For many people, gray hair is a sign that your hair is deteriorating.
It’s one of the first signs of aging you’re forced to welcome in your appearance – and one that you might be forced to run to the salon to conceal.
But nowadays, gray hair blending into your natural locks is super trendy.
Even teenagers and Instagram influencers pay big bucks to rock gray and white hair.
This trend is often called the “salt and pepper” look.
In this post, we’ll be reviewing the best shampoo for salt and pepper hair that will help you maintain healthy tresses.
Table of Contents
What Is Salt And Pepper Hair?
Salt and pepper hair refers to a blend of gray, white, and black hair, similar to how salt and pepper would look on food.
Many people set appointments at top salons to get this specific combination of colors in their hair.
However, anyone with dark hair will eventually get this color naturally as they age.
When you’re rocking the salt and pepper look, it’s crucial to remember that you have lots of white and gray hairs.
These strands have little to no melanin, making them weaker and more prone to dehydration.
They’re also highly vulnerable to brassiness, aka yellowing.
That’s why you need to switch to a brightening purple or silver shampoo if you want to maintain your salt and pepper color.
Toning shampoos like these neutralize brassiness, leaving your hair cool and ashy.
Best Shampoo For Salt And Pepper Hair
Don’t know where to start looking for the best shampoo for your salt and pepper tresses?
Don’t fret – we’ve got the 13 best ones here:
Oribe Silverati Shampoo
This silver shampoo by Oribe is excellent not just at eliminating that pesky yellow streaks that show up over time in gray hair, but also at making it look bright and vivid – more silver than gray.
It’s formulated with a unique complex of edelweiss, watermelon, and lychee extracts.
These botanicals protect your hair from oxidative stress that makes it age prematurely.
You’ll also find vegetable proteins in the formula to fortify damaged tresses, which is perfect for naturally graying hair that weakens over time.
It also contains mallow extracts to soften and moisturize your hair adequately.
Pros
- Makes gray and white strands look brighter
- Eliminates yellow brassiness to keep your hair looking ashy
- Protects your hair from environmental pollutants and stress
- Vegetable proteins strengthen and repair damaged hair
- Mallow extracts soften and hydrate your hair
Cons
- Doesn’t lather up that quickly
Phytoargent No Yellow Shampoo
This no-yellow shampoo by Phytoargent has a purple hue to neutralize yellowing in your gray hair, making it look fresh and cool.
It’s infused with cornflower extracts that can thoroughly yet gently cleanse the hair without being excessively drying, which is a big no-no for salt and pepper locks.
You’ll also find a blend of rhatany root, broom, and walnut leaf extracts, all of which fight discoloration in lighter-colored locks.
This natural, sulfate-free shampoo gives your hair extra shine and luster, making your salt and pepper tresses look healthy and supple.
Pros
- Made with a blend of exotic botanicals to fight discoloration
- Cornflower extracts gently cleanse the hair without being too drying
- Illuminates your hair with effortless-looking shine
- Formulated with 82% natural ingredients
- Doesn’t contain sulfates, silicones, phthalates
Cons
- The floral fragrance can be overpowering for some users
Sachajuan Silver Shampoo
While this silver shampoo was formulated for platinum blondes, it works wonders for gray and white locks, too.
It contains violet pigments that work to counteract overly yellow tones in your hair.
This shampoo is made with Sachajuan’s special Ocean Silk Technology that uses algae extracts to moisturize every strand of hair.
This makes your mane ultra-soft and silky.
It also adds volume and body to your hair, giving it full and natural movement as you walk down the street.
You also get UV protection from using this shampoo, meaning it’s perfect for anyone who goes out under the sun regularly.
The UV protection also helps to keep colored locks looking fresh.
Pros
- Violet pigments eliminate overly warm brassiness
- Algae extracts moisturize each strand for silky softness
- Adds volume and movement to your locks
- Provides UV protection for your hair for when you go out
Cons
- Can be a bit drying, so it’s best to follow up with conditioner
Matrix Total Results So Silver Shampoo
This purple shampoo by Matriz contains pigments that wash away golden tones in your salt and pepper hair so you can get a cool and ashy tone.
