At what age is it okay to start letting your hair go grey?
Not the current popular coloring-your-hair-grey-is-cool-right-now-look, but the silvery kind of grey hair that grows out of your head naturally.
Men go grey without even thinking about it. And men that color their hair also seems to be perfectly acceptable. That is, until it looks desperate…I’m looking at you Mr. Trump.
But I digress.
I started wondering about this the other day as I saw a few sparkly greys showing through and was thinking it’s time to color my roots. But then I thought, what if I didn’t?
I kind of like a few of those few wisdom strands. They really do sparkle against my dark hair and each one was hard earned. Some women let them grow in and wear it like a badge of honor. I could be one of those women.
Could I be one of those women?
Most of us go to great lengths to hide it, coloring it at minimum, every three weeks. Or once you get more grey, the next option is going much lighter than your natural colour in order to hide those pesky greys more easily.
Since youthfulness symbolizes beauty in our culture a lot of women—including me—are trying to hold on to that. And that means no grey hair. Until we get the point of no return—the big grey stripe along our part that shows up a week after colouring our hair! Then there isn’t a lot of choice but to start the process of going au natural.
I will never forget when a co-worker friend of mine, who was twenty years older than me, told me that when you find a grey hair down there, you will really feel your age.
Who knew that you went grey down there?!
As a late twenty-something year-old-gal, listening to this, I was literally horrified. It was like finding out that your parents actually had sex.
I was scarred by this new-found piece of information.
Later on, I saw a Sex and the City episode that had the Samantha character dying her hair down there so then I knew it was a real thing. There was no kidding, women just didn’t go grey on their heads, but other places too.
That has gotta make you feel really old!
For me it was an “Ah-ha!” moment—I finally understood why Brazilian waxing became so popular.
Beauty fades on the outside no matter what lengths you go to, but you always feel like that young, vibrant girl inside.
At what age do you start letting that idea go?
I started going grey in my early 20s and dyed for over two decades. I then decided enough is enough – embrace it but with a catch. I let the roots grow out a couple of inches and then found the best colorist in town and splurged. She lightened my hair all over and then mixed up a custom shade that matched my natural root color. Two color sessions 6 months apart and several toning sessions in between and Voila! – I was done.
I haven’t had any dye on my hair in 4 years and I get compliments right and left on my color. It it a “different” shade of gray. Salt and pepper for sure but there is still cool brown hairs mixed in. It isn’t just women who say things like, “that is the color I want.”, I’ve had a couple of men also share positive comments.
One thing with grey though. You should keep your hair cut fresh and tidy lest you look like you given up.
I am 58 years old, and although I have a very few strands of grey, my hair is 99.9% a dark chestnut brown, and I have never dyed it! My sister says it is because I never had any kids!
I’ve been coloring my hair since I was 13yrs old weather it was bleached reg color and fun colors in 2016 I had red hair down to just the top of my bum crack wanted to go lighter for a change started bleaching for about a year at the end of 2017 my hair was so damaged it melted and broke off up to my shoulders I was very upset with myself. So I just stoped dyeing it left the light that was there to my shoulders and just let it go at the start of 2018 I was 37yrs old now it’s been two years I don’t have much light left just the ends and it’s past the middle of my back it grew way faster like 21 inches in two years! No hot tools no dye. Just me my curls and some grey shiny silver hairs and I’m really loving it I haven’t seen my real hair since I was 13 I feel free I can’t wait to see more grey! And the thing is lady’s you can always do great things for grey hair low lights toners to keep it vibrant and interesting. Olapex is amazing not just for damaged or bleached hair it great for all hair keeping moisture in your hair is probably the most important thing I would think. Well good luck to everyone and who cares what anyone thinks it all about you what makes you happy I’m loving my natural hair color and my greys! I say go for it ; )
I KNEW A LADY , age 85 years old ,she would never let her GREY be shown she said it made her feel OLD and said if God wanted us to be Grey he would have never created HAIR COLOR . She dyed her hair up to the day she died age 90 .
I am 60 and just not ready to be anything but blonde. If the grey was white, maybe….
I love who I am and I don’t mind growing old but I think gray hair is ugly and I’ll never go Grey. and the comment about Trump was totally uncalled for.
The truth is really difficult for some people to address Marsha, especially people who like Lying Donald.
Spoken like a true liberal. Trump 2020
Newsflash Kimberly. Trump is not a real republican (or conservative). He is narcissist, drunk on power and dangerously stupid.
I am 47, and I finally decided to stop dying my greying temples and front hairline. I began dying my hair at 40. This decision came in part because I noticed that I was becoming more grey and partly because many of the women I work with stopped, or never started, dying their hair. It seems to be a trend, but either way I have come to love my new look!
I’m 52 and have been dying since I was a young teen. For the last 15 years I’ve been dying a natural black and noe have that very obvious grey nearly white root stripe. Last week I was hunched over the bathtub edge rinsing our the dye for millionth time and it just hit me. I was ready. I was so sick and tired of this time consuming pain in the add ritual. I looked at my freshly dyed hair in the mirror and was just so over it!
I’m afraid yes – but committed to embracing my grey/white.
So to the question, when is it the right time to go grey … the answer depends on the woman … it is time when you literally feel you’re ready. I can’t explain the feeling but it is a very real feeling and once you get it and know you’re ready … a very liberating feeling. It’s the feeling that it’s finally OK to love and xactly who you are, inside and out.
Going grey and growing older is not a disease ladies!! It’s a natural process that should be embraced as a part of who you are, not unlike embracing your body type. I went proudly white, not grey, white at 50. I began graying in my early 20″s (part of my irish heritage, my mom did too!) and dyed my hair for years. It got to a point where the hair color was unnatural looking on my face and I knew it was time to stop. My husband was fully supportive and says my white/silver hair is gorgeous, and I love him for that. He has always loved all of me, I;m lucky! Have I encountered ageism? Absolutely, mostly from women to be honest, I even had one lady, older than me, refer to me as elderly! I am a fit 54 year old woman with well cut hair. My reaction….to laugh….I could be rude to her and mention that her burgundy brown locks are not natural, but why? I am of the Michele Obama league…”when they go low, I go high”. So embrace who you are and let that hair go, your makeup looks better and you literally glow with that sparkle in your hair. I wish I had done it sooner 🙂
Thanks, I needed to hear this. I am struggling,,,especially from rude women…who are suppose to be my friends. I have been letting my grey come in for almost 9 months now. Love the freedom of not having to make hair appointments and spending the money. Oh yeah and the fact that pouring chemicals on your head can’t be good. I do struggle with the decision….maybe it will grow on me. I hope i don’t have a weak moment and go back to dying.
Go grey!! I love my grey. It’s always ok to embrace your age and love who you are.
I’m almost 42 and stopped colouring my hair about a year ago. I am quite grey and almost white at my temples. My hair is short and I like having it cut well. Pretty much weekly I get complimented on my colour or my cut. I’ve even had people ask me where I got it coloured. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there; own your grey hair it’s part of who you are. If you see someone with beautiful hair, grey or no, tell them. You just might make their day.
I am 46 and I’m going grey gracefully now. That being said, I’m only silvery at my temples, but the rest of my head is hit and miss.