Do you, or will you, dye your gray hair?

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, I do and can't see when I would stop. My hair is naturally dark brown and the gray started coming in unevenly, mostly around my face. So I really had no choice but to color it. My eyebrows are still dark brown, and I think it would look really weird if I started letting my hair go all gray. So I get it done at the hair salon every five weeks and touch up at home after 3..all ammonia-free and not permanent.

 

[Jennifer W]

Curious, why do you want to look younger?

Helps with the denial of or our mortality.

Like I said I must not want it too much since I don't do crap about it.

Kind of like how I'd love to deny that I live in a chaotic messy house, but never get around to doing anything about tidying it up?

Are you you sure we don't live in the same house?

It's possible. It's such a mess in here that a whole other family living in here with us could pass unnoticed... Did you use the last of my coffee beans? My husband denies it, but then of course, he also denies dying his suspiciously grey-free hair...

 

[Trekkie]

I don't (yet) have grey hair and I don't dye my hair.

Chances are slim that I'll get any. When mother died at 51 I was able to count all her grey hairs on one hand and she definitely didn't dye hers! My dad is finally grey now but that didn't really start until he hit 70, when he officially retired (for the second time ). Yes, my dad blames his grey hair on retirement.

My maternal grandmother is in her mid-seventies and probably has grey hair. I am not certain though, because she is Muslim and uses that as an excuse to cover up with designer scarves.

 

[yennyfire]

If I can, I will. I already do the Japanese straightening on my hair, so I'm not sure if I can do both. Luckily, I don't have any yet, so I haven't had to cross that bridge yet.

 

[DiaDiva]

HI:

Absolute unrepentant dyer. Till I die--but hopefully not from the dye.....

cheers--Sharon

Same here and I totally agree with you, Sharon.

 

[Matata]

If I had attractive white hair I wouldn't dye it. Imagine if you will, an entire head covered with brillo pads--that's the texture of my hair. Underneath the auburn artificial color is an ugly combo of salt 'n pepper but it's not pretty salt -- it's dingy, like sea salt. And the grey isn't a vibrant dark or even a chirpy light -- it's mutant grey. I'd look completely washed out if I didn't color my hair.

 

[soocool]

I used to get my hair dyed at a salon and paid big bucks for less than good results. Then I started using a demi-permanent haircolor (Wella Color Charm demi permanent that I get at Sallys) about 4 years ago. This demi permanent colors all my grays (I am 55) and they look like highlights. I get great comments all the time and my hair looks healthy and not dry at all. Plus the color does not smell . The trick I learned to get it to get rid of the gray is to apply it to dry prrwashed hair and process with a heat source. Thsi takes me about 15 minutes.

My sister (57) also switched over to a demi permanent that she gets at Sally's, but it is either the Ion brand or Clairol. I am not sure. They had the color she liked best for her.

 

[VRBeauty]

Well I hope the stuff's not TOO bad for me because if it is, I've already shortened my life beyond repair! My natural hair color used to be a very dark brown/black. Actually, most people called it black but I reserve that for hair that is truly almost black -- I don't think human hair is ever fully black. I had gray hairs sprouting when I was still in high school.

By the time I was 30 I was dyeing it to cover gray about every 6 weeks. It wasn't an attempt to look younger, it was an attempt to not look older. What 30 year old wants to be mistaken for 40 and told, wow, you have such a great skin (implied: for a 40 year old).

I don't think my fake-color hair makes me look any younger than 50 but I do think that my natural silver hair would make me look older. Eventually I will stop coloring it, but I don't know when that will be. My mother is still coloring her hair at 80!

This is like the story of my life. I first noticed grays when I was a junior in college. I had every intention of never dying my hair, but... that darn gray just refused to come in in the single dramatic streak I'd always hoped for - LOL (one of my elementary school teachers had that). Instead it came in very unevenly, and when it got too depressing, I started dying.

Truth is I'd really like to see what it looks like now... I know it's mostly white, but there's still some dark interspersed and I think it might be a nice look. But... I think I'll wait until I retire to grow it out. I do have an exit strategy... my hair is quite short now, and I've talked my hair dresser into chunking in the brown in the crown (kind of like reverse highlights) when the time comes.

ETA I color my hair myself most of the time... I even add in highlights every few months to make it more natural looking.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I look forward to sporting the Miranda Presley look My BF agrees.

