I dyed my hair various colours throughout my twenties, stopping only while I was pregnant and breast-feeding. I started having my hair highlighted in my thirties, and it's only since I stopped that a year ago that I've noticed I'm developing crops of grey hairs on my temples.
I'm not sure what to do about it; I quite like the idea of silver streaked hair, and I've had a white streak in my hair since the rest of it darkened as a child. I'm not bothered about looking young particularly, and I really don't like the look of obvious grey roots with the rest of the hair dyed dark (I know I'm too scatterbrained to have it dyed regularly enough to avoid this). If my hair was lighter, it'd be less obvious, but it's quite a dark chestnut shade, so the silver strands do stick out. I'm considering using a semi-permanent or a colour conditioner to tone them in a little, rather than a permanent dye.
Are you getting any greys, and what are you doing about them, if anything?
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I've been greying since my late teens, so I colour- it's been every colour of the red/brown/purple/black/orange spectrum over the years, sometimes all at the same time!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I don't get it coloured very often, and I'm moving *away* from permanent colours, as I like the "highlighted" effect you get from a semi-permanent colour and they look more natural. Plus, you don't have to worry about maintenance much at all.
There's very little more ageing than a block of colour that's slightly too dark, as you get older, if you ask me.
If my grey were in discrete chunks, I'd probably just leave it alone though - I've had a (natural) "Mallen streak" of ginger in my fringe since I was a child, and I think grey "wings" look fantastic, if you wear them well.
I first noticed greys on my temples in my late 20's, I'm now almost 33 and they haven't improved, of course :) I have a semi-permanent dye every 2 months, and since it gradually fades and my color isn't super dark, I'm generally the only one who sees those grey roots. Another option is getting blonde highlights so the greys mix with them but, hum, no, I'm sticking to brunette.
ReplyDeleteyou're lucky if you're just getting them now! My first greys appeared aged 17... Not many mind you but I was mortified. Recently my younger sister rang me in a panic to inform me she was suffering the same fate (and that somehow it was my fault?).I will probably keep dyeing my hair well into retirement personally.
ReplyDeleteI once made the mistake of asking my mother when she would stop dyeing her essentially totally grey hair (in her early 50's!). I wish she hadn't...
"When the carpet goes the same way as the curtains i'll think about it." EW.
I never dyed my hair til the end of last year. I've always liked my hair colour and never tampered with it. But last year I discovered silver gray hair patches underneath in one area which you saw when I put my hair in a ponytail. So I've went to the salon to put semi-permanent in. I've gone in twice now & it's worked. I hate how sometimes when it fades it gets a bit brassy which means I have to go in to the salon. But so far so good...give it a go. At least you'll know. : D
ReplyDeleteMy hair skipped the grey faze entirely! I started getting white hairs when I was about 24! They're mainly around my temples which is worse than them growing anywhere else because everytime you look in a mirror you spot another little white hair you want to rip out!
ReplyDeleteI've been dying my hair on and off for years...i'm dreading becoming pregnant in the next few years! My hair will end up being well and truely badger stripey if I can't dye it!
I must say men with grey hair is very sexy...don't get me started on George Lamb! :)
Hi, I think hair colour is much more of an issue for women than make-up. When I was in my 20s I used to use a mixture of red and black henna and get a lovely rich red colour, it looked quite lovely. Then one day I used the henna and all the places where my hair had turned grey, the henna went ORANGE!! Woops... so my henna days were over. There are two lovely all natural products from Italy that I have used, available in health food stores. One is called Herbavita and comes in a green box. Most upscale health food stores stock them. I have had good results with them. If only we could just take a pill....
ReplyDeleteHey Luce - That's exactly what I want to avoid - a block of slightly too dark colour.
ReplyDeleteHi Musing on Beauty - another vote for a semi-permanent - I'd really like to know what brand you like, because I tried Castings and didn't have a great result.
