By Lauren Gunn

It feels like the world is finally catching up with just how cool grey hair is. This is an EXCLUSIVE club for people who have LIVED. Sure, you can create a fake grey with a tub of powder bleach and a silver toner but it’s not the real deal. The real deal is earned. Grey hair at its best has people stopping you in the street, elevates a simple black blazer to icon status and commands a room with its easy charisma.

Hitting peak grey is all about getting up close and personal with your texture, your style and your condition, and then playing to your strengths.

The two most common textures for grey or white hair are either thick and frizzy, or fine and silky, and their needs couldn’t be more different if they tried. There is no ‘one and done’ when it comes to caring for grey hair and both hair textures can sit anywhere on the curl spectrum from straight to curly.

Thick & Frizzy: Lives for nourishment rather than stimulation and sometimes it gets a bit knotty at the back. Natural condition is often on the drier side so requires a bit of calming down. This hair type loves a co-wash in the shower, leaving all those lovely natural oils in place, followed by a hydrating or anti-frizz leave-in product.

If you can’t get your head around a co-wash stick with the classic shampoo/conditioner routine and opt for softening and calming products. The word butter in the ingredient list is a good sign. A daily wash might be a little too much stimulation, keep a hydration mist handy to refresh in the morning.

Fine and Silky: Can often feel limp and unresponsive and craving a bit of attention to bring it to life. Also, does that weird flat thing at the crown? It’s tempting to skip conditioner but there are so many great conditioners for fine hair why miss out on all that shine?

Gel conditioners can provide light hydration without the weight of a cream, plumping conditioners add density and leave-in conditioners give you the power to target the areas that need a little extra love.

Thick & Frizzy: Big is beautiful. Embrace all the texture you have and love it. Don’t be afraid of frizz, use that volume to create big shapes. Thick hair can also handle a bit of length. If you’re going long, keep it in top condition with weekly treatments and absolutely cut off any length that’s looking dodgy.

Stay away from razor cuts. For you out there that can’t be bothered with the maintenance of long hair go pixie-short like it’s the 1960s. Boyish crops look so cool on grey hair.

Fine & Silky: Minimalist by its very nature this hair type lends itself to simplicity. The thing about silky hair is that it falls beautifully so a one-length haircut looks dreamy chopped off at the jawline or just short of the collar. A soft bang is a nice touch, and a little feathery texture on the ends can be really pretty.

Hair gel is your friend. Blowdry using gel for root lift, control and volume or use it to slick your hair back when you are in your power dressing era.

Thick & Frizzy: Tonal shampoos and conditioners can give a nice mood to thick grey hair. Darker smoky shades can be used just at the roots to create some depth and dimension. Stay away from anything too permanent as over time permanent color can oxidise and turn an ugly yellow color. Using a clarifying shampoo on your midlengths and ends once a week will help to keep them bright and fresh.

Fine & Silky: A little bit of bleach in the right places can transform fine grey hair from drab to divine. Shifting the tone from grey to platinum elevates the color and complements skin tones. Brightening shampoos and conditioners give fine hair a glow without depositing grey tones which can be too dull for this hair type.

All grey hair shares one quality no matter the texture. Grey hair lacks melanin, the substance in your hair that produces pigment.

One of the key functions of melanin in hair is to disperse heat and absorb UV radiation providing natural protection. With that defence system out of action grey hair (and your scalp) is more vulnerable to heat and UV damage. Both the sun and heat styling can cause a gradual yellowing in grey hair.

You can minimise these effects with a heat protector and maybe throw on a hat when you’re heading out.