When do you decide to color your gray hair?

[eldo]

I mean, at what point did you give up plucking (!) and go to a hairdresser, or color it yourself? What's the best brand for newbies?

I'm chicken to start this coloring stuff. I guess I'm afraid it won't match my natural color, and will all be one color instead of having the color variations natural hair has. My haircolor is actually something I like about myself. It's a medium brown color, and it makes me sad to think it's changing !

I suppose I also have a mental block about aging! I work out, eat right, wear sunblock, etc., but when it comes to gray hair, there's nothing you can do to stop it!

[Mouse7088]

Ohhhh hon'...I feel your pain! I started coloring VERY early on...first it was to be "different"...actually it was because I moved away from home..LOL! Mom would cringe at the thought of me coloring my hair, I think she would have skinned me alive. Well....boy do I wish I would have enjoyed the natural-ness while I had it..LOL! Any more I do color as close to my natural color as I can...just yesterday I basically used less than a 1/4 bottle of color (made for stubborn gray) to just go over (w/ a small brush) the grays that are REALLY prominent in my bang area and on the sides (closest to my face).

I don't care what anyone says...for me I will pay the higher $ for a good, well known brand of coloring...heck, you can get a print out coupon for almost all of them (plus there's usually a coupon on the instruction sheet inside). Since you do have brown (like me)...go with ASH colors...you're less likely to get that brassy tint. I do have natural red highlights and unless I use a really dark brown, my highlights usually show through. Maybe you shouldn't really do an all over color just yet, but try to get something as close as possible to your natural color and just touch up the grays?!?!

[Brenda2000]

I haven't yet.
I'm 41, and started noticing grey in my late 20's. But, I'm blond, so it doesn't show up as much as if I had dark hair.
Now tho, it is much more noticeable. Especially when I pull it back on the sides.
I'm like you, I haven't been brave enough to try it...worried it might hurt my hair I guess.

[Jennifer M.]

*Knock on wood* I haven't found any gray yet. My mom started coloring her hair early so maybe it skipped me for now hehe

[Brendabutt]

I do high-lights right now. I asked my hairdresser what happens when I have to much to pluck and she said that we would do an all-over color and then the highlights. I'm blond too, so my gray hair isn't too noticeable right now. DH is always getting on to me because I pluck--he says I'm gonna pull it all out and better gray then gone(LOL). I like the highlights--adds a little bit of sunshine I think!

[pandybat]

No gray here either....yet. But when it does come, I don't think I am going to color it. It's a part of life. My grandma was well into her 60's and was still coloring her hair. It was like an obsession with her. After talking to her about it one day, she decided to quit coloring her hair and let it go natural. I think she looks better and she says she is glad to be rid of the burden of worrying about it. There's nothing wrong with not coloring your hair.
My mom is almost 55 and still doesn't have any gray hair.

[Shainie]

Just a tip - if you have medium brown hair and plan on coloring it yourself, never go with a darker dye than light brown. They always end up darker than the box show. A medium brown would turn your hair black!

If you can afford it, go to a stylist to get your hair colored. Then you just have to go in every 6-8 weeks and have it touched up. If you color over color over color over color, your hair will become like straw. (Unless of course your hair is short and you cut it alot).

I've only noticed a few grey right on the top of my head . . . not looking forward to more.

[lookn4deals]

OMG I have enough gray hair for all of you Ive had it since maybe 18 (im 27 now) and no color takes to it. I go to the salon and with in a week those darn grays r back. I have decided now home color is much cheaper since it has to be done so often...

[eldo]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone
So if I used the kind that last through 15 shampoos, and pick a fairly light brown, will it cover the gray without changing the brown hairs?

Mouse - It never occurred to me to just touch up the areas that show. My DH uses Just for Men (shhh, don't tell ) and he touches up his sideburns and moustache and doesn't bother with the few grays that he has on top. Maybe I'll steal a little of his color and try it on a hidden patch, just to see how it turns out.

Shanie - That's a good point. My DH has similar color as mine, and has to use the light brown for a natural look.

Brenda2000 - I know what you mean about the gray showing when you pull it back! I put it in a ponytail yesterday before I did yard work and could see a few grays underneath - arrrghh!

Brendabutt - My sister is 3 years older than me and blonde. She's been highlighting her hair for about 15 years, and her gray blends nicely with the highlighting. She has a lot of gray in front, but the hairdresser does a fantastic job with the color and she still only needs the highlights -- for now anyway (she's about 50% gray).

[JillyB71]

My mother talked me into coloring my hair when I was in the 6th grade to tone down the red in my hair then the summer before 9th grade we highlighted it with blonde with one of the caps you pull the hair through. Yeouch!! I finally went completely blonde through the rest of high school. I always used the box stuff from the store until two days before my wedding when I had to have it bleached! It seems the chemicals in your hair change if you are pregnant and when I went to touch up my roots before the big day...it turned my hair a lovely shade of purple!! After my son was born, it got too expensive so I went natural for a few years until I started to go gray at 21. Now I play up the red my mom wanted me to cover and it really gets attention.

Mouse, I never thought about using a small brush to do touch ups! What a great idea! My hair grows so fast that I usually have to color every 5 to 6 weeks. Using a brush would really keep my hair healthier. What kind of brush do you use?

P.S. I use Revlon's High Dimensions in Deep Copper Mahogany. It stays on your hair for 10 minutes and covers my gray really well.

[Mouse7088]

Ok...ya'll will laugh, but I used a soft bristled toothbrush...I squeezed a little color on it just like it was toothpaste. Heck, you can buy packs of the brushes at the dollar store for next to nothing so I just used it and tossed it

Since my blonde hair only turned at the temples I started coloring it because that's what showed the most. I found that L'Oreal Excellence does the best at coverage, and I used a Light Ash Blonde, No. 9A. I only do it about every six to eight weeks.

[MariB]

Eldo~
Clairol's Loving Care, one of the products that lasts for 15 shampoos, was what I started with when the gray first appeared. It looks very natural, works well, and doesn't contain harsh chemicals. The gray hair may turn out a bit lighter than the rest of your hair, but it doesn't look bad at all. I used Light Golden Brown on my medium-dark brown hair. As Shainie said, the Medium Brown is way too dark.

[eldo]

Originally Posted by MariB

Eldo~
Clairol's Loving Care, one of the products that lasts for 15 shampoos, was what I started with when the gray first appeared. It looks very natural, works well, and doesn't contain harsh chemicals. The gray hair may turn out a bit lighter than the rest of your hair, but it doesn't look bad at all. I used Light Golden Brown on my medium-dark brown hair. As Shainie said, the Medium Brown is way too dark.

If the gray turns out a bit lighter, then it will have the look of natural highlights, so that sounds great.

And just to clarify, the brown hairs won't change color, since I'm not going darker?

Thanks!

[cashhound]

I've tried the For Brunettes Only by L'Oreal...Preference I think. I loved it, and will continue to use it. It is a permanant color, lasts 6 weeks or so.

I have been coloring my hair for 15 years or so. It started as just a change. I was tired of brown. Now it's to cover the grays...lol. I haven't noticed my hair getting really dry except int he summer when I'm in the pool and in salt water a lot. I just use a deep conditioner once a week, and it works well. My hair is to my brastrap, so the ends are going to be dry anyway.

Oh yeah...that's another thing. If you have long hair, the ends will be more porous, so don't leve the color on the ends as long.