Tips for frizz issues with newly grey hair?

[Jade]

I need some advice and thought this was the place to ask! I’m 48 and have grown my long hair out to grey recently. I’m pleased with it on the whole and that I have some natural highlights but am a lot more frizzy / wiry on the top now despite generally keeping it in good condition. I use L’Oréal frizz serum after washing and provoke touch of silver serum (purple) when I go out (smoothing onto the frizz). I also leave my conditioner in for an hour or two before I wash it out. I just wondered if anyone had any tips to get that more smoother look on top? I dyed it till last year with salon dye and that gave the top that sleek finish when it was just done (obviously with lots of chemicals)! I don't want to go back to dying it so any alternative suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance 🙏

[Rural]

I get good results with my grey frizz from hair oil - applied very lightly on wet hands, just smoothed over the top.

[Jade]

I get good results with my grey frizz from hair oil - applied very lightly on wet hands, just smoothed over the top.

Thanks Rural. The products I mentioned are hair oils (serums?) I believe. I'll have to keep using them and see if it improves over time.

[Morning Glory]

What's your previous hair texture? Some of the smoothing or "anti-frizz" products for straight hair have silicone in them which can dehydrate your hair over time and lead to breakage which causes hair to stand up more. Sulfate in the shampoo can make it worse too. The good news is your scalp is probably less oily so you can get by with gentler products and deeper conditioners. Wrapping your hair in a smooth scarf or bonnet while sleeping also helps.
 

[Jade]

What's your previous hair texture? Some of the smoothing or "anti-frizz" products for straight hair have silicone in them which can dehydrate your hair over time and lead to breakage which causes hair to stand up more. Sulfate in the shampoo can make it worse too. The good news is your scalp is probably less oily so you can get by with gentler products and deeper conditioners. Wrapping your hair in a smooth scarf or bonnet while sleeping also helps.

That's very interesting, thank you @Morning Glory !
My hair was straight and smooth and quite thick. It's less straight now.
I've checked the serums and I can't see any ingredients that sound like silicone.
The (purple) shampoo I have had sodium laureth sulfate in so I'll look into that further and possible alternatives.
The hair wrapping tip sounds good! I'll buy something like that this week and start doing that too then.

[skp]

I have the same issue.  I use a lot of conditioner and only wash my hair every 1-2 weeks.  I think it's frizzy because it is dry.  It's frizzy for a day then "unfrizzes" day 2 and looks great until it needs washed again.  I also have thick coarse slightly wavy hair which is a lot grayer than yours I'm sure since I am quite a bit older than you.  I recently changed my hairstyle to a blunt one layer cut which seems to be less frizzy

[Jade]

Thanks skp. It's an interesting point you make about how often to wash hair. Mine is frizzier after I wash it.

[Dicey]

Post menopause, my lifelong stick-straight hair has become wavy. I don't have a ton of grey yet (don't worry, it's coming), so I'm guessing it's hormone (or lack thereof) related. I'm leaning in to being a kind-of curly girl. I found this article helpful and follow these suggestions pretty closely. Just being freed from blow drying my hair makes the additional steps worth it.

https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/four-inexpensive-2b-wavy-hair-products-curly-girl-approved/

[K_in_the_kitchen]

Post menopause, my lifelong stick-straight hair has become wavy. I don't have a ton of grey yet (don't worry, it's coming), so I'm guessing it's hormone (or lack thereof) related. I'm leaning in to being a kind-of curly girl. I found this article helpful and follow these suggestions pretty closely. Just being freed from blow drying my hair makes the additional steps worth it.

https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/four-inexpensive-2b-wavy-hair-products-curly-girl-approved/

My fine, thin 1A stick straight hair is starting to seem just a little more like 1B hair now that I’m post menopause and starting to get some white/silver strands (not very many yet, not enough for other people to see but enough for me to find them easily now).  It’s clear to me that the silver hairs are the ones with just a little bit texture.  They aren’t any thicker than the brunette strands (fully virgin hair), but they have a sort of sparkle in that the silver seems more three dimensional down the strand.  In no way do any products help make my hair wavier they just weight it down like they always have.  Stylists over the years tried all sorts of products, etc. until I gave up and started cutting it myself (why pay someone big money to spend 10 minutes trimming my ends blunt?).

