How to Naturally Brighten Gray Hair & Keep It That Way (2024)

The one thing all people with gray hair will face, at some point or another, will be yellowing or discoloration of their silver locks. On occasion, I still have issues, even with a regular maintenance schedule using QuickSilverHair Clay Mask. I try new products regularly and discoloring buildup can happen before I even realize it.

It is a very frustrating problem for many of us, but good news you are not alone, you can do something about it (in most cases), and you can take preventive measures for the future. Depending on how the yellowing or discoloration was caused will mean the difference of fully returning to your natural color or not. There are different reasons for what causes gray hair to turn yellow, which you can read about here: Why Does Grey Hair Turn Yellow?

Many external causes can be remedied, those will be addressed in this post so you can naturally brighten your gray hair. I will not be addressing internal causes of discoloration since they are coming from the inside, below the follicle, that may mean changes in your diet or medications.

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First Step, Inspection:

Do you actually have discoloration or is that your natural color? My hair has a natural champagne tint, because I still have brown hair mixed in. However, I have a white streak and I can tell when it is not in its cleanest state. There are as many colors of gray hair as there are gray paints and they can have undertones of blue, brown, yellow, red, and black.

Understanding your gray and your white will help you not chase after some ideal dreamy pure white that doesn’t exist for you.

In hair color, white is technically the absence of all pigment. Your white hair can be translucent, it is like a tiny strand of glass, it is reflective of all color around it including your darker hair. You can see a difference in the hue of your hair simply from the color you are wearing, the light you are in, or the color of the walls surrounding you.

Quick Discoloration Test:

If you have longer hair this is an easy quick test:

• Go to a naturally lit window with a hand mirror
• Take the end of your hair and fold the tip so it is next to your roots of the same strand
• Check to see if the tips are dingy compared to the brand new hair

If they are very different, you likely have some discoloration. If your tips are similar, then that is most likely your natural hair color.

How to Make Gray Hair Less Yellow?

Cover It UP!

The mainstream way to deal with yellowing or discoloration is purple shampoo. Great for internal causes of discoloration, that cannot be removed. Purple shampoo only covers up the yellowing, building up over time it can turn your hair purple; in addition, it can be extremely drying. Purple shampoo and other toning products are useful for permanent types of yellowing this post answers all your purple shampoo questions:

> When Is It Time To Use Purple Shampoo?

Remove Yellowing!

If it is an external cause of yellowing like buildup of minerals, hair products, environmental pollution, and chlorine from city water and pools. You can remove it. This was the starting point for my QuickSilverHair Clay recipe, I wanted to REMOVE the yellowing rather than just cover it up.

*Not all yellowing can be removed; sometimes, you will just have to tone it with purple products until it grows off.

Naturally Brighten Gray Hair using QuickSilverHair Clay:

I have tried many recipes with the clay and this is what I use. For best results, use this recipe.

What you need:

• Shower Cap
• QuickSilverHair Clay
• Silicone-Free Conditioner* Synthetic ingredients will block the action of the clay.
  • For best results please use Acure Curiously Clarifying Shampoo* and Conditioner*
  • Mielle Organics Babassu Oil And Mint Deep Conditioner also works well if you cannot find the Acure Conditioner.
• 3-4 pumps of QuickSilverHair Squalane Oil (or a dropper full of 100% pure Marula, Jojoba, or coconut oil) You must use oil in order to activate the clay.

Instructions:

• Mix in a small bowl: 2-3 tbsp of clay (+/- depending on the length of your hair) with oil and enough conditioner to make a smooth mix it should feel and look like frosting. You can add a little water if needed.
• Apply gently and evenly to wet hair after using clarifying shampoo.
• For deeper brightening and clarifying leave on for 30 to 40 minutes.
• Do not use heat, heat will dry out the clay and cake it to your hair.
• Rinse mask from hair thoroughly. You can wash again, experiment depending on what you feel your hair needs. Some need another wash after and some enjoy leaving it until the next wash.

How Often to Use the Clay:

You can safely use the mask up to twice a week for stubborn discolorations. How often you use it is up to you, but I advise at least once every 15-30 days for maintaining your brightest and shiniest gray hair.

Options to try with your QuickSilverHair Mask for stubborn buildup, discolorations, or hot tool damage.

Use only one additive.

