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Chelhxi
Senior Member
Canada
635 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 3:21:07 PM
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I'm 32 and it's been graying a little for a couple of years now. Both parents had some gray around my age, so I wasn't surprised. My husband and brother are also graying at the same age.
I actually think it looks kind of interesting. I notice lots of good looking older ladies on the bus with gray hair. They look fine to me.
I have never dyed, streaked or high-lighted it, for any reason, gray, or just because. I go as natural as possible. I don't brush or style. Just a comb through after the "no-poo" wash every 5-6 days or so. My hair is curly and I'm sure would look better if I did something, but it looks ok without doing anything.
I also never wear make-up, am very low maintenance. I just can't be bothered about the gray. I barely look at myself in the mirror. I once lived in a place for a year without a mirror and barely noticed. I just don't care what I or other people look like. I'm always told I look younger than I am, as I stay thin, eat well and have a pretty stress free life. And I don't really mind looking older. I'd rather I looked older and wiser, than young and stupid (no offense intended - my jaded view).
Maybe one day I will change my mind, but not likely. If I'm not willing to spend money for a $20 haircut, I'm not likely to bother with hair dye. It would interfere with my simple living and FI goal. |
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Knitchik
Associate Member
USA
131 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 3:52:12 PM
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| I was born blond. Very blond. I come from a long line of blonds. Last fall at age 45 for grins and giggles, I decided to dye my hair burgundy. I loved it! Since then I've been various shades of auburn, burgundy, brunette, but NOT blond. I don't know if I'll ever go back. Gray hair? Yeah, not for a very, very long time. |
knitchik |
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alberta_dancer
Associate Member
Canada
199 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 4:32:24 PM
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Oceanfamily,
In December I'll be 33....and I've seen grey (white?) hairs on my head since I was probably 12 years old. I have a bad habit of plucking these white hairs every few months or so, maybe only a couple of times a year. I say "bad habit" because I only recently learned that plucking white hairs can produce a bald spot (is this true???) Luckily, at this time, the white "Archipelago" - I like to call it - is hidden under the thickness of my hair. So, unless I pull some of it back and show someone, no one would notice.
As for colouring it, I'm not feeling the need or desire to. In December (we share a birthday month) my father turns 64, and he's been colouring his hair for at least 20 years. I used to watch him do it.
I've never been into colouring my hair for a 'change' or to hide grey/white hairs...I've probably only coloured my hair 3 times in my entire life, not sure that I'll get into hair colouring for a while yet...
Alberta_dancer
~Peace~ |
"The problem with relationships is that they involve other people."
- Eliot Feld, Choreographer |
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janehoyt
Advanced Member
4461 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 4:39:48 PM
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| I love variety--and accessories--so if I were inclined toward changing my hair color--and had the panache to carry it off--I'd deploy a collection of wigs. No roots, little maintenance, infinite possibilities, and also perfect for covering in-between hair colors. |
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megenic
Junior Member
Canada
96 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 4:48:43 PM
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| I'm about to turn 31 and haven't colored my hair in almost a year (it will be a year in November). I was just SO tired of maintaining it. I got about 6 inches cut off in April, and now there's just a bit of color at the ends, which I'm cutting off next week. Can I just say how free I feel? I have coarse, wavy, slightly frizzy hair, and the color was making it so much worse. My natural hair looks and feels healthier, and I will never color it again. I do have the odd grey here and there, but I don't care. I think healthy natural hair looks better than dyed, unhealthy hair any day! |
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kmec
Advanced Member
3611 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 5:10:13 PM
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I'm nearly 40 and get a few gray hairs here and there, which can only be noticed with close observation. When it goes gray overall, though, I won't dye it. I go out of my way to keep chemicals out of my body in general, and am not going to add any just because my hair goes gray.
Will it make me look older? I suppose that depends on societal expectations of appearance and age. I see many women of much older age with hair that is definitely dyed (e.g. my husband's aunt who is 80), and I think that is just unnatural and obvious. |
http://rosemaryevergreen.blogspot.com/ |
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loosechickens
Moderator
4186 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 5:23:44 PM
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Briefly in my thirties, I "frosted" my hair, as they called it then, but then I let it grow and didn't do anything to it for a number of years, until in recent years I cut it short again. I've had to give in and get a couple perms per year because my hair is really fine and just flops in my eyes otherwise, but I don't color it at all and don't plan to.
My family greys late anyway, and at 67 I have just the beginnings of grey around my face, although the body of my hair is still brown with almost no grey (all the grey hair seems to originate within a half inch of my face which makes me wonder about the hair follicle damaging effect of sun screen, etc. which is all I ever wear on my face, (I use no makeup).
I think it's sad that we have such a focus in our society about "looking young" and can't appreciate looking healthy and good at any age, and see hair coloring and cosmetics as just one more way advertising has of making us feel inadequate the way we are and just happening to have the product that we can buy to "fix" ourselves.
