Own the grey, or dye away?

crazylikefox

Hello!

I'm 32, soon to be 33, and I have a wash of silvery strands coming in all over, but most prominently in the front, sort of like Rogue in the X Men. Normally I have been semi-permanently dying my dirty blonde / light brunette locks a darker chocolate color, but last time I skipped the dark and just put in some blondish highlights. I wanted to hold on to the gold as long as I could so I didn't dye my hair again for months, and now I have about a finger length sprout of natural color on the top that blends into my length without too much of a hiccup.

Just the other day I received two comments, the first ever, about how much younger I look in my badge ID photo than I do now. Being a woman, I know going grey doesn't make you look as "distinguished" as a male counter part. On one hand, I have a box of semi-permanent dye ready to go and things can go back to normal (I never go permanent, I always use the washout stuff). On the other hand, is the health of the hair not more important than the shade?

Vote! Which is better, to own the grey or stay silver free?

Bucky83

I started going grey when I was 18, so I continue to put in a semi permanent dye (I'm 29). I personally think you're young enough to continue dyeing if you so wish. My mum is 56 and it's only in the last couple of years that she's started to own the grey and have blonde highlights through it to look as natural as possible.

So my vote is to continue dyeing unless you've decided/can have children in the next year or so.

pixietoes

I started greying early and colored. (Not always my natural color, but it has been for the past 10 years or so.) This year when I had my first brain surgery a part of the hair was shaved and the incision wasn't healing well. I was allowed to get my hair died but not that area. The section is 3" long and about an 1" wide. The grown back is perhaps 50% gray. It's my reminder to be grateful for how well my surgeries and recovery has gone.

When my daughter is graduated from high school I might let it all go natural, but that's six years from now.

mommared53

I'm 58 years old an have been coloring my hair for years. My son tells me I have to go gray some time but I tell him "Not as long as they still make hair color!" :bigsmile:

millyvanilli321

I say let it go grey and own it! Who's to say it doesn't make you look distinguished? It's certainly not a sign of weakness in my opinion. There's a famous writer here in the UK called Caitlin Moran and her grey streak is something of a trademark



Strident feminist and fantastic author. If you can get it, read her book 'How to be a woman', i actually laughed out loud multiple times.

My mum naturally had very dark brown hair, but has been dying it with highlights for as long as i remember to cover increasing greys. She says she does it because otherwise the grey would come through patchy, which is fair enough I think. If it blends well, however, I say stay natural


Edit: sorry that's so huge :embarassed:

sarafil

I don't know, such an individual decision. I have a friend who starting graying very young, and she let it happen. Her original color is very dark brown, so she has ended up with beautiful silver streaks that look really cool. I, on the other hand, have kind of mousy brown colored hair, and my graying hair doesn't look so fabulous. I have yet to color, but I probably will in the not-so-distant future. But I won't color forever; I think there is a lot to be said for aging gracefully, and I hope to embrace the changes ahead.

missdaisy79

I've been greying since I was 21, and dyeing my hair for longer! At first it was crazy colours like green and purple and orange, now I stick to reds, browns, purples and blacks. Sometimes it depends on whether I want to look professional, other times whether I don't give a stuff....

Dye it if it makes you feel better, own it if you want to. I feel happier with unnatural hair for now, maybe when I hit my 60s I'll stop.

KANGOOJUMPS

hmm,, that is tough,,, i think it is hot and sexy on a man, but not on a woman.

jenilla1

I've got a streak at each temple like this. I think it's pretty cool and i'm all for going natural. I've been going grey since my 20's and I'm not afraid of it at all. Bring it on!

kimmianne89

I'm 23 and have dyed my hair since I was 18. From what I've been told, it's mostly bleaching that does the damage, and dying it lighter colours. Darker colours are less damaging. (don't hold me to that :P )

My mum is 63 and still dyes her hair. She now dyes it blonde so the grey doesnt stand out when it comes through. Yet my dad has been pure grey since he was 38 (now 65) Pure silver hair. I think if you dye it now no-one has to know :P

Jeneba

I think it depends on whether or not you like the way you look with the gray. SOME people look Amazing! But we are not all Those People.... Whatever increases your self-confidence should be a factor in the decision.

