Look for shampoos and conditioners containing silicone, to leave hair instantly silky, smooth and shining. This water-repellent oil-derivative seals the outer protective coating of the hair — the cuticle — from shampoo to shampoo. It shuts the cuticle tightly, adding weight in the process. Because of this, silicones are not right for light-to-fine hair; they can weigh it down, making it look flat and greasy soon after shampooing.

Look for products formulated with ceramides. They're not quite as heavy, and they do the same thing as silicones. You'll find them in cream-based products like Kiehl's Silk Groom and Kérastase Nutri-Liss.

Look for fortifiers, like keratin, panthenol, amino acids and wheat proteins. Products that are labeled “volumizing” add strengthening proteins and polymers for body and control. Polymers are long-chain multiple molecules; they have tensile strength and lend elasticity to hair.

Look for ingredients like spirulina, an excellent scalp and hair hydrator, hyaluronic acid, which binds moisture to the hair, or algae extract, lecithin, bee pollen, jojoba, safflower, or avocado oils. Any product can say it’s “moisturizing,” if it contains water. But water dries out hair as it evaporates, taking moisture with it. These ingredients add healthy, non-drying moisture.

An enzyme found in the oil glands of the hair follicle converts testosterone (yes you do have some) to DHT, the absolute killer-enemy of the hair shaft. As DHT binds to the follicles, it shrinks them, until they can no longer survive. With this form of hair loss, you will notice diffuse thinning, most likely in the front, temples and crown. Look for special shampoos that contain DHT-fighters. Common ingredients like hyaluronic acid are thought to form a protective shield around the hair follicle, preventing DHT from getting in. Other ingredients help de-clog follicles choked with DHT. Polysorbate 20, a nonionic surfactant derived from lauric acid, is one of these.

There are a lot of “instant” shine products out there; shampoos, conditioners, styling aids and glossers all promise to give great gleam. Some do. Any oil-based product you apply topically can add some life to your hair. But, once in awhile, you should give your hair some deep therapy. Look for protein-based conditioning masks or serum treatments that you can leave in for a few minutes and then wash out. They contain higher concentrations of very targeted ingredients, meant to restore and rehabilitate hair.

Does your hair have the green meanies? Or maybe it’s turning a not so mellow-yellow. Check out the Frequently Asked Questions in Gray Today, and you’ll find out you can rule out the color of the shampoos you use. No product deposits color on your hair unless it is designed to do so. But there are other reasons your hair may be going off-color.

The source of the water in your home, and the pipes that bring it in, can play havoc with your color. Water has a tendency to pick up mineral deposits, and this can make hair a khaki color, dull, or very opaque-looking. Copper piping in your home can also be the culprit; when copper combines with certain minerals in the water, you can get khaki or green water that will stain the hair.

If your gray hair picks up a yellow-ish tint, especially in the summer, you can blame the sun. Even without pigmentation, your gray hair may have the bluish or cool-white appearance given by a closed hair cuticle. When you expose it to sun, the appearance of blue goes away, as well as the blue molecules in any remaining pigmented strands, and you can start seeing a yellow cast. Sun is nature's own bleach, and it works the same way professional bleaches do, by removing the blue first.

Relaxers, body waves or perms contain alkaline chemicals, like sodium hydroxide, and these can influence your hair color, as well. Sometimes white hair can turn a greenish tint. All the more reason to get your relaxing or perming done at a salon that also has expert colorists on staff.