 

[rosetta]

I've had a few greys but they have have been single hairs, years apart. I'm 32. I'll probably dye eventually, but what a hassle! Hope I stay non-grey for much longer.

 

[tammy77]

My hair is the ONE good genetic thing I got from my parents. I'm 35 and I don't think I actually have any yet. Redheads may not be able to go out during the day w/o 100 spf but we sure can go a long time without the help of Nice n Easy!

 

[Scorpioanne]

I have lots of gray and don't, and won't, dye it.
I think generally men care less about having gray hair.

I can't even walk into a beauty salon without choking on the chemical fumes.
(Is that hair dye or the perm chemicals?)
It can't be good for your hair or your skin or the lungs of the poor employees.

Dying away the gray certainly does make people look younger though.
Many if not most people want to look younger.
But when the roots start to show through it looks heinous IMHO.
That means you'd have to dye it often to keep appearances up.
How often is this? Weekly? Every two weeks? Monthly?
Doesn't that get expensive?

I may be biased as I have quit colouring my hair (it is 4 years now) but I think that people who colour thier hair look even older especially if they colour their hair too dark as it looks so harsh. A 60 year old woman with black hair isn't fooling anyone!

 

[Fly Girl]

When I was younger I loved my hair color, sort of a light golden brown. I never planned to dye it. Well, it didn't turn to an attractive gray color. Now I am well into my sixth decade and have been dying my hair for years. My brown hair, along with my wrinkle-free skin from staying out of the sun and healthy living, definitely do take at least 10 years off my age. I've been going to my hairdresser for nearly 30 years now, and I have no plans to change anytime soon.

 

[omc111]

Soapbox time for me. I'm 58, from the South, and was raised with the generally accepted idea that women over a certain age wore short hair--God only knows why!! Anyway, I decided to be a rebel and let my hair grow long and go gray. One problem. Me and long gray hair just didn't work. So sad. I figured I could have long hair that I colored or short gray hair. No contest really--short, gray hair won. I figure I am who I am, I'm the age I am, and I don't really care if I look older with gray hair. I am thinking about putting a few purple streaks in the front though...just to liven things up a bit.

 

[KaeKae]

Yes, I've been coloring my hair for 17/18 years ago, in my late 20s. Every 3-4 weeks, I spend a half hour or so reading or browsing PS in order to remain a brunette.

 

[Hera]

I'm 37 and only have a couple of gray hairs. I cannot find them but I'm sure I have them. I do have plans to dye my hair so I purposely don't dye my hair now. I might as well enjoy it while I can!

 

[lulu]

http://www.haircolorforwomen.com/breakthrough-hair-color-system/?utm_source=Outbrain&utm_medium=Angry%2BStylist&utm_campaign=Outbrain

This is interesting. You can have a hair tint specially made for you by experts to apply at home.

 

[kenny]

Thanks for all the responses.
It's wonderful to hear how many people are comfortable with their choices, which vary a great deal.

(Hindsight is 20/20 but I did guess the poll would be around 75% YES.)

 

[April20]

I've been coloring my hair since I was a teenager. I was a blonde that went to washed out brown and then I went prematurely gray. I'm about 90% gray at the crown and far more than half everywhere else. If it was silver, I might consider letting it go natural some day, but not yet.

 

[manderz]

I voted yes. I've been coloring my hair ever since my mom started giving me permission to It's been probably 14 years or so. My hair is naturally pretty dark, and the color is a little unflattering. I lighten it up just a touch, and my favorite shade has the tiniest hint of red as well. I do it myself, every couple of months, because you can't really se new growth since the two colors are so similar. I have noticed a couple of greys, but they don't really bother me. Not like you can see them, anyway.

 

[Amber St. Clare]

I'm 60 {aaccckkkk!!!} and have been dying my hair for about 3 years. It is naturally a mousey brown after being bonde for the first three decades of my life. I am currently a redhead. I have it done because with my arthritis I cannot apply it to my roots evenly and they would show. My hairdresser has told me I don't have many grey hairs but I refuse to go "natural". I figure I'll do that in my late 70s if I live that long. I also refuse to get the short "I give up" haircut. My hair is down to my shoulders and wavy/curly. All I have to do is wash it and pick it and I'm ready to go. I've asked a friend to make sure, should I die needing a touch up, that my hair is colored in my coffin.