I get little bits of frizz on top of my head, mostly from breakage.  I mostly just ignore it now.  A messy updo hides a multitude of hair “issues”.

[BlueHouse]

I use this near my ears and neck when I wear ponytail.  Haven't tried it on top of the head. 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0914XZT2W?ref=nb_sb_ss_w_as-reorder_k0_1_8&amp=&crid=2NM2MISVAWC51&amp=&sprefix=hair+waxpair

Sometimes it's good on its own and sometimes I pair it with a little bit of hairspray

[mspym]

I get the crazy greys sticking straight up from my part - my hair was always straight and silky and thick and now the greys have a weird wiggle to them. Overall hair health has improved now I've ditched the SLS shampoo and silicone conditioner - I'm using some all-natural products that means my hair never feels quite as *clean* as it used to but also the clean lasts for longer. I use jojoba oil for a smoothing serum.

[cannotWAIT]

Redken All Soft products, a flat iron, and sleeping on a silk pillowcase are what have helped me. It is so maddening though! Left to their own devices, the grays curl up like curling ribbon and form an atmospheric layer above my shiny dark hair.

[Jade]

Thanks all! It does seem to be one of the joys of getting older, doesn't it!! I'll check out that product BlueHouse and try some of the suggestions you've all offered.

[Jade]

I'm wondering if anyone has had any experiences using baby shampoo for grey hair? I can see Johnsons doesn't have sulphites.

[AccidentialMustache]

Well until I saw the UK I was going to say -- halloween is coming. Embrace the grey, grow it out, and go full (gender-swapped?) Einstein. Maybe it is a thing for y'all now but as an American kid over there I was sorely disappointed in the lack of candy holiday. :-P

I'm of the dude persuasion but that's my plan. It needs to go grey before it goes away so I can get the full Einstein effect one year for halloween.

[Jade]

Well until I saw the UK I was going to say -- halloween is coming. Embrace the grey, grow it out, and go full (gender-swapped?) Einstein. Maybe it is a thing for y'all now but as an American kid over there I was sorely disappointed in the lack of candy holiday. :-P

I'm of the dude persuasion but that's my plan. It needs to go grey before it goes away so I can get the full Einstein effect one year for halloween.

Haha! Full acceptance mode! I think to make it proper Einstein I'd have to shave a bald spot too which feels a step too far lol. We've always done Halloween here too but yes, probably less candy than y'all!

[Sailor Sam]

I have riotously curly hair that's starting to go grey. Both curly and grey hair tend to be coarse and dry, which causes the frizzing. You could check out the Curly Girl Method. There's a book, and probably a tonne of videos online. The condensed version is to stop using shampoo, or use shampoo with no sulfates (aka: no poo), and to use lots and lots of conditioner.

The method that works best for me is to wash my hair with shampoo only if a hot water rinse doesn't make it feel clean, and to use conditioner every time I get it wet.  I use curling cream to set the curl. Once the curl is set, don't touch it!

Just for fun, here's a pic of what it looks like at the beginning of the day:


This is the end of the day, after hours under a flash hood, mask, and helmet.




ETA: man, my 40 year old jowels in that first pic. But at least my hair is on point ;)

[Jade]

Thanks for the pics @Sailor Sam ! I have always had poker straight hair (in the eighties I had to have two perms each time to get it to stay)! It's less straight now but I couldn't say its curly.

I'm also going to try sulphate free shampoo and see how that goes. I put my elvive serum on my damp hair after washing last night and made a special effort to put more on the top and really work it in which did make a difference.

[spartana]

I have riotously curly hair that's starting to go grey. Both curly and grey hair tend to be coarse and dry, which causes the frizzing. You could check out the Curly Girl Method. There's a book, and probably a tonne of videos online. The condensed version is to stop using shampoo, or use shampoo with no sulfates (aka: no poo), and to use lots and lots of conditioner.

The method that works best for me is to wash my hair with shampoo only if a hot water rinse doesn't make it feel clean, and to use conditioner every time I get it wet.  I use curling cream to set the curl. Once the curl is set, don't touch it!

Just for fun, here's a pic of what it looks like at the beginning of the day:


This is the end of the day, after hours under a flash hood, mask, and helmet.




ETA: man, my 40 year old jowels in that first pic. But at least my hair is on point ;)

Captain Surly Dimples, Master and Commander of the Good Ship Lollipop, you are adorkable!

