Grays at temples - what to do
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Anonymous
| I haven’t yet started dying my hair (age 41) but am not opposed. Right now though, my grays are concentrated at the temples and aren’t really anywhere else. Do I need an all over dye job or is there something less extreme I can do? I am a brunette (medium brown hair) and I don’t want highlights. Thanks. |
Anonymous
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I'm your age and a natural dark blonde, which ranges from lighter pieces around my face to almost brown underneath (I think natural blondes and browns are usually this mix of colors if you look closely, which is why all-over dye looks so bad). I have a few white hairs on my crown and at my temples, which in most lights just blend in with my hair. I wasn't ready to dye all my hair, either, because it is thick, shiny, and in great shape, and there are only a few white hairs.
Against the advice of everyone I told, especially the salon person who cut my hair, I bought boxed dye that is the approximate shade of my hair at my temples and crown, and use my fingers and a little paintbrush to dye thin pieces of hair in a T shape across crown and temples to get the white hairs. It looks...100% natural. You can't tell any of it is dyed. I will keep doing this until I have a lot of gray, and then I will get a pro to take over. I got a little kit on ebay that has a dye mixing bowl and some tiny paint brushes. I advise doing that. You want to make sure you are painting narrow pieces, not big chunks. Make sure to include a few random tiny ribbons of painted hair in the back so that when the dye starts to lighten a bit (and it will), it will still look natural. You should also start out by getting a few boxed dyes in your natural shade range, then testing them on some clipped pieces of your hair to see which one is closest. Disclaimer: I am very artistic, and I think this helped a lot. The danger is that you will paint big chunks or paint in blotches close to your scalp only, which will look bad as it grows out. Suuuuubtle is what you want. |
Anonymous
| Demi-permanent or a color gloss/glaze is what you need- in your natural shade. I’d get it done at a salon. They don’t need to do all your hair and will likely just paint it in where needed. This is what I do. |
Anonymous
| Enjoy your silver temples. That’s what you do. |
Anonymous
| I only had a few strands, and my stylist told me to pluck them. I tasked my 12yo to let me know when no she saw them pop up, and after a while she was mentioning it almost daily! |
Anonymous
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Don’t pluck past a few strands. I kept doing this, and a few years later I have straggly growth around my forehead!
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Anonymous
| Sorry to piggy back, but which boxed dye brand would you recommend? |
Anonymous
I'm the PP who dyes around the temples/crown. I've alternated between Garnier Olia and L'Oreal Excellence. I don't see much difference between the two, but as I explained, I'm not dying much hair. |
Anonymous
| L’Oréal gray root touch up. That’s what I’ve been doing since covid, and it’s easy. Total coverage at the temples. Lasts several weeks. |
Anonymous
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Even easier, buy the Color Wow mineral powder. You tap it on and it clings to the hair, doesn't come out until you wash it. I've slept on white pillows, been caught in the rain, sweating in baseball caps. It didn't move. Perfect for the temples or strands around the forehead.
https://www.ulta.com/root-cover-up?productId=xlsImpprod11061070&sku=2278089&cmpid=PS_Non!google!Product_Listing_Ads&cagpspn=pla&CATCI=pla-1399842938072&CAAGID=123912667168&CAWELAID=330000200000188165&CATARGETID=330000200002744193&CADevice=c&gclid=CjwKCAjw6qqDBhB-EiwACBs6x3GBSzsVRimcfQsaZ8WDwqTovNihylVX6tOi0kEgs8BN30jVyez4ZBoC1SMQAvD_BwE |