Welcome to the 888th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy Monday! Thank you so much for all your kind words and well-wishes for a speedy recovery from this awful flu that I’ve been fighting. Other than being tired (didn’t get enough sleep last night), I am so much better. All the aches and pains are gone, and now I’m just fighting the lingering head-cold stuff that seems to be left from my battle with the flu.
This has been such a strange flu. I thought I had turned the corner on Friday when the aches and pains finally went away. I had so much energy and spent the day catching up on laundry and other stuff that needed to be done. Saturday felt like a relapse, and the energy from the day before was gone. Thankfully, it returned on Sunday, and I spent the day organizing my office, putting away my puzzle tray/table, cleaning out the office closet, and adding a new, larger bamboo chair mat behind my desk. The other one often felt too small, and I’d find myself running off of it, expecially when rolling over toward my puzzle board. (Large 55″ x 57″ bamboo chair mat is available here: Bamboo Chair Mat.)
It felt so good to get all those things done! Now I’m just waiting for better, more stable weather to head south with the kitties. I should have already been there weeks ago, but all the installation delays with the new dishwasher completely threw that schedule off. Still LOVE this dishwasher, by the way! When/if my KitchenAid dishwasher in Georgia croaks, I hope to replace it with a Fisher & Paykel dishwasher one day.
Today, I’m sharing a rather drastic change that I’ve made in how I care for this “new” hair that I’ve been living in for the past six months.
After having brown/auburn hair all my life, then dying it in my mid-20s when I started to go gray, it has taken me some time to figure out what products work the best for my non-treated white hair.
So far, there have only been two things I haven’t enjoyed about having white hair: 1. Not sure the color is that great against my already pale, pinkish complexion. The brown may have been more flattering, although the jury is out on that. And, 2. A complete change in the texture of my hair. I’ve always had thick hair, and though I wouldn’t haven’t described it as coarse, it definitely felt like it had more body, movement, and texture.
Now that the two-year grow-out process, as of August/September 2025, is finally complete, I’ve been experimenting in an effort to see what products work best for my hair. I knew when I was growing it out that the color would be a big change, but what I hadn’t realized was just how much the feel/texture of my hair would change. All the information I found online described gray/white hair as being a lot more coarse, and I was fine with that since I like a lot of body in my hair, but the exact opposite has happened! Now that I’m no longer dying my hair, each strand is like a baby’s hair—very fine and silky-soft.
My routine has been to wash my hair with a quality shampoo and conditioner, occasionally making it one that’s especially designed for white hair, then spraying a liberal amount of Rusk into my hair to add body and texture. That worked great in the beginning, but after using it for a while, it seemed to be making my hair more difficult to comb out. As I typed that, I just had an ephiphany. Maybe after I shampoo my hair, I should add the Rusk PRIOR to adding my favorite leave-in conditioner that I love and have been using for years. Ummm, I may try that the next time I shampoo my hair. Anyway, recently I made a drastic change in how I care for my hair that I thought I would never, ever do: I completely stopped using conditioner in the shower!
My routine over the past month or so has been to wash my hair with either Biolage, Kerastace or Phyto shampoo, and that’s it! Absolutely no conditioner in the shower. (Note: I only use the Phyto purple shampoo about once every 6 to 7 shampoos. It’s great! Phyto Shampoo is available here: Phyto Shampoo.)
Back in the day, when I was in the process of growing my hair out, I would still add conditioner to the old colored/dyed parts of my hair. Now that all my brown, dyed/processed hair is gone, I’ve found that no matter the brand or type of in-shower conditioners that I use, and no matter how much I rinse my hair, conditioner weighs my hair down. It also makes the static that happens during wintertime a thousand times worse!
I only wash my hair every 4-5 days—it’s been that way my whole life, since I’ve always had non-oily/dry skin. So, I wash my hair with one of the three shampoos below, use no conditioner in the shower, towel dry my hair, then mist on the Biolage Hydra Source Leave-in Tonic that I have been using for a gazillion years. I always comb it through my hair, then blow dry it on a low heat setting. It has always worked great on my hair, making it manageable and giving it a lot of body. Now that I’m no longer using conditioner in the shower, my hair doesn’t go limp and lifeless after the first day; it keeps its body. Love that!
I am not a hair expert, but for my hair, since I’m no longer abusing it with hair dye, I don’t seem to need a conditioner in the shower. The Biolage Daily Leave-in Tonic gives me the right amount of conditioner, where I can easily pull a brush or comb through my hair, and when I dry my hair, it has movement and body and feels great. Note: Since I only wash my hair every 4-5 days, I only use the Biolage Daily Leave-in Tonic on that day, right after getting out of the shower and towel drying my hair. If I washed my hair daily, I would use it daily, or whenever I washed my hair. (Biolage Daily Leave-in Tonic is available here: Biolage Daily Leave-in Tonic.)