Jeneba

LOVE Caitlin Moran!

SharonS_yc

Lol my first reply in the forum! I started going gray at your age and have never colored. For me, I figure I earned those gray hairs! That said, my hair is very dark brown so the flecks of silver just make it sparkle a bit. If I had more blond hair like you do, I might make a different choice! It's such a personal preference! :-)

MellowGa

I dye mine, my wife prefers me as a dirty blonde

kinrsa

Got my first gray hair in 1st grade- I was 7 years old. I'm 25 now with dark brown hair & plenty of gray. My hairstylist would love to dye it but I mostly own it. Some days I sit and pick them all out, though.

SusanLovesToEat

I started going grey at 26 and it wasn't the shock of grey or a few scattered silvers-but an ugly beige yellow streaky mess right at my part and on my face which literally drained the color from my skin.

So in short-not the most attractive look.

Now I'm 55 and wouldn't consider letting it go to the 60 percent beige/yellow/white it wants to be as it wouldn't just age me but would make me look ill...

My husband on the other hand has always had this beautiful silver mixed in with his black which enhances his coloring and softens his features.

and lets be honest here, try competing with those up and coming 20+ers looking tired and used up and see how far that gets one...

TavistockToad

Hello!

I'm 32, soon to be 33, and I have a wash of silvery strands coming in all over, but most prominently in the front, sort of like Rogue in the X Men. Normally I have been semi-permanently dying my dirty blonde / light brunette locks a darker chocolate color, but last time I skipped the dark and just put in some blondish highlights. I wanted to hold on to the gold as long as I could so I didn't dye my hair again for months, and now I have about a finger length sprout of natural color on the top that blends into my length without too much of a hiccup.

Just the other day I received two comments, the first ever, about how much younger I look in my badge ID photo than I do now. Being a woman, I know going grey doesn't make you look as "distinguished" as a male counter part. On one hand, I have a box of semi-permanent dye ready to go and things can go back to normal (I never go permanent, I always use the washout stuff). On the other hand, is the health of the hair not more important than the shade?

Vote! Which is better, to own the grey or stay silver free?

i was 30 last month, and i can safely say the second i see any grey hairs i will be reaching for the dye... probably something semi permanent until it got really bad!

if you like the highlights though, why not keep them? they would blend in the grey and you wouldnt have to have them done all the time?

to be fair its each to their own and u have to do what u feel comfortable with!!

ladyark

I wear my hair Very short and i have a lot of gray going all through it and most prominent right smack in the front on one side. I am brunette in color so what i do is i get foil highlights put in ( blondish) to blend in with the gray rather than try to color it. Its not bad since there is really no root issue. You can still see i have gray but its not near as prominent and i am told the cut/color looks great on me and makes me look younger.

PinkyFran

i started going grey at 23, now at 44 i dye my hair pink! growing older disgracefully and outrageously is a must!!!!!

coliema

Own the grey!

zyxst

I'd rather spend the money on other things.

poedunk65

I earned every one of these gray hairs, so I say keep'em, lol.

tyrantduck

i got my first grey hair at 17 years old. i'm 25 now and they're becoming very noticeable and are starting to dominate my entire hairline and the surrounding areas. if i see a stray one pop out, i usually pull it. otherwise I just pull my hair back into a ponytail and slick so much holding gel over it that it makes them harder to see. i don't really like dying my hair and can't afford to go to the salon all the time for coloring or root touchups or anything so, until it takes over my whole head, i'll just hide it under styling products! lol

pinkraynedropjacki

I'm 37 and only have a few strands. I love my greys & was always looking forward to having some. Having said that I'm now a bright red & my greys are still grey..... they refuse to dye at all..... guess that's the luck of the draw.


BTW to those who say they can't afford salon dye.... hello home dye job... they are just as good. I've never gone to a salon for hair color at all.... not since my 1st dye at 12yo.

