The 9 Top Conditioners For Gray Hair In 2024
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Planning to embrace the natural transition of your hair? Make sure that you have the top conditioners for gray hair!
Gray hair is naturally elegant and timeless, and it’s less work than regularly dyeing, not to mention the chemicals you get exposed to if you choose to dye regularly.
But going natural still needs proper maintenance. That’s because gray hair can bring about less desirable changes, specifically in the texture and integrity of your hair.
Exposure to external stressors can also turn beautiful gray hair into a yellow or brassy color.
Check out our top recommendations for gray hair conditioners to maintain bright and healthy gray hair.
- Gives gray hair a sublime luster
- Packed with nourishing ingredients
- Best for preventing split ends
- Color correctors highlight the natural finish of gray hair
- UV absorbers help prevent damage
- Best for anti-frizz and tangles
- Silver pigments make gray hair bright and shiny
- Enriched with amino acids to strengthen hair
- Best for neutralizing brassy undertones
Table of Contents
Why Should You Use Conditioner on Gray Hair?
Like every part of the body, our hair also changes as we age.
Melanin is the body’s natural pigment and is responsible for giving our skin and hair color. As we age, melanin production decreases.
As such, cells in your hair follicles start to produce colorless hair, which is how gray hair starts.
Gray hair in its natural form can be beautiful.
However, exposure to chemicals, smoke, chlorine, and other external elements can turn your hair yellow or brassy. The effect is similar to those with bleached or blonde hair.
In addition, hair follicles also produce less sebum as we age. So as your hair transitions to gray, you may also notice changes in texture. It can suddenly become dry, dull, rough, and frizzy.
The decrease in natural oils can also make your hair porous and more prone to damage. That’s where conditioners for gray hair come in.
The top conditioners for gray hair will have toning properties. This neutralizes the yellow undertones and makes your gray hair brighter and cool-toned.
As with most other conditioners, you also want to look for products packed with hydrating ingredients. To make up for the lack of natural oils, conditioners for gray dry hair can deeply nourish and bring back the natural shine of your hair.
Tips for Transitioning to Gray Hair
The graying process is slow and gradual. As such, you’re prone to go through an awkward stage where gray strands do not blend seamlessly with your original color.
To make the transition easier, here are some tips that you can try.
Get a Trim
You’ll have a longer transition period with longer hair. In addition, longer hair can highlight texture changes.
It can make your hair look limp and weighed down. Consider getting a trim — or even going super short — for a more seamless transition.
Add Highlights or Lowlights
It can take a while before your hair turns completely gray. To blend your existing gray strands, you may add some highlights or lowlights.
This makes your transition to gray hair more intentional. Highlighted strands will also fade more naturally to gray compared to darker hair.
Proper Hair Maintenance
As your hair transitions to gray, it’s crucial to have proper hair maintenance.
This addresses the more undesirable consequences of turning gray — such as brassy undertones and drier and less elastic hair.
You’ll benefit from incorporating the top shampoo and conditioner for dry gray hair. Leave-in conditioners and hair masks also provide your transitioning hair with the deep nourishment it needs.
Top Conditioners for Gray Hair
Make your gray hair the best it can be.
Here are the top conditioners for gray hair to ensure your locks stay elastic, nourished, and strong!
This L’Oreal Paris Ever Pure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Conditioner is like giving your hair salon-quality treatment.
Key benefits: Anti-brass and anti-fade technology; deeply nourishing formula; vegan and cruelty-free
Features:
- Purple dye neutralizes brassy tones and lightens gray hair
- Sulfate-free formula helps prevent fading and damage to hair
- Hibiscus makes hair look thick and shiny
This shampoo’s anti-brass toning technology makes this one of the best purple conditioners for gray hair.
Eliminate yellow-copper tones and give your gray hair the care it needs with the L’Oreal Paris Ever Pure Sulfate-Free Brass Toning Purple Conditioner.
Infused with hibiscus and purple dye, this purple conditioner for gray hair will brighten, lighten, and deeply nourish your strands to make your hair look fresh and vibrant.
In addition, the vegan formula doesn’t contain harsh ingredients such as sulfates, parabens, harsh salts, phthalates, and DMDM hydantoin. This minimizes potential irritation and damage to your hair.
This conditioner will bring your coarse and limp gray hair back to life.
Key benefits: Ideal for all shades of gray; brightening and nourishing; leaves no greasy residue; color-safe; cruelty-free
Features:
- Green tea extract and folic acid to strengthen the condition of your hair
- Collagen and CoQ10 to protect your hair from damage
- Macadamia nut oil moisturizes hair and boosts shine
Unleash the natural radiance of gray hair with the Jhirmack Ageless Silver Brightening Conditioner!
