Is it common for guys to dye their grey hair?

[Dancing Fire]

 

[Queenie60]

Can't get my husband to do it! He's quite grey and would look at least 5 years younger if he died the hair?

 

[momhappy]

Some do. Some don't. I don't know how common it is, but I'm sure it depends on personal preference, where you live, lifestyle, etc. I prefer it as long as it's done tastefully - I've seen some really strange colors that are obvious bad dye jobs and I'd almost rather see the gray hair than that. Looking somewhat "natural" is the key

 

[asscherisme]

I think its less common, but I think often when its done, its a home job so its obvious and bad. My ex- husband colored his hair and it looked HORRIBLE. Like he stuck his head in black shoe-polish. Blech.

I prefer natural and men who don't color their hair.

 

[tuffyluvr]

Some do. Some don't. I don't know how common it is, but I'm sure it depends on personal preference, where you live, lifestyle, etc. I prefer it as long as it's done tastefully - I've seen some really strange colors that are obvious bad dye jobs and I'd almost rather see the gray hair than that. Looking somewhat "natural" is the key

Agree--a family friend is a perfect example of this: he has the weirdest, most unnatural burgundy color and when the color is fresh his scalp looks really stained. I also used to work with a guy who was in his 70s and dyed his hair jet black. It looked too harsh and unnatural, and if he was going for a natural look I think he would have pulled it off if he went 3-4 shades lighter.

I think men frequently don't pull off color because they often just go out and buy a box of color to do at home. Home color is fine, but, when first learning about color, a professional colorist is your best friend since they can teach you the subtleties of what makes color flattering (if warm or cool compliments your skin tone, what shade is most flattering, etc).

 

[jordyonbass]

I'm sure it's probably more common for it to be lost altogether than dyed, at least it is within guys my age group which is around the 25-30 years old group. Once that happens the color is irrelevant as it's usually a shaved head from then on!

I've gotten a few salt and peppers in my beard in the last 12 months, I'm thinking it's stress-related if anything as I don't feel like any wisdom has been bestowed upon me in that time

 

[december-fire]

I've told the man in my life that if he dyes his hair I'll dump him.

 

[telephone89]

Ever heard of 'just for men' or 'Grecian 5'? It is not uncommon.

 

[monarch64]

Love my silver fox. No way I'd let him dye it!

 

[kenny]

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/29/image/la-ig-mens-hair-color-20120129

Partial Snip:

More men coloring their hair
An increasing number of men are dyeing their hair, whether to cover up gray for professional reasons or just to look cool.
January 29, 2012|By Kavita Daswani | Special to the Los Angeles Times

For most men, it's about staying competitive in a youth-focused workplace. For others, it's a need to keep up with new young wives. And for some, well, they just like the sleek black tops on those "Jersey Shore" boys.

These are among the reasons stylists say that more men — including those in their late 40s and older and those at senior corporate levels — are dyeing their hair, shedding the shame that was once attached to the practice. Hair salons across the board — from inexpensive chains to ritzy Beverly Hills places — are noticing a rise in the number of men coming in for color treatments, hoping that covering the gray will help them hang onto jobs or put them on the fast-track at work.

"I started noticing it when the recession kicked in and people were losing their jobs," said Nancy Braun, color director for Beverly Hills salon Rossano Ferretti. "Every year another 5% or 10% come in" over the year before.

The percentage of American men coloring their hair increased from 2% to 7% between 1999 and 2010, according to New Jersey-based Multi-sponsor Surveys, a market research firm, and 11% of men ages 50 to 64 now color their hair.


Doug Macintosh, colorist at John Sahag Workshop in New York, says his clients tell him they want to hide gray hair for fear of being laid off. "They are afraid of looking too old," he said. "But they also don't want the gray completely covered, or else it looks fake."

 

[monarch64]

Ok, let me get this straight--I need to schedule an appointment to cut all my hair off when I turn 40, and my husband needs to start dyeing his hair so he looks younger.

Mutton dressed as lamb...but it's ok for men to dye their hair to look younger??? Seriously, WTF.

 

[kenny]

Ok, let me get this straight--I need to schedule an appointment to cut all my hair off when I turn 40, and my husband needs to start dyeing his hair so he looks younger.

Mutton dressed as lamb...but it's ok for men to dye their hair to look younger??? Seriously, WTF.

Yes, now your finally getting with the program.
We must fear what is natural.