It also works to enhance the brightness of your white and gray locks, illuminating them and making them look very vivid.
Color-depositing shampoos often get a bad rap for not lathering well enough, but that isn’t the case for this shampoo.
It’s easy to create a foamy lather with this, so washing your hair feels super satisfying.
Pros
- Enhances the vividness and brightness of your white and gray locks
- Contains neutralizing purple pigments to keep golden tones away
- Creates a thick and foamy lather
- Leaves your hair looking shiny
Cons
- In some cases, you’ll need to leave it in your hair longer than the recommended time to see results
Aveda Blue Malva Shampoo
The blue-violet pigments in this blue malva shampoo by Aveda are excellent at keeping brassiness at bay.
Apart from that, they also add a silvery shine to gray and white hair strands, making them luminous.
The formula includes mallow, aloe, and sweet almond extracts that can make the hair feel soft and touchable.
It also has wheat amino acids to strengthen the hair strands that tend to get weaker as you age.
The shampoo is also infused with a blend of ylang-ylang, eucalyptus, and lemon extracts.
Together, these create a floral fragrance that leaves your hair smelling fresh and clean.
Pros
- Blue-violet pigments add a touch of silver to gray hair
- Contains mallow, aloe, and sweet almond extracts to soften locks
- Has wheat amino acids to strengthen your hair
- A blend of plant essences for a floral fragrance
Cons
- Can leave the hair dry and tangly, so always use conditioner after
Jhirmack Silver Brightening Ageless Shampoo
Who says toning shampoos are always drying?
This one by Jhirmack is enriched with hydrolyzed collagen and macadamia nut oil to nourish your hair deeply as you cleanse and wash away yellow brassiness.
And even if it has rich oils in the ingredient list, it never feels greasy or waxy on your locks.
This formula strengthens the hair to prevent split ends and breakage due to damaged hair snapping off.
It also helps boost shine, giving your hair a radiant glow to look healthy and bouncy.
Pros
- Collagen and macadamia oil nourish the hair deeply
- Never leaves a greasy residue on your strands
- Prevents split ends and snapping
- Boosts shine and radiance for healthier-looking hair
Cons
- The deep pigments can turn your hair lavender if you leave it on too long
Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo
Oxidation is one of the top causes of brassiness in salt and pepper hair.
Good thing this Joico purple shampoo is formulated specifically to eliminate yellowing caused by oxidation and environmental stress.
Aside from neutralizing your hair color, this shampoo works to smoothen and strengthen your hair.
It’s infused with keratin proteins to make your hair soft and more resilient.
The formula is sulfate-free, so it’s safe to use on chemically treated and colored hair.
It’s a terrific toning shampoo if you want your bleach and coloring job to last a long time.
Pros
- Eliminates yellowing in gray hair caused by oxidation
- Contains keratin proteins to make your strands smooth and resilient
- Sulfate-free so it’s suitable for color-treated hair
- Has a light, pleasant floral scent
Cons
- Leaves a greasy, sticky film on the hair if not thoroughly rinsed out
Philip Kingsley Pure Blonde/Silver Brightening Daily Shampoo
This vegan and cruelty-free shampoo by Philip Kingsley is all you need if you want to amp up the shine and luster of your hair.
It’s designed with built-in optical brighteners to bring out the brilliance of your silver strands.
It also works to give your hair tons of shine and gloss all day long.
Unlike most purple shampoos that require you to leave them in your hair for about five or so minutes, this shampoo only takes 60 seconds to tone your hair.
That means it’s less likely to dry out your locks.
Pros
- Made with optical brighteners to make your white locks more vivid
- Keeps your hair looking glossy
- Takes only 60 seconds to see results
- Cruelty-free and vegan formula
Cons
- Can dry out the scalp
Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra Violet Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo
This Kérastase purple shampoo has ultraviolet pigments that neutralize brassiness, restoring your salt and pepper hair’s cool, fresh tone.
But it doesn’t stop at just toning.
It’s also chock-full of botanicals and acids to strengthen your hair.
