Editor’s tip: You can use the masque after every wash in place of a conditioner.
Key ingredients: hyaluronic acid, abyssine, vitamin E | Fragrance-free: no | Who it’s best for: anyone with brittle, dull, or hair loss
Best for Maintaining Color Vibrancy: Hey Hair Root Revival Advanced Anti-Gray Hair Serum
Why it’s worth it: The proprietary blend behind Hey Hair’s Root Revival Advanced Anti-Gray Hair Serum is a cocktail of 1% Darkenyl (a follicle-protecting antioxidant), 2% Greyverse (a peptide that stimulates the hair bulbs), and 2% Capixyl (a follicle-enlarger), to supporting aging and graying hair. Whether you’re looking to prevent or reduce grays or boost color vibrancy, the formula takes a couple of months to kick in before results appear, so be patient. Keep an eye out for results though, which, according to a study by the brand, looks like a 30% gray reduction in three months.
Editor’s tip: Root Revival is also safe on color-treated hair as well as natural hair.
Key ingredients: Darkenyl, Greyverse, Capixyl, biotin, green tea extract | Fragrance-free: yes | Who it’s best for: people with moderate graying
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do I have gray hair?
The development of gray hair is a normal part of aging, caused by the slowing of the body’s melanin production. “Melanocytes in the hair follicle produce pigment during the growth phase of the hair,” Daniel Belkin, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at the Laser & Skin Surgery Center of New York, previously told Allure. “They transfer these packets of pigment into the cells that ultimately become the hair shaft.” With hair growth over time, however, the melanocytes produce less and less pigment, leading to grays. “One day they decide not to show up for work anymore— consider it retirement,” adds Mona Gohara, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in Hamden, Connecticut.
According to the Department of Dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital, the first gray hairs typically pop up between the ages of 34 and 44, but that doesn’t mean they can’t appear earlier. Genetic predisposition to grays may be at play, but you may have heard stress is a leading cause of early graying.
“It is unclear whether emotional stress is truly associated with graying of the hair,” Joshua Zeichner, MD, a board-certified dermatologist director of cosmetic and clinical research at the Mount Sinai Department of Dermatology in New York City, previously explained to Allure. “We know that stress can have physical effects, interfering with wound healing and promoting inflammation. We don’t know how significant of an impact it has on hair color, but I would not be surprised if one day a definite association is found.” Hadley King, MD, a board-certified dermatologist based in New York City, previously explained that lifestyle elements like anemia, smoking, low vitamin B, untreated thyroid illness, and poor nutrition can also contribute to premature graying.
Can I reverse gray hair?
Color-reversing gray hair treatments are most likely to be effective the earlier you begin using them and are thought to work best on grays related to stress. Ralf Paus, MD, a board-certified dermatologist at the University of Miami, participated in a 2021 gray-reversing related study, about which he told Scientific American, “…there is a window of opportunity during which graying is probably much more reversible than had been thought for a long time.”