 

[AdaBeta27]

Is it common? Living in a rural area, I'd say it's virtually unheard of. But I think more men should consider haircolor as an option. Why not.

 

[kenny]

Is it common? Living in a rural area, I'd say it's virtually unheard of. But I think more men should consider haircolor as an option. Why not.

Why not? Since you asked ...

I do not fear what I naturally look like.
People my age look my age.
If someone has a problem with that ... oh never mind.

I do not want to contribute to the BS that only young people matter so we must fight nature as we age.
I'm exposed to enough chemicals without applying optional ones to my scalp one centimeter from my brain every week for 30 years.
You have to keep re-dying it as the gray roots grow out, condemning one to a lifetime of obligation to keep up the ruse that you are not aging.
I don't want to stress of squinting into the mirror every morning to see if anyone can tell that the roots are coming out again. I have enough stress in my life, thank you very much.

I'm not calling people who dye their hair pathetic, but I'd feel pathetic if I dyed mine.
I'd feel like I lost a war, the war over self acceptance.

I reject the messages from TV, films and advertising telling us we must look 21 for 60 years.
They just want us to be ashamed of what is natural so they can sell us stuff.
It works ... fabulously.

The psychological implications are the main reason I would not dye my hair.
I've worked hard to accept my true and natural self.
This is a hot button issue for me, clearly.
Being raised in the 50s/60s in hate-filled anti-gay midwest America I'm very conscious of society-induced self-loathing.

Oh, and I repeat, this applies only to me.
YMMV, since people vary.

 

[monarch64]

Is it common? Living in a rural area, I'd say it's virtually unheard of. But I think more men should consider haircolor as an option. Why not.

Maybe more men would if more men had more hair.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Is it common? Living in a rural area, I'd say it's virtually unheard of. But I think more men should consider haircolor as an option. Why not.

Maybe more men would if more men had more hair.

I have a lot of hair but I have had only dyed my hair twice and that was 4 yrs ago.

 

[packrat]

JD shaves his head. If he didn't, he'd be mostly gray I'm sure..he was getting some grays before he started shaving his head, and his beard has a LOT of gray in it. He wouldn't dye it tho, and I wouldn't let him. When we did Le Mis two summers ago, a guy I used to work for was in it, and he's I'd say about 10 years older than I. He grew a beard and dyed it and his hair for his part and I about fell off my chair laughing the first time I saw him. I asked what his wife thought and he was like WHY would a man ever do this? It looks ridiculous and she HATES IT!

 

[missy]

I don't know if it is common for guys to dye their hair but I can share that from my personal experience no it is not common. Personally, I don't know any man who dyes his hair. My dh has a head full of dark blonde hair and if he starts going grey I am not even sure I would be able to tell lucky him with his light hair and I know he would never consider dyeing it.

I think it is "cool" to accept yourself however you are and self acceptance goes a long way to personal happiness. IMO. It can certainly be challenging as we get older to accept what time brings but I look at it like this. We have earned every wrinkle and grey hair that comes our way and while we want to look our personal best (however that is interpreted by each individual) it is also great to accept who we are on the outside while always striving to make who we are on the inside the best we can be. Because it is who we are on the inside that truly matters.

 

[PintoBean]

Haha reminds me of thanksgiving dinner when everyone had left and it was just me, DH and the in-laws. We segued from discussing how often MIL dyes her hair to FIL talking about how he dyes his mustache because it's so silver white it's barely visible on him, and that it took a bit of trial and error with different shades and timing to get it just right so that it's just tinted enough to be visible. One time he left it on too long and it turned a dark brown, my SIL caught sight of it, couldn't stop laughing, and my embarrassed FIL quickly shaved it off at least he can laugh about it now

 

[cflutist]

Hubby (websailor) does not and is naturally gray. His late father did, his younger brother does.
Had one of our Indian software engineers come in once with orange hair (dye job gone bad?)

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

When I see Paul McCartney--I just say, well, no thanks.

cheers--Sharon

 

[PintoBean]

Hubby (websailor) does not and is naturally gray. His late father did, his younger brother does.
Had one of our Indian software engineers come in once with orange hair (dye job gone bad?)

The orange could be from using henna to dye hair.

 

[Bonfire]

Probably not as common as for women. One of those societal pressures on women to look young. But I have to say, men as a whole look great with grey hair!