What age would you let yourself "go gray"

[ronandannette]

I have dyed my hair since I have been 16.

I have a lot of gray but I plan to dye until I am 110.

I will be the old lady with bright red hair!!

True story (and a little sad): My dear mother coloured her hair bright red for more than 50 years. Presently at age 97 she lives in a memory-care facility where it hasn't been possible to "keep it up" and now it's, not surprisingly, soft, snowy white. Every time she looks in a mirror she does a double-take as she is unable to recognize herself.

As for me, at what age will I stop colouring? If I ever reach it I'll let you know.

 

[BlovesC]

cglaura, your hair is gorgeous, and I agree you look so much younger now!

I really hope I can be half as lucky. My mom passed at 56 and never had a single gray...my dad is all gray now, but didn't start going salt & pepper until his mid-40s. So when I suddenly noticed gray hairs popping up when I turned 30, I was shocked! Although the grays aren't really plentiful it did spook me and I wound up going for some permanent dye, but just in my natural color (medium brown), so it seems like kind of a waste. It's been about three months since I colored and I'm not sure if I'm going to do it again. I may just wait awhile and see how extreme the grays get before I panic.

 

[tazadd0420]

If I still had hair.....

 

[marcyinPA]

My mother in law went completely white at 27. Her hair was gorgeous. It was white white- not yellow or silver. Her skin tone was pink. She was beautiful!!

 

[jcano]

Almost completely gray at 4hmmm... Although I do think a head of silver hair can be beautiful, I'm not ready to go there personally. Maybe in my 60s, but not now.

 

[jcano]

Forgot to mention, I'm naturally a very dark burnette...at least I was in my early years. Still dye it that way. I keep trying a lighter color occasionally, but neither me or my hairdresser like it.

 

[WDWBarb]

Wow, this thread almost had me convinced to start coloring my hair until I saw Cglaura's hair. Gorgeous! I'm hoping for that beautiful silver hair one day. I'm maybe 15% gray now and I'm not coloring. At Christmas I usually put a temporary color in just for parties and pictures, but otherwise I'm loving my gray highlights.

 

[Laura66]

I am 45 and stopped last year. It was getting to where I had to touch up every two weeks. Too much!

Growing it out was a mess, lots of hats, ponytails and headbands. So that was the biggest battle, but am so glad I did it.

Also I think the style of cut will be a factor. I used to have long curly/wavy hair, and gray it just looked like wild witchy woman

Before, about 1 month of stopping color:

Now:

Gorgeous!!!!!!

 

[NFLDERS]

CGLaura, that looks gorgeous on you!

That color grey is great! My hair would be snow white if I'd let it be. But I like my reddish brown too much.

 

[kimmar067]

I love your hair and I think you look younger with your grey hair and shorter cut.

….I was thinking the same thing!....

 

[Stitchfans]

Whenever it happens. I am 57 right now and don't have gray hair at all. Have no plans of ever coloring my hair. Going gray naturally.

 

[bdcp]

I've been a blonde for about 20 years. I'm 54 and have no plans to ever be anything but blonde. I do know I have some gray, but not more than about 10-15% so it's easy to cover. We have had to do some color around my face to cover the heaviest gray, but not a big deal. I get my blonde on every 6 weeks or so, but it's really just highlights so it looks really natural. I'm naturally a mousy brown, but everyone I know now thinks I'm a blonde. Works for me. I will never be the skinny one again, but I can be the blonde one.

 

[minnie mum]

I was a natural red head who started going grey when I had my babies in my late 20s. So I hit the Clairol trail.... Over the decades I gradually lightened the colour as my own skin colour changed. By the time I was in my late 50s I new that I was almost completely grey, and my hair was dyed a fairly pale blonde. So I stopped the permanent colour. Between frequent cuts and a shorter style, plus a semi-permanent colour, it only took about 6 months to grow it out. Haven't used any colour for 4 years now. But it's not really grey or white. My stylist suggested I call it "champagne" Well alrighty.

 

[JessicaR]

Me - never! Some look wonderful - I just don't see it for me. I was born a redhead and a redhead I shall die.

 

[taylor3297]

I can't decide and I am starting to hate having to have my hair dyed.

I am 47, soon to be 48, mother of an 11 year old and a 7 year old. My dh is 9 years younger than I.

Started going grey at 16 and started dying my hair in my early 20's.

I am afraid if I go grey now, I will look like my kids grandma.

 

[lakelandgal70]

Yeah ain't gonna happen ever! lol

 

[goofy4tink]

At 64, I'm still coloring. Been coloring for 30 yrs. it was originally because I loved the color my hairdresser came up with.....a nice subtle auburn. There is red in my family, and I always got had red in my hair after being in the sun. So it wasn't a stretch for me. But, now I'm about 35% grey. I get color every 4-5 weeks. It's getting tiring, not to mention expensive. No one believes I'm as old as I am, so I'm hesitant to let it to grey. I have a 20 y/o dd...a natural ginger.....and she really doesn't want me to go grey yet.
My mother colored for years until she decided to just give in. She had a beautiful head of hair when the grey came in. My m-i-l, on the other hand, looked like she used shoe polish on her head. She never went with a lighter color as she aged! Not to mention the bald spot she had smack dab on the top of her head........really made that dark brown look awful.

So, I haven't decided when I'm stopping. My hair is in great condition, I wash and dry it every day. Even my hairdresser can't believe how good it is! I think I have another 5 yrs left.

 

[StephMK]

I'm in the dying it until I can't reach my head or find someone to dye it for me category. I have dyed it since I was 12/13 and there is a lot of gray now. I vary between light and medium reddish brown. May go strawberry as I get older but I'm pale and do not think gray is my color.

 

[Wendy31]

I'm 40 & naturally blonde.

However, as I've gotten older, my hair has darkened to dark brownish-blonde, so I have it colored/highlighted to a honey blonde w/ lighter highlights in the spring & summer & darker lowlights in the fall & winter.

I've not started turning gray yet, but I have no plans to go gray either!

 

[Missy1961]

I'll be 53 in May. I've been coloring my hair for 25 years, originally to make it blonder, the last 10 years or so to cover the grey. I was going to let it go grey but I just didn't like it so I colored it last weekend. And I think I'm going to dye it until I no longer can.