HurricaneElaine

I started going gray (actually the hairs are stark WHITE) since I was 16. I didn't start coloring 'til I was 25 - it became noticeable then. Used to be a multi-shaded brown - gradually faded with age to a mousey brown. Now I'm a medium chocolate. Gray starts showing after 2 weeks of coloring. Rethinking what to do...

mcpjan

I am in my late 50's with almost black hair and up to last year I would just highlight my hair. Last year we were going oversea to my husbands family and he said I was so much grayer than before why not color it. Everyone says how much younger I look now with my hair colored. I am starting to lighten the color to go back to gray so it is not so noticeable. I can say there are several types of gray hair. Some people have that really nice silver gray while others have the not so nice gray. I am not sure which I have yet but will find out in the next year.

ekz13

HOT!!! OWN IT!!!

BernadetteChurch

Although I do pull them out sometimes, I own my grey. Same as I own my wrinkles. It's a part of me and it all tells a story.

hdsqrl

My gray hairs come in not as a pretty silver, but more as almost a clear color. I get together with some friends for regular "henna days" in which we take turns slathering henna on each other's heads and then sit and watch Due South for a couple of hours. My friends tell me that from above, it's like I have "invisible hairs". The end result of the grays is that I look washed out and like I'm actually losing my hair. So the coloring (in the present day, the henna'ing) continues. My mother and daughter had/have beautiful auburn hair, but I drew the short end of the stick and got mousey blond/brown for my own head. With the bonus invisible hairs, yay. The henna has been a godsend for me, let me just say.

Note: I don't use the metallic or compound hennas that damage your hair and make it impossible to ever use regular dye again without first growing your hair all out. I use the natural stuff only. If you're partial to a coppery red, you might want to consider going that route.

blankcanvas

5 years ago we moved out of state so I thought it was a good opportunity to stop dyeing my hair and let the grey come in since I didn't know anyone in my new home area. My husband actually convinced me to try it and now he just LOVES it..what a surprise too that it's actually silver and not a drab grey...when I went back home and saw old friends, they were all very complimentary and thought that I was frosting my hair lol. My natural hair is dark and my skin fair. The best thing tho, is that my hair feels so healthy compared to when I dyed it! You do have to hang in there tho at that in between stage lol and get creative with your hair styling to get past that grow out look ...

lkcuts

some women look great with the grey, some, look old and washed out. As a cosmetologist of 35 years i recommend you go to a professional(one you trust and doesn't just want to do it for the money) and get a professional opinion. Even with semi permanent color your hair shaft collects and holds the color, only less of it because of its low peroxide content so it only penetrates on the first layer. The older hair(from about an inch out) holds the color from the previous coloring making it darker on the ends and the roots too light.
The idea of coloring is to enhance your looks. I see so many at home "box" color users that have used it over and over and it makes dark ends and the "root or virgin hair" looks lighter as it never really covers or blends like the ends . Are you in a professional job that you talk and see people daily?If so, you want to look your best.
As far as the health of your hair, every time you color you are reopening the hair shaft in order to grab the color and yes some damage happens but if you use a good protein treatment and deep conditioner afterwards, then use a daily conditioner you should be ok. There is a difference in "treatments" and daily conditioners. Treatments penetrates deeper in the hair to strengthen and are to be used about once a month. A daily conditioner just protects and coats the hair to smooth the hair shaft.

If you still choose to color and use the box remember these steps. #1 clarify treatment before the color to remove all traces of old color,hard water build up etc. #2 re seal the hair shaft with a conditioner #3 making sure the roots are dry,do the roots only for the full time running the rest of the color through the hair no longer than 5 mins if the hair ends are dry. I f you leave the ends wet with conditioner you can leave it on longer (about 12 mins) #4 After rinsing the color out, deep condition for about 20 mins. To hold the color longer. Do not wash the hair again for at least 48 hours and use a good color shampoo and conditioner .

Good luck in whatever you decide!