Women & Gray Hair?

Question

How do you feel about gray hair? I find women who don't dye their hair and leave it gray so confident and their hair so beautiful. I think it's a part of embracing your age and who you are, and I know it's easy for me to say because I'm not there yet, but what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

My beloved hairdresser and one of my favourite male feminists refers to my gray hair as natural highlights. I love it because he reognizes this as a reminder of my wisdom.

Answer 2

I see nothing wrong with it. If my hair was to go gray I think I would die it. I just don't like gray hair on me. It does not reflect in my self esteem nor indicate that I am not a confident person. A person can embrace their own identity and not like how gray hair looks on them. Of course every person is different and some people are vain and see their whole worth as a direct reflection of how they look.
I figure that if you are still concerned about how people might judge you based on your looks when you have gray hair there is little chance you will change that behavior.

Answer 3

I will be 63 in about a week-and-a-half, and my hair is dark brown with some grey in the front.
I dyed it auburn for a while, and I DID like that color, and so did my guy.
Recently, though, I have begun to worry about the toxic effects of harsh chemicals - like hair dye - so I have let it all grow out and trimmed it so that now I am back to all dark brown with some natural grey streak-effects in the front.

I find that I can easily style it so that the streak areas are curled in a certain way that accents it in a flattering fashion. My booyfriend claims to like it just fine that way, too. He says he notices the style more than the color.

I figure I am way ahead of my mother - she was totally WHITE by her mid-40s. I used to have an old photo of her taken when she was 46 years old. In it, she was totally white-headed, totally wrinkled and looked 20 years older than I do right now, at 63!
I have always believed that aging is more a matter of attitude than chronology, though. My mother hated life and lived all 60 years of her life with a death wish. (She exercised no exchange with life - took nothing from it and gave nothing to it. I, on the other hand, aim for the highest exchange rate with life that I can achieve!)

My main concern with the hair-dye issue, however, is that I think as I continur to age and it goes greyer and eventually white, the texture will thin out badly. If that happens I am not sure what I will do.
Thr auburn dye, while I was using it, DID give my hair a lot more body.

Answer 4

I got my first gray streak when I was 3 years old!! I'm 'chestnut' haired now, but back then I was a strawberry blonde. It really stood out! I fell down the stairs one evening, and my Mom said the next morning when I woke up, there it was. Even got pics in my baby book!

Real premature gray started coming in when I was around 25. I suffered the loss of my Grandmother and had 2 boys (boys are a big trigger, little daredevils!), and boom, lots of gray. I cover it for now, but I don't know how long. My allergist says I may be allergic to the dye, and if I am , I don't know what I'll do!! I'm hoping there's some kind of organic gray coverage!!

I intend to keep the grays covered until I'm too old to give a s.hit. My Mom started letting hers go a few years ago, and she's got one of those cute Halle Berry style cuts, looks great on her. I have a friend who's a fairly well known worldwide artist, and she has long flowing soft gray hair. Its beautiful! She looks ethereal, or maybe thats just the respect I have for her talking! Mine would never look like that tho', my grays are different from the rest of my hair, coarse and useless. They stick straight out like I stuck my finger in a light socket!! I tweeze them too, and can honestly say 2 more do NOT grow back in their place!

Word of advice, avoid stress and you will avoid grays. Haha, gooood luck!!!

Answer 5

I am 46 and dye my hair I just have a little gray in the front and it looks awful because my hair is very dark in colour and it stands out alot. I still feel very young at heart and am not ready to go gray yet

Answer 6

My grandmother dyes her hair dark brown. She looks great, and I honestly can't picture her with gray hair. I might do the same thing when I start going gray — in a good 30 years. Gray hair works better for some women than it does for others, and if they want to cover it up, I say, let 'em. It isn't nearly as ridiculous as Botox.

Answer 7

I started going grey at 16. By the time I was 30, I was almost all grey. But I started colouring it, because I truly didn't want to be grey before my time (damn those genes!!!) Now, I continue to colour it, because I'm STILL not ready to be grey.

Important to know that not all grey hair is beautiful, just as not all blonde/brunette/red hair is beautiful. I'll agree that a thick head of silky grey hair is beautiful, but what if the hair isn't thick and silky? And what if the texture is nasty...no matter the colour? And did you know that grey hair turns yellow in the sun? A really NASTY yellow!

Sure, I suppose that those women who let their grey grow in are confident...but thats a stereotype...be careful.... Cause just as many as are confident, are just lazy, and don't want to worry about going to the salon.

I've embraced my age (44), and accepted the wrinkles that are starting around my eyes. I've embraced the fact that I'm the wisest and happiest and most fulfilled I've ever been in my life...but that doesn't mean that I have to like my grey hair! I'm a confident woman - who is far more confident with my strawberry blonde, thank you very much.

Answer 8

I think it's so sad how ashamed some women are to go gray. Personally, I agree with you that it looks great and goes with a sense of confidence. Hey, why should we be ashamed to have reached middle-age? That only means that we are wiser and have more sense than we used to. Besides, living long enough to go gray sure beats the alternative! LOL

Answer 9

I have dark hair that has been becoming "salt and pepper" for years. The silver doesn't bother me, nor make me proud. I don't color my hair because I know that I will not keep up with it and I wouldn't like the "roots" showing.

To be honest, I think my silver hair looks good. It's almost like having natural highlights. Plus, I've had fun earning each and every wiry gray hair on my head...;)

Answer 10

As of right now, I have no greys. But when I get older, I'd like to let my grey/white hair do its own thing.

The important thing is not the color of the hair in my opinion, but the condition of the rest of the body. If you're a 50 year old woman with a head full of grey hair, but with the body of a 35 year old, then who's going to care about the hair?

If my hair maintains its current texture and shine, but simply changes to a grey color, I'll let it stay as is. Also, I really want to avoid having one of those old lady poofy hair-dos. That makes them look so much older!

Answer 11

I feel very fortunate. I am 67 years old and have just one visible streak of gray in the front and in the sunlight you can see a dusting of gray. But I don't mind. Most women my age either have a lot of gray or color it. I believe in growing old naturally and accepting it. What I have is what some pay big bucks to get....highlights. Thanks to my dad. He didn't turn gray even in his 80's.