Why does gray hair sometimes have yellow tones?

Have you ever noticed an elderly individual with gray / white hair and yellow tones throughout the hair? Several of my clients have asked me why do I have yellow tones in my hair? Most have never noticed that before and think it is a new thing. It can be a new thing, however there are many causes to that yellow ting. Some of the causes are pollutants within the air and water. The exposure to these pollutants is usually repeated many, many times and they can deliver a build up in the hair. One of the most common pollutants is cigarette smoke. Another cause of the yellow ting is medication. Different medications can sometimes change the structure of our hair. Also, much less worrisome is that seniors loose their pigment within their hair and naturally underlying yellow tones can show through their graying / white hair.

What can be done? Sometime a clarifying shampoo can help strip out that color, but also don't forget to give a blue/violet based shampoo a try. These shampoos have blue undertones and can counter-act (like put a color band-aid on your hair) yellow tones. Don't freak out, but these shampoos can look really blue / purple. They usually don't stain and work well. They will deposit a small amount of color all over the hair and will give most of the hair an ash undertone. These shampoos are best to use 2-3 times a week. There are a number of other home remedies, but the ones listed above are the most productive.