Hazards to light and gray hair

[Sunshineliz]

I am embracing my silver and am wondering if anyone can point out life activities and hair treatments that are known to discolor light (and gray in particular) hair. And ways to help deal with discoloration if it's already happened. I wanted to ask everyone because I know blondes sometimes deal with the same issues. I'm slowly finding some things out, but I couldn't find a thread for this specifically.

Some first examples--I just read that ACV left someone's blonde hair more reddish, and that sunlight can cause yellowing. Any more tips and/or alternative treatments and ways to protect light hair?

[elbow chic]

Swimming pool green! And it's a surprisingly.... durable sickly green, too. I don't spend all summer at the pool anymore, though, so it hasn't been as much of a problem for me... but with DS6 learning to swim this summer, it would really behoove me to buy a swim cap.

[jojo]

CO washing used to make my dark blonde hair go a little red dunno why?! though I do have red in my hair naturally it just brought it out more!

[Anje]

Iron-rich water's a pretty common one for turning hair brassy, I'm told.

Purple shampoo and conditioner are the classic solutions. The more creative ones involve rinses with a drop or two of laundry bluing, or stirring a small dab of Manic Panic into your conditioner.

[Panth]

Hard water can yellow your hair if it is white - a chelation aught to sort that problem.

Catnip rinses can also yellow your hair, whether it's white or blonde. Whether it colours / how strongly it colours depends on the way you prepare your catnip. It washes out, but it takes quite a while.

To nick from the thread about Lush bathbombs - apparently there is a risk they may colour white/blonde hair.

[kyandii]

Iron-rich water's a pretty common one for turning hair brassy, I'm told.

Purple shampoo and conditioner are the classic solutions. The more creative ones involve rinses with a drop or two of laundry bluing, or stirring a small dab of Manic Panic into your conditioner.

If you make your own with Manic Panic or any vegetable based dye, make sure it's only a tiny tiny amount! I made one recently too strong and now every time I use it my hair goes bluey grey. :rolleyes:

[Sundial]

Cassia apparently adds a yellow tinge to light hair

[Sunshineliz]

Does white vinegar work the same as ACV for rinsing hair? Or do they have different properties?

Is there anything that particularly dulls lighter hair more than others?

To avoid chlorine, is wetting hair before swimming and then washing afterward enough, or is a swim cap much better? (Not liking the idea of a swim cap as we're going to be swimming just about every day this summer--outdoors, in the sun:rolleyes:)

[Panth]

Does white vinegar work the same as ACV for rinsing hair? Or do they have different properties?

White vinegar (or white wine vinegar, or ACV, or any other vinegar ... even malt vinegar) is just acetic acid. ACV obviously has yellowy colourants in it which some people have found darkened their blonde. Malt vinegar ... I wouldn't personally try since I think it would risk staining brown. I've always wondered whether you could get a nice strawberry blonde if you were blonde and used red wine vinegar or raspberry vinegar or similar.

...but, in summary. No, all edible vinegars are acetic acid. The only thing you might want to check is the concentration - ACV is usually 5%. If the vinegar you chose to use is stronger you will need to dilute it down more. I do 1 teaspoon 5% white wine vinegar to 1 pint cool water. I'm not sure what others use because my brain doesn't work in fluid ounces. ^_^

[Sunshineliz]

Do any oils discolor the hair either? Anyone know?

[Carolyn]

Do any oils discolor the hair either? Anyone know?Yes, I've found that they can. I want to stay as light and ashy blonde as possible. So I use only clear oils such as coconut oil and camellia oil. About a year ago we got a water softener with a whole house filter and that's helped. I also use only white vinegar. I don't use any pink/reddish products. I used to do long CO soaks with a pink WR conditioner. I've stopped doing that. I use blue/violet S & Cs in my product rotation. I also add a few drops of Mrs. Stewarts's bluing to any final rinses. We have hard well water and I know some neighbors have had problems with iron/rust but we never have. So I do a combination of things to fight off gold and reddish tones.

[khan]

I am embracing my silver and am wondering if anyone can point out life activities and hair treatments that are known to discolor light (and gray in particular) hair. And ways to help deal with discoloration if it's already happened. I wanted to ask everyone because I know blondes sometimes deal with the same issues. I'm slowly finding some things out, but I couldn't find a thread for this specifically.

Some first examples--I just read that ACV left someone's blonde hair more reddish, and that sunlight can cause yellowing. Any more tips and/or alternative treatments and ways to protect light hair?

I'm glad you posted this question. I didn't know sunlight could cause yellowing. I usually wear a visor when working in the garden & it seems my gray is coming in blond/yellow. Weird. I have a few silvers but it's predominately 'yeller'. I have hard water too so I'll be interested in what others have posted about that particular problem.
Also last week I tried the 'HALO' recipe to brighten my 'yeller'. Thought it would help. My hair looks as though I've been to stylist & had it streaked. (to me) I'm going to have to get a friend to take a photo. 'Cause it seems as though it had more white before I did the HALO treatment.

ps the HALO treatment felt great & the color is nice, just not quite what I was aiming for.

[Darkhorse1]

I read an article that states wetting hair is good before swimming, and if you can also cover with conditioner, even better.

There are shampoos I know at places I shop at that enhance gray hair--not sure if it's designed to remove those discoloration build ups? I don't know any names off hand, but am heading to the pharmacy tomorrow so I can look at the names--but, since I'm in Canada, they might not sell them in your area. John Freida tends to have a good line of color saving products.

If you have a hair dresser, perhaps talk to a colorist about protecting your gray?

[Sunshineliz]

I read an article that states wetting hair is good before swimming, and if you can also cover with conditioner, even better.

There are shampoos I know at places I shop at that enhance gray hair--not sure if it's designed to remove those discoloration build ups? I don't know any names off hand, but am heading to the pharmacy tomorrow so I can look at the names--but, since I'm in Canada, they might not sell them in your area. John Freida tends to have a good line of color saving products.

If you have a hair dresser, perhaps talk to a colorist about protecting your gray?

Hahaha, usually colorists try to talk me into covering it up, I don't know what they'd do if I had the audacity to ask them how to protect it.:p

I've tried violet shampoos (more because I'm paranoid, not because I saw actual yellowing) but they were extremely drying and I was getting really frizzy. I'm leaning towards adding a drop occasionally of it or bluing or something like that to my conditioner as I'm currently trying CO washing.

So violet shampoos and conditioners are probably good, but rather harsh on hair in my experience.

[jojo]

Does white vinegar work the same as ACV for rinsing hair? Or do they have different properties?

Is there anything that particularly dulls lighter hair more than others?

To avoid chlorine, is wetting hair before swimming and then washing afterward enough, or is a swim cap much better? (Not liking the idea of a swim cap as we're going to be swimming just about every day this summer--outdoors, in the sun:rolleyes:)

White vinegar is better than ACV:)