Love Is In The Hair: Another huge lifesaver this winter has been a product called Love is in the Hair. It’s the small bottle on the front/left in the photo below. If my hair starts getting staticky and clinging to my face, (can’t stand that!) I spritz a little onto my favorite tangle-teezer brush and brush it through those areas (usually right about my face), and the static is gone! I typically only need to do that once every few days, so it seems to last for a bit. Plus, it doesn’t weigh my hair down. That is SO important to me. I can’t overemphasize how much I detest having silky, flat, lifeless hair! I sometimes wish my white hair had developed that super coarse feel that I kept hearing about gray hair as it was growing out. My hair missed the memo on that and decided to become like baby hair! (Love is in the Hair is available here: Love is in the Hair. The brush I love to use when it’s wet, and for applying Love is in the Hair is this one: Great Brush for Wet or Dry Hair.
It’s been four days since I last washed my hair, and it still feels great! It has body and movement and no static. It feels just like it did the day I first washed it and styled it. I think I have finally found my sweet spot. Not using conditioner in the shower has made a world of difference! Please, Biolage, never stop making your Daily Leave-in Tonic! This girl would be lost without it!
I’ll continue to share hair products that I love with you as I find ones that work great for my hair. I still love the Mill Creek Biotin Shampoo that I’ve recommended in the past. I need to buy some for the Dollhouse, mine is all in Georgia right now. Despite all the stuff you’ll read online, you really don’t have to just use shampoo that’s made strictly for white/gray hair when you let your natural hair color grow out. I think that’s just a selling tactic. I wear a hat at my grandsons’ baseball games or when I’m outdoors in the hot sun for an extended period of time, and use the Phyto shampoo every 6-7 shampoos. Other than that, I use what I love and have had no issue with yellowing. It’s your hair, use the shampoo that you love!
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My hairdresser of 40 years passed away…& I fight my hair weekly now… Still taking Biotin (doctor advised) 3 months on 3 months off
It’s a crap shoot. Glad you found a “winning combination!!!) ftanki
Wow, you’re so lucky to have had one you liked and trusted for so long. I’m sure she will be hard to replace. I probably should start the Biotin now because whenever I have the flu or get really sick, 30 days later, I usually lose a lot of hair.
Thanks, Franki!
I too have white baby fine hair now. I’m definitely going to try the Daily Biolage Leave in Tonic. Thanks for the tip. There are great things about no longer having to color my hair but I too miss the texture I once had.
One thought for you, perhaps your makeup needs to be adjusted some….not drastically but the slightest undertone can make a huge difference in how your hair color blends with your skin tone. When we wear makeup it can make or break what our skin/hair color blend looks like. Just a thought. Maybe visit Este Lauder or Mac and see if they could do your makeup and compare to product colors you may currently be using (if you wear makeup that is!).
Toni, hope you love it. BTW, you don’t need to use it every day, or at least, I don’t. I only use it after I wash my hair. I just do a nice mist/spray, maybe about 6-7 sprays all over my head and it lasts until I next wash my hair. After you spray it on towel-dried hair, you should be able to run a comb or brush through it without any problem.
I have tried so many tinted moisturizers and they all emphasize lines so badly, so I just use Clinique moisturizer by itself.
I’m curious to know why you selected a bamboo mat instead of the standard plastic. I’m guessing bamboo is environmentally friendly while, as we all know, plastic is not! Was it shipped to you and, if it was, did it lie flat easily? I’m now thinking of getting one. My “very” old plastic one died and I haven’t replaced it yet. I hadn’t considered bamboo but now I am thinking about it! Any input or thoughts you may have would be appreciated. Thank you.
I’ve been using a bamboo mat in Georgia for a many years. I think I first purchased one after adding hardwood flooring to my son’s old bedroom after I turned it into a home office. I’ve never cared for the look of the plastic ones. Also, they seem to slide around, unless they are the prickly type that you use on carpet. The bamboo is heavier so it doesn’t slide around. Also, I like how the bamboo sort of blends into hardwood flooring better, although I think it blends in more with my hardwood flooring in Georgia than the color of the hardwood flooring here in the Dollhouse.
It’s kind of hard to describe, but bamboo mats are designed in a slatted form so it can folded or rolled up. That makes it easy to store if not in use, too. You don’t need a mat as large as the one I purchased, I just like being able to roll over to my puzzle table without rolling off of it. The next size down, forgotten what that was but I can check if you want me too, should be fine. They sell them on Amazon and that’s where I’ve purchased them in the past, but this larger size was way, way more expensive on Amazon than Home Depot. So be sure and price them online before buying.
I just checked and the one I was using was 44″ x 52″ and that would be large enough for most people’s needs.
