How to Style Gray Hair for Shine and Control

Gray hair styles best when you choose a cut that suits its texture, keep the surface smooth for shine, and use as little heat as you can. The reasons are practical. Gray hair can be harder to manage, shine tends to drop as hairs become more irregularly curved with age, and heat can turn white hair yellow.

This page is part of our guide to caring for gray hair. It is practical advice from our editors, with the research behind each point. We do not name brands.

Start with the cut

In our view, the cut does more for gray hair than any product. A shape that lets the hair fall the way it grows needs less work each morning, and less work usually means less heat.

People going gray often complain that their gray hairs are wild or hard to manage, as a 2011 study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science notes. That study found small differences in how gray hairs respond to stretching and bending, and in how they take up and lose water.

Shape matters as well. A 2009 study of 230 Japanese women found that hairs become more irregularly curved with age. When hairs curve in different ways, they lie together less neatly, and the hair looks less shiny. A cut that goes against this curve needs more styling to hold its shape. A cut that follows it needs less.

Two more reasons to keep the cut fresh:

• Trims protect the ends. In a Cleveland Clinic article, dermatologist Wilma Bergfeld says regular trims keep hair from breaking.
• The oldest ends are the yellowest. A 2009 study in the International Journal of Cosmetic Science found that yellow builds toward the ends of white hairs, which are the oldest part of the hair. A trim removes that part first.

Our editors' picks for specific cuts, with the reasons for each, are in haircuts that work with gray hair. If you are still growing out old color, start with growing out gray hair.

Shine comes from a smooth surface

Hair shines when its surface is smooth and the hairs lie in line. Both of these change with age. A 2015 study of Japanese women aged 10 to 70 found that the cuticle, the outer layer of each hair, becomes more fragile with age and less resistant to daily brushing and washing. Weathered hair from older women also lost more 18-MEA, the fatty layer that helps the hair surface repel water.

Conditioner is the main tool for this. A 2015 review for dermatologists in the Indian Journal of Dermatology explains that conditioners flatten the scales of the cuticle and reduce friction between hairs. That increases light reflection, which improves shine and color. The same review notes that after shampooing, silicone in a conditioner takes the place of the hair's natural oil and leaves it shiny and soft.

A second 2015 review, in the International Journal of Trichology, says dimethicone is the most widely used silicone in hair care, and that conditioners with oils and silicones reduce rubbing and friction on the cuticle cells. The review adds that conditioners decrease friction, help detangle, reduce frizz and make combing easier.

For gray hair that feels rough, this is the simplest change we can recommend: use conditioner after every shampoo, as the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) advises. If your hair is dry or curly, the AAD suggests putting it on the whole length.

Use heat carefully

Heat is hard on all hair. For gray hair it has an extra cost. The International Journal of Trichology review explains that heat breaks tryptophan, one of the building blocks of hair protein, into compounds that turn white hair yellow. In a 2014 lab study, heating gray hair to 81 °C made its white hairs yellower.

The AAD's advice on hot tools is clear:

• Let your hair air dry when possible.
• Use the lowest heat setting.
• Limit the time a curling iron or hot comb touches your hair.
• Use these tools once a week or less.
• Use a product that protects hair from heat.

If you do use a dryer, distance and movement matter. A 2011 study in the Annals of Dermatology dried hair samples 30 times under different conditions. Surface damage grew as the temperature went up. A dryer held 15 centimeters away and kept moving caused less damage than letting the hair dry in the air. Only the air-dried hair showed damage to the material that holds the hair's cells together.

Products: what to use for what

What you want	What to use	Why
Softer feel and easier combing	A rinse-out conditioner after every wash	Conditioners flatten the cuticle and reduce friction between hairs
Help for very dry ends	A deep conditioner	Deep conditioners are more concentrated and are left on for 20 to 30 minutes
Less frizz	A light leave-in product or serum with silicone	Silicones help protect the hair from rubbing and wear
Less yellow	A purple or blue toning shampoo, once or twice a week	A faint violet or blue tint cancels part of a yellow cast
Protection outdoors	A wide-brimmed hat, or a leave-in product with a UV filter	The AAD notes that gray hair lacks melanin, which helps protect hair from UV damage
Hold	A light product, or a style that needs none	The AAD lists long-lasting hold products among habits that can damage hair
Safer heat styling	A heat protectant and the lowest setting	Both are part of the AAD's advice on heat

A few notes on the table. Deep conditioner times come from the review in the Indian Journal of Dermatology; follow your product label if it differs. Toning shampoos can leave a purple, pink or blue tint if you use them too often, according to a medically reviewed Healthline article. Our page on yellowing and purple shampoo explains how to use one well, and gray hair and sun covers outdoor protection. If you are unsure whether you need a special shampoo at all, read does gray hair need a different shampoo.

Daily habits that help

Small daily habits matter too. These come from the AAD's list of hair care habits that can damage hair:

• Comb wet hair gently. Use a wide-tooth comb. If your hair is straight, let it dry a little first.
• Wrap, do not rub. Wrap wet hair in a towel instead of rubbing it dry.
• Wear it loose. Tight ponytails and buns pull on hair. Use covered bands made for hair.
• Skip the 100 strokes. The AAD calls daily 100-stroke brushing a myth. Brush only to style.

If your gray hair behaves very differently from your old hair, why gray hair feels different explains what the research says about texture.

LIUMIQ is a gradual color product for gray hair that is still being developed. It is not for sale. Join the waitlist to hear about our progress.