Beauty

[violann]

Only my opinion- Cheryl's hair is growing out of Cheryl's head. 

The choice of what she is doing with it belongs exclusively 100% to CHERYL.

[violann]

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@motherinlaw wrote:

My hairdresser insists on keeping my hair colored/highlighted. She,too, says it keeps years off your face.  Who am I to argue? 

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The grower/owner of YOUR hair?

[Gerry S]

I could not agree more. I stopped coloring my hair this summer. It took two short haircuts to remove all the colored hair. I did this several years ago but I went back to coloring due to a change in the natural color of my hair changing. I think it was due to my medication. I now feel free again of not coloring it  and not sitting in the salon again for a couple of hours. Also with the money I saved I can spend it on other things.I am 68 years old and I do receive compliments on my hair. I know this does not work for everyone.

[violann]

MANY posts that appear here about "riight to dye" make claims that begin with "all women" "all gray hair" "all long gray hair" "all women over (whatever age)" "all (WHATEVER)" and therefore they are meaningless, because there is not ONE WOMAN HERE who knows EVERY WOMAN ALIVE TODAY WITH GRAY HAIR.

I believe that in the field of journalism, this technique is referred to as "glittering generalities". Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

It is attempting to make a point by implying that in every case, something is always true.

Using myself as an example, there is NO WAY that I am capable of or able to look my age. I have always ALWAYS SINCE PUBERTY lookd 5-10 years older than my CA.

Gray hair, short hair, long hair, dyed hair, ALWAYS. Compliments when I wear certain wigs because my look is DIFFERENT. 

Speak for yourself. Only you really know what goes on inside your head and not what's growing out of it.

[vermint]

I so wish this gray vs. color debate would stop! I chose to let my hair go gray about 3 years ago, when I was 58 . It was a dark brown with natural auburn highlights when I was younger. I colored--both at the salon and at home--for years. I just couldn't imagine myself with lighter hair! Most of the time, my color looked good to me. Then my hair started getting dryer and duller looking--nothing helped, really. I took a deep breath, and asked my stylist for highlights, telling her that I wanted to eventually see just how gray my hair really was. She highlighted it about 3 times over a year, then just put a toner on it til everything was grown out. I now have what I consider a very pretty mix of gray/silver/brown that I'm really happy with. My hair is shiny, silky and healthy now! I keep it styled and get regular cuts. Even my stylist says my hair is beautiful and she sees no need to color it--as long as I am happy with the way it looks, which I am!

For myself, I find it very freeing NOT to color my hair, but that's just me. We should all do what makes us the most confident!

[Trix]

@Ebonysmom123, you nailed it.  Gray hair is one feature an older model can offer a client which her younger competition cannot.  If a client is seeking a mature aged woman for be for presentation modeling, print ad etc., the gray hair is an asset -- not a flaw to be criticized. 

Work opportunities aside, some women simply prefer to not regularly use chemical hair dye in order to maintain another color.  

[SeaMaiden]

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@Chisos wrote:
I'm 62 and have coloring my hair since about 40. I do it myself and use Preferance Medium Golden Brown. My hair colors very dark and it does not look particularly natural but I cannot bring myself to go natural/gray. The thought of it terrifies me. I am fine with my age and skin but I just cannot see myself with no color on my hair.

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@Chisos and no one says you have to. Color away!  It is an individual choice. 

[SeaMaiden]

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@sonechko wrote:

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@SeaMaiden wrote:

I chose to quit coloring my hair at age 57. The expense to color, the toxic chemicals used to color...the time I spent coloring are just a few reasons why I chose to stop coloring.  Now 60, I love my white hair. It is healthy, shiny, and not damaged from all  the chemicals in the color. Most woman who chose to stop or to not color are happy in their own skin. And you are a fool if you think coloring your hair makes people think you are younger.  

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I agree with this @SeaMaiden. I can't help but notice, that after a certain age, covering grey becomes like swimming against the current. The current of time that is! One can't win does not matter how hard she may be trying.

Not only it's more and more difficult to cover increasing grey, not only bleach and dyes cause by far more damage to the older hair, but most importantly -  color itself on the older hair does not look very good or flattering any longer!

This looks rather pitiful in my opinion. All I can see -

THIS older hair is obviously bleached or colored! And I can spot it from miles away......

I know-I know, I'll get a barrage of comments about their colorist doing great job and such......

All I see, everywhere I look - an  older lady with colored hair looks just like an older lady with her hair bleached or colored. She does not look a DAY younger in my eyes.

To me, what looks more youthful and even striking, is a Lady with her "natural" any shade of grey, AND with well kept face and great looking skin.

In this case  -  grey hair puts emphasis on Lady's face, and in a contrast -

grey hair + nice skin = striking effect!

In my opinion THIS makes woman looking younger and more "interesting", than "unnatural", but still - dull lifeless, obviously dyed older hair.

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@sonechko  Beautifully put.  I was swimming against the current. as you put it..... my hair was damaged and dry from having to apply color every two weeks  or I looked like a skunk with white stripes.  And the white was resistant to the color!!  I just came to a point of letting nature take the course it was saying it wanted to go...  so I cut my hair short and have been growing it out long for the past 3 years white in all it's glory!! And surprise! I have silver white hair that I get more complements on than when I colored!  Now I just wash and style and go... no hours put aside for coloring or having to apply messy powders to cover temporarty the grow in. FREEDOM!

[sonechko]

Precisely, @SeaMaiden! Actually I still was fighting my increasing amount of grey, while I happened to start noticing OTHER ladies!

I would still be coloring, if I did not take a notice of THEM! Does not matter, if they colored blond, brown or red, the end result looked rather awful to my eyes on the older hair.

Then I started to notice ladies with grey or greying hair, especially those, who could wear it right, and wear color of clothing beautifying their "natural" hair color also. Regardless of what others may say - I did see a Beauty in them and I could sense that they feel quite comfortable in their skin. I also noticed, how much shinier and healthier their hair looked by comparison with hair of those, who were still "preserving their youth". 

I stopped coloring at this point. I do like my hair much-much better this way, and of course - it is much healthier now.

I still did not give up completely on the idea of some gentle wash or something, I do not know what, but maybe, just maybe in the future. I'll see about that.

Unlike you, SeaMaiden, I did not cut my hair short, and it still has lots of various "hues" too! But I am so much happier now, then when I was coloring grey with blond highlights. Good riddance!

[suzyQ3]

Personally, I see nothing beautifully put in the following comment from a poster:

"Not only it's more and more difficult to cover increasing grey, not only bleach and dyes cause by far more damage to the older hair, but most importantly -  color itself on the older hair does not look very good or flattering any longer!

This looks rather pitiful in my opinion. All I can see -

THIS older hair is obviously bleached or colored! And I can spot it from miles away......"

What I see in this statement are insults. Those like me who have posted that we color our hair have not, with maybe only a couple exceptions, said anything insulting about those who go gray, other than the indisputable fact that gray hair is a sign of age.

That is NOT an insult but a fact. Some embrace it; others choose not to. What is difficult about understanding the concept of choice without rudeness.  If it's defensiveness, no need whatsoever.