hour.

Mistake 5: Using Hair Products With Harmful Chemicals

Hair products with harsh chemicals and synthetic preservatives make the hair dull, dry, and lifeless. Avoid ingredients like parabensⁱ  A class of chemicals widely used in drugs and cosmetics that can cause dryness and irritate your scalp. , alcohols, artificial fragrances, and colors. They cause dryness and frizz and leave a residue on the scalp.

How To Fix: Always use gentle products suitable for your hair type. Use a clarifying shampoo once in two weeks to clear buildup and always follow up with a hydrating conditioner. This routine may help tackle common hair problems associated with graying, ensuring your locks remain vibrant and smooth.

You can also use homemade hair masks to smoothen the frizzy gray hair. Check out one such mask in the next section.

Banana And Coconut Oil Homemade Hair Mask For Frizzy Gray Hair

What You Need

• 1 ripe banana
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil
• 2 teaspoons of honey

How To Prepare

1. Mash the banana until there are no lumps.
2. Add the honey and coconut oil and mix until you get a smooth paste.
3. Apply the mix all over your scalp and hair.
4. Leave it on for 20 to 25 minutes.
5. Rinse it off with warm water.Follow it up with your regular shampoo and conditioner.
6. Use it at least once a week.

Why This Works?

Bananas have a high silicone content that may improve hair health and prevent hair loss (3), (4). The mask, when combined with honey and coconut oil, may help condition the hair and make it soft and smooth (5).

Quick Tip

Ensure to spend sufficient money on good-quality heat styling tools to protect your hair from unnecessary heat.

Infographic: DIY Hydrating Hair Masks

As you age, your hair turns gray or white. The oil glands produce less oil, making your hair dry, coarse, and frizzy. Following simple tips, such as trimming your hair every four months and following a proper hair care routine, can make your gray locks smooth and beautiful. You can also add DIY hydrating hair masks to your routine since they are natural hair remedies for dry, dehydrated hair. Check out the infographic below to know more!

Check out the infographic below to know more!

Illustration: StyleCraze Design Team

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use purple shampoo on gray hair?

Yes, a purple shampoo can neutralize the brassy yellow tones of your gray hair and enhance its silvery shine. It offers your hair a brighter and more youthful appearance. Wash your hair with the purple shampoo once a week to maintain the desired color and shine, without drying the locks.

Is apple cider vinegar rinse good for gray hair?

Apple cider vinegar rinse is a great option for gray hair. The diluted vinegar, made with one tablespoon per liter of water, effectively removes buildup and smooths hair cuticles for a shiny, healthy appearance. Say goodbye to frizz and hello to beautiful gray locks!

Should I use purple shampoo on gray hair?

For a silvery shine, consider using a purple shampoo on your gray hair. It helps eliminate those yellow brassy tones that occur from hard water and heat styling and leaves you with beautiful, radiant locks.

Does lemon juice help gray hair?

Lemon juice may bring out the best in gray hair. Its clarifying properties help brighten the yellow tinges, leaving your locks looking fresh and vibrant. While it may not restore hair color, incorporating lemon juice into your hair care routine can enhance the beauty of your gray locks.

Is ginger good for gray hair?

While we don’t have specific research to support the connection between ginger and reversing gray hair, a study suggested a link between ginger and improved hair health and growth in those with alopecia. Adding ginger to your diet may bring positive effects to your hair’s overall health. (6).

Illustration: What To Do About Frizzy Gray Hair + Mistakes You Should Avoid

Image: Stable Diffusion/StyleCraze Design Team

Want to learn how to get rid of frizz in long gray hair? Watch this easy video tutorial to get smooth, shiny locks in no time. Find out more in the full video!

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Madison DufourBarber & Cosmetologist

     

Madison Dufour is a licensed and practicing barber and cosmetologist with 10 years of experience, as well as an entrepreneur running several hair businesses, including MadisonD Barbering and The Exquisite Find Hair Blog. After working behind the chair for several years, she felt the calling to start the non-profit Barber in a Bag that teaches basic hair cutting skills in street and slum communities in South America.

Read full bio of Madison Dufour

Ramona SinhaEditor

 

Ramona is an editor at StyleCraze with 11 years of experience in writing and editing. She has authored over 200 articles on skin and hair care. She graduated from the University of Calcutta, West Bengal, and did her post-graduation from the University of Kalyani, West Bengal.

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Anjali SayeeAssociate Editor

Anjali is an associate editor at StyleCraze. She specializes in hairstyles and hair and skin care and has written over 200 articles in these domains. She has 7 years of experience, and her philosophy about hair and skin care is simple: if you love and care for it, it will be healthy.

Read full bio of Anjali Sayee

Swathi ESenior Beauty & Lifestyle Writer

Swathi has a postgraduate degree in English literature from The English And Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, and over three years of experience in writing on beauty, health, and lifestyle. She also has a diploma in English journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Kottayam, and is a certified skincare coach.

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