It’s always funny to me to hear myself say this out loud: “Growing out your grays is hard.” Because it’s not like you’re running a marathon or anything. You’re literally just existing! But it really is difficult, and of the many challenges one endures when growing out their grays (and there are indeed many!), I think one of the hardest is adjusting to the new texture.
My grays have a completely different texture than the rest of my hair. They’re coarser, rougher, bumpier… LOL. I wish you could see this weird little hand wave move I just did with my left hand when I said “bumpier.”
Oh, Karen, you’re such a weirdo. ?
As I was saying, I call my grays my “ramen noodle hairs” because the wiriest of the bunch look like a block of dry, crispy dehydrated noodles.
So…what’s up with that? According to Jay Kushner, Senior Stylist and Director of Stylist Education at Joseph Cozza Salon in San Francisco, “The texture change when trying to embrace your natural gray hair can be a bit of a challenge for most people…it manages differently. As we age, a reduction of melanin (the pigment which puts color in hair) and sebum (the moisturizing oil secreted from the scalp) can contribute to the hair becoming more dry, coarse and wiry.”
To help you tame your hair’s texture, Jay recommends using an oil-based shampoo, conditioner and mask, as they usually work well because they’re moisturizing, softening and smoothing, and he likes Iles Formula Shampoo ($35), Conditioner ($41) and Mask ($67).
And for styling, he suggests sticking to cremes and oils, “which will soften and calm the texture even more,” and recommends steering clear of mousses, gels and beach salt sprays because they tend to make dry texture even drier.
Of course, what you should use ultimately depends on your individual hair and hair texture. About gray hair, Maya Lowe Batki, the stylist who did my big chop the other week, says that “It can get curlier. It can get straighter. It can get finer. Everybody’s gray is different, but texture change is a common thing.”
Maya recommends experimenting with different moisturizing products, and generally, when you’re applying them to your hair, try not get too close to your scalp, because that can lead to your hair looking and feeling heavy and weighed down.
So, over the past couple of weeks, I’ve upped the moisture considerably by alternating between using a moisturizing hair oil with an uber-hydrating leave-in conditioner (this silicone-free one by Kerastase has been my jam lately because it’s hydrating but isn’t heavy or greasy), which I use on damp hair after I get out of the shower.
I’ve also started using a specialty smoothing shampoo and conditioner combo — R+Co Bel Air ($28 each).
With the help of these tips and products, the crispy ramen noodle situation has improved, and my grays have been less cray-cray.
If you have gray hair, how do you deal with the texture? Do you have any tried-and-true suggestions? I’m always up for trying something new (’tis the beauty addict’s curse).
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
My grays are just as straight and fine as the rest of my hair, so I haven’t had to change anything yet. I been getting grays for about 10 years now.
Giggling at “Ramen noodle hair.” It makes me think of 90s Justin Timberlake, though. lol
This is a really great conversation. I feel like the issue of texture is usually left out of the conversation about gray hair. My experience is like yours. I have baby gray hairs at the front that stand at attention. the rest are a little coarser and slightly curlier than my regular hair. My hair is pretty long right now so I think that evens out any texture issues. I just posted a selfie to my Instagram today where I think my gray hair looks really good. It’s one of the first times my gray hair has been prominent in a photo and I love how it looks. I’ll tag you so you can see! ?
I haven´t noticed any texture changes yet, but my grays are so few that I don´t think I would really notice at the moment. I´ll keep in under observation though, they are getting more and mory by the day.
Haha, ramen noodle hairs is such an accurate description! My grays are the same way. I just started coloring my hair last year so I’m going to keep doing that for now. However, I know at some point I will want to stop and grow out my grays. Thanks for all the tips!
Ramen hair made me laugh. And made me hungry! 🙂 I have a ton of gray but haven’t noticed any change in my texture (I color, so maybe that affects things). I’m not looking for dry or unruly, but wouldn’t mind a bit more volume!
I let mine go gray about 5 years ago maybe (?) and since my un-gray hair was so fine, thin and limp, I actually like the texture of the gray stuff. It has more body and I can make it do what I want it to do. It will hold a style (ok, with spray) all day long instead of being limp and flat in 3 minutes. It was an improvement for me. 😀
Wow, that’s awesome! That just goes to show you how everyone is so, so different. Is your gray on the bumpy side? Do you do anything to iron it out?
No ironing. The only downside is that when my hair was so fine, it was very glassy and shiny. The grays are more rough-textured so not shiny. I guess that’s why somebody invented shine sprays and goos, which most of the time I forget to use.
At least it’s nice to know those shine sprays are there if ya remember one day, right? LOL I’m definitely finding that as I get older I’m not as keen to go through all the steps/effort I use to go through when I was in my teens and 20s. I can’t believe there was a time when I’d spend an hour on my hair every day. Now I’m like, “Eh, let it do what it’s going to do,” ya know?
I have the opposite problem. My grays are getting thinner and wispier by the day. Starting to see my scalp. If my grays were any finer they’d be non existent. Well, except for the grays that are starting to sprout on my chin. Those stand up sharp and wiry like an unsullied soldier with a spear, poking at my chin. Ah older age, a challenge to my beauty routine.
Those chin hairs are SO RUDE. (I have them too.) They seem to pop up suddenly at the most inopportune times, like when I’m driving on the freeway, or when I’m standing in line at the grocery store, or when I’m in a room full of people.
I throw on a volumizer wiglet . . best thing I ever did for my fine, thinning, graying hair. I never pay much attention to hair stuff anymore . . . simplicity is my goal. I don’t have a car either!
Hm, I hate to admit this, but I have hardly any grey hair, just a tiny little bit at my temples and I’m definitely old enough to have them (68!). Most of my friends have grey hair, many no longer color their hair, and it’s lovely. I still color and highlight. My mother had very little grey hair even into her late 70’s so I guess I take after her. It seems that grey hair is “in” though, and now I wish I had it.
I love that you’re sharing your experience of going gray! I think your gray hairs look lovely and flattering in your black hair, and it makes me look forward to this transition when I get older. The aging process is filled with so much dread and despair for women, and it’s such a shame since women are so much more than how they look. I appreciate you sharing this useful information too since I wasn’t aware there was anything you could do about the textural differences that gray hair have as compared to hair with melanin! I thought you just had to deal with it, but apparently you can moisturize them!