I, too, went from reddish brown hair to white. I thank you so much for your product information! I’ve always enjoyed this site and notice that we have similar taste in household items, e.g.the bird tissue box cover! I have the entire set, including rugs, towels & waste paper basket! We had 6 cardinals at our bird feeders! Looking forward to spring!
I also developed baby fine hair after going all white. I always had easily managed and styled hair with lots of volume while dyeing my hair. I will try the biolage tonic. I don’t use any conditioner but found a great shampoo that works with my hair. About every other week I use a black shampoo that makes my white hair glow and keeps away yellowing. I’m with you on the pale pinkish skin. I have tried so many foundations and colors and I still look washed out. Same with my clothes. I absolutely cannot wear light grey, beige or white next to my face now!!!! Now sure if I will start coloring my hair again or not. I love the color of silver/ white of my hair but it does not flatter my face. I’m thinking of having a professional put lowlights to see if that would help.
So glad you are feeling better. As I am reading, my fine thin hair is flying everywhere in the cold weather. At least you have pinkish skin. I am just white and even whiter from not doing yard work. D3 is a must. When I take Biotin, I get chin hair. This growing old and changes in skin and hair is a challenge. And they discontinued my temporary rinse color. Stay warm. This is the coldest here since 1989.
We are going to need pictures of the kitties’ road trip. Please wait until all of the snow and ice is gone.
I love the white hair! I have been trying to let mine go white too, but thus far, only the front edges are, lol! I love your color. Glad you have found products that work.
I haven’t used conditioner in many years because it took longer to dry my hair and hair was flat after use. I shampoo and blow dry and out the door. I think conditioners hold water and you have to dry longer which is not good for hair also it builds up on hair. I’ve been grey for many years and love it. Always getting compliments. I use and love Dramatically Different by Clinique also. For foundation I use wet n wild Dewey and love it. All foundation would settle in my lines but not this one. A blogger used and recommended and she was right.
I will check out wet n wild Dewey…thanks for that recommendation, Nancy!
I too have gray/white hair. Have had it for years, I developed an allergy for hair dye products. My Mother was a cosmetologist for 40 years. I’ve tried every product on the market. My hair is thick, fine and soft. I started using Rusk at your recommendation but I’ve never used conditioner and definitely not leave in conditioner. Might want to try it one shampooing to see if that helps.
I also find I do not need conditioner on my white hair and I use Matrix Mega Sleek shampoo ( during periods of high humidity my hair can become frizzy which drives me crazy!) This shampoo is moisturizing and I don’t need the conditioner. Also I try not to wash it for about 4 days but my hair needs hair spray based on the cut so it varies. I have to say I am glad I don’t have to have it colored anymore. Yes, you probably need to have your makeup adjusted. This from someone who has had natural hair for 35 years. When my daughter left for college I went from brunette to what her friends called “the silver fox” lol
Susan, love the color of your hair. After I grew my processed/colored hair out, I too quit using conditioner in the shower. When my hair starts to feel like it has build up on it, I use Neutrogena Anti Residue Shampoo for about a week, then switch back to my regular shampoo. Sometimes to give my hair more body, I will use a dry shampoo after blow drying and before styling. It helps give the hair more body. I kinda like the softer gray hair (lol). I have a very light complexion & now I tend to buy my clothing more in the pastels. The pastel colors don’t wash me out so much, and seem to compliment the gray hair better.
Much good information! Thank you! I probably need to check out Mill Creek products. Generally I use very gentle, no fragrance and nothing bad stuff. But lately, no matter how much I condition, it seems the ends of my hair get a lot of static electricity. I’m trying to deal with that and have tried many things. By the way, it’s healthier to go au natural with your hair color! It is a transition and I was asked to do so a few years ago by my integrative oncologist.
I stopped coloring my hair in 2020. Since I was home far more than ever the process seemed to be less painful lol. I have a lot of hair but it is fine. Working with my stylist we ended up shifting my cut to allow the body to come out. Fine or not a lot of hair weighs it down and changing some of the layering made a huge difference for me. I also do not like to use much product – let the cut do the work of creating the style – and my hair seems healthier for that. Made another change that, for me, made all the difference. I went short. Not for everyone I know but I feel it lifted my look tremendously. I realize my experience will not work for a lot of people but I am very happy and I get a lot of compliments from people (I don’t know) when I am out and about).
Awhile back I did some research on frizzy hair. A few sites suggested not using a traditional towel after washing. I started using an older soft pillowcase to towel dry-wrap my hair. It’s not very absorbing but it does seem to reduce the frizziness.
Thanks for posting, I enjoy your site!
Suz from Vancouver
Thanks so much, Suz! I once purchased one of those special head wraps that are placing on the head when getting out of the shower, but I really didn’t like how it worked for my hair. It didn’t seem to absorb a lot or maybe my hair was too thick for it. So now I just use a towel and gently squeeze the water out of my hair with the towel. I don’t rough it up or anything.