Just could NOT be bothered to do something like color my hair. The expense, the chemicals (I hate even getting the cursed perms) and the fact that nobody really looks younger, they only look like an older person who dyes their hair, to me. But I guess it's an individual decision and people will do whatever makes them comfortable. |
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frugal mighty
Senior Member
Canada
679 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 5:32:17 PM
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I see nothing wrong with older women with a head of grey hair. I agree an old wrinkly face with jet black hair just looks odd...and sad...but the OP is in her 30s-far too young-IMO to have grey hair. It WILL age her. People tend to think of grey hair as a person in their 50s or 60s....
I have very few greys but when I get more I will dye my hair..and when I do reach my late 60s I will probably pick a soft shade of brown that will suit my complexion (olive skin tone with blue eyes) not all dye jobs look awful..I knew a woman in her 80s that dyed her hair and she looked great-not 30 but still looked good.... |
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Iris Lily
Advanced Member
3266 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 5:35:00 PM
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I fussed around with my hair 5 years ago when I was 50. It was getting grey. I put in highlights myself(and you can guess how THAT looked! ) but I was satisfied with it. And that was a big deal because I NEVER colored my heair, I loved it's natural shade.
Now, five years later, I have more grey and I don't mind it. I wasn't ready to see all that grey 5 years ago but now it's fine.
My main problem is that I really need to cut my hair but just can't bring myself to do it. Once I get one of those short cuts, I'll have to go to someone to keep it cut. Right now I cut it myself and it costs nothing. |
Edited by - Iris Lily on Oct 13 2009 5:39:13 PM |
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Zoe
Advanced Member
1642 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 5:37:31 PM
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| I'm 51 and don't color my hair. It is a medium to dark brown with white (my grey is white not grey). I don't mind it, I've always had great hair and the "white" is not unattractive. Do I look old? No, I look my age and that's OK with me. I get a good hair cut and my grooming is very good (ie: I don't let my hair go crazy with those wiry hairs sticking out all over the place). My observation is that unless someone (and I'm talking older women) gets a professional coloring job, dye jobs look just like that. I just would rather have my hair look beautiful, healthy and have some signs of natural aging than a fake color. I don't want to spend the money it takes to get a terrific coloring job, let alone the up-keep for naturally dark hair, so I am fine and very happy with my color. |
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a.m. again
Junior Member
64 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 7:24:16 PM
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I will be 30 in a few months. I have a handful of silvery hair interspersed with my auburn, mostly in very visible places. It is just like my regular hair, except for color. It is apparently not aging me, since I'm still shocking clients and co-workers with my youth. In fact, I would welcome about twice as much, since then people would at least consider that I am over 25 and not be so dreadfully worried that their "lawyer girl" is going to ruin everything.
(Of course, then they'd just worry that THAT WOMAN was going to ruin everything, but whatever.)
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ajna
Advanced Member
2477 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 8:57:46 PM
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| I'm way too drab and mousy when I let it go grey. I looked washed out and tired. I already look that way, only it would be worse. |
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nomadchic
Advanced Member
USA
1890 Posts |
Posted - Oct 13 2009 : 10:07:41 PM
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I sense a lot of judgmentalism from those that don't dye their hair. Everyone that dyes looks obvious, or looks like an old person with dyed hair? No, the ones that look good you just don't realize they dye, you think it's natural. What about the women in their 60's who haven't gone gray yet (they exist). Do you just assume they dye and judge them for it?
When you are 17 with white hair you look old or just plain weird. I couldn't have gotten a job when I was in high school if I left, as it would have been assumed to be an 'unnatural' dye job which employers did not allow when I was a teen. When you are 33 with as much white as I have you look weird and washed out. I am very very pale skinned. Being all white in front makes me look like a ghost, perhaps a 33 year old ghost but a ghost none the less. People ask if I've been ill, that's how pale it makes me.
Judge those of us that dye if you wish, but no one way is the right way. We each do what is best for us. I dye for me. DH could care less and I care less what others think, but I personally enjoy feeling attractive which dying helps. THAT makes me happy. |
"Not all those who wander are lost."-JRR Tolkien.
http://brokenpine.wordpress.com
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24prins
Moderator
USA
6622 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2009 : 05:27:39 AM
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I finally started doing a semi-permanent dye at 49 when I noticed that I looked more and more tired as I turned gray, and I was actually looking like I was going prematurely gray (good genes--everyone in my family looks younger than they are). I like the semi-permanent because the nature of the dye is such that you keep the natural varying shades of non-dyed hair. It covers up the gray and enhances the natural brown--it's not a monotone dye. I look like a slightly lighter chestnut than my natural hair was before I started going gray.
I don't mind going gray, but I do mind looking tired and worn. Not everyone looks like that when they turn gray, but I do.
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Deep in the heart of Jersey
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valerie54
Member
355 Posts |
Posted - Oct 14 2009 : 06:44:22 AM
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I wouldn't mind the beautiful gray color we see in ads. But most people's hair turns grey a little at a time, which makes it mouse-colored. Very unattractive for me.
When I was younger I thought at around age 60 I'd let it go grey. Well here I am and I still get it colored (because it's mouse-colored, not all grey). |
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going natural with hair?