Add Baking Soda:

For extra brightening, you can use baking soda in ONE of these two ways. Whichever you choose make sure you follow with moisturizing leave-in to replace your moisture.

1. Add one teaspoon of baking soda to the conditioner, clay, and oil when preparing your mask.
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2. Clarify before using the mask with 1 part Acure Curiously Clarifying Shampoo and 1 part baking soda. A small amount goes a long way. Use two teaspoons of baking soda to two teaspoons of shampoo for long hair. Mix and coat your hair gently from root to tips, leave on hair for around 3 minutes and then rinse thoroughly, you can shampoo again if you feel you want to get all the baking soda out, and then do the QSH mask.

Add Vinegar:

You can use vinegar before your clay mask or in your clay mask.

1. Vinegar Rinse: one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to one gallon of water. Work evenly through hair and rinse. Many people find this to be effective but it can dry your hair out so follow with moisture rich conditioning or use deep conditioner in the clay mask.

2. Add a 1/4 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to your clay mask mix.
(Do not do this if you have put baking soda in the mask.)

Additional Help:§

• If all else fails you can use temporary hair color like Manic Panic Virgin Snow which will make your white hair whiter. This lasts around two weeks depending on how often you wash your hair and what products you use. Some also make their own purple conditioning mask with one of the Manic Panic Purples and conditioner on dry hair (recipe below). I recommend Manic Panic because it is vegan dye and far more natural than salon toners.
  §§
• Or you can see your stylist and she can add a blue or purple toner to your hair that will cover the yellowing a little longer than purple shampoo. Like the Manic Panic, it only lasts a couple of weeks.

Make Your Own QuickSilverHair Purple Clay Mask

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Get the benefits of the clay and toning in the same mask:

• Start with the amount of Deep Conditioner you need to cover all your hair.
• Add a small amount of Manic Panic gradually until you like the color in the mix.
  • • What you see in the bowl (example below) will be similar to your results on white hair.
• Optional, QuickSilver Hair Clay and a few pumps of QSH Oil for a double dose of hair healthy cleansing & conditioning.
  • • The clay should be equal amount as the deep conditioner, 1:1
• Coat your freshly clarified wet hair with the mask.
• Cover with a shower cap and leave on for at least 20 to 30 minutes.
• RINSE thoroughly.
• It should wash out in about 6 washes.

Manic Panic doesn’t affect the cortex of the hair; the color only lays on the hair shaft so it washes out without permanent staining, unlike normal semi-permanent colors stain.

Below is my mom. I made this mask with clay for her, she wanted a little purple tone visible, so I went a little heavier on the purple. You can see the soft tint in her after photo. Her hair was shimmery and very soft.

ALWAYS DO A TEST SECTION: Please note, there are no real and clear CONTROL STANDARDS in the hair color industry, so one company may label something one way when it is actually another.

If you are at all concerned about coloring your silvers and them being permanently stained do a test section underneath. If you love your silvers, err on the side of caution. Even stylists are just now learning what happens with grays and certain types of hair color; because having gray hair clients who want to remain gray and don’t want to damage their silvers is relatively new.

What Not To Do:

I advise against any combination of these, and using them as a single treatment, be very careful and know the risks. Not only can they cause more discoloration, they can also cause chemical trauma which could lead to scalp irritation, dry, broken, damaged hair, and even hair loss.

1. Hydrogen Peroxide: my advice; just don’t! I have also spoken to professionals who advise against this. Even though drug store hydrogen peroxide is only around 3% peroxide it will still act as bleach. This is a harsh treatment; you are bleaching your hair, and you could end up with more discolorations. It will dry your hair out, it can cause it to become brittle, fragile, and ultimately cause severe breakage from the roots to the tips.
   

   True story: we had a black dog who needed a daily wound wash with hydrogen peroxide, after three days, his black hair was a brassy orange.§

2. Developer: Also, peroxide, if you choose this route please seek the help of a professional who specializes in hair color. Developer comes in levels 10-40, 40 being the strongest and has the most oxidizing power. Usually, the stylist will avoid getting it on your scalp so it doesn’t burn you. It will lighten your darker pigments of hair, and you will likely need toner afterwards to cover yellowing from the developer.
   §
3. Vitamin C: aka ascorbic acid, in very minute quantities is actually good for cleansing hair and you will find it in shampoos. However, crushing large quantities of vitamin c, mixing it with dandruff shampoo or anything else, and applying it to your hair can result in a chemical reaction that can burn your scalp. It can also discolor your hair, cause damage and breakage down to the root.
   