Hi Eyelining - RFLMAO - *I'm* traumatised, and she's not my mother :D
Hi Moodeve - Semi-permanent definitely seems the way to go, thanks :)
Hi Ms Wedgie - I didn't know who George Lamb was, but I've googled him, and yes, he does wear grey very well :) I think it's easier for men to wear grey/white hair.
Hi Anna - oh, that's interesting, I think I've heard of that brand, will have to have a look for it! Thanks. x
I let my gray come in and have never regretted it. To gray or not to gray depends on the color of gray and where it is coming in. The hair of my youth was a deep seal brown. As I've grown older, my hair has become a silvery white in front and on top that gradually changes to sterling and then pewter as it merges into my natural seal brown. I keep my hair healthy and shiny and find that Aveda's Blue Malve keeps the yellowish cast at bay. At the risk of sounding egotistical, I'm always having total strangers--both men and women--approach me to say how beautiful my hair is.
ReplyDeleteGray is just another hair color. And, we all know that some colors are more flattering on us than others. That being said, gray hair does not have to be old or frumpy. It can be modern and stunning.
I have been mulling over this issue for months now having held off and held off from using any dye. Now I have more grey strands and I can't just pull them out I am resigning myself to the inevitable of having it regularly coloured with probably even more regular touch ups. I think I've been lucky to get this far and do without so I'm bracing myself to just get into a regular appointment routine because I don't see the point of doing it unless its done properly and regularly. It comes down to the difference between good grooming and not: its fine to go grey naturally but not fine (for me anyway) to have grey roots all the the time because 'I can't be bothered to get my roots done'. Its a full on commitment or just go with it.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about casting, but it's cheap and easy to get and so very tempting! recently I have had colouring success with Casting Creme Gloss in about two shades lighter than you'd think. ie, for my medium brown hair I'd go for golden blonde, dark blonde or caramel, but even the light brown gives me the dreaded 'dark dye halo'.
ReplyDeleteI have very dark hair and started getting grey hairs at the sides and a bit at the temples, but this year I have a few on the top of my head. I know I have strands of grey underneath, but I have a lot of hair and those are not as noticeable as the ones on the top of my head and on the sides. Either way, they are dyed over. I get a demi-permanent and I go to salon about every six weeks (six weeks is when I start to see the ones on the top of my head growing in and I can't stand it). On some grey looks really good, I personally find it very ageing, and would not want to have grey hair now. I don't do permanent dyes yet because I don't have enough, but sooner or later I guess we'll get there.
ReplyDeleteI say colour it, if you can see it and it bothers you in any way, colour over it!
I been gradually going grey since my first smatterings of grey appeared in my late 20's. Once they started to be noticable (at least in my eyes) I started colouring and I've never stopped. At nearly 40 I'm now at the stage where if I didn't colour my hair would be salt and pepper because there's a lot of grey in amongst my dark brunette, which does mean I have to colour more often because the regrowth is so very obvious. I don't think I'll ever stop colouring it, in my mind grey hair equates with old (that is very much a personal thing though). However as I get older the shade I use will become more subtle, because there's nothing worse than an older woman with obviously unnatural dark hair, it doesn't sit well with older skin tones.
ReplyDeleteIronically, I like my hair color better now that is has some grey in it. It was always a rather dull dark ash blonde, now it's lighter. I added a few (just a few) bleached out streaks and then toned the whole thing with a very light ash blonde Pravana demi-permanent shade. My hair is in good shape and I am calling this my "aging surfer" look. :)
ReplyDeleteI have always dyed my hair various colours over the years but in the last 3 it's been a very dark brown. I got it all stripped this weekend and it is now an auburn shade. I couldn't stand seeing the greys against the dark colour anymore. I like your other readers had them all around my hairline and temples. Now when they grow back it will be less noticeable.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely hate these gray pieces in my hair, but was "blessed"to get them quite early (around 22-23), so in the beginning of this disaster I just did some bleached streaks to hide it and then, about 10 yrs later, when it got too obvious, switched to the full cover. First time with a new color I do at the colorist, but then maintain it at home with professional products (with good brush it's not big deal).
ReplyDelete