Going natural (ie grey) at 44.

[GLC1968]

Yep, I did it again. 4 years ago, I cut off all my dyed hair and went totally grey. I could only handle it for about 5 months before I colored it. At the time, I was my heaviest and most out of shape ever, so I had all kinds of self-image issues then.

After 4 years of coloring it, I'm done...again. I have finally cut most of the colored hair off (there is still some grey/white tinged blonde on the ends). I'm happier with it this time so lets see how long it sticks! ;)

Before:
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/GLC1968/me.jpg

After (sorry about the poor quality image....):
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/GLC1968/grey2.jpg
http://i631.photobucket.com/albums/uu34/GLC1968/grey1.jpg

[Sky King]

I am 8 months into going grey, however, I chose to not cut my hair. For the first six months, my stylist wove my natural color in as "highlights" so I wouldn't have a skunk stripe. This last trip I had her hold off and will see how it goes. I may have her do a few in 8 weeks as my bangs are looking a little strange but the rest of my hair looks pretty good so far.
I am with you, if I decide grey isn't for me, I will just dye it again. I think yours looks great! My pet peeve is women well into their 70's who are still coloring and highlighting, personally I think that makes them look older.

[jdubble]

you look awesome and you ROCK that short haircut!

[lph]

Wow, you look terrific!! You wear short hair so much better than I did. I just had to suffer through the crazy cowlicks until it grew out again.

I hope you feel happy about it, because it really looks cool. I am growing to love being grey, and I don't think I'll feel the need to colour it again. I'm at the point that when I see another woman my age who's grey I feel like complimenting her on it.

Enjoy :) We're taking grey back! :p

[Tri Girl]

LOVE it!! You look fantastic with short hair, too!!
I am, however, envious of your beautiful curls. I'm really starting to notice LOTS of gray "highlights" coming in. I hope it's as pretty as yours!!!

[GLC1968]

Thanks guys!

LPH - I'm the same way about wanting to compliment highly grey women who are younger! I wonder how they'd take that? I'd consider it empowering but others may not feel that way?

I do miss my curls. I'll get bored with short hair soon enough and start growing it out again soon anyway. I've never had longer grey hair, so that should be interesting!

[shootingstar]

With your haircut and grey as it looks, the "look" actually will make some chic /designer outfits look even more superb.

Seriously. :)

[TrekDianna]

Oh! I love the short hair! That looks great.

I did the same thing...I cut off my colored hair and let it grow back in natural. I am feeling quite thrilled actually that I have the same snow white hair coming in that I used to think was so cool on my great aunt. Right now it's just a few chunky streaks framing my face, but I like it. I will not ever color again.

Besides...as I tell my 29 year old son. I earned that gray!

[Crankin]

Hey, finally someone else has hair as short as mine!
But, I'm not ready to be gray yet, even though I'm 14 yrs. older!

[TsPoet]

You look great! love the short hair.
I'm 46 and grey. I did get some "highlights" a few months ago - i wanted purple, I wanted it to look like I did it on purpose and not a mistake at trying for a real color - the best my hairdresser would do was orange. It still looks like attempts at highlights of a real hair color. Won't do it again, but I don't dislike it.
I love your color of gray, it's beautiful.

[emily_in_nc]

Love it, GLC! Your curls are gorgeous, but you rock short hair very well too, especially with those trendy glasses. Good for you!

I have been SO happy since deciding to stop coloring my hair about 1.5 years ago. I still have a some brown and blonde mixed in with the white (my hair's about 5 different colors), so it looks kind of highlighted, but it is getting "lighter" over time. Seems like most of the hairs I shed are the dark ones! I actually had a dream the other night that I colored it (for some reason) and then was so sorry b/c I realized how long it would take to grow all the color out all over again, after I'd just done that!

To make the transition easier, I switched from permanent color (which I'd used for a couple decades!) to semi-permanent a couple of years before stopping completely, so I never had a stripe...the color just faded away eventually, and what didn't fade got cut off.

Here's what my hair looks like now. I'm 51, by the way...http://i816.photobucket.com/albums/zz82/emilys7atgmaildotcom/IMGP8376-Copy800x677.jpg

[SheFly]

GLC - I LOVE IT! You look fantastic! The short cut is very becoming, and the gray suits you as well. Adorable.

SheFly (fellow 44yo gray-hair!)

[lph]

Emily, you too look fantastic. Grey is the new dye!

I will admit that when I'm tired, or sick, or have gained a bit of weight, or am unfit or otherwise don't look my best, having grey hair makes it worse. I feel like I really look terrible. I would look down with dyed hair too, but at least I had pretty hair ;)

But when I otherwise feel good about myself, the grey hair actually improves it. Because I feel it's very real and all me, and just a tiny bit rebellious.

Hey, you older chickies did all the bra burning, there's not much left to rebel with :D

eta: I suddenly realized how ridiculous this post looked next to my avatar. *snort*

[emily_in_nc]

I will admit that when I'm tired, or sick, or have gained a bit of weight, or am unfit or otherwise don't look my best, having grey hair makes it worse. I feel like I really look terrible. I would look down with dyed hair too, but at least I had pretty hair ;)

But when I otherwise feel good about myself, the grey hair actually improves it. Because I feel it's very real and all me, and just a tiny bit rebellious.


Huge ditto and good point indeed! :)

[OakLeaf]

Wow, you both look great!

I haven't yet cured myself of yanking out the white hairs that stick straight out. :o Not that it makes that much of a difference, it's just when they're standing out from my head they're just asking to be yanked. :p

[GLC1968]

Huge ditto and good point indeed! :)

I very much agree!

