No impact on gray hair: There is no scientific evidence to suggest that baking soda can prevent or reverse gray hair. The color of our hair is determined by the presence of melanin, a pigment inside the hair fiber.
Use a clarifying shampoo to help strip some of the unwanted color. This may help lighten the grey tone slightly. Follow up with a good conditioner to avoid excessive dryness. Use a Purple or Blue Shampoo: These products can neutralize unwanted yellow or brassy tones.
Pigment cells do not come back. Once hair turns grey or white, it is not ever going to turn back into brown, red, or black, or whatever your natural color was.
To get silver, you need to decolorize your ends with bleach. You want to get your hair to a pale yellow/white color. If the hair is orangey or too dark yellow, the silver color will not take. Take care not to let the bleach sit for too long. You don't want your hair to resemble wet cotton.
Bleach all of your hair and use a silver toner to adjust the color. Apply bleach to get rid of all pigment—you want your hair to be almost white for this. Then, wash your hair with a silver toning shampoo to introduce gorgeous light grey or silver pigments. Use the shampoo every 2-3 weeks to maintain your new color!
This shampoo/silver toner for hair is just as effective on grey hair as it is on platinum and other light blonde shades which can suffer from the same brassy tones. Use it as you would a normal shampoo: apply, massage (leave on according to instructions) and rinse, then follow with the Neutralising conditioner.
Eumelanin and pheomelanin are found in hair follicles in cells called melanocytes, which produce melanin. As we age, melanocytes decrease in number and less melanin is produced. Fewer melanocytes mean a lack of pigment in the hair, resulting in a silvery-gray color.
Lemons. If you're wondering how to whiten clothes that have grayed, the answer is simple and you can probably find it in your household: Lemons. Lemons contain citric acid which has natural bleaching properties that penetrate deep into the fabric and remove dirt.
A review of research suggests that proper supplementation may reverse premature graying in those who are deficient in certain nutrients, including iron, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. However, even though some supplements are specifically sold as “anti-graying,” there aren't any studies that prove they work.
To boost shine, choose a chamomile tea rinse.
Chamomile tea's bisabolol, an active ingredient with anti-inflammatory qualities, helps to lighten and brighten gray tones for luminous color and shine.
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural oxidant; we produce an enzyme called catalase that breaks down hydrogen peroxide turning it into water and oxygen. As catalase function decreases, the levels of hydrogen peroxide increase. High levels of hydrogen peroxide block the production of pigment, leading to gray hair.
Best Toner for Natural Grey Hair
The best toners for blending your lengths in with your natural grey hair are the Wella Colour Charm T18 Lightest Ash Blonde and Wella Colour Charm T14 Pale Ash Blonde. A combination of both (half of each) will give the most natural shimmery silver grey results.
Apple cider vinegar not only lightens hair color to diminish brassy tones but also acts as a natural cleanser, removing product buildup and hard water residues. You can make an apple cider vinegar hair rinse for gray hair at home. Mix one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with one cup of water.
Lemon Juice to Gradually Lighten Strands
The citric acid in lemon juice works with sunlight to lighten hair color slowly. It may not remove gray hair completely, but it can help mix them well with the rest of your hair.
Use a purple shampoo and conditioner
Combat the brassy tones in your white hair by using a purple shampoo or conditioner. These products deposit purple pigments to balance out the yellow. You can use either or both at the same time. Purple conditioner typically has a more subtle effect.
Borax increases the stain-removal ability of your detergent. For super-stained items that have become dingy gray, pre-soak them for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon of Borax per 1 gallon of warm water, or add 1/2 cup of Borax to a pre-soak cycle.
You can remove dyed hair color to go fully gray. "Removing hair color can be done at home or in a salon by using hair stripping products that work by opening the cuticles [hair's outer layer] and breaking down dye molecules inside the cortex so they can be rinsed out," she explains.
Science of Grays
As you age, these cells start to die. Without pigment, new hair strands grow in lighter and take on various shades of gray, silver, and eventually white. Once a follicle stops making melanin, it won't make colored strands again.
Although the primary cause of premature hair graying (PHG) is considered to be genetic, certain environmental factors also play a role. Trace element deficiencies such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, and calcium may also be associated with PHG.
In some individuals, the change in color of pubic hair may occur around the age of fifty, but it can happen earlier or later, depending on individual genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors.
Use two teaspoons of baking soda to two teaspoons of shampoo for long hair. 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.
A more graduated haircut such as the 'lob' – a long bob that sits slightly beneath the jawline at the front – is a great alternative. “The subtle layers will frame the face, making it appear fuller.” Softer styling also creates a youthful effect.
According to hair biology experts and styling experts alike, grey hair is more resistant to color than younger hair because of its texture. The relative lack of natural oils in the hair compared to younger hair make it a rougher surface that tends to reject the color being applied, especially around the roots.