Going gray (or being gray)

[selene]

Is anyone going gray that has decided to just let the gray come in & never color over it? Or, is anyone completely (or almost completely) gray & you've decided not to ever color over it?

The thread below got me thinking. I have a few grays coming in (I'm 38) & I plucked them for a while, but now have stopped. A part of me wants to look my age. I know we have a youth obsessed (so it would seem) culture, but a part of me wants to look my age. I feel like an older woman may receive more respect than a younger woman, and people tend to think I'm much younger than I actually am. I used to get a kick out of it, but I now find myself feeling more and more annoyed by it.

 

[Jennifer]

i understand what you mean. i'm only 19 so i can't comment, but i don't think there's anything wrong with letting the grey show through

 

[Nonnie12kb]

I love my gray, after coloring it for 12 years, I decided it was time to be "free"! I am 51 years old but do not feel like it. I will tell you that if you decide to color your hair, when it comes time to let it grow out...quite a pain. The only way to get the color out is to cut it out. If you have short hair, not too bad. I had gotten to the point I was going every 5 weeks to the salon, but after a day or so it still was not covering my sides. My hair is very healthy and actually easier to style and take care of.

Just a thought.

Blessings,

Karen

 

[selene]

Jennifer, just b/c you're 19 certainly doesn't mean you can't have an opinion, at the very least.

Karen, I would probably not opt for an overall hair color should I decide to start coloring. I would have a hairdresser apply lowlights only to the spot where there is a gray strand and a few of the surrounding strands. I don't want to color over my natural hair color (brunette that is) b/c I actutally like it, and I don't think color out of a box would be something I could like as much.

I find it interesting that you say your hair is healthier b/c it supports what a woman said over at naturallycurly.com, which is that her female relatives have let their natural gray come through & that she has noticed that their hair is healthy & full/thick, while other older women who choose to color seem to go with a certain shade of red/auburn, and their hair looks like hay, very lackluster, no shine & sometimes looks very thin to the point you can really see their scalps.

 

[lynzei]

i love an all over head of gray hair, i think it looks so beautiful especially when its that whitey colour.

for some reason just a few grey hairs bother me too. its got to be all or nothing!! i colour my hair because the few annoy me, but when i get alot more grey i think i would just show it off and stop colouring it.

i love all grey white hair in a short cool hair cut.

 

[CamaroChick]

I've been having this dilemma myself lately. I, too, like my natural hair color. The "gray around the gills" thing is what bugs me -- you know, where it's like grey at the temples and dark everywhere else. Sometimes that can make a man look very distinguished, but for me as a woman, it just doesn't fly. I've been going to the salon to get it covered over, but if it would all go grey or white at once, I might just leave it alone.

 

[selene]

Originally Posted by CamaroChick I've been having this dilemma myself lately. I, too, like my natural hair color. The "gray around the gills" thing is what bugs me -- you know, where it's like grey at the temples and dark everywhere else. Sometimes that can make a man look very distinguished, but for me as a woman, it just doesn't fly. I've been going to the salon to get it covered over, but if it would all go grey or white at once, I might just leave it alone. Have you considered just highlighting/lowlighting around the spots where the gray is coming in, and leaving the rest alone? It might be easier to transition to the full head of gray once you get to that point...

 

[selene]

For Camaro or anyone who may be interested, a woman posted this method for dealing with gray & dying the hair only about every 3 months:

"My hair's a similar color -- my stylist always puts in two colors of highlightsand a lowlight, too. The trick is to get one shade just a skosh lighter than your natural color), one shade as bright as your brightest highlights by the end of summer, and one shade a couple of shades lower than your natural color (fewer of those).

If you get 'em slim (no chunky streaks), there's very little upkeep.... it'll just look like hair growing out after the summer. And here's the beauty part: Highlights done this way hide grey like nothing else. When greys start to come in, unless you're looking very VERY VERY close at the top of your head, it looks like the sparkle of a highlight... at least for a long while.

Good luck -- I love love love mine, and you can play with them and adjust the shading as you get new ones (absolutely no more often than every 3 months, though you don't have to do them that often... keep your hair healthy."

 

[CamaroChick]

Thanks, Selene! I'm going to make an appointment to get my hair cut very soon. I think I'll take this idea to the stylist and see what he can do.

