explain hair coloring for gray hair

[Anonymous]

I've hit my 50s and the gray hair has really taken over. I'm in a predicament as my hair colorist wants me to go to a darker color. He covered my gray with a darker color and I hate it. He wants me to go darker. I feel like I've aged 20 years. Is there a way to cover gray and not go dark? The last two colorist I have used have done this. My husband and friends also hate the color and keep telling me to get it fixed. I don't know what to do. The color is very dark and drab on my very pale skin. I have mostly pink undertones and the combo looks horrible.

Help. Is dark hair color my future just because of the gray?

[Anonymous]

I think lighter hair hides the gray. Go ash blonde!

[Anonymous]

I haven't found a suitable hair coloring (home or salon) to cover gray for any significant amount of time. Usually within 1-2 weeks I see it again and not just at the roots. Frustrating! I'm waiting for my daughter to graduate HS then I'm going to let it go.

[Anonymous]

PP, do you color your hair yourself? I'm afraid to try. I like the idea of going ash blonde - it is what previous stylists used to do. The gray that comes in also blends better. The roots look horrible with this dark color.

[Anonymous]

I color my hair dark brown, and the only home color that lasts me more than a couple of weeks is Clairol Age Defy. I touch up roots after 3 weeks, so color every 6 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous to recommend going darker -- you just get a more obvious contrast line when the gray starts to grow back, and it is also more obvious when the dye fades, as a pp mentioned. If you have a lot of gray, you are a perfect candidate for a temporary drug store color. Choose a nice ash blonde. It might not be perfect coverage, but it will blend your hair color and be easy (and cheap) to maintain. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm mostly gray. For now I'm battling dark hair with a lot of gray, which is just about impossible to cover.

[Anonymous]

I'd go see someone else. My hair was naturally dark brown when I was young. I color to cover greys, and I'm going a couple of shades lighter now that I'm in my late 40's. Darker in your 50's doesn't seem right.

[Anonymous]

I had a stylist (early 60s) who insisted on a darker color. I switched to a much younger stylist who has gone a shade or two lighter and it looks great although, come to think of it, maybe my gray does peak out a bit earlier. I have always had to color every 4 weeks due to rapidly growing hair, so maybe that is key - you just have to do it more often.

I use semipermanent color. Is that what you use?

[Anonymous]

I think going darker would make you look much older.

I say go see a new hairdresser + don't give up until you find one who will dye your hair another color that isn't too dark.

And if you cannot find one, then just dye it yourself.

If you are unsure of how to do it, I bet you can find a video on youtube.com that can assist you.

[Anonymous]

I "highlight" in the color at home. Using the highlighting technique of coloring just few pieces of hair here-and-there. It covers up the gray naturally.

You will need a box of color you like and a box of highlighting kit that comes with a cap with bunch holes and a "crochet" needle. Throw away the highlight color.

Put on the cap and using the needle, pull out hair at each hole. Then apply the color from other box and follow direction. Pros- it's mistake proof and cheap. Cons-it does not cover all the gray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ridiculous to recommend going darker -- you just get a more obvious contrast line when the gray starts to grow back, and it is also more obvious when the dye fades, as a pp mentioned. If you have a lot of gray, you are a perfect candidate for a temporary drug store color. Choose a nice ash blonde. It might not be perfect coverage, but it will blend your hair color and be easy (and cheap) to maintain. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm mostly gray. For now I'm battling dark hair with a lot of gray, which is just about impossible to cover.

Op here. I agree completely. I think I will try your recommendation. I just had my hair dyed darker 2 weeks ago. Do you think I can put a temporary color over it now?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ridiculous to recommend going darker -- you just get a more obvious contrast line when the gray starts to grow back, and it is also more obvious when the dye fades, as a pp mentioned. If you have a lot of gray, you are a perfect candidate for a temporary drug store color. Choose a nice ash blonde. It might not be perfect coverage, but it will blend your hair color and be easy (and cheap) to maintain. I'm looking forward to the day when I'm mostly gray. For now I'm battling dark hair with a lot of gray, which is just about impossible to cover.

Op here. I agree completely. I think I will try your recommendation. I just had my hair dyed darker 2 weeks ago. Do you think I can put a temporary color over it now?

NP here. Depending on your hair texture, it may damage it, easy to break, split ends. Maybe you can ask a hair dresser to put few highlight it around the face until the rest grows out.

[Anonymous]

Time to go to a salon that caters to the older ladies.

Very few of them come out w/dark hair - they're all natural blondes! But yeah, they seem to go often.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I've changed colorists 3 times now because they insist I go darker just to cover the gray. Their focus is 100% on hiding the gray. The new colorist wants me to go even darker the next time. I HATE this. I look terrible. The new stylist did add some foils to give my hair dimension but my hair is still drab.

Previous stylist used a semi permanent color and she kept the hair a lighter color. The most recent two stylists have used permanent color that is darker.

I will read more about semi permanent color and try to do this myself. Thanks for the very helpful advice and validation that I don't have to go drab just because I'm 50 and gray.

[Anonymous]

strange since almost all stylists recommend going lighter as you age.