 

[monarch64]

I answered "yes" although I do not currently dye my hair. I used to highlight and do all-over color but stopped a few years ago. I'm pretty sure I'll go back to coloring at some point in the next few years but right now I am trying to enjoy my natural brunette color while it still has a nice tone and shine. I got my first gray at 23 and typically have a sprinkling of them if I look really hard.

Advantage of being tall: it's harder for people to see your gray hair.
Disadvantage of being tall: it's easier for them to see up your nose.

 

[Black Jade]

I have very few gray hairs on my head, but as all older (40+) women know, shine and depth of color begin to fade with age.

Has anyone else found this to be true? I haven't noticed this--but maybe it's because of my aging eyes (which have deteriorated a LOT since age 40).

 

[Fly Girl]

I have very few gray hairs on my head, but as all older (40+) women know, shine and depth of color begin to fade with age.

Has anyone else found this to be true? I haven't noticed this--but maybe it's because of my aging eyes (which have deteriorated a LOT since age 40).

I did. As I indicated earlier, if I had answered Kenny's question when I was in my 20s or 30s I would have said that I would never dye my hair. I loved my natural hair color, and didn't imagine that my attitude would change. Well, it was my hair that changed, and it not just a few gray hairs that appeared, but the color faded into something that simply wasn't pretty. This happened in my 40s and I am now well into my 50s. I've had the same hairdresser since I was 30, and I just leave everything in his hands.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I dye it about twice a year. I have gray but other people don't seem to notice. My gray hair bothers my daughter.

 

[missy]

I dye my hair to get rid of the gray. I started right after I got married because that's when the gray started becoming noticeable. My mom is totally gray and never colored her hair. I think she is beautiful but it does age her IMO. I see nothing wrong with become all gray at all but right now it's not for me. My hairdresser estimates I am about 15% gray right now so maybe when I become more gray (and if it's a nice texture) I will allow myself to go natural and see how it looks. But the way it stands now it is not a good look. I am a very dark brunette and it really stands out in a not good way.

Having said that I am lazy and only get it colored every 12 weeks or so. There is a good 6 weeks where you can really see the gray but I just deal with it. Plus, I am concerned that the coloring will damage my fine curly hair further so I only want to get it done 4x a year. Sort of like a compromise.

 

[missy]

I dye it about twice a year. I have gray but other people don't seem to notice. My gray hair bothers my daughter.

Isn't that funny how we are most critical of our loved ones and things that wouldn't bother us at all on our friends become an issue if it involves our family. In the beginning I was trying to get my mom to just let my hairdresser color her hair once but she wouldn't budge. Now I am more accepting because I realize it is simply none of my business!
My mom doesn't even go to a hairdresser and she cuts her hair herself...she really could use a professional cut but since she wears her hair back you cannot notice she does it herself.

 

[innerkitten]

I have a little gray hair at 40. Enough to want to cover it up. I'm using cover the gray henna. It's not as harsh as most hair dyes because it's just plants. The colors are limited though. I use a light copper brown.

 

[kenny]

I dye it about twice a year. I have gray but other people don't seem to notice. My gray hair bothers my daughter.

Isn't that funny how we are most critical of our loved ones and things that wouldn't bother us at all on our friends become an issue if it involves our family. In the beginning I was trying to get my mom to just let my hairdresser color her hair once but she wouldn't budge. Now I am more accepting because I realize it is simply none of my business!
My mom doesn't even go to a hairdresser and she cuts her hair herself...she really could use a professional cut but since she wears her hair back you cannot notice she does it herself.

It never ceases to astonish me how we treat family members worse than strangers.

 

[missy]

I dye it about twice a year. I have gray but other people don't seem to notice. My gray hair bothers my daughter.

Isn't that funny how we are most critical of our loved ones and things that wouldn't bother us at all on our friends become an issue if it involves our family. In the beginning I was trying to get my mom to just let my hairdresser color her hair once but she wouldn't budge. Now I am more accepting because I realize it is simply none of my business!
My mom doesn't even go to a hairdresser and she cuts her hair herself...she really could use a professional cut but since she wears her hair back you cannot notice she does it herself.

It never ceases to astonish me how we treat family members worse than strangers.

Well, you know that saying "we only hurt those we love". I guess there is some truth in it unfortunately...
I think it has to do with the fact that you care more when it is a family member or someone you love and so you are more critical of them because you want (what you think that is) what is best for them and unfortunately boundaries are not fully respected. I try to learn from all my mistakes and it is a learning process as I go through life. I know I will never fully be there but I will keep doing my best to become a better person.