And Emily - you look great! It does look like you have lots of different colors in there and I think it's fabulous! Mine is basically just dark brown (almost black) and white...kind of boring if it weren't for the fact that most women don't wear their hair natural these days!

When I was younger, the hair that is so white now was actually the first hair to bleach out in the sun. Back then, my hair would be either dark brown or blonde...no one believed it me that it was natural. Now I look almost the same except the older version of it. The pattern hasn't changed! (I'll have to find a good old photo to share...)

[kajero]

Everyone's pictures are beautiful. I am also growing my hair out gray. After the bike accident and having the concussion at the age of 60, I decided life is way to short to to spend time either getting my hair died at the shop or doing it myself. I started riding again and I'd rather do that.

I've been growing it out since April. When I get tired of the roots showing or just the amount of gray, I have a cute little cap I wear. Cyclists don't care if your hair is gray . . .it's under a helmet! At least I hope it is under helmet

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the kind compliments everyone!

My hair is naturally soft and somewhat fine, but still really wavy (odd combo, I guess). Living at the beach, the salty air coupled with swimming in a part-salt water pool tends to make it coarse, and I forget how soft it is until I go into a different weather environment and get my "real" hair back. The picture I posted was taken in inland Belize where it was soft. Always surprises me as it was coarser when I was coloring (for most of my adult life) -- that stuff is pretty damaging. I like my natural hair a lot better. It's just "me".

Most of my friends color, and I do understand why; after all, I did it for decades as well. But I do feel a special affinity and sisterhood with women my age and younger who have embraced their gray.

[malkin]

Timely thread.

I've been many shades of gray for a long time, but I'm sportin' a silly new cut. I got Brewer to run the clippers over it for me over the weekend. It's been hot and the heat makes me a little crazy.

Now that I don't have layers, I want to grow it out and dread it.
;)

[Wahine]

I started dying my hair due to grey when I turned 30. I stopped about a year ago at 40. The funny thing is that the amount of grey isn't that much more than it was then. :confused:

I have noticed that the red hairs that I had, the ones that were always red regardless of time in the sun, have turned white more so than my other hairs.

I love it when women embrace their grey. All the pics here look great!

[Crankin]

I've had a few gray hairs at my part, but so far, I yanked them and my biggest issue is still finding the shade of blonde I like, to get my brown hair back to where it was 20 years ago. I still see myself as a blonde. Both of my parents got gray around 65. I'll re-evaluate then.
I think if you have nice skin and no deep laugh lines, like me, gray is sophisticated. Otherwise, I think it just makes you look old.

[indysteel]

GLC, you look too cute and stylish with the short hair and funky glasses. I so wish I could pull that off. I have a round face and coke bottle glasses. I love the gray on you. My gray is really random still and I'm just not ready to stop coloring. Kudos to you for going au natural.

[solobiker]

You both look great! GLC, I wish I could pull of the short hair like you. No such luck for me on that. My hair is starting to turn grey on the sides and a little on the top. It is hard to see because my hair color is a light brown. I have never been one to coloror even style it for that matter becauseit is so fine. I usually just pull it back in a ponytail.

Once again you both look great and stylish:cool:

[PamNY]

GLC I love your short hair style. You have the perfect face to wear that style, which I envy.

Emily, your hair looks great and doesn't make me think "old and grey" at all.

I've never colored my hair because I'm lazy, I don't really mind grey, and color probably wouldn't make me happy anyway. Hair is the only thing I've ever been vain about, and it wouldn't be the same if it was artificial.

[malkin]

Yah, my reds were first to go over the gray hill. Next the vertical wires and the strange wiggley ones showed up; I have no idea where they came from. They were more like something you'd find in the garage than anything I'd seen coming out of my head before.

[Selkie]

GLC and Emily, you look terrific.

I went natural about 15 months ago (my hair stylist did a great job of transitioning my hair--short hair doesn't work for me, so no cutting off the dyed stuff). I still have a few inches of chlorine-faded semi-permanent colored hair left, but it blends in w/my natural fine.

I decided that once my dyed remains are gone, I'm going to let my hair grow longer. The natural color is very pretty right now, it's still a blend of brown-silver, and I have streaks of silver that look like highlights. Have to admit that I cannot wait until it's all white because I hit the genetic jackpot for a change (it's a sparkly white, not really grey). The texture is coarser, so my hair has a lot more wave/curl.

In addition to going from 90 minute appts every five weeks to 20 minute appts every 10 weeks (I hate sitting in a salon), I am saving a ton of money!!!

[Megustalaplaya]

Emily and GLC, you both look great!

I seem to have more gray hair in other places than on top of my head (I'm 45). I do a heavy highlight on my hair so when my hair does start turning gray I at least won't have to visit the salon as much as the gray won't be as noticeable as my dark brown skunk stripe. :)

[Dogmama]

You both look fabulous! Love the short look - you look like Jamie Lee Curtis. It helps to have great skin.

I'm still coloring but my next visit will be "blend in the greys" which means I'll have to go quite a bit lighter, as I'm naturally dark brown. My greys are more silver. The good news is that they seem sturdier and thicker than my naturally very fine hair.

[indigoiis]

I haven't dyed in two years, and it's okay. Texture is my biggest bugaboo. But the color is pretty neat looking. I just miss the dark russet color I used to dye it because it was good with my skin tone. But my husband hates dye and was worried about the waste (down the drain and in the trash) so that was that. He says the grey is sexy. It's kind of mouse-poo brown-grey rather than an all-out grey. http://photos4.meetupstatic.com/photos/member/d/3/1/0/member_58374032.jpeg

[Wahine]

I think you look lovely.