Carole Nelson BrownI love my silver/blonde hair, however, I am still learning how to care for it. Summer care is pretty locked down as, clearly, my curly hair loves humidity. I don’t apply heat because I just air dry and let it do its curly thing. It’s getting cooler now and, sadly, the humidity is swapped for moisture-zapping radiator heat, so I have to blow it out. Heat + bleach means It’s time to switch to winter haircare. Like our skin, our hair needs change with the seasons.
If your blonde or silver hair looks dull and dry once the cold weather strikes, I have some great products for you. After trying a ton of different things, these are my two top recommendations:
Silvering
Silvering founder, Alexis Eizinas, decided to stop dying her hair during her first pregnancy, in 2008. Inspired by her sliver-haired mother, this former Canadian model and creative director in the beauty industry, left her comfy job and self-funded the creation of Silvering. Launching in 2022, Eizinas calls this venture her pandemic baby and I am happy to call myself it’s Auntie.
I used three of the products on “Ru” author, Kim Thuy, for her Tiff red carpet. I brushed the optical hair line filler along her silver streaks to make them pop, the cool brow colour and finished her look with the shine oil. These products have a permanent spot in my hair/makeup kit.
Silvering offers cool or warm-toned brow colour
no one with grey hair should use browns or blacks to fill in their brows. Now we have a product made just for those with silver/grey/salt and pepper hair.
BORDER LINE Optical Hair Line Filler & Brush is a powder that enhances high and low-lights and thickens the appearance of naturally silver hair. Apply it at the roots for subtle fill-in of a thinning hairline. I have never seen a product made specifically for this and, personally, I apply it to my part. Instead of a dedicated shampoo, you can, instead, add the Tonal Control Concentrated Toning Mix to your preferred shampoo, conditioner or styling product. A shine oil and a scalp rejuvenator round out the line.
Root Rouser scalp rejuvenator is their refined activating leave-in massage serum that nourishes the scalp and encourages thicker, healthier hair growth. Although perfect for an overnight treatment you can also apply it to thinning brows to encourage thicker growth.
“A beauty industry that expects women to hide their greys
has not been developing products that work for them… Add
to this an internet full of misinformation, and you can
understand the frustration experienced by women looking to
update their beauty care.”
Alexis Eizinas
“We have devoted extensive research to understanding
silver hair, testing the effects of key ingredients and colours,
and we deeply understand our market’s needs.”
Alexis Eizinas
Olaplex
This brand began in Dean Christal’s California garage in 2014. The product itself was then developed by two chemists, Eric Presley and Craig Hawker. They went from selling small batches from that garage to a $14 billion dollar brand in seven years. With the help of TikTok, Olaplex is now a favourite among hairstylists and celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, particularly for its ability to repair hair and prevent bleaching and dyeing damage. Once it took off on Tik Tok…. well you know what happens next. TikTok is to beauty products what Oprah is to authors.
Olaplex has become the go-to brand for hair repair. In fact, the company has paved the way for the entire “bond repair” haircare industry. Obviously, this means they have also spawned countless imitators, but, of course, there can be only one Olaplex. Known as the “invention,” the Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate ingredient allowed professionals to reach new heights in colour & care. Hair wasn’t just healthier; it took on a completely different quality — blondes were brighter, brunettes more radiant, and redheads more vibrant.
All of the various products are numbered
and it can seem confusing at first, but you will catch on quickly. Read about hair bonds, what they are and, furthermore, how these products repair them, here. The science is way too complicated to describe in a few sentences but our hair bonds are definitely damaged by colour treatments, heat styling, sunlight and UV, chemicals etc. Basically, anyone over 15 probably has damage that could benefit from some Olaplex love.
Then, I was sent the Nº.4 and Nº.5, the bond maintenance shampoo and conditioner and my hair absolutely loves it. Meanwhile, my new obsession is the No7 bonding oil, which keeps my hair shiny and soft. I also use their blonde-enhancing shampoo and conditioner every three washes (Nº.4P and Nº.5P). This keeps my hair happily on the silver side but it’s also good for sun-kissed blondes, platinum and damaged blondes in addition to natural grey.
Should I go on? Because, clearly I can.
Honourable mentions
I also like Oribe Silverati and Amika Bye Bye Brass
I have been gifted products from both lines to try out and review. Opinions, as always, are very much my own.