It contains hyaluronic acid, a humectant that can help draw moisture from the environment and into your locks.
Meanwhile, wheat proteins strengthen the hair, fortifying it to prevent breakage.
The shampoo also boasts edelweiss extracts that are full of antioxidants to protect the hair from free radicals.
Pros
- Has ultraviolet neutralizing pigments to get rid of brassiness
- Hyaluronic acid hydrates the hair
- Wheat protein strengthens damaged locks to prevent breakage
- Antioxidant-rich edelweiss protects the hair from free radical damage
Cons
- Doesn’t do much to eliminate frizz
Keratin Complex Blondeshell Debrass And Brighten Shampoo
Caring for salt and pepper hair isn’t just about making it look cool and ashy.
It’s also about strengthening your strands.
Luckily, this shampoo by Keratin Complex does all of that and more.
This shampoo contains chamomile and lavender pigments that work together to eliminate brassiness and neutralize undesirable yellow tones in your gray and white hairs.
It also has keratin amino acids as well as proteins from wheat and oat to strengthen and heal weak, damaged strands, which is common in our hair as it ages and grays over time.
Pros
- Chamomile and lavender pigments neutralize yellowness in hair
- Keratin amino acids and oat proteins heal damaged strands
- Infused with lavender oil to stimulate hair growth
Cons
- Harsh and drying because of the sodium chloride in it
Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo Blonde & Silver
This shampoo is called “Shimmer Lights” for a reason – it’s amazing at bringing out the bright vividness of salt and pepper tresses.
It enhances how silver and white your strands really are, making them shine.
The shampoo also refreshes highlights that may have gone dull over time.
It’s also enriched with proteins that can help condition and strengthen your weaker strands.
Proteins also help smooth out unruly hair, making it silky soft.
Pros
- Enhances the brightness of your silver and gray color
- Enriched with proteins to condition and smoothen unruly hairs
- Refreshes highlights that have gone dull over time
Cons
- It’s easy for this shampoo to leave a bluish-purple tint on white hair
UNITE Hair Blonda Shampoo
Only have time for a quick shower every day?
No worries – this shampoo by UNITE has got you.
It tones your gray and white hair very fast, all in a matter of one minute.
It also purifies your hair deeply, giving you the most thorough cleanse.
The best part is that it leaves your newly-freshened salt and pepper locks smelling like sweet grapes!
It’s excellent if you love fruity fragrances in your hair.
Pros
- Tones your hair very fast, in just one minute
- Purifies your locks for a deep, thorough cleanse
- Safe to use on colored-treated hair
- Available in many sizes, even a one-liter bottle
- Smells like fresh and sweet grapes
Cons
- Doesn’t have moisturizing extracts and oils
Klorane Anti-Yellowing Shampoo with Centaury
Unlike most toning shampoos, this one by Klorane uses natural purple pigments that come from cyanocentaurein extracts.
These extracts reduce the appearance of brassiness, making you look like a silver fox.
You’ll also find apple amino acids in this shampoo’s ingredient list.
These amino acids can help strengthen fragile locks.
The shampoo is made with a gentle formula that cleanses the hair without being too harsh.
It won’t strip your hair of its much-needed moisture and natural oils.
It, therefore, leaves it soft and shiny after using it.
That makes styling a lot easier.
Pros
- Cyanocentaurein washes away brassiness
- Gentle surfactants cleanse the hair without stripping it of moisture
- Apple amino acids strengthen and hydrate the hair
- Leaves your hair soft and manageable for your styling routine
Conclusion
Salt and pepper hair is all the rage today, so there’s nothing to be ashamed of when your hair starts to gray.
Like any hair color, salt and pepper hair needs proper maintenance.
One of the most important adjustments you have to make when caring for graying hairs is switching to a brightening, anti-yellow shampoo.
It’s the first step to maintaining your hair’s vividness, ashiness, and hydration levels.
If you’ve been looking for the best shampoo for salt and pepper hair, this review piece will come in handy.
Use any of the shampoos above to keep your locks looking chic, healthy, and free of brassiness.
That way, you’ll still flaunt a youthful glow even as your hair gets grayer and grayer.