Brassy tones can take away the elegance that comes naturally with gray hair.
But with the Jhirmack Ageless Silver Brightening Conditioner, you can enjoy a sublimely silver look.
This conditioner for gray hair features nourishing plant-based ingredients that help strengthen your strands to prevent breakage and give them a beautiful luster.
If you want the top shampoo and conditioner for dry gray hair, you can pair this product with the Jhirmack Ageless Silver Brightening Shampoo.
Maintaining gray hair has never been easier with the Redken Color Extend Graydiant Conditioner.
Key benefits: Removes yellow undertones for brighter hair; improves shine and manageability; infused with amino acids
Features:
- Silver pigments remove unwanted yellow undertones in gray hair
- Amino acids to moisturize and strengthen hair
- Citric acid strengthens and repairs hair from the root
A great conditioner for gray dry hair as it nourishes and tones at the same time.
This conditioner will make a good addition to your gray hair care regimen as it neutralizes yellow undertones, making your gray hair look brighter and shinier.
Dryness and roughness are also no match.
This conditioner for gray hair is infused with amino acids and citric acid to deeply nourish, strengthen, and improve the manageability of your locks.
With regular use, you’ll be able to restore the natural condition of your gray hair.
Give your gray hair a modern look with the Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Conditioner.
Key benefits: Neutralizes brassy tones; protein-enriched formula; silkens hair; no residue
Features:
- Color-enhancing formula that neutralizes dull, yellow tones
- Infused with proteins for silkier, healthy-looking hair
- Conditions hair without leaving any residue
Bring out your hair's bright, cool tone with one of the best conditioners for gray hair.
Gray hair is timeless, but you can easily give it a modern edge with the Clairol Professional Shimmer Lights Conditioner.
The conditioner will neutralize dull, yellow tones to reveal brighter, cooler-toned gray hair. The formula is also enriched with proteins to make gray hair healthier and silky to the touch.
You can already see results after just one wash. It’s easy to use and won’t leave any residue for improved manageability.
This gray hair conditioner looks after your hair today… AND tomorrow.
Key benefits: Hydrating and color-correcting formula; hydrates; instant detangling; static-proof
Features:
- Enriched with keratin, arginine, and rosehip oil to deeply nourish your hair
- Green tea extract strengthens hair and protects it from external stressors
- UV absorbers to maintain the vibrance of gray hair
Infused with violet pigments, this is one of the best conditioners for gray hair.
Age, stress, and environmental stressors can affect the condition of your hair.
To give your gray locks the best chance, consider the Joico Color Balance Purple Conditioner.
It has a color-correcting formula that neutralizes warm, yellow undertones. At the same time, natural ingredients like keratin, arginine, and rosehip oil help nourish your gray hair.
With green tea extract and UV blockers, this conditioner also protects gray hair from further damage and helps maintain the vibrance of your hair.
All these ingredients are ensured to deliver their effects efficiently with the conditioner’s Smartease Technology.
One of the best conditioners for gray dry hair, this gives your tresses a bright, glossy sheen.
Key benefits: Brightens and hydrates gray hair; repairs split ends and damage; 5.5 – 6.5 pH level; cruelty-free
Features:
- Coconut oil extract and hydrolyzed keratin to deeply hydrate your hair
- Quinoa strengthens hair from the root and helps repair damage
- Vitamin E and biotin to promote healthy hair growth
The Luseta Color Brightening Purple Conditioner won’t fail you when it comes to toning and conditioning your hair.
Revitalize brassy gray hair with the Luseta Color Brightening Purple Conditioner. It restores color and boosts shine, allowing you to go from dull to bright and glossy.
The formula is packed with hydrating ingredients, including coconut oil, keratin, quinoa, vitamin E, and biotin — all of these are must-haves if you have dry and brittle hair.
The gray hair conditioner has a pH level of 5.5 to 6.5, which helps seal in moisture and prevent damage. It is also free of harsh ingredients such as sulfates, parabens, and phosphates.
As such, this is an easy-to-use conditioner that protects and soothes your gray hair.
A caring conditioner that softens and strengthens gray hair.
Key benefits: Neutralizes, moisturizes, and detangles; protects hair from external damage; vegan and PETA-approved
Features:
- Violet pigments neutralize gold, brassy undertones
- Blackberry extract to make your gray hair shine
- Color Guard Complex protects hair from UV radiation and free radical damage
Enhance your gray color with the Maria Nila Sheer Silver Conditioner.
