What age would you let yourself "go gray"

[TLSnell1981]

I will stop coloring my hair shortly after they close the casket lid.

Me too!

 

[wishesuponastar]

I've thought about going gray but DH says I'm not allowed to stop coloring

 

[mousefanmichelle]

I am 42 and have dark brown hair. I have silver in my hair and I am on the fence about coloring it. I want to stay looking 42 but the do it at home colors either make my hair too dark or too red or too light. I really love my shade of brown but I can't get it right doing it myself. My dh tells me he doesn't mind the gray which makes me feel better about just riding it out. He is getting gray and I love it on him ;-)

 

[goofy4tink]

I have to say that the two ladies that were brave enough to post photos should be very proud of their grey hair....you are both lovely!
I think that we, as a society, have done ourselves a great injustice. Everyone here says they won't stop coloring because they don't want to look 'old' or 'grandmotherly'. But, so many have started going grey in their 20's and 30's, I have to laugh about the old and grandmotherly comments. Those two ladies certainly don't look old or grandmotherly to me!!!
It's too bad that we, as a society, have the perception that grey is bad. Yes, I color my hair. But it isn't so much about being old or grandmotherly...I really love the color I have. Yes, it's time consuming and expensive (one big reason I'll probably stop coloring soon), but there is no way I can achieve the same effect at home. I've tried. It wasn't a good result. So, I go to my hairdresser and she whips up her special, just for me, color.
But, the time is coming that my hair will be chopped off (again) and allowed to go grey. Here's hoping that it's a good grey! My brown certainly wasn't anything to write home about!!!

 

[wishesuponastar]

I agree those two ladies posting the photos have beautiful gray hair and they don't look old.

 

[North of Mouse]

I have been going gray gradually all my life. Never colored my hair and never will. It became more noticeable through my 40's, I call them my highlights. My hair is medium brown and I have no problem looking my age. I've always been rather unconcerned with prevailing social norms though, I don't wear makeup either. I just don't think it is necessary to alter my natural appearance.

I agree completely!

What is wrong with aging gracefully? My dh is gradually going bald, should he rush out and get a toupee? I know a friend that wears one and it looks ridiculous and no one admires him for trying to look younger than he is - faces tell a big story, as well as actions.

DH is fine with the way I look, and I with him - no one else matters. We are both active and 'young' at heart. I feel fine the way I am.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I agree completely!

What is wrong with aging gracefully? .

My shade of gray is NOT in my color wheel.

 

[GeorgiaH]

I colored my hair for 30 years. I finally got tired of coloring every 4 weeks so I stopped coloring about 5 years ago. It took about 2 years of letting it grow out and getting it trimmed every few weeks. I am 60 years old and I am very happy with my silver/white hair now.

 

[GeorgiaH]

Oh yeah that's me in my Avatar!

 

[Talking Hands]

When it turns gray, it turns gray. So far no gray and I will be 66 in less than a month

 

[LindaBabe]

I was totally grey before 40. My hair grows so fast, two weeks after I dyed it, I had a rim of white roots around my face. I quit dying it after about 6 months - I have more interesting things to do with my time and money.

 

[wishesuponastar]

I was totally grey before 40. My hair grows so fast, two weeks after I dyed it, I had a rim of white roots around my face. I quit dying it after about 6 months - I have more interesting things to do with my time and money.

That's how I feel too that I have more things to do with my money & time plus the chemicals from the dye make me wonder if it is harmful.

No matter what DH says, (that I should keep dyeing) there will come a day that I go gray.

 

[Mickeynutty]

I will stop coloring my hair shortly after they close the casket lid. My sister has made me promise that she will die "gray-free" even if it means I have to climb into her casket with a bottle of shoe polish.

I have managed to look about a decade younger than I really am, but if my hair went gray I'd age 10-15 years in an instant. I don't dye all my hair, just the roots where my hair parts and by my face. Most of the gray that shows just looks like I have highlighted my hair, due to me being blonde.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Oh yeah that's me in my Avatar!

