4 Salon Treatments That Yellow Gray Hair: Protect Your Silvers

Sadly, not all products are meant for our silver hair. I have always promised to recommend products that are safe for silver hair, and that also means, updating you when something changes, or I learn new information.

I get countless emails asking what to do for hair that has been damaged, discolored, and yellowed by certain salon treatments. In the following blog and corresponding video, I warn you about four salon treatments that can ruin your silvers.

I have heard devastating and heartbreaking stories, where not only was hair yellowed, but also, damaged to the point of needing to be completely cut off. I don’t want this to happen to you so here we go…

If you prefer my videos you can check out the corresponding video over on YouTube:

#1 Keratin Treatments

Keratin treatments can yellow silver hair. This is often a twofold issue, one is the chemicals and the second is heat damage.

One way to mitigate issues is to avoid all products with formaldehyde.  Often these treatments contain formaldehyde, and the formaldehyde alone may cause yellowing.

I won’t even get into the reasons why formaldehyde should be banned in cosmetics and haircare products due to cancer risk, allergies, and other health risks due to repeated exposure. Until it is banned, we must advocate for ourselves and make sure it isn’t in the salon services we request, for our own physical health and the health of our silver hair.

Keratin treatments are usually done with a blow-out and flat ironing, most instructions say to do this on high heat. High heat causes yellowing and brassiness to most lighter shades of silver, but it can even affect darker colors of gray by giving a brownish hue to your charcoal strands.

You can potentially avoid this, simply by asking the stylist to use a maximum heat of 365°F, and if possible, use a heat protectant. This will depend on the instructions for the treatment though, so may not always be possible.

Find Keratin Treatments Designed for Gray Hair:

• A keratin treatment that would be an option to ask for is: Cezanne Ultimate Blonde Keratin Smoothing Treatment
• This product contains toners to mitigate the brassiness on blonde and gray hair from the Keratin Treatment and the heat. (Remember the brassiness will still be there just covered up by the toner.)
• It is also a formaldehyde-free formula.
• You can ONLY get Cezanne Keratin Treatments as a professional stylist. You’ll need to have your stylist order it for your treatment, or find a stylist that uses it already.
  

  DO NOT GET IT ON AMAZON…this could be black-market product.

#2 Permanent Waves, Relaxers, & Brazilian Blowouts

The reason they work to make your hair straight or curly is that they break bonds in your hair and reset it the shape you want.

These chemicals lift the cuticle and cause oxidative stress.

Unfortunately, the chemicals that increase and cause oxidative stress permanently yellow silver hair.

Products Designed for Gray Hair:

• One option I found was One-N-Only Shiny Silver Perm
• This perm contains anti-yellowing agents to enhance the natural silver highlights.
• You can buy direct from the company or from Sally Beauty.

#3 Bleach and/or Highlights

• Repeat after me: Bleach does NOT whiten hair, it yellows it!

• I have a video on this where I bleached my own hair & my lovely silvers went from my natural white and silver to harsh yellow.
• There is no such thing as whitening with bleach…there just isn’t. Not yet anyway.

#4 Vitamin C or Malibu C Crystals – Clarifying Treatments

• These products used on white hair in salon or at home can potentially lead to a chemical reaction on your hair that leaves your hair stained anything from pink to orange to a burnt caramel color. Especially after heat is applied.
• If you want to learn more, I have a full video Vitamin C & Malibu C
• I have heard terrible stories about Malibu C crystals used in salon not only discoloring white and gray hair but severely drying hair out, causing breakage, and permanent damage.

A new follower reached out to me. I asked her permission to share her words of warning. This was devastating and I cried for her. Do not let this happen to you. Don’t be afraid to educate your stylist if they aren’t aware.

Hi,

I just came across your YouTube channel today and wished I had discovered it a few days ago.

I had a horrible experience with the Malibu C during a salon visit…

I have or should say had beautiful grey hair. I have received many comments by strangers on how beautiful my natural color is. It’s a mixture of dark grey, silver, some white and my own dark brown hair underneath the greys. My hair hit at the bottom of my shoulder blades.

I hadn’t had my hair trimmed for quite awhile, and was expecting to lose a couple inches. However, I wound up losing over 6 inches because of the Malibu C treatment.

I had some yellowing I wanted lifted. The stylist used the Malibu C and told me she was using a double treatment of it. When she rinsed it out, she asked if my hair normally tangled when wet. I said a little when it needs trimmed.

We go back to her chair for the cut and she said this is going to be challenging. Then she said she could not comb through a tangled area. She held up a completely matted, FELTED big hunk of my hair that was at least 3-4 inches long. Looked like a dog who had mats so bad it need shaved. I was shocked. There was no way to get this out other than cutting. So now my long beautifully curling hair is above my shoulders.

My hair is slow growing, so it will be a while before its long again. I just wanted to share this as I haven’t seen this particular issue in any comments on the product. My hair is very fine, and it was definitely over processed (with the Malibu C treatment). It’s also very dry now.

~T.

No blame here, as this could have happened to any one of us; however, this situation is proof you must advocate for yourself at the salon:

• If your stylist offers to whiten your hair, take the yellowing out, or do a clarifying treatment, stop them and ask, “What are you doing? What are you using?”
• Ask to see the packaging and read the fine print or look it up online before using.
• Do not just let them do these treatments without knowing what it is.
• If they push back or argue…say, “no, thank you!”

My Recommendations:

• If your hair is thin, fine, or weak do not do any of these treatments. The thicker and coarser your hair, means it may be somewhat more resilient to treatments.
• Just remember it is a chemical process that alters the pH of your hair, it accelerates oxidative stress, and that always leads to the potential for discoloration or damage.

Invest in a Test Section:

• This might be a pain in the ass,
• It may cost extra,
• It might mean a single trip to the salon for the test.
• But do a test section.
• Test your hair to see how it reacts to these processes and treatments.
• It will be worth it to make sure you have no issues that you cannot undo. It will likely cost you more pain and suffering, in the end, if you don’t do a test section.

What to Do If It’s Already Happened:

• Depending on the process there may not be anything you can do but wait it out and grow it out.
• For yellowing you can use purple toners, which your stylist can apply.
• This is when you will need purple shampoo, conditioners, and masks to help you get through growing it out.

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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