   Additional warning: vitamin C tablets have more ingredients than ascorbic acid, this can include added dyes which can turn your hair pink, orange or yellow. can
   

4. Baking soda: using it alone; if you already have dry hair, it will strip your hair of it’s natural oils and cause your hair to become drier. It can also irritate your scalp as it pulls the oil rich natural layer of protection from the skin. If you do choose to use baking soda dilute it with gentle shampoo or conditioner and follow with conditioning. Do not mix baking soda with peroxide or vitamin c (the pills, ascorbic acid or citrus juices)…you will create a corrosive acid.
   

   Household tip: Use a mix like this, for the lime buildup on your faucet, but don’t put it on your hair.§

5. Strong Clarifying Shampoos: These shampoos are usually extremely high in harsh detergents, they work very well on their own. Therefore mixing it with peroxide, baking soda, or vitamin c is a recipe for potentially severe damage. Using them alone is great for extra strength clarifying, follow with conditioner as it is extremely drying.

Remember not all yellowing can be removed; sometimes, you will just have to grow it off. In the meantime, you can protect your new growth.

Tips to Keeping Your Locks Silver:

Ditch sulfate loaded shampoos: the sulfates are heavy-duty detergents (same ones they use in your laundry and dish soap) these detergents strip your hair and leave it dry and vulnerable to discolorations, breakage, and frizz.

Regularly use a gentle clarifying shampoo to remove product buildup.

Ditch silicone loaded conditioners and leave-ins: most silicones create a plastic-like coating on your hair shaft, while they make your hair feel silky they are bonded to the shaft, using heat tools on the silicone will bake the product onto your hair shaft, and it may take heavy-duty sulfate loaded products to remove them. Not all silicones are created equal, some are water-soluble so this won’t be as big of an issue in one or two products, it is when silicones are loaded into all of your products.

Watch out for “hair oils” that are made only of silicones and some even contain yellow dye.

If you have hard water use a chelating shampoo once in a while to help remove the mineral build up.

Prevent Your Silvers From Yellowing From the Sun:

Use sun protectants: when you will be out in the sun, can prevent irreversible sun damage to your white hair.

My favorite protection: Seen Styling Cremes, Both Offer UV and Heat Protection

Cover your scalp and your hair to protect from UV damage:

Use a hat when in the sun or a head wrap.

Prevent Yellowing with Heat Protection:

Use a heat protectant. Prevent damage before it starts by applying it following the instructions and don’t keep applying heat to your hair once it is styled.

Prevent Yellowing by Using Your Heat Tools Properly:

Use heat tools (dryers and irons) that have manual heat settings where you are able to control the heat. Use those tools on the lowest possible heat to attain your desired hairstyle.

Protect Your Hair From Permanent Damage Caused by Heat and Sun:

Stop It Before It Starts!

This informative eBook teaches you how and why yellowing occurs and how to prevent it. Minimize your chances of causing permanent damage to your hair now, before it starts. If you have damage already, this eBook explains the most effective treatment options.

Swimmers Care for Gray Hair:

For swimmers, make sure to wet your hair before entering the pool, dry hair will instantly soak up all the chlorine, however if you soak your hair before with tap water your hair cannot grab anymore moisture from the pool water. If you swim daily you can follow Jonie’s process and protect your silver from the chlorine.

Jonie P.

Shower Filter for Hard Water and Wells, Good for Skin and Hair:

If you are on well water or live in an area with hard water, get a shower filter (only needed on homes without a whole house filtration system). Not all filters are created equal though, you want one that filters out more than chlorine, it needs to be able to filter out some of the minerals in the water to soften it, like the AquaBliss High Output 12-Stage Shower Filter. These are easy to install so no need to be intimidated.

Need a little help figuring out what may be causing your issues?

If you are struggling to figure out why your hair is yellowing, you can do a private consultation with me, I do a detailed analysis of your products, styling routine, and lifestyle to pinpoint what might be causing you issues.

I hope you found this post educational and helpful.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to share.

As always it is about so much more than the hair.

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