Gray Hair: An Open Thread
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Update: We still stand by this advice on gray hair care, but you may also want to check out our latest discussion on how to go gray intentionally.
We've talked about corporate women and gray hair before (as well as aging gracefully in general), but not in a long while, so I thought we'd revisit — ladies, do you dye your hair? (One friend told me she went blonder to help hide the grays!) Do you rock the gray — and if so, do you care for it with special products?
I've noticed Amazon has a ton of products to brighten gray hair and keep the yellow out, which I've been told is important.
For my $.02, I haven't ever dyed my hair (not counting some experiments as a teenager with “wash out red dye” (it was a thing) and, briefly in college, experimenting with blue hair dye), but I'm starting to wonder whether I should!
I first started seeing gray hair at age 26 (thank you, bar exam!) and it's definitely growing.
If I had darker hair I would LOVE to rock the salt and pepper look — one of my old editors had hair like that, and I always thought it was so chic and cool.
If I were to go all gray I would equally love to rock the silver hair look — one of the partners I used to work for had a super stylish silver bob.
(I even like the silver streak look, like Stacy London!)
But now, where it's brown hair mixed with about 1-2% gray hairs throughout… I'm less of a fan, and have been trying to make an effort to tweeze about 5 silver strands each night.
(Which apparently is the worst thing to do, whoops!)
I suspect I'll hold off dyeing it until the percentage of gray grows to 5-10%, but that's me.
(And just in case this is in question: I don't think there's anything professional or unprofessional about gray hair — I think it's totally a matter of personal choice.
In my situation I have noticed that my gray hair tends to be a different consistency than the rest of my hair, which sometimes requires extra attention to smoothing so I don't get a frizzy, frazzled look — the halo of gray! — but maybe that's me.)
So let's hear it ladies — do you have gray hair(s)? How do you feel about them? What are YOUR best tips for gray hair care?
Further Reading on Gray Hair Care:
- The Gorgeous Way To Gray [Prevention]
- What NOT To Do When Those First Gray Hairs Pop Up [Huffington Post]
- The Gray Hair Bible [Oprah]
- How to Love Your Gray Hair [Ladies Home Journal]
- How To Go Gray Naturally [Huffington Post]
I decided earlier this year to quit coloring my hair and to let my grey grow out. It was right before my 51st birthday in March. Since I have dark hair I read up on ways to soften the line between the grey and the dark hair as it grew out. I went and got lots of really light small highlights which has helped to break up the demarcation line. Now, I’m just keeping my hair short and trimming it regularly until it all grows out. I can’t wait to see the end results!
I’m rooting for you Melissa (no pun intended! ha ha!) You won’t regret it!
I decided to stop dying my hair because I am getting away from toxic chemicals more and more (organic foods, make-up, toothpaste, etc. etc.) BEST decision I ever made!! My last dye was mid December 2013. Several people suggested I NOT do it because it will “age me”, “you won’t feel good about yourself”, etc. I decided my health was more important… plus isn’t beauty a matter of the heart? The skunk stripe (when it first started growing out) was the worst part of it, but when you are READY, even that doesn’t matter. I still have a few strands of brown “color” but the gray is blending nicely. Looks like the bottom part of my head is going to be a dark gray, but we will see. Most people don’t even notice my gray anymore. Some people are still shocked and stare. But that’s okay. I’m happy with it. Still trying to control the “frizz”, but I’m gettin’ there!! My husband loves it! I love feeling more “natural” and I’m saving $$$$!
Ditched the dye 7 years ago at 51 and never looked back. My hair is healthier, shinier and looks better with my skin and eyes than any dye. No adverse issues in the professional world at all!
I feel like my long gray braid has become a style signature:).
I found my first grey (which was really white, not grey) hair this year; I’m turning 27 later this year. I think I’m going to have to start dying my hair (which I’ve never done before) when I get multiple grey hairs, simply because my hair is dark brown-black, and I’m not excited about having salt and pepper hair.
My twomonthly henna treatment revives my natural reddish tint, and takes care of my grey hair as well.
I’m 25 and at almost 50% grey. I feel that with my curly hair it just looks so unprofessional and not at all polished. I would say witch-like. I’m already at a disadvantage by being a woman engineer, especially in the electrical fields, I don’t want to worry about other forms of discrimination.
I want to like my hair, but it’s so dark naturally and the grey is so very bright and noticeable. I many people (especially men) comment on my hair so I dye it. I just tried out blonde ombre and am looking into getting highlights so I can transition eventually.
I just turned 40 and I am completely all my own color- lots of white, silver and some brown left. I have been my own color for almost 4 years now. I worked in corporate healthcare on the administrative side for 18 years and am making the transition to marketing/communications. I embrace my silver and use it to stand out. I will say a great haircut and keeping modern in my clothing choices. I rock it and know it makes me even more confident. I only have gotten compliments on my hair. So rock on my silver sisters!!!