Updated August 2025
What are the best shampoos and conditioners for gray hair?
It’s been 10 years since I stopped coloring my hair, and I have tried literally every product imaginable to find the best gray hair shampoo and conditioner. I’ve come to realize…. there’s not a best, but there’s several that are great. And I will probably always have to switch things out and try new products as they come available.
This post was originally written in 2020, a follow-up to an encouragement post to women to just let your gray hair be…. which was timely, as many people stopped coloring their hair that year. I had stopped coloring mine in 2015, at the age of 34 – and by “stopped coloring”, I really mean it – I had almost all gray hair; it’s not like I had grays here and there, coming in like glitter. I had almost all gray hair. These days, it’s mostly gray and white, lighter in color in the front, darker in color in the back, which is a thing for many, and I’m not sure why.
I also have a love/hate relationship with it. Mostly, I love my gray hair. And at times, I really want to look my age, or look younger, or try out fun colors like my girlfriends do. But, I’m not willing to grow out the colored parts again, so for now, I keep it gray… and will forever be on the hunt for the best gray hair shampoo and conditioner.
So that’s where I bring us to, today, my updated list, as of 2025. I’ve leaned more into the organic hair products as much as possible (yet these still have so much luxury and quality). I also only wash my hair twice a week now, unless it’s just really hot and humid outside and I can’t deal. My hair is coily, dry, and wavy…. and I need to keep it fairly long in order for it to not look incredibly “poofy”. The weight/length really seems to help, for me.
I also air dry my hair, and aside from a few weeks of my adult life, I always have. I don’t think heat is good for hair, especially gray (and, my hair’s getting thinner… I can’t imagine how heat would help with that)… so air dry it is, which quite honestly is hit or miss most days.
All that said, here’s my list: the best gray hair shampoo and conditioner, after 10 years of trying literally every product under the sun.
The top 4 gray hair shampoos and conditioners, that I use every month:
- Virtue Smooth Shampoo and Smooth Conditioner – my newest favorite combo, I use this once a week. It leaves my hair feeling less dry and frizzy, and it was this shampoo that made me realize I don’t need to wash my hair every other day. Maybe it’s the shampoo, maybe it’s me… but I love the way this product smells, feels, and works, and it’s my new go-to product for gray hair shampoo and conditioner.
- Redken All Soft Shampoo and Conditioner – you can probably see the theme here that it’s all about softness for me. Quite frankly, my hair has always been slightly coily/dry, and that increased so much once I stopped adding color. Both the Virtue and the Redken products really, really work on adding smoothness and shininess to my grays.
- Dove Beauty Coconut and Hydration Shampoo and Conditioner – this is the product I balance out with; so once a week I’ll use Virtue or Redken and the other day I’ll use Dove. If I’m being totally honest with myself, the Dove is probably as good as the Virtue and Redken, but it doesn’t come with that luxury label or pricing so you know… it can’t be as good, right?? It’s great though, I love it, and I highly recommend it to help with your gray hair.
- The original version of this blog also had Pureology Hydrate Moisturizing Shampoo and Pureology Hydrate Sheer Moisturizing Conditioner on it, and I still use these, too, just not nearly as often… probably twice a month. They are good, but for my hair, not quite as great as the first products mentioned. They get an honorable mention though in the best gray hair shampoo and conditioner category!
The Best Hair Masks for Gray Hair
I can’t leave out the other items I use weekly (once a week only) that I swear by – a hair mask! Just leave them in for a few minutes after conditioning, then rinse out fully. Here’s my top 2 products that I can’t get enough of:
There’s not too much to add here: I switch between these once a week, and love how shiny they make my hair feel – especially when I’m in drier climates!
So that’s it, friends… my updated list of the best gray hair shampoo and conditioner. I hope you find something that works for you!
Here’s to shiny, sleek, sexy, hair.
Love, Jen.
P.S. – None of these are sponsored links, none of this is sponsored content – and never has been. This is a good ole fashioned blog… remember those?? Without pop ups? Without ads, videos, and random products screaming at you?? I miss those days.
Originally posted April 27, 2020. Updated August 30, 2025.