I'm in my 50s, and have not colored my hair, even though the white hairs are multiplying. I used to have gorgeous hair before--a naturally streaky, shiny brown. I didn't color it, so I have no clue how to, and don't have the money for a good professional job.

When I was a child, I had dirty blonde hair. Can I put a blonde rinse on my hair now, and just have the white hair pick up the color? A lot of my hair is now transparent, too. It didn't turn gray or white, but clear like fishing line.

I let the gray creep into mine just to see what it would look like and also I didn't want to spend $$ having my hair professionally colored nor did I want to risk wrecking my hair doing it myself. Long story short, the gray was not at all flattering to my skin tone nor to my hair. One day I looked in the mirror and though "Enough!". I went to the store, got a box of Garnier in a color that seemed sort of close to my natural color, went home and used it. And MUCH better. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.

I color my hair. I am fine with those who choose not to color because frankly it is a hassle and an expense.

However, I like how I look after I color my hair, so I will continue doing that.

Anonymous wrote:I don't believe that not covering gray hairs is a sign that a woman has given up on her looks. And, it disappoints me when other women say that.

I'm 42 with a fair amount of gray. My hair is light brown with some natural highlights so the gray pretty much blends in. Its fun to see my hair getting lighter. And, to me its not worth the time and money to cover my gray. I might feel differently if my hair was darker.

I have to disagree with this statement. Sorry, but when a woman is still relatively young (not a Sr. Citizen) and still fairly attractive, but is too lazy to color her hair, it just shows that she is too lazy to make the effort to invest in herself and her appearance. Being pretty takes more time, effort and money as you get older and if a woman starts getting sloppy it shows.

I am 37 with not a single gray hair yet, so who knows what I'll actually do when they come in, but as of now I do not plan to dye them. With the exception of a few misguided encounters with Sun-In as a teenager, I have never altered the color of my hair and do not anticipate being organized enough to keep up with a regular dye-maintenance schedule. I also think that past a certain age (usually mid-60s) dyed hair looks obvious and ridiculous.
Fortunately, I have hope that I won't have to worry about the issue much - my maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather did not even begin graying until their mid-70s.

Anonymous wrote:I am one who will not dye but, it's because the dye's scare me. Who knows if in a few years they will say it is the reason for skin cancer. ughh... I can't afford to buy organic, but I will not willingly spend money on something that may cause me sickness later on..

Me, too. The thought of letting my head and scalp steep in harsh, smelly chemicals every six weeks creeps me out. I've though about vegetable dyes, but they have to be touched up even more frequently. So for now I'm living with the stray grays. If anyone knows more about natural dyes, please share.

37. No grey yet. Have tons of allergies and suspect i'd probably not react well to the dye. Just hoping I get married before grey comes in! If not, I might consider dying, but not sure it's worth the allergy risk.

My dh has been coloring his hair for at least 10 years. He does it at home, and it looks great. He would look way older than he does if he let it all go. I am finally starting to get some gray, and I plan to try covering it with highlights for awhile. When it gets too much, then I will color it and highlight I think. We'll see though. Wouldn't mind trying out auburn hair for fun.

Ladies, please cover your gray and please stop believing everyone that tells you it looks fine. They are being nice, not telling the truth. If you want to look old, fine. Just stop telling yourself it looks okay.

I am one who will not dye but, it's because the dye's scare me. Who knows if in a few years they will say it is the reason for skin cancer. ughh... I can't afford to buy organic, but I will not willingly spend money on something that may cause me sickness later on..

Anonymous wrote:No wonder dc is so ugly the women don't even try

It was definitely an eye opener moving from the west coast to here.

Anonymous wrote:No way. It ages you so much. I will fight it until my 70s.

Make sure you update the color as you age. Nothing looks worse or more clownish than the women maintaining shoe polish black hair into their 80s. It is far more aging past a certain point than grey hair ever could be.

Psst - except in a few cases (people who go grey very young), dyed hair fools exactly no one. It's the same thing as botox and 95% of plastic surgery - an aging giveaway. Rock on with yourself if that's what makes you feel confident, but don't kid yourselves that anyone is fooled unless you have the money to get a really sensitive dye job done.

No wonder dc is so ugly the women don't even try

No way. It ages you so much. I will fight it until my 70s.

I don't believe that not covering gray hairs is a sign that a woman has given up on her looks. And, it disappoints me when other women say that.

I'm 42 with a fair amount of gray. My hair is light brown with some natural highlights so the gray pretty much blends in. Its fun to see my hair getting lighter. And, to me its not worth the time and money to cover my gray. I might feel differently if my hair was darker.