To be or not to be - gray

[featuretile]

I just don't like gray hair. I have always had long brown hair. Because it is so long, I can't do anything with a box of color. I go to a hairstylist about every 3 months. She puts in this lovely semi-permanent color called "Wella Dark Irish Red". It does not turn my hair red. Instead, the brown stays brown, and where the gray would be, it turns auburn. I get more compliments on my hair now than I did before. The color slightly fades after awhile, so there is no definite line. I'm 57 and everyone thinks I am in my late 40's. My hair went from completely straight to quite wavy.

Most of my biking friends have short gray hair. They are only a few years older than me, but tell me I am doing so well (I've only been riding for a year) because I am so much younger than them. Then I tell them my age. I'm not into make-up or plastic surgery, but I do like nice hair. It doesn't take all that much effort, so I wonder why anyone would want to look 10 years older. I suppose when my color no longer works, and I am very old, I will let it go natural.

[Tuckervill]

My hair went from completely straight to quite wavy.

I don't really want to hear that. Mine has become wavy only in a strip down the back. (I'm 48.) Before it was straight all over. I wonder if it has something to do with hormones. I recently had a Mirena IUD put in and it doesn't seem like I'm struggling with the waviness in the back like usual. it's been three months so all that hair back there is "new". It is also cut short but I haven't had a hair cut in at least 3 months, so it's grown out a bit. When it was long the waviness was definitely noticeable. Short...it just seems lumpy back there at the base of the skull. But not now. hmmmm.

Karen

[beccaB]

I grew my hair out from being really short a few years ago, and now you can really see the gray. I figure I'll probably cut it short again when it goes completely gray because I think that's a cute look- like Jamie Lee Curtis. I can't really explain why I decided to grow out my hair, except that I decided not to cut it anymore after we got back from visiting Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and something about that changed me.

[Laterider21958]

I'm 51 and have long (heading toward waist length) thick curly hair. For the past 3 or 4 years I've resorted to Clairol Natural Medium Brown permanent colour in an effort to blend in an irritating top-notch of almost solid grey. I only do the regrowth line (have to do the whole head) each 4 - 5 weeks as I usually keep my hair up in a French roll and it's not all that noticeable until about week 4. I have very few greys at the sides and back, although just recently I notice a few dye resistant hairs beginning to appear in the fringe area.

I'd love to give up dyeing as I worry about what the chemicals are doing to my health, however, I hate that "skunk" look and it would take years and years to grow out the dye line. I refuse to cut my hair as short hair frizzes and is uncontrollable. Would going to a semi-permanent colour (as a transition to going natural) work for me do you think? I'm hoping that the greys will even out and look more presentable soon. I once saw a woman, with similar textured hair as mine, who was a lovely all-over silver grey and she looked wonderful.

[Jones]

I don't really want to hear that. Mine has become wavy only in a strip down the back. (I'm 48.) Before it was straight all over. I wonder if it has something to do with hormones.

My hair did this when I was pregnant 14 years ago and now it is wavy underneath and in the back but not in the front. I really wish it was all wavy or all straight but half and half is no fun and hard to deal with.