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

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

  • Yes

    Votes: 72 75.0%
  • No

    Votes: 24 25.0%

  • Total voters
    96
  • Poll closed .

Dancing Fire

Super_Ideal_Rock
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yes,to green.. :praise:
 

Maria D

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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).

Now I am 50 and have gone lighter in color (L'Oreal Excellence Creme #6X Light Brown, available at Sally's). I touch up the roots every 3 weeks. It takes me about 15 mins to get the dye in because I am a pro at it. I should be, I've been doing it for 20 years! The only PITA part about it is the last couple of days I feel like my roots are too obvious (my daughter, who is brutally honest thinks I'm too paranoid) and I have to do this zig-zag part thing to hide it. I would be silvery white if I didn't dye it. It's really hard for me to imagine having such light hair. All my life I've identified as a dark brunette so the thought of having beyond blonde light hair is kind of jarring.

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!
 

Skippy123

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Yssie|1333401091|3161914 said:
Skippy|1333400060|3161904 said:
I only have like 5 gray hairs but when I have more I plan to dye them.


I have this mobile patch on my head that sprouts little groups of five, ten grey hairs. It always stays on *top* of my head so I can never be sure that I've yanked everything without having DH help... Once it's cleared odds are good that the hair there will grow back black, and the patch migrates.

DH has decreed that he will no longer help me yank my grey hairs. He says I should just let my hair grow whatever colour it wants and stop stressing... if I let them grow out I'd look like a skunk. So, um, no.

lol about looking like a skunk; I bet you don't. Mine aren't in a group so it is random where they show up! I use to have like 3 of them but then I had my twins and a couple more sprouted! lol Oh well! My grandma had dark hair for a long time before she started getting gray hair so I think I might be like her? I notice my sister is the same way.

My mom dyes her hair at home but I think if she didn't she would look a lot older. My dad has gray but he has a lot of dark too and he will be 80 next month so I am amazed that his hair stayed dark for soooooo long! Maybe it is genetic?
 

Dancing Fire

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jaysonsmom|1333406148|3161990 said:
Skippy|1333400060|3161904 said:
I only have like 5 gray hairs but when I have more I plan to dye them.


RIght now I pluck them out.
my wife do the same,and i told her she'll be bald soon... :lol:
 

Octavia

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makemepretty|1333405815|3161985 said:
Is it a lot of work...sure is. But so is shaving, plucking, grooming, etc. So worth it though.

Hmm...I rarely pluck and shave only under duress (except my underarms, which take three seconds). Fortunately, my hubby hates artifice and prefers me just the way I am, except when my legs get too hairy and he feels like he's living with a yeti, haha.

I might have nightmares tonight about sitting in the salon with dye bottles and tinfoil coming at me from all directions.
 

diamondringlover

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I dont know if I have gray hair or not, I have been highlighting/dying since 2004, it was still brown when I first started dying it :wink2: now its a nice shade of dishwater blond.
 

Black Jade

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Don't know, it's all about how I look once they come in significant numbers. If I have 'pretty' grey hair, I'm keeping it. If its some off color, yellowish or something, then I'll dye.

right now I'm 55 and have maybe 10-20 grey hairs so I'm not stressing about it.

My dad died at 70 and had no significant grey hair yet. You could see he wasn't dying it because he did have slight sprinkles here and there but the effect was still that it was black. It looked fine because he didn't really look his age but about 20 years younger. (Lucky genetics). This was never an issue, except when other people similar in age found out that he was a lot older than he looked. Then they always questioned his hair color.

I may turn out like that and I may turn out like my mom, who went grey late also but still dyes it at age 80 because she couldn't stand how it came in. She dyes it a kind of reddish color (it was black before), it looks nice. I haven't seen her with her grey--she says its awful.

I think it depends whether grey hair ages you or not. My brother in law who is over 60 is the only one who dyes his hair in my husbands family--the others are all grey, including my husband who is very salt and pepper at this point. Everyone takes him for the youngest brother at this point. he is shorter and very slim with a boyish kind of build and he doesn't really have wrinkles. But I like how my husband looks better. I think he has more gravitas with his grey hair and his more solid and powerful build.

This isn't entirely a male female thing--my college roomate is all grey now and she looks just LOVELY. Her hair looks like pure silver. She was always very beautiful--tall and slim and elegant with this Dionne Warwick type face and with that beautiful hair it way doesn't matter whether she looks over 50 or not--she just is still beautiful. People compliment her all the time--like, strangers on the street-- and say that they wished they dared do the same. But I never get this thing where 'old' ladies are automatically not beautiful in the US because they are old. I actually know a lot of extremely good-looking old ladies, so I don't get why people fear this stage of life. If you are in good health and good shape and dress well if you were beautiful before, I think you mostly stay beautiful, just older. And some people were plain looking when young and then develop into pretty old ladies--aging suits them. I don't see why its so scary and I'm not scared.

