The Guide to Transitioning to Gray Hair, Embracing It + Taking Care of It

Everyone goes gray at different ages—and everyone chooses to embrace it at different ages, if at all, too. And that's okay! (Hey, some people color their hair for their entire lives—everyone's different.) 

If you're ready to transition away from coloring your hair, Meagan (@meaganonline) is your gal. She has over 300,000 followers and 2.2 million likes on TikTok for sharing her secrets to embracing her natural appearance. 

"I have been popping grays since I was about 22—just after the birth of my daughter," she explains. "At 46, I finally decided to embrace the inevitable and began my gray transition. What I love best about this journey is the opportunity to embrace the new authentic me and the simplicity." 

"Going gray is more than just a change in color," Meagan adds. "It's a change in the entire make-up of your hair. From the texture to the moisture level to even just the fragile state of your hair. Lots of things are changing." 

Here, she shares her top tips for transitioning to gray hair and caring for it properly. 

1. The right cut is everything. 
   
   "Finding a style that makes you feel confident is key," Meagan says. (And can we just say we LOVE hers?) 

2. Clarifying shampoo is your friend (sparingly). 
   
   "Although you want to use this sparingly, things like hard water buildup, product buildup, environmental stressors, et cetera, are working to turn your new grays and whites a dully, grassy yellow. Clarifying shampoo is going to help combat that." 
    
3. Look for a good protein mask. 
   
   "Because your new grays are more porous, more dry, more fragile, if you use heat on your hair, you need to be adding a protein back in. Look for a good protein mask to use about once every week—or once a month, depending on your hair needs. 
    
4. Protect your grays from the sun. 
   
   "Did you know the sun could turn your grays yellow? It's somewhat like a sunburn for the hair and it actually can't be reversed. Make sure you're covering your hair with a hat, a scarf, under an umbrella—something like that. Protect your hair like you would your skin from sunburn." 
    
5. Don't let anyone tell you what your gray journey should look like! 
   
   "There's no one way to go gray," Meagan says. That's right—do you!