Has anyone here ever stopped coloring their hair and let the gray take over?

[luvflorida]

Hi, my name is Luvflorida and I color my hair. There, it's out in the open! haha!

If I didn't have my hair colored at regular intervals it would most certainly be all gray or white. Every now and then I consider just letting it go. I hate going every four weeks or so and getting it done. I used to do it myself, but I think that was worse. I like it after it's colored and cut, but by week three or four the gray roots start to show and the color begins to fade. It's also an expensive thing to do so often, but I just can't bring myself to letting my hair go gray.

Has anyone actually stopped coloring their hair? And, if so, what do you do while the roots are growing out? I keep my hair short, but it would still take a long time for all the color to go out.

 

[lucas]

Sorry, no advice here but I was wondering the same thing! My hair is short and I color it every 5-6 weeks myself. I often think I should just let it grow out gray!

 

[mtblujeans]

**chanted in unison: Hi, Luv!**

I have a streak of gray right down the middle of my pointed little head! It has gotten a little wider as I have gotten older and it has gotten more and more stubborn to resisting over-the-counter hair coloring! I gave up a couple of years ago. I got a perm in December and she told me I should come back and let her color my hair. She said she has something that will cover gray really well! Right now, I just try to comb it over and bury the gray as much as I can! In the summer, my hair gets lighter so it can sometimes look like a streak of blonde! **sigh**

 

[Aurora63]

I've never dealt with this, but maybe a semi-permanent (like natural instincts or Castings) would cover the roots while it grows out? Those two wash out on their own after about a month.

 

[imsorry]

I don't have the nerve. I'll be 50 *gasp* in December and I feel much younger. But it is tiring to have the roots show up so fast, and lately it is much harder to get the dye to cover the grey. My hair is so dried out from all this constant coloring. Maybe when I'm 60 I'll consider going "natural"

 

[Cantw8]

.....oh hell yes I color......are you crazy?....I am waaaay too young to look like my Nana...........................

 

[faith]

I've been thinking about this for the last few months. I've colored my hair ever since it went completely whitish...probably a good ten years or more. It's such a pain. I use Loreal Exellence. It covers the gray pretty well. My hair dresser says to start with the gray roots, and leave that on up to 40 minutes extra before coloring the rest. That scares me, but she says it won't harm the hair. Then put the rest of the color on the remaining hair. I haven't been brave enough to leave it on that long though.
If you decide to go back to all white/gray, try a really light platinum blone?? That would probably work while you keep cutting off the old color.
Would love to hear of any great coloring products. I use the medium beige blonde shade now.

 

[luvflorida]

I don't have the nerve. I'll be 50 *gasp* in December and I feel much younger. But it is tiring to have the roots show up so fast, and lately it is much harder to get the dye to cover the grey. My hair is so dried out from all this constant coloring. Maybe when I'm 60 I'll consider going "natural"

I turned 50 last year and I just don't think I can let it go yet, although it IS tempting! I'm thinking maybe in two years when my youngest graduates from high school. I figure then I won't see many of the same people any more!

 

[minkydog]

Nooooo

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I'll be 40 in June and have been coloring my hair for about 5 years or more. I put the color on the roots first and after about 20 min. put the rest on all over and let it set for another 5 to 10 minutes. I've toyed with letting it all go back to the natural color but I have "issues" with being grey before my time!

 

[SunFloridaDisney]

No way.

 

[mtblujeans]

.....oh hell yes I color......are you crazy?....I am waaaay too young to look like my Nana...........................

My grandma, who is now in her late 80's, has had all white hair for as long as I can remember and it is just BEAUTIFUL!! It makes her face look all peachy-colored and glowing! I wish I looked that good!! **sigh**

 

[DVCLiz]

OK, clearly I'm going to have to be the one to share what this soul-searing experience is like.

I was about 90% gray by the time I was 35. I colored my hair to hide the gray for a while, then I came to a point in my life where I couldn't take the time and didn't have the money to color it. Plus, my hair grows so quickly that even going every six weeks left a wide strip of white at the top - and there is NOTHING that will satisfactorily cover those white roots when you are a natural very dark brown.

