Growing Out Gray Hair: How to Care for Your Hair Through the Transition

Q: Should I use purple shampoo while growing out gray hair?

Not as an everyday wash. Purple shampoo is a toner, so it works best as an occasional extra. A non purple shampoo is a better daily choice while you're growing out gray hair, since your new roots are the color you're working toward.

October 28, 2026 7 min read

Woman growing out gray hair, with silver roots and color treated lengths.

Deciding to stop coloring your hair is easy. Living through the months that follow is the hard part. Growing out gray hair means caring for two kinds of hair at once: soft, color treated lengths and new silver roots that often feel completely different. It's no wonder so many of our customers ask whether their routine needs to change while they wait.

The short answer is yes, a little. The transition goes more smoothly when your routine is gentle enough for colored hair and made for gray. This guide covers what's happening to your hair, the main ways to approach the transition, how to care for both textures, and how long the whole process really takes.

The Short Version

Growing out gray hair means caring for two colors and two textures at the same time.

You can grow it out all at once, blend it with highlights or lowlights, or cut most of the color off.

A gentle, sulfate free shampoo suits both color treated lengths and new gray roots.

Condition the lengths, protect the ends from heat, and trim every 6 to 8 weeks.

Hair grows about half an inch a month, so plan on one to three years depending on your length.

The Short Version What Happens to Your Hair During the Transition Three Ways to Approach Growing Out Gray Hair A Gentle Duo for Two Kinds of Hair Caring for Color Treated Lengths and New Gray Roots Making the Middle Stage Easier How Long the Transition Takes FAQs

What Happens to Your Hair During the Transition

Most people expect a change in color. Fewer expect a change in feel, but it's often the first thing they notice.

Two Colors

Your new growth comes in with little or no pigment, while your lengths still carry dye. The point where they meet is called the line of demarcation, and it's usually the most visible part of the whole process. On darker hair the contrast is sharp; on lighter or highlighted hair it's softer.

Two Textures

Gray strands often feel coarser, drier, or wirier than the hair they replace, and some people notice new wave or frizz. Meanwhile, years of coloring may have left your lengths more porous and fragile. So you may have springy, dry roots and soft but delicate ends on the same head.

Two Sets of Needs

Color treated lengths need gentle cleansing and moisture so they don't fade unevenly or break. New gray roots need moisture too, plus a cleanser that keeps them bright and doesn't leave a tint. That's why a routine built for only one of them rarely feels right during the transition.

Line of demarcation while growing out gray hair, where silver roots meet dyed lengths.

Three Ways to Approach Growing Out Gray Hair

There's no single right way to go gray. The approach you choose shapes how long the awkward stage lasts and how much it shows.

Approach	How it works	Best for
Grow it out	Stop coloring and let the gray come in, trimming as you go	Anyone patient who wants the simplest route
Blend it	A colorist adds highlights or lowlights to soften the line	People who want a gentler, gradual change
Big chop	Cut most of the colored hair off at once	People happy with a short style for a while

Growing it out costs the least and needs no salon visits, but the line of demarcation stays visible for longer. Blending makes the middle stage far less noticeable, though it means a few more appointments and more chemical processing on your lengths. A big chop gets you to all natural gray fastest, as long as you're comfortable with short hair.

Many people mix approaches, for example blending for the first year and then trimming away the rest. If you're unsure, a colorist who works with gray hair can help you choose.

A Gentle Duo for Two Kinds of Hair

When you're growing out gray hair, your shampoo and conditioner touch both halves of your hair every wash, so they matter more during the transition than at almost any other time. Harsh sulfate cleansers can dry out new gray roots and leave color treated lengths feeling rough, while purple shampoos can tint the gray you've waited so long for. Our Gray Hair Duo pairs the Gray Hair Shampoo with the Gray Hair Conditioner, and it's made for the transition, whether you're mid transition from dye or fully gray.

Sulfate free shampoo that won't strip your natural oils
Non purple formula, so new silver roots stay silver
Gray Hair Conditioner that conditions your lengths and ends, where color treated hair is most porous
Avocado Oil plus Pomegranate Seed, Chia, and Blackcurrant Seed oils in the shampoo for weightless moisture on dry, wiry feeling gray
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein and Panthenol (Vitamin B5) for softer, smoother looking strands
A shampoo scented only with essential oils, vegan, cruelty free, and made in the USA

Caring for Color Treated Lengths and New Gray Roots

Once you have a gentle shampoo, the rest of growing out gray hair is about treating each part of your hair according to what it needs.

