I have naturally dark brown hair, back in my 20s i dyed it ( nothing drastic just different shades of red/brown), just for a change. In my 30s i started getting some grey around my temple area so i kept dying it. Now i'm in my early 40s and dying seems like such a pain in the butt. My husband has never said anything so its been my own vanity. So my question is, Has anyone just gone with the grey?

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"Never loan your car to someone you have given birth too"

I have long dark brown hair that has gray streaks in it. Never have dyed my hair. Just let it be natural.
Dh says it looks like tinsel on a Christmas tree.

When I was younger,I used to pay to get my hair streaked with grey.Now I am older,and the streaks are free,and I don't cover them up.

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People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life. - Faith Resnick

There is absolutely nothing wrong with going natural.

I am a firm believer in doing what makes you feel best. If you're comfortable with having grey, then let it be. If you're somewhat self-conscious about it, take the appropriate measures to feel better about your outward appearance because eventually you will feel better inside as well. It's all in how YOU feel about YOURSELF.

However, I am a hairstylist, so I thought I would share some 'less' troublesome tips if you would like to go natural, but cover up for special occasions or just for a change:

You can get a really 'good' colored mousse to use for above. (which only lasts until shampooing)

You can also get a temporary rinse, that will last a couple days at a time, bottle/people say that it lasts a week or so, but it's just not true.

Another Thought.... if you would rather cover up with minimal maintence, your best bet would be to consult a 'real' cosmetologist who is an expert in color (which I am). I have never seen you before, but will pose an example: Let's say your NATURAL hair color is brown in color. Next you have to assess the amount of grey popping out throughout your head. Next you would use a PERMANENT Color for GREY in an appropriate shade. Example: if your brown hair is 35% grey, you'll need to apply a darker color to the greying area's first and longest in order to achieve the appropriate coverage. An expert will configure an appropriate color analysis for you and provide the service. When I say an "expert", that's exactly what I mean. Any hairstylist can mix and color hair, but a true professional will assess and chemically concoct the right products. *A simple way to understand this process is sort of like mixing pant. Let's say you have a WHITE wall and want to paint it a dark brown, well if you apply a traditional brown color over the white, your end result will NOT be dark brown, but will likely turn out Tan and over time, the white will eventually bleed through the tan color again (just as coloring hair with a semi perm color that is not applied dark enough or long enough will cause the grey pop out quickly)

Anyway, I hope this helps and best of luck with what ever you decide

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email is moserlara@yahoo.com

I agree with seeing a professional if you do choose to color. Natural CAN be beautiful but it can also be really aging. It's odd that it doesn't always age you. IMO, gray that is silver or salt and pepper can be very beautiful but if it's yellowed (a lot of smokers have this), it's just nasty. If your DH doesn't care and you have *pretty* gray...let it be

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

I have started highlighting my hair (well, my hairdresser does). Just recently she did something similiar to what daltonmama said. Then put something like two different highlights in it. It looks so good and I get compliments a lot. I was getting a lot of gray at the top of my head. I really feel good about getting the coloring and highlights and this will be one of my few luxuries that I'll continue!

Huh? 'Yellowed' hair has nothing at all to do with smoking. Some people gray evenly, some gradually lose color, some go salt and pepper, some iron gray, and some go straight to silver and skip the gray entirely. A lot of people (smokers and nonsmokers alike) with white hair would have that yellow white hair color but they dye it white or silver to hide that fact. If the smokers you know have yellowed hair, it just means that those people don't care enough to disguise it. The yellow tinge in white or gray hair isn't caused by smoking. It's that person's genetics.

I have never heard that. I asked our family doctor about it because I have family members who have smoked who have the yellow-white hair and others who have not who have salt and pepper. He said it was from the smoking and I didn't research it beyond that. Thanks for the info

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Proud to say I haven't shopped at a Wal-Mart since Sept 2003

Well, he could be right and I'm wrong! Smoking itself can't cause it but the nicotine released into the air from smoking could.

I should have qualified my answer and said that hair color is mostly determined by genetics. Come to think about it, smoking would cause somebody's hair to yellow if the nicotine isn't removed thoroughly. If somebody is a heavy smoker and their hair is only washed once a week when they go to the beauty parlor, the nicotine would stay in their hair all week and eventually discolor it. Nicotine is sticky and will discolor paint and fabric. It would have to do the same to hair, especially white hair. Even if the hair was washed every night, if the shampoo used wasn't strong enough to completely remove the nicotine, the hair would also eventually become discolored. I suppose it would affect any hair color but you wouldn't notice it unless the hair was white. I once knew a man who smoked those cigarettes without filters, and his finger tips and nails were stained yellow! I always wondered why he didn't soak his fingers in Clorox or something. His hands looked awful.

My mother and grandmother both would have that yellow tinge if their hair wasn't colored and neither smoke (or allow anyone else to do so around them). Their color is determined by genetics but your family's hair yellowing could well be caused solely by the nicotine in the air.

Sorry!

I did color my hair for a while (I liked to add red to my crappy brown) but right now I am to tired to deal with covering my Christmas tinsel silver.

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Laura
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I've been coloring it and it makes my hair look so much thicker and gives it body that I don't have when I let it go. Sigh.

I too have dark brown hair with nice even tinsel that grows in fairly sparsely and looks like I had expensive highlights put in! They used to call it 'frosted'!

I believe that one of these days, I'm either going to have to let the grey grow out to the ends or go with a short haircut to get all of the dyed ends off quicker.

The last time I dyed it, I had let it go for about 6 months and so it had grown out quite a bit. I probably should have let it go since it's not obvious that I have a lot of grey. In a few years, I might not be able to get away with 3 inch roots!!!

I too need to make a decision soon. Maybe after I reach my weight loss goal, I'll go short and silver -- hopefully before next Summer.

I started going grey in my 20's so have been coloring for years. I'd love to let it go natural but my hair is long and I think it'd be torture for me letting the grey grow in and I don't want to cut my hair short. When I try to let it grow in and not color, it looks greasy to me (? go figure!?) so I always end up coloring.

There is a woman I work with who has the most beautiful hair - it's past her shoulders and almost black with streaks of grey. I just think she looks so pretty and natural! If I finally do let it grow in, I hope it's just streaks like hers.

I started getting gray hair when I was about 13 or 14... thanks to my dad and now in my mid30s I'm almost completely gray... I just leave it as it doesn't bother me...

I did dye when I was younger but not to cover the gray

a few years ago one of dd's friends said my hair "looked cool" and wanted to know if I dyed it that way lol

I went natural which is pure grey since the age of 32, was natural for years then lost 161 pounds and went red and everyone says I look so much younger...I think I'll keep i red, which was my natural before grey color

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Always be a first rate version of your self instead of a second rate version of someone else.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
What the country needs is dirtier fingernails and cleaner minds.

LO L I have been blonde all my life & lost 112 in the past 11 months & decided chop 12 inches off & go red with the new body I needed a new look. I don't think I like it a whole lot, probably just keep it for the holidays & go back blonde in the summer.

I have been coloring mine since i noticed about 5 or 10 greys on top near my part line. I started when I was 34 and have been doing it every SIX WEEKS since! What a pain. I refuse to go grey because I don't want to "look old". I will be the big 4-0 in a couple of weeks and have been whining about it all year. Today I finally came to terms with it by thinking, "I can't fight it. 40 is coming. But I am going to be the HOTTEST 40 I can be!" So hair dye, here I come!!

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Kristen

Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.

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