So I grew it out. I think I had first gone to a lighter browen - I seem to remember a phase where it wasn't quite so dark. But once it started, there wasn't anything I could really do to hide it. One of my (older) co-workers said, "You look just like somebody spilled a can of white paint on your head!" Gee, thanks. Might as well wear a sign saying, "Now too poor to color my hair." But I thought if it looked great natural, that would save a ton of time and money!!! And it did look great - for a little while. Then it yellowed a little, and I thought, "Damn, I'm going to have to use that stuff my mother used (Fanci-Full, anyone?) and I'll be a blue hair in my 40's!!"

So I went back to coloring it when I could, and I hated having those roots show, but it was all I could do to go every six weeks again. I put up with that for a while, and then, finally, I got to the point I'm at now. I go every three weeks and have a full color - no more grary!!!!!

I'll be 50 in 2 years, but I don't think I'll try the natural color again until I'm closer to 60 or 65. I know, when I add up how much money I spend on my hair, I feel ashamed. But everyone tells me I look 10 years younger with this new color - a mix of light blond and medium blond that comes out a reddish brown. So vanity wins out!!!

The process of growing your hair out is awful and tedious, but if you do it, do it proudly!!!! And try to wear a hat a lot of the time.....

 

[DVCLiz]

Also wanted to add then when I was growing it out I kept it VERY short, so that it didn't take as long and there wasn't as much to compare it with. And I had it cut very frequently - like maybe every two or three weeks. That seemed to help...a little. Still, I think it took forever to finally grow all the way out.

 

[DVC Sadie]

Heck NO! I am 51 years old and I just can't let my hair be gray yet. I have to have my hair colored every 4 weeks so my roots don't show. If for some reason like a natural disaster happens and I can't get my hair colored then yes I wear a hat until I can get my hair done. Two weeks after hurricane Katrina I went to Disney and had my hair colored at the GF. Now I have to wait to get my hair done until our local salon opens up or until I can get back to Disney whichever comes first.

 

[mtblujeans]

Also wanted to add then when I was growing it out I kept it VERY short, so that it didn't take as long and there wasn't as much to compare it with. And I had it cut very frequently - like maybe every two or three weeks. That seemed to help...a little. Still, I think it took forever to finally grow all the way out.

See....this is where I am at now. I have had short hair for the last 4 or 5 years and I want to grow it out. I got a perm to help it look better while it grows out and I seem to have one HUGE gray strip of hair on top that falls down one side!

DH hates the gray. He thinks it looks awful and doesn't hesitate to tell me so....although he has gray in his beard and it looks "distinguished"! I told him I would be very happy to go to a salon every 4 or 5 weeks and have it colored a gorgeous blonde as long as he was paying for it! That was pretty much the end of that discussion!

 

[Talking Hands]

I turned 50 last year and I just don't think I can let it go yet, although it IS tempting! I'm thinking maybe in two years when my youngest graduates from high school. I figure then I won't see many of the same people any more!

I stopped coloring my hair about age 52 and to my surprise I did not have any grey hair. And at 58 I still don't have grey. You might be surprised

 

[crz4mm2]

no way. I have colored for 20 years and I am not stopping now.... I would be almost white in the front and I am too young for that!

I wish I had the guts to do it, but I don't want to look that old. No offense to those of you who have beautiful white hair and DON'T look old.

 

[scrump]

I'm fresh in my thirties and I'm noticing a considerably amount of gray coming in. I don't want to color my hair, I'm just too lazy to do it regularly and properly. I've decided to just let the gray take over. Subject to change, of course.

 

[LindaR]

Oh JEEZ!!! I am 44 and stopped coloring my hair 4 years ago.

Here's what happened. I was about to have my second back surgery and this time my spine would be fused so I knew that it would be quite some time before I'd be able to even get my hair cut. So I had a "final" haircut and had it cut super short. Since grey is so coarse and color doesn't stick for very long my greys were already showing some when I had the final haircut.

After my surgery, I didn't get out much for several weeks! Actually, I didn't wear makeup for about two weeks also and THAT was much more horrendous to me than showing my grey hair!

I am "fortunate" that my greys are silvery and not yellow-y. Anyway.......lots of people think my hair looks "cool" because I have a big swath in the front and they think it looks like I did it on purpose (yeah, right).

I am used to it now and quite frankly, don't give a hoot anymore. However, I never let people see me without eye makeup!!!!!!!