To be or not to be - gray

[new2ride]

I was a toe head as a baby. Totally blond into my 20s, then it seems to get a little darker. I've had a little grey hair since my teens but no one knew expect me. It blended with the blond and looked like highlights. My hair was always long until I reached my late 20s. I decided to cut it very short (think Bidgitte Nielson), my hair was shorter.

Now I'm 50+ and hair is still short but I would estimate 75% of my hair is white, no more grey. It doesn't bother me in the least. Most women and some men assume it's colored and inquire where I have my hair done. I was on a cruise a couple weeks ago and was snorkeling in Jamaica. A lady on the catamaran had finished snorkeling and was rubbing something all over her hair (she was much older than me & her hair was dyed that yellowy blond color). She tossed the tube at me and said feel free to use it because it would help to preserve my color. I just started laughing and said thanks but I didn't need it. She asked me if I colored my hair and I told her I didn't. She couldn't believe it and my DH confimed it.

I feel good the way I am, but I truly understand why women and men dye their hair. My hair grows very quickly, I get it cut every 3 1/2 to 4 weeks. If I dyed it, I would have to color it every time I had it cut. Too expensive of a habit for me

[GLC1968]

Funny that this post should come up again now. I just had my first ever curl-specific hair cut yesterday (Ouidad). It was freakishly expensive, but I think I may have found my answer. We'll know when I style it myself because of course, I looked fabulous walking out of the salon (I say 'of course' but really, it's not of course at all. I've NEVER looked fabulous coming out of a salon when my hair was styled curly - only straight. This is the first time ever I've liked it curly when someone else styled it).

Anyway, my point is that if I have now truly found a cut/stylist and style that I like curly and natural...then I might be ready to consider going grey again. I'm also getting thinner and feeling MUCH better about myself than the last time, so I might give it a shot and totally rock the grey this time around. I know my grey color is beautiful, it would be nice to have it back AND feel good about myself at the same time.

Decisions, decisions...

[limewave]

Funny that this post should come up again now. I just had my first ever curl-specific hair cut yesterday (Ouidad). It was freakishly expensive, but I think I may have found my answer. We'll know when I style it myself because of course, I looked fabulous walking out of the salon (I say 'of course' but really, it's not of course at all. I've NEVER looked fabulous coming out of a salon when my hair was styled curly - only straight. This is the first time ever I've liked it curly when someone else styled it).

Anyway, my point is that if I have now truly found a cut/stylist and style that I like curly and natural...then I might be ready to consider going grey again. I'm also getting thinner and feeling MUCH better about myself than the last time, so I might give it a shot and totally rock the grey this time around. I know my grey color is beautiful, it would be nice to have it back AND feel good about myself at the same time.

Decisions, decisions...

It is SO Hard to find a good Curly hair stylist! Do you go to naturallycurly.com ever? I have an acquaintance that introduced me to that site and I have learned so much. My hair looks a thousand times better. I've started going to her hair stylist who she actually trained to give her curly haircuts. My hair is what I consider my one vanity. I don't buy shoes, handbags, makeup, etc . . . but I will spend money on my hair

[Dogmama]

Well, I'm still coloring and deciding. I know I need to decide pretty quick if I don't want to have that gawd-awful grey skunk-root-thing ... know what I mean? The grey is coming in as silver & very shiny, so it's nice but also extremely noticeable against dark brown hair. My grandmother was silver & my mother never admitted to coloring her hair (!).
_______________________

It really points to a life change, as some ladies have said. At some point, we have to embrace our age & make it OK to have grey hair & lines on our faces. Unfortunately, women don't "get" to age like George Clooney in our society. Can you imagine him with dark hair & a face lift?

[GLC1968]

Limewave - I have been to naturallycurly.com. Fun site! I originally bought the book 'Curly Girl' and that got me started on treating my curls right and since then, I've slowly expanded my knowledge. This stylist was the first one I've been to since high school who treated my curls with the gentle hand they need....and it shows! I go back and forth on how much I'll spend on my hair these days but the bottom line is that I want something attractive and EASY (read: quick), and I'm willing to pay to get it.

Dogmama - I have that grey root skunk thing every 3 weeks. I hate that my hair grows so fast, sometimes. I've been using a lighter and lighter brown dye each time, so it's not as obvious as when I was using my natural dark brown, but it's still definitely there. Luckily, my new curly style has some height to it, so it covers it up a little as I decide what's next!

[emily_in_nc]

Thank you for all the kind compliments, folks! I do appreciate it. Pictures can lie, a bit, though. Up close, I have plenty of age spots and lines, and the thing I hate the most is the sagging skin. For 50 I know I look okay, but I sure miss the way my skin looked at 30!

[Dannielle]

I, too, find it interesting that this thread popped up now. Timely. I decided yesterday that I'm going to let these 3 silvery-gray streaks live on my head...one on each temple and one in the middle of the top/front. My hair is in a bob (no bangs) and parts on the side so the streaks aren't giving me skunk-roots in a noticeable way yet but they totally would if my hair parted in a different spot.

I'm actually considering having the semi-permanent color (dark brown) that is fairly permanently stuck removed professionally (to whatever degree it can be removed). It would be nice to "liberate" the streaks rather than having to wait for them to grown out.

I haven't minded the effort required for semi-permanent color every 8 weeks or so but the streaks are becoming more prominent and the regrowth line is becoming more defined. I'm not willing to be high maintenance lol (which is probably odd coming from a former hairdresser!).