For Your New Gray Roots

Massage shampoo into your scalp, where the new growth starts. Our Gray Hair Shampoo can sit for a minute for extra brightness.
Rinse with cool water to help the cuticle lie flat and keep silver looking vibrant.
Keep heat low on new growth, since unpigmented hair can look toasted after high heat.

For Your Color Treated Lengths

Focus Gray Hair Conditioner on your lengths and ends, where hair is most porous.
If your lengths feel extra dry, the Gray Hair Glow Kit adds a leave in conditioner to the shampoo and conditioner.
Wash in lukewarm water rather than hot, and skip a wash day when you can.
Use a heat protectant and air dry when possible, since processed hair is more fragile.

For Both

If you have hard water, minerals can dull your new gray and make faded color look brassy. The Gray Hair Clarifying Duo pairs our shampoo with our Vinegar Rinse Cleanser, made with apple cider vinegar, for extra help with brassiness every two weeks.

Making the Middle Stage Easier

The middle stage of growing out gray hair, when you have several inches of each color, is when most people are tempted to give up. These habits make it easier to stick with:

Trim regularly. A trim every 6 to 8 weeks cuts away processed ends and moves you closer to all gray with every visit.
Change your part. A zigzag or side part breaks up the line of demarcation, and swapping sides now and then keeps it from looking like a stripe.
Lean on styles that hide the line. Loose waves, braids, buns, headbands, and scarves all soften the contrast.
Use a root powder or spray for special occasions. These wash out and buy you time without starting the dye cycle over.
Keep a photo log. A monthly photo shows real progress on days when it feels like nothing is changing.
Keep your routine simple and gentle. Consistent care with our Gray Hair Duo keeps strands soft and nourished while you wait.

Patience is the real secret. Almost everyone who stops coloring hits a stage where they doubt the decision. That's normal, and it passes as the gray takes over.

Easy hairstyle for the middle stage of growing out gray hair.

How Long the Transition Takes

Scalp hair grows about half an inch a month on average, or roughly six inches a year. That makes it easy to estimate your own timeline once you know how long your hair is now.

Your hair length	Rough time to all gray (no big chop)
Pixie or very short	6 months to a year
Chin length	About 1 to 2 years
Shoulder length	About 2 to 3 years
Past the shoulders	3 years or more

A shorter cut shortens the timeline, which is why many people take their hair up a length or two partway through. Growing out gray hair is a long project, but it's also one you only do once.

Can I use a gray hair shampoo on color treated or highlighted hair?

You can use our Gray Hair Shampoo on color treated or highlighted hair while you transition. It's sulfate free, gentle enough to use daily if that's your rhythm, and has no purple or violet dye, so it won't tint your new roots. It's made for the transition, whether you're mid transition from dye or fully gray.

What's the fastest way to transition to gray hair?

A big chop is fastest, since it cuts away most of the colored hair at once. If you'd rather keep your length, blending with highlights or lowlights doesn't speed things up, but it makes the middle stage far less noticeable.

Will my gray hair be a different texture?

Often, yes. Many people find their gray comes in coarser, drier, or wavier than before. Extra conditioning and a cool final rinse help it feel softer and look smoother.

Should I use purple shampoo while growing out gray hair?

Not as an everyday wash. Purple shampoo is a toner, so it works best as an occasional extra. A non purple shampoo is a better daily choice while you're growing out gray hair, since your new roots are the color you're working toward.

You're Closer Than You Think

Growing out gray hair takes time, but every trim and every wash day moves you forward. Care for both textures gently, give yourself grace in the middle stage, and let your natural color take the lead.

When you're ready to build a routine for the transition, our Gray Hair Duo is a simple place to start. The shampoo keeps strands soft and nourished and helps minimize the look of yellow, brassy tones without adding purple, and the conditioner takes care of your lengths and ends.

Shop the Gray Hair Duo

Author: Valeria

One of Just Nutritive's house expert and content writer, with a background in herbal medicine that shapes the way she thinks about skin hair care. She believes the best ingredients are often the simplest ones, and she spends her time researching the plant oils, botanicals, and natural compounds that go into every formula.