Anyone ever seen this model

http://firstcomesfashion.com/news/theyre-baaaack-are-older-models-one-trends-fall-2011

she is all grey but certainly not ugly. She is in her seventies, I believe and you can tell but so what.
 

rainwood

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I had my hair colored for years - not to cover up gray but to get rid of the dingy brown/dark dishwater blonde color it was naturally. I stopped doing that while my husband was going through a stem-cell transplant because I didn't have the time to get to the salon. I now have enough gray (not a lot, but some) that my hair is lighter and I've decided to grow it out naturally. I'm going to rock the silver from now on. Like Lulu, I consider them natural highlights and enjoy the time and money I'm saving.

I also disagree that coloring one's hair always makes you look younger. My neighbor across the street was in her early 70's and had always dyed her hair. She ended up going through chemo and lost all her hair then let it grow back in the natural silver. Her short, silver hair made her look 10 years younger than her "old lady" dyed hair, and I told her that often.
 

Asscherhalo_lover

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I'm only 26, my hair started changing about 3 years ago. I have always colored my hair because I like it be a bit darker. Now I just color it more frequently, about every 2-3 months. I do it myself for now but if it comes to the point where it looks bad I'll seek professional help, until then it's garnier for me!
 

kenny

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VapidLapid|1333404625|3161972 said:
Some of us have no hair to dye


Do you have any idea how hard it is to create the perfect poll? :D
 

HollyS

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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.

For a few years now, I've put a semi-permanent color on my hair. I keep it close to my original color, and go darker in the winter and lighter in the summer. I get good coverage and natural-looking highlights by applying it to wet hair, using a wide tooth comb to apply, and leaving it on for 15 minutes instead of the recommended 10. Since this product (L'Oreal Healthy Look) has no ammonia or peroxide, it doesn't damage my hair or turn it an odd shade of orange or anything.

300.jpg

400.jpg
 

ZahraLeyla

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I am 27 and have been colouring my hair to cover greys for about five years now. I first noticed grey hairs when I was about 12, and it has progressed from there. The majority of my greys are concentrated at the front of my hair, so they're more noticeable than they might be if they were underneath or near the nape of my neck.

I have my roots dyed professionally every four weeks to make sure that the grey doesn't become too noticeable. My mother is Iranian, and went grey quite early as well. Unfortunately for me, I seem to have her grey hair genes. My father is Australian and still has sandy blonde hair with a smattering of grey. My sister, only two years younger than me, has no grey hair at all :Up_to_something:

I fully plan on rocking the Cruella DeVille look when I'm a bit older, but I don't think that I can pull it off at this stage of my life.
 

Enerchi

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I wish I had the courage to stop dying it.

It started so simply as "just highlights" ... yeah... I got suck in from then on! They grow out, the few mousy greys start to appear... more and more start to take a foothold, then the sultry lure of 'fresh/bright/colourful hair', sings it song and just like the SIRENs of the sea (:twisted: ) ... I'm in the shop starting that downward slope to an eternity of colouring my hair. I am so weak... I have no self control :oops:

but every 8 weeks, I look AMAZING!!! (broke, but amazing!)
 

TravelingGal

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My mom did look younger with dyed hair...probably because she's Korean and she just dyed it dark brown and it didn't look unnatural. Still, I think she looks more beautiful with gray hair.

Since I'll probably go gray (the choices are gray or bald, right?), I am not dying now because of the whole boiling a frog theory. If I dye dye and dye, then one day decide I don't want to dye anymore....the shock of seeing how much gray I really do have might freak me out. But if I just live the way I am and they slowly come in, little by little, I might be OK with eventually being really gray.

Might.
 

Enerchi

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Keep thinking that way, TGal!!! ;)) :Up_to_something:

I too had that same theory! :bigsmile:
 

stargurl78

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I'll be 30 this year and I have about 3-4 grey hairs that I pull every time they start to grow in. I don't currently dye my hair but I'm assuming I will once they really start to grow in.
 

TravelingGal

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Enerchi|1333410925|3162052 said:
Keep thinking that way, TGal!!! ;)) :Up_to_something:

I too had that same theory! :bigsmile:

Yeah, I know. You'll see me in the drugstore in the hairdye aisle in about 2021.... ;(
 

canuk-gal

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HI:

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

cheers--Sharon
 

iLander

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TravelingGal|1333410793|3162048 said:
My mom did look younger with dyed hair...probably because she's Korean and she just dyed it dark brown and it didn't look unnatural. Still, I think she looks more beautiful with gray hair.