Georgia, your hair color is so pretty! My roots are white but not sure if my whole head would be one color like yours.

 

[Disney Doll]

Started going gray in my 20's. Had fun with highlighting, frosting etc.as most 20-somethings do. My natural color was a light to medium brown.

In my 30s I colored it to a light brown, because I had grays starting to creep in. At about 37 I decided to stop the nonsense and expense and time wasting and let it go natural. I'm almost 52 now.

It's about 50% gray now but kind of funny because it looks light brown until you get up close and realize that it's light brown with a decent amount of gray mixed in.

Oh well...I've earned them. Plus I'm a no fuss no muss kind of girl.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I am gonna go with 80.

 

[bdcp]

I have to say that the two ladies that were brave enough to post photos should be very proud of their grey hair....you are both lovely!
I think that we, as a society, have done ourselves a great injustice. Everyone here says they won't stop coloring because they don't want to look 'old' or 'grandmotherly'. But, so many have started going grey in their 20's and 30's, I have to laugh about the old and grandmotherly comments. Those two ladies certainly don't look old or grandmotherly to me!!!
It's too bad that we, as a society, have the perception that grey is bad. Yes, I color my hair. But it isn't so much about being old or grandmotherly...I really love the color I have. Yes, it's time consuming and expensive (one big reason I'll probably stop coloring soon), but there is no way I can achieve the same effect at home. I've tried. It wasn't a good result. So, I go to my hairdresser and she whips up her special, just for me, color.
But, the time is coming that my hair will be chopped off (again) and allowed to go grey. Here's hoping that it's a good grey! My brown certainly wasn't anything to write home about!!!

Yeah, well, my "natural" color is a mousy brown and I'd rather be a blonde than a mousy brown with some gray. Some people work out a lot, some eat vegetarian, some get plastic surgery or botox, some buy expensive skin care, and others color their hair and some do all. I walk for exercise and color my hair. I don't see gray hair as "bad". I just see it as something I don't want to see yet. My hair is short but for the last 3 or so years I had a below the chin bob. As I have aged, I got rid of it because it does drag my face down. Not everyone's gray hair is a pretty gray. A lot of women with gray hair still use a rinse to brighten it up.

If we really wanted to be natural, then why get a haircut or wear makeup or dress nicely or any of the other things people do?

 

[EmJay2001]

I have not read all the replies yet, just saw the thread and wanted to post.

My mother is similar to you, was almost 100% in her early 20s. She coloured it until she was over 70 , so a very very long time. She got very tired of colouring it (she did it herself and was a pro at it, very good, looked professionally done). I think she gave up when they changed the hair colour of the dye again for the one she used. I remember when I was growing up when they did this, she would spend a long time finding another she liked. Anyway, I think I was more devastated then she was, she quite likes it grey now, even prefers it and gets a lot of compliments. For me it was a symbol that she is growing old (irrational, I know, she was completely grey in her 20's but I did not see it grey). I am 44 and have just started get a lot of grey in the front. I was just talking with my hairdresser yesterday about this too. Fortunately it is not really in the back and I streak blond so sort of just blends it, she told me to wait. Colouring is a lot of work and needs to be done quite often.

 

[Gigi22]

My hairdresser and I discussed when to go gray. Her advice was to continue coloring until about 60% of your hair is naturally gray, then transition to gray.

 

[denisem]

Whenever it happens?

Sorry. I'm at the other end of the spectrum. My father wasn't fully gray when he passed away at 76, and my mother still wasn't fully white-haired when she passed at 90. Genetics. <shrug>

At 60, haven't colored my hair in 15+ yrs. and still have a full head of brown hair with one amazing white streak on the right side (which I wear proudly and young hairdressers think is cool).

Luck of the draw - wish I could say the same of other genetic health issues I inherited. I'd trade them off for gray hair.