I have the opposite problem - fine straight blonde hair starting to get even finer thinner straighter white hairs so no help for the OP.

[Metalcat]

Frizzy hair always either needs more moisture or more protein.

Silicone will just worsen the problem over time by blocking both protein and moisture from the hair. It's in almost every smoothing product, including conditioner and shampoo, and it temporarily makes hair smooth and soft, but it's just hiding and worsening the issue inside the hair.

Use a clarifying shampoo to get rid of all of the silicone build up and then test if it needs protein or not. If a wet strand is brittle and snaps easily under tension, don't add protein. You may actually have protein overload from one of your products. If it stretches and snaps back easily, it's fine. If it stretches too easily, add protein.

Or simply just add protein and see if it helps. If you add protein and it feels even drier and frizzier afterwards, then you know that whatever you have been using is too high in protein for your new grey hairs.

If you don't need protein, you probably need moisture, which means you need a silicone free treatment. Dry hair will just get drier and drier the more you coat it in silicone, which occludes moisture getting into the hair.

Most hair products don't actually help the condition of your hair, they just soak it in silicone, which temporarily makes everything look and feel ridiculously shiny and smooth, which sells products.

I used to have waist-length hair and feel down a massive rabbit hole of haircare for years. My hair was breaking from lack of hydration because I'm Scandinavian and it's so fine, so I had to cut all silicones out for my lengths to ever get hydrated and stop breaking.

Now I have a buzz cut and DGAF, but I'm happy to share my hair knowledge.

[Jade]

Thanks @Metalcat and @spartana

I think I need to go back to the drawing board then. I was going to try Johnsons baby shampoo (sulphate free) but my hair is very hard to brush when wet without conditioner and as you said Metalcat, I may need a clarifying shampoo. I don't think I'm ready for a buzz cut though I often like them! It's the thick wiry hairs on the crown that are the main issue. I actually like the grey generally and am pleased with some white streaks but do find myself either wearing a beanie in winter or baseball cap or straw hat in summer now!

[mspym]

This is why I would recommend trying products that are made by smaller manufacturers. I use a hemp-based shampoo and conditioner, without sulfates or silicone, and jojoba oil as a serum on the end and then smoothing the remnants on my hands over the crown to smooth out the crazy short greys. This was based on discussion in a previous thread between Metalcat and Jeninco.

[Jade]

Thanks @mspym I'll look into this, I appreciate this is something many people before me have tried to solve too!

[Trifle]

I have thick, wavy hair -- borderline curly.  I've been gray for about ten years, and have had really good luck with Alaffia products -- www.alaffia.com.  As far as I can tell they're sulfate and silicone free.  I wash and condition about once a week, unless I do something really dirty and have to throw in an extra wash.  I finger comb it afterwards and then let the curls do their thing. 

Interesting idea to cover your hair at night.  I think I'll try that.  When my hair is long enough to braid, I do that at night.  But when it's short a head cover might keep it smoother and tidier. 

[Metalcat]

Covering hair and/or silk pillowcases really help with hair damage/breakage/split ends

[Jade]

Thanks @Metalcat and @Trifle

I've actually come across something that seems to have worked somewhat... I have a side parting and just moved the parting back to the other side this evening and it looks a lot better frizz wise on the new side. I think because I've had the parting on the other side for many years including when I've been dying it, that there's a lot more broken frizzy bits on top there. Hopefully it might make a difference.

[shelivesthedream]

I have finally stopped washing my hair and started using a natural boar bristle brush and wide tooth wooden comb. I have been downgrading the frequency of my hair washing for years. I rinse it with just water in the shower about once a week. It has never been as manageable! I think I have type 1b or 1c. Its a commitment to go through stopping washing and the transition - hence it taking me years to slowly downgrade - but I absolutely recommend considering it with a natural boar bristle brush long term. The brush is key to distribute oils correctly.

Eta: this will not work if you are applying products to you hair that you then need to wash out. Nothing goes on my hair except the brush and comb.

[Sandi_k]

The things that help the most for my curly/occasionally frizzy hair:

- Do not brush it once it's dry. Instant frizz.

- Wash it every 4-5 days, with a sulfate-free shampoo. Use conditioner only on the ends.

- Use a wide-tooth comb to detangle, then let air dry.

- If I do need to brush it (out in the wind, and tangled?) use a water mister bottle to spray the hair down after brushing.