Since I'll probably go gray (the choices are gray or bald, right?), I am not dying now because of the whole boiling a frog theory. If I dye dye and dye, then one day decide I don't want to dye anymore....the shock of seeing how much gray I really do have might freak me out. But if I just live the way I am and they slowly come in, little by little, I might be OK with eventually being really gray.

Might.

What? :confused:

What are we doing to the poor frog and why?
 

rubybeth

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I am 30 and have some grey popping up already, and I do not plan on spending a single penny making it look like something it's not. :bigsmile: My mom has a lovely head full of silver hair, so if it ultimately turns out anything like hers, I'll be happy.

ETA: I should also add, my DH has at least 5 times as much grey as I do (same age) and I think it looks very nice against his dark hair.
 

Lotus99

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I haven't found a gray hair yet, thankfully. I'll wait to see what it looks like to decide if I want to dye it or not. It might look nice, it might look horrible. It might not happen until I'm in my 60s. If that's the case, I may just leave it.

I doubt I'll do the pink/blue/purple tint thing the old ladies did in the 70s.

My husband has been gray since his 30s. I think he looks fine, but he doesn't like it.
 

isaku5

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I had been a "bottle blond" for many years as I hated my natural mousy brown look. A few years ago I had waited too long between touch ups and saw that while most of my hair showed brown, a section at the front was grey. The shampoo girl commented that maybe I should let it go a little longer and if it looked horrible, I could always colour it. Well, I sort of liked the look as did DH, but DDIL was appalled and didn't hesitate to speak up. I looked at DS who didn't say a word, bless his heart :love: .

Except for a section at the bottom of the back, I'm completely grey to white. When I don't like that look, I'll start colouring again. Simple: my hair, my choice. :bigsmile:
 

madelise

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kenny|1333403972|3161961 said:
$6 once a month, and it only takes 20 minutes? Hmmmmmmmm. :idea: :Up_to_something: :idea: :Up_to_something: :idea:
And, yeah now that you mention it the fume that makes me gag is probably ammonia. :knockout:


The box dye I used to go brunette was $2.99 a box. :D Revlon, too!

ETA: AND it was ammonia free : )
 

Autumnovember

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I'll probably dye my hair for the rest of my life....its FUN to me. Love changing my look with different hair colors. I love going to the salon too. However, I doubt I'd be dying it at the salon if I had to pay full price. 8)
 

TravelingGal

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iLander|1333413417|3162080 said:
TravelingGal|1333410793|3162048 said:
My mom did look younger with dyed hair...probably because she's Korean and she just dyed it dark brown and it didn't look unnatural. Still, I think she looks more beautiful with gray hair.

Since I'll probably go gray (the choices are gray or bald, right?), I am not dying now because of the whole boiling a frog theory. If I dye dye and dye, then one day decide I don't want to dye anymore....the shock of seeing how much gray I really do have might freak me out. But if I just live the way I am and they slowly come in, little by little, I might be OK with eventually being really gray.

Might.

What? :confused:

What are we doing to the poor frog and why?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boiling_frog
 

Dreamer_D

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My mom let her hair go frey in her 50s. Then after about 5 years she colored it. And she looked -- no joke -- 5 - 10 years younger.

Hells yeah I am coloring my hair if/when it goes grey.
 

Begonia

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Nope.

I'm 45 and have a really short do. Think pixie cut.

I used to put in some highlights to blend in with the dark brown and emerging white hair. Just to fool people :bigsmile: .

The white coming is is a lovely silver and looks nice (IMO) with my short dark hair, so I stopped highlighting. My hairdresser tells me I've got it all wrong and I should be dying. Mind you she loves the 150+ dollars she gets every month too when I highlight.

I'm staying with the silver, whoops platinum, for now methinks. I kinda like it, and being low maintenance is important to me.

I'm not above going after those wrinkles with all that I can however. Not that low maintenance.
 

yssie

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kenny

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I think we should all take after Dame Edna Everage and push frontier of the Blue Rinse.
Plus then we could get away with wearing 80-carat diamonds and sapphires.

Dame Edna with gladiolus.jpg
 

Gothgrrl

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I voted no. When I was 11 I had lots of grey. Two streaks in front and one in back. I was teased a lot growing up. I started coloring it at 13 and as I got close to turning 40 I have stopped. My hair is still very black with the grey (which I now like)

I was hoping it would all turn grey so I could tell those who teased me that I was a witch and I'm going to put a curse on them. LOL.
 
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