Re: DECIDING TO LET HAIR GROW OUT GREY

Lucky Charm · ‎03-09-2010

My hair is long. So I would have to do a one inch length cut because I couldn't stand letting it grow out.

So that would be a shocker on too (2) many levels to too many people.

I HATE seeing grey in my part. It's just ugly.

But I LOVE seeing the silvery, platinum, white when I push my bangs back. It's beautiful.

But it's the mousey brown/grey mix covering the rest of my head. Blah.

I feel like my face and my features would look good with the silver platinum hair though.

italia8140 · ‎10-24-2015

@ID2 wrote:
@Phantom41 wrote:
They will have to pry the hair color from my cold dead hands! I refuse to get up every morning and look at grey hair! To me, it's one of the easiest things to keep up with. I never look at anyone with grey hair and think "wow, she looks so young!"

Absolutely 100% the way I feel too! You'll never see me purposely make myself look 10-20 years older. With a box of hair color, you can hold on to your youth practically effortlessly. If you don't care to make the most of your looks then go as gray as you want. Me? NEVER.

ITA! LOL at women who don't think gray hair is aging.

italia8140 · ‎10-24-2015

@Phantom41 wrote:
They will have to pry the hair color from my cold dead hands! I refuse to get up every morning and look at grey hair! To me, it's one of the easiest things to keep up with. I never look at anyone with grey hair and think "wow, she looks so young!"

NEVER. Ages them at least 10 years older.

joannecha · ‎04-06-2010

I'd give you my story, but my best advice to you is the book or website, "Going Gray and Looking Great" (sorry, can't remember the author). She gives excellent advice on this subject. On the website, you can put in your two cents along with others who are going through the timing of this the same as you. Worst case=you hate it & start coloring again. I had a very positive experience, but remember that everyone's different. You will want to tweak your makeup along with paying attention to what colors you wear that are now the kiss of death on you. Good luck and have fun with the process.

River Song · ‎03-15-2010

I just had the last of the permanent haircolor cut off a couple of days ago and my hair is finally back to its natural color after 19 months of grow-out.

My natural color is medium brown and I colored it a warmer brown, one color, no fancy highlights or lowlights, so that I could color it myself.

The crown has grown in as 50/50 salt and pepper and the sides and back are medium brown with a few strands of gray here and there.

I started with a shoulder length bob and, yes, I had a skunk stripe. Doing massive highlights, like blondes can do when growing out their gray, would've meant a lot of bleaching to lift the dark color and I feared that it would be too damaging and my hair would break off.

My hair stylist suggested weaving in some skinny streaks on the crown to distract from the skunk stripe and this did involve lengthy bleaching to get the streaks to the pale yellow inside-banana-peel color before using a purple toner on them to make them more whilte. I used one of those Oscar Biondi hair color pens to weave in some dark stripes in the skunk stripe so that the streaks blended better.

With dark hair, there really is no good way to grow out the gray without a skunk stripe, sorry. You have to make up your mind that you are committed to the process and accept the skunk stripe as part of the deal. If you can't accept the skunk stripe, then keep coloring your hair and accept the tyranny of getting the roots done every three to four weeks. It's your choice. Also keep in mind that you are the only one obsessing about your hair color, no one else really cares in the grand scheme of life.

I had my hair cut shorter a few times to speed the process along but just had a much shorter haircut (like a Sharon Stone layered cut) to get rid of the last of the reddish brown on the ends. My hair color is now much more cool and ashy with the gray.

What I didn't realize is that the gray hair reflects a cooler color onto my skintone and that I had to do a major overhaul of my makeup. Not just tweaks, major changes from warm to neutral color foundation, concealor, blush and lipstick. It was a PITA to figure out my new makeup colors, lots of returns of makeup to Walgreens and Ulta, lol. Thank goodness they accept returns of opened makeup. I do not feel the gray hair has washed out my complexion after the makeup color overhaul and I feel the new makeup colors look better and more natural. Next on the agenda is to go through my wardrobe and cull out the colors that no longer suite my new coloring.

To color your hair or go gray is a highly individual decision. A few years ago, I thought I would never stop coloring my hair. I'm 59, my face is starting to fall, lol, and I've made peace with the fact that I'm one of the millions of aging Boomers. Coloring my hair wasn't making me look 10 years younger!

Do I love my natural hair, gray and all? Not sure, yet. But I do feel more authentic (secure) about who I am, where I am in life and the whole aging thing. No more angst about trying to look younger, such a waste of time and energy. It has truly been freeing!

Brittany-QVC · ‎06-14-2015

Moved:

This post has been removed by QVC. Unkind.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

It doesn't bother me at all if someone wants to color their hair or not color their hair. As Violann said - who cares - but what does bother me are those who come here and say ridiculous drivell like it will age you 20 years or you have given up on yourself etc etc etc. That is a pile of krap and anyone with half a brain knows it.

aprilskies · ‎03-09-2010

I agree. I dont understand why simple conversations always resort to insulting swinging. I thought this was good topic because I do consider going grey and havent been able to pull the trigger. So, hearing other people's perspective is always helpful. But everything seems to come down to the two sides of right and wrong. I see many ladies with white hair and think how liberating. It may not be for everyone but there is nothing wrong with it either.

AnotherView2 · ‎06-19-2011

I think almost all women look good regardless of their choice to color or to go gray in their middle age since usually they are confident in their particular choice and then that reflects in their confident attitude toward the world. In other words, they "own" their decision. Doing your own thing is a good thing.

The only ones who look "out of place" to me are the women who color way past their time to be coloring. An example would be somebody still coloring at age 75, 80, etc. The inevitable facial droop/settling along with a vibrant shade of blonde, brown, black, red, etc. looks way off kilter to my eye.

Before anyone posts Sophia Loren or Jane Fonda photos and how good they look with haircolor at their age, ask yourself first if they would look the same way without a private makeup artist, a stylist, maybe a wig, and plastic surgery and then ask yourself what normal people, not celebs, have the kind of money to pull that off semi successfully. I say only semi successfully because they still look like they are trying too hard for their age and look out of place and off kilter to me.

What a burden that would be at that age to be so uncomfortable in your own skin that you had to constantly contort your appearance every time you go out in public. I don't envy them at all. I would never trade places...

June222 · ‎06-15-2015

@italia8140 wrote:
@Phantom41 wrote:
They will have to pry the hair color from my cold dead hands! I refuse to get up every morning and look at grey hair! To me, it's one of the easiest things to keep up with. I never look at anyone with grey hair and think "wow, she looks so young!"
NEVER. Ages them at least 10 years older.

@italia8140 I have to disagree with both of you.. but we all can have opinions on this and remain friends .....

I think the same thing when I see an older woman with dark hair that is obviously colored as you can see the gray peaking through... it makes her look like she is trying too hard... and the fake dark coloring ages them just the same... or the fake blond tones... when it is obvious they are grey. If it makes you feel like you look younger.. that is fine, but, you are not fooling anyone dyeing your gray hair. You still look your age.