The Maria Nila Sheer Silver Conditioner has violet pigments that cancels yellow tones. This helps bring out the cool tone of your gray hair.
You also have nourishing ingredients, including blackberry extract, sunflower seed oil, and plant proteins, which are packed with antioxidants to protect hair from damage.
The conditioner also avoids harsh ingredients such as sulfates and parabens.
Besides getting softer and stronger hair, the caring conditioner has a fruity and floral scent that rejuvenates the senses.
Your one-stop solution for toning and nourishing your beautiful gray hair.
Key benefits: Detangles and smooths flyaways; nourishing formula; soft toning effect; cruelty-free; vegan; no parabens
Features:
- Blend of peptides, proteins, and hydrating ingredients to deeply nourish hair
- Infused with emollients to prevent tugs, breakage, and split ends
- Lightweight formula that makes hair soft, shiny, and sleek
Just spritz this leave-in conditioner for gray hair to take the dryness away.
Embracing gray hair also means living with the texture changes that come along with it. If your hair is dry and frizzy, the Bold Uniq Purple Leave-In Conditioner will provide the deep nourishment it needs.
The formula is infused with hyaluronic acid, sunflower seed extract, chamomile, biotin, and pea peptides to restore hydration.
This eco-friendly product also detangles and smoothens your gray hair. You also get some soft toning thanks to the purple pigments in this leave-in conditioner.
Banish unwanted yellow tones with the Matrix So Silver Triple Power Toning Hair Mask.
Key benefits: Tones and brightens gray hair; custom toning treatment; makes hair silky and strong
Features:
- Blue-green-violet pigments to remove brassy undertones
- Deep conditioning formula to strengthen hair and repair damage
- Customized toning to achieve your perfect silver hue.
You get a toner, conditioner, and hair treatment in just one product!
Gray hair turns brassy due to exposure to the elements.
If you want to transform it into a stunning silver, check out the Matrix So Silver Triple Power Toning Hair Mask, one of the top leave-in conditioners for gray hair.
The deeply conditioning formula also ensures that your hair is smooth, silky, and strong.
You can use this conditioning mask whenever your hair needs extra TLC. It’s suitable for all hair types and textures, so there’s no reason why you can’t try it out!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Does Gray Hair Dry Out?
As we grow old, women, in particular, experience hormonal changes.
The drop in progesterone and estrogen levels and the increase in dihydrotestosterone affects the natural oil production of the hair. In short, sebum in the hair follicles are significantly reduced.
As a result, the hair becomes weak and the scalp dries out. Eventually, the lack of sebum will also lead to hair thinning.
Do You Need Purple Shampoo and Conditioner for Gray Hair?
Why purple shampoos and conditioners, you ask? Since gray hair has lost pigment, these products are designed to bring back some color and brightness to your grays.
Gray hair has a yellow hue, which is why adding purple tints makes silver hair look fresh and more vibrant!
Using purple shampoos and conditioners can be used once to twice a week. You’ll immediately notice that your gray hair becomes shinier with every use.
How Do You Keep Gray Hair Moisturized?
Apart from using shampoos and conditioners formulated for gray hair, you can also try these home remedies:
- Apple cider vinegar and lemon juice — The acidity of these liquids help in closing the cuticle, thus making the hair barrier stronger and retain moisture longer. However, using these too often can dry out the scalp. It is recommended to only use these once a week.
- Natural butter — Different types of natural butter can help quench parched hair strands. Some of the top ones to apply on the hair are coconut oil, shea butter, olive oil, mango butter, cupuaçu butter, and avocado butter.
Only use a little amount and focus on applying on the tips of the hair strands.
Applying too much can wear down thin hair or make hair greasy. Make sure to wash hair properly after application.
How to Achieve Bright and Healthy Gray Hair
Gray hair is beautiful as it is. However, the transition can also cause dry, rough, and brittle hair. You might also notice your hair turning yellow or brassy over time.
But with proper hair care maintenance, you can keep your gray hair bright, silvery, and healthy. This includes choosing the top conditioner for gray hair.
Now that you know the best options in the market, the choice becomes much simpler.
Whether you want to focus on toning, nourishing, or both, you have plenty of amazing gray hair conditioners to choose from!
Looking for More Products for Healthy Hair?
- 9 OGX Shampoos To Try For Healthy Hair
- 6 Protein-Free Shampoos For Low-Porosity Hair
- Bondi Boost Vs Olaplex: A One-Stop Guide To Healthier Hair