I went fully natural for a few years and really liked it ... so easy and my natural hair was surprisingly not as mousy as I had built it up in my head without the highlights my hair was shiny and healthy and less grey than I also thought it would be

All of this said, in the end...

I didn't feel like myself (I'd been highlighting since I was maybe 12 years old!) so have gone back to blonde with a new stylist who understands my coloring better and has given me more dimension and brighter highlights

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was doing balayage with my black hair but switched to all over color and roots I can do myself.

Ooh, which color are you doing? Matching the black? I'm in the same boat.

I am using naturtint and a dark brown shade.

Try all over demi-permanent that matches your natural

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I look forward to going glossy gray when it's time

It doesn't always work that way. I hope it does for you - my grey hair comes in a different texture and a very dull color, and also not all over so I have some brown and some grey - not even some cool grey streak or anything. It also makes me look super washed out. I will dye until I die.

Gray is bad, it ages and makes you disappear

Anonymous wrote:I look forward to going glossy gray when it's time

It doesn't always work that way. I hope it does for you - my grey hair comes in a different texture and a very dull color, and also not all over so I have some brown and some grey - not even some cool grey streak or anything. It also makes me look super washed out. I will dye until I die.

I color my roots every 3 weeks @ a salon. Not cheap, but I don’t spend a lot on other items. But it’s also ~90 minutes with a lot of time being the blowout @ end. I used to do color/highlights and it took about 2 hours. Before I switched salons it took 3 hours as the guy just didn’t move too fast.

OP, I’m 62 and it took many years for me to go so frequently - imagine you would not need to do so @ 47.

I always understand that maintenance is much harder with all over color versus highlights which is why you want to delay it.

Anonymous wrote:I was doing balayage with my black hair but switched to all over color and roots I can do myself.

Ooh, which color are you doing? Matching the black? I'm in the same boat.

Anonymous wrote:My hairstylist does allover but makes it a liveable color...ie it can grow out for up to a year. I am picky and I usually go every 6 months.

Also red light therapy has reversed my grays. I have 4 panels I use a home and it's been worth it. I'm 47 too.

Wow, tell me more about this? What magic witchcraft is that?

My hairstylist does allover but makes it a liveable color...ie it can grow out for up to a year. I am picky and I usually go every 6 months.

Also red light therapy has reversed my grays. I have 4 panels I use a home and it's been worth it. I'm 47 too.

Do a gloss two shades lighter than your base until all of your highlights have grown out. Then you can go gray easily, whenever you want.

I was doing balayage with my black hair but switched to all over color and roots I can do myself.

I look forward to going glossy gray when it's time

I have mousy natural hair color that I've been highlighting for 20+ years, typically about every 10-11 weeks. Now 47, I have some grey coming in at the roots, though not tons. It seems like I need to get my highlights done more frequently just because I look kind of run down and generally bad. But it's so expensive and so time consuming -- it's a 2-3 hour appointment every time (I'm a working mom of three). Would I potentially be better off just dying my whole head to a light brown/dark blonde color? Do you think I could keep roots up myself or would I just be going in to get my roots colored all the time (how long does that take and how frequently do people go)? I need a new option -- I am spending a lot of time and money and honestly I don't look that good anyway.