 

[monniej]

Originally Posted by CamaroChick I've been having this dilemma myself lately. I, too, like my natural hair color. The "gray around the gills" thing is what bugs me -- you know, where it's like grey at the temples and dark everywhere else. Sometimes that can make a man look very distinguished, but for me as a woman, it just doesn't fly. i've got the same problem. that grey around the edges thing just isn't working. i use a semi-perm color that washes out over several weeks. the perm color seemed so harsh i decided to go with the rinse. it seems to be doing the trick, but i have to reapply once per month.

 

[Gwendela]

I found my first grey hair at seventeen. I was away at college when I found it and my Mom didn't believe me so I plucked it out and sent it to her.

I'm now 33 and about 1/4 of my hair is totally grey. My beautician even commented on the even placement of grey throughout my entire head. I have dyed my hair in the past, but I'm going to let my true colors shine through now. They're my "natural" highlights.

 

[vav]

Originally Posted by selene I have a few grays coming in (I'm 38) & I plucked them for a while, but now have stopped. Plucking is supposed to bring more of them you know?What about me?I 'm 30 and have greys in my..downstairs department only

 

[selene]

Originally Posted by vav Plucking is supposed to bring more of them you know?

Yes, I've heard that old wives tale.

Originally Posted by vav What about me?I 'm 30 and have greys in my..downstairs department only

Now "that" I don't know what to tell you to do... pluck them?

 

[4getmeNot]

i don't think it looks bad. it's really a personal choice. i do know if you're trying to keep grays at bay, the best way is to go blonde, b/c grays aren't as noticeable in light hair as they are in dark.

 

[rlongan]

I am 46 and 90% gray. I began graying in my 20's and started coloring my hair at about the same time. I actually made the mistake of going darker (haircoloring can get very confusing) because I had read that my hair would look thicker. Plus since I have always colored my hair at home from a box, my hair often would take on a brassy look no matter what colors I included even ASH. The darker colors didn't make it so brassy. I have very fragile, fine, thinning hair. My face is relatively young looking but I simply can no longer keep up with maintenance and it is simply too costly to go to a salon to have the color done as frequently as I would need. My mother tells me going gray will make me look old and hurt me in the working world. After reading some of the comments about thinning hair and coloring I definitely want to go gray. However, the color product I have in my hair currently was a product that had no peroxide or ammonia. However, my hair was so porous it took really well and came out almost black. I have been trying to fade it for six months and it's still a dark brown. My hair dresser doesn't want to remove the color because she's afraid it will hurt my hair. So, I feel trapped. Does anyone have any suggestions. Meanwhile, I'm stuck doing roots every two weeks ugh!

 

[dixiewolf]

My hair has been going gray for some odd years, I have light brown/dirty blonde hair, so the dark blonde highlights dont show it, the gray just looks like part of the highlights. But recently I have more and more so I am going to have to color all of it soon I guess. Since I am 28 I dont want to go completely gray. Especially b/c I look so young. I was mistaken for being 14 the other day.

 

[Gwendela]

I posted in this thread not even a month ago and was planning to embrace my gray hair. Now I've decided to dye them. I'm so indecisive with my hair.

It truly is a personal preference. My mother who happens to have fewer grays than I do didn't want me to dye my hair because she liked the gray. She now dyes her hair b/c she doesn't like them on her head.

 

[Nonnie12kb]

rlongan--boy can I understand what you are going through. Sounds like me all over again. My hair was colored from the salon by "color that was not permanent, no peroxide or ammonia" but it had to be cut out. It will take a while, but the results are worth it. I started using Prell shampoo with some peroxide mixed in...about 2X a week. Seemed to help strip it some, but kept watch that I dd not overdo it...conditioned it weekly. My hair IS healthier and it feels thicker also. My 2 sisters liked mine so well they are letting theirs grow out. The freedom is wonderful, not to mention the money I have saved! Blessings to you and let me know how things go.

 

[rlongan]

Thank you so much for the encourgement. What did you do with the gray while the rest of your hair was fading?

 

[Nonnie12kb]

Well, just went with it. I did not dye it. Was so tempting at times. But, I kept thinking about what it would look like in the long run...and I am sooo glad I didn't give in. I kept my hair trimmed every 5 weeks, little at a time.

As I have said, not for the faint in heart! But can be done.