By Daniel Markey

Unfortunately, most men’s hair will grow gray over the years. For some of us, it happens a lot earlier than others. Don’t get me wrong; there’s nothing wrong with a silver fox in his late 70s. That’s cool as hell. But I’m 32 and have a salt and pepper mane (more salt than pepper these days).

Whether you’re in your twenties or seventies, if you don’t like your grays, there’s not much you can do besides an expensive dye job. Or is there?

That’s what our team of researchers and reviewers set to find out. Are there simpler, effective ways to reverse your grays that won't totally ruin your hair or your wallet?

Recently more brands are releasing coloring shampoos, conditioners, and more that can help you reverse the signs of gray hair. There’s plenty of science showing us WHY our hair grays, and now that we know we can reverse grays, we can find the perfect products to make it happen. 

But how do you know which ones work and which are duds? Well, we’re here to help! Let's get started...

Effectiveness: 95%

Safety: 100%

Price: $

Overall: A+

Mane’s Heat Activated Hair Color is one of the more intriguing and effective ways to reverse signs of gray hair and give yourself a fresh new look. Mane says the product uses a “photosynthetic response to heat that lifts pigment cells to the hair’s surface and creates deep color.” And wildly, it works!

We learned about Mane when they offered a 50% discount code SECRET50 when they first launched. Since then, they’ve sold out of the Heat Activated Hair Color every other week. The best part? It works on your head, beard, and even eyebrows. All you have to do is apply and blow dry your hair or go out into the sun for 12 minutes to see results. Within a week, you'll be missing all your grays!

SAVE 50% with CODE SECRET50

Effectiveness: 80%

Safety: 100%

Price: $$$$

Overall Value: B+

Soap Cover's fancy bottling and list of products certainly give it a leg up for top spot. It's a shampoo that claims to reverse the signs of gray hair. It may be a good add to the arsenal of helpful products, but it wasn't the very best, but Mane had them beat. Price-wise, it’s on the more expensive side, but not the worst. We did like feel of Soap Cover, but just weren't blown away with the results.

Effectiveness: 80%

Safety: 85%

Price: $$

Overall Value: B+

Cleverman makes custom hair dye to keep your grays from showing. It's a good concept with a low subscription price. However, it's messy. Like other at-home dye kits, it's multiple steps and takes a fair amount of time to set up. If you're ready to give up an afternoon every couple weeks, this is for you.

Effectiveness: 75%

Safety: 80%

Price: $

Overall Value: C

Reminex is an affordable gray reverse shampoo option, however not the most effective. We saw mixed results with the few reviewers that used it. However, we think if you need something slightly more affordable, it may be a good option. That said, Mane’s discount code puts it at a better price with better results. We’d recommend starting with Mane. 

Effectiveness: 75%

Safety: 99%

Price: $$

Overall Value: C-

Mayraki's grey restoring treatment isn't a shampoo or a hair dye, it's somewhere in the middle. It's a great way to deliver strong nutrients to your hair to help restore its original color. While it's effectiveness wasn't great, it may be a good alternative for those who want something especially safe.

While we believe we recommended some great solutions to help reverse gray hair in men, we believe Mane’s Heat Activated Hair Color is the absolute best option. We wanted to talk further with our investigative reporter Mark Herring who helped create the rankings list and how he discovered the greatness that is Mane.

Personally, I’m a bit of an anti-product guy. Bar of soap in the shower and some toothpaste. My girlfriend only recently pushed moisturizer on me, haha. It’s not that I don’t believe in any of the stuff (hell, I research and write about it all the time). I just never thought I needed most of it. My skin is fairly clear and never had many issues with acne or anything like that. That said, the one thing that always bothered me was my gray head of hair. It runs in my family, my dad, brother, and cousins were all gray by their 30s, so I figured it was my turn, too. 

So when I was put on assignment to find some amazing hair color and gray reverse products, I was happy to test some things out. Unfortunately, not a lot made the cut. Too many products felt, smelled, and contained strong chemicals that felt more like medicine than a solution. And worse, they didn’t really work that well. 

I sort’ve gave up.

But then it seemed my best friend, who I trust with my life, had dyed his hair. I asked what he was using and he said it was the best at-home product he had ever tried.

I couldn’t believe it, and insisted he went to a salon. That’s when he shot out of his chair and grabbed the Mane’s Heat Activated Hair Color. He said he tried a few things but that Mane was the only brand that he felt like actually delivered. I was skeptical, but when he showed me a photo from like 2 months ago, I was blow away. His hair has turned several shades darker, plus his natural black hairs were more visible.

I asked him to let me borrow his Heat Activated Hair Color, but instead he told me to buy my own like a real adult LOL. Thankfully, he gave me the secret 50% off discount SECRET50. So I ordered two bottles immediately.

I received the package two days later and used as instructed. Apply the product to your hair, and either use a blow dryer or go out in the sun.

I was shocked when I applied heat onto the hair. I could see the gray hairs actually changing color! I was blown away. Mane says on the site that you'll need to use the product for about a week to see the full results. In the meantime, I wanted to know what made Mane’s Heat Activated Hair Color do what it did. 

Mane isn't like other hair dyes, it actually helps pull pigment cells to the hair's surface.

From Mane's website:

1. [When Mane's product is applied to the hair], the hair shaft is supplied with nutrients and stimulants that restore health and prepare for re-pigmentation.

2. Heat exposure creates a reaction in the hair shaft that lifts color to the surface.

So Mane aims to lift the color from the follicle for a safer hair coloring technique!

So, finally, after 4 weeks, I decided to check if I could see results… and wow! Slowly but surely my hair went from gray to black in no time. Even better, my hair felt fuller and stronger than it had in years. I was simply amazed at how good it looked and felt.