Naturally go gray or do some sort of dye?

[Anonymous]

I am asian with very long dark hair. Not for vanity, mostly because I am lazy and have young kids and don't have time to get my hair cut or styled. Hair usually is somewhere between my lower shoulders to my high waist (when I go a long time without cutting). I usually wear it in a braid, bun or ponytail. Again I am lazy and have 3 young kids and don't have time for a lot of self care.

I am 41 and starting to go gray in a few spots - just long random gray hairs. Would you dye your hair or just let yourself go naturally gray? The hairdresser when I go said I probably have another 8+ years before I am all gray. I just don't want to look super old but am also hesitant to dye my hair since I have never once put any sort of chemicals in it (no perm, no dye, nothing) in my whole life.

[Anonymous]

I was you, and decided to dye my waist-long hair with henna and indigo at home. It takes a lot more time than a salon dye, or an at-home chemical dye, but I wanted something completely non-toxic and cheap. It's extremely cheap - a couple of dollars per dyeing session, basically. If you're run ragged by kids and work... this might not work for you. My kids are teens.

As for whether to go grey... I look extremely young. It's not just regular East Asian genes, it's that my father looked preternaturally young for his age for all his working life, and I take after him. I don't want greys or whites with the face I have. In 20 years, sure. But not now.

[Anonymous]

I would just go gray naturally. Otherwise it's really hard to transition later.

[Anonymous]

I had gray hairs scattered for nearly a decade before I felt they were becoming more prominent. Now I've been getting all over color every 9 months or so. There's a lot of touch up root products too that work fairly well for when the gray grows back in--I don't feel like I'm spending a lot of time on it.

[Anonymous]

You should stay consistent with the level of effort you want to put it. If your hair is long because you don’t want to be bothered with hair cuts, it’s hard to imagine that you will not be annoyed by the maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Go grey and wear a wig when you want to change the color.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should stay consistent with the level of effort you want to put it. If your hair is long because you don’t want to be bothered with hair cuts, it’s hard to imagine that you will not be annoyed by the maintenance.

+1. Dyeing hair takes a lot of time and money and you must attend to it every 4-6 weeks. Just go gray naturally.

[Anonymous]

This is entirely up to you and whether you think you’ll like the look of grey hair. I wouldn’t and so I will dye my hair when it comes to it even though I also have never colored or done anything to my hair. My hair is red so for now any greys are less noticeable but I know it will be a lot of maintenance when it happens

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am asian with very long dark hair. Not for vanity, mostly because I am lazy and have young kids and don't have time to get my hair cut or styled. Hair usually is somewhere between my lower shoulders to my high waist (when I go a long time without cutting). I usually wear it in a braid, bun or ponytail. Again I am lazy and have 3 young kids and don't have time for a lot of self care.

I am 41 and starting to go gray in a few spots - just long random gray hairs. Would you dye your hair or just let yourself go naturally gray? The hairdresser when I go said I probably have another 8+ years before I am all gray. I just don't want to look super old but am also hesitant to dye my hair since I have never once put any sort of chemicals in it (no perm, no dye, nothing) in my whole life.

Why not? You missed on some fun experimentation. Hair itself is not permanent. If you are worried about a reaction, do a test strip.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn’t. Dark hair will show gray roots in 2 weeks. You’ll be stuck dying it all the time. It’s $$ and time consuming. Even doing it at home is a PIA. Plus the dark dye and processing chemical will strip your natural hair of its color and you’ll fade brassy. Just let it gray naturally

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should stay consistent with the level of effort you want to put it. If your hair is long because you don’t want to be bothered with hair cuts, it’s hard to imagine that you will not be annoyed by the maintenance.

+1. also, long black hair with some sparkling greys is pretty. My extremely fashionable Asian SIL hasn’t touched her greys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asian with very long dark hair. Not for vanity, mostly because I am lazy and have young kids and don't have time to get my hair cut or styled. Hair usually is somewhere between my lower shoulders to my high waist (when I go a long time without cutting). I usually wear it in a braid, bun or ponytail. Again I am lazy and have 3 young kids and don't have time for a lot of self care.

I am 41 and starting to go gray in a few spots - just long random gray hairs. Would you dye your hair or just let yourself go naturally gray? The hairdresser when I go said I probably have another 8+ years before I am all gray. I just don't want to look super old but am also hesitant to dye my hair since I have never once put any sort of chemicals in it (no perm, no dye, nothing) in my whole life.

Why not? You missed on some fun experimentation. Hair itself is not permanent. If you are worried about a reaction, do a test strip.

Because dying your hair is not “experimentation” - it is an extremely costly commitment that takes years to reverse if you change your mind. Ask me how I know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asian with very long dark hair. Not for vanity, mostly because I am lazy and have young kids and don't have time to get my hair cut or styled. Hair usually is somewhere between my lower shoulders to my high waist (when I go a long time without cutting). I usually wear it in a braid, bun or ponytail. Again I am lazy and have 3 young kids and don't have time for a lot of self care.

I am 41 and starting to go gray in a few spots - just long random gray hairs. Would you dye your hair or just let yourself go naturally gray? The hairdresser when I go said I probably have another 8+ years before I am all gray. I just don't want to look super old but am also hesitant to dye my hair since I have never once put any sort of chemicals in it (no perm, no dye, nothing) in my whole life.

Why not? You missed on some fun experimentation. Hair itself is not permanent. If you are worried about a reaction, do a test strip.

Because dying your hair is not “experimentation” - it is an extremely costly commitment that takes years to reverse if you change your mind. Ask me how I know!

How do you know? You can just cut out the dye - why would it be costly? And then you just wait for your hair to grow back if you want it long.
I've highlighted, dyed, cut, permed, etc for years with zero issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am asian with very long dark hair. Not for vanity, mostly because I am lazy and have young kids and don't have time to get my hair cut or styled. Hair usually is somewhere between my lower shoulders to my high waist (when I go a long time without cutting). I usually wear it in a braid, bun or ponytail. Again I am lazy and have 3 young kids and don't have time for a lot of self care.

I am 41 and starting to go gray in a few spots - just long random gray hairs. Would you dye your hair or just let yourself go naturally gray? The hairdresser when I go said I probably have another 8+ years before I am all gray. I just don't want to look super old but am also hesitant to dye my hair since I have never once put any sort of chemicals in it (no perm, no dye, nothing) in my whole life.

Why not? You missed on some fun experimentation. Hair itself is not permanent. If you are worried about a reaction, do a test strip.

Because dying your hair is not “experimentation” - it is an extremely costly commitment that takes years to reverse if you change your mind. Ask me how I know!

How do you know? You can just cut out the dye - why would it be costly? And then you just wait for your hair to grow back if you want it long.
I've highlighted, dyed, cut, permed, etc for years with zero issues.

OP has long hair. she’s not going to “cut out the dye.” Growing out dye (or buzz cutting your hair then growing it long again) takes years.

[Anonymous]

Just buy some DIY coloring. Cheap and easy.
Or pull out the gray hairs for now.
Gray hair makes a woman look 30 years older.