crown of wisdom
Every 2 weeks, for the past ten years, I have colored my hair. I have been everything from blonde, to red, to pink, to blue black to finally just my “natural” color.
I’m tired of it.
For years I have worked in the business of vanity and was paid to make women look younger and sexier. There is nothing sexy about sitting in a chair with goop in your hair. I can’t remember a bottle of dye ever making me feel younger, either. It was just ritual part of being a woman (and working in a salon). There are lots of beautiful women with gray hair but I’ve never met or seen anyone my age (or maybe they are my age but look older because of the gray? har har).
I’m debating on whether I should keep coloring or celebrate my crown of wisdom, and hope I can still correct people on their judging me far younger than my true age.
What do you do? Flaunt your silver mop or hide your shame?
(I kid, I kid)…. but seriously, tell me.
Do whatever makes you feel beautiful! Although, hair somewhat defines who you are in our society… I don't think it matters, because you are who you are and to hell with what people think. Although, I do have an obsession with my hair… I just say do whatever makes you feel pretty. Silver hair is beautiful, dyed hair is beautiful… we should celebrate hair and life
I don't have any gray (yet!) but I've been dying my hair since I was 17 — a few months ago I dyed it a shade that looked really close to my natural color so that when it started growing out it would match my roots and I could stop dying. I love the freedom of not dying it anymore, and it turns out my natural color isn't half bad! Might dye it again sometime in the future, but I don't think I'd ever want to keep up with the every-two-weeks routine again! By the way I think gray hair is really pretty, whoever said hair had to be black brown blonde or red to look attractive?
I never dyed my hair until now. Well I'm still (soon to be) 17, and I don't have any gray yet. My natural hair color is black. Mom told me to take care of my hair, and not to dye it. My mom is 47 now, and she also never dyed her hair. She has gray, but only a few! But I think hair gray is pretty. I've seen many women who look absolutely fabulous with gray hair
xo
I celebrate my grey hair every day
I've had white hairs since I was 13 and my roots are now about 3 inches long – they shine at me in mirrors but I'm in such an in between stage where it just makes my natural colour look dull – If there was more grey I probably wouldn't dye it as often. I never do it every two weeks though – more like every two months – I'm lazy
i totally do get really tired with hair dye, and the necessity of it being a hairstylist, it gets old.this business just gets vainer..i keep reminding myself i just gotta stay grounded and not get fixated with the outward. and i say you can rock the crown of wisdom! prove the vain world wrong!
I stopped dying my hair about two years ago and about a year ago all the dye had finally grown out. I am so tempted to dye again, but I will resist! It actually looks nice natural i think, it's just the novelty that i crave.Anyway, I don't have any grey yet, but what I would do if I did would depends on what the grey looked like. If it was livery and straight I would not dye it – I know a girl who has lots of silvery grey hair and she's only 32 and it looks great. However, it's more likely that when I do go grey, it'll be mousey and staticy (that's what my mum has), in which case I will dye away.
I used to refuse to dye my hair because I like the natural highlights the sea water and sun gave to it… then I moved up north. After a year people started asking me if I had dyed my hair darker, I hadn't. It was just the lack of sun and salt that made it darker.So now I dye it a shade or two lighter every month and I haven't been happier.
Hair is the first thing that can identify your beauty. I haven't dye my hair yet. But maybe someday i will.www.dreamchymecindy.blogspot.comwww.chyme-inspiration.blogspot.com
I haven't dyed my hair since I was a teenager (that was over ten years ago). I go to a salon where they actively discourage me from dyeing my hair, and I appreciate that. They tell me brunette hair is so hot right now, haha. I'm starting to get a few greys myself but I just pluck them out… not really sure what I'll do when they start to show more. I like my hair colour! I don't like hair dye!
I have noticed a lot more grey in my hair recently. I asked my husband's opinion on dying hair because the thought has crossed my mind about trying some colour to cover it. I am leary about going a route that requires maintenance. I must say I was quite relieved with his response. He said the grey is sexy. Sooo that was all I needed to hear!
I think you should do whatever you think will make you happy and confident! I only have a few strands of gray here and there (it grows in as more of a silvery-white, so when it starts coming in full-force I think I'll let it be, since I suspect it might actually be kind of pretty!). I dye my hair intermittently, but not to cover up the grays, just because I feel like I need a change. And since I usually dye my own hair, I usually only do it when it's short, since dyeing it when it's long is a pain. I'm in the process of growing my hair to donate (SO close to being long enough!!), and when I chop it I think I might have to go red.
I recently dyed for the first time – but most people haven't even noticed! I went for the colour of my tips all over my head – so overall, it's lighter and a slightly warmer golden tone. But I like that it's totally realistic and the colour my hair SHOULD be if I lived in the sunshine! I get the feeling it's going to be addictive though… I'm already thinking about going lighter still, or even a dark red…
i dyed my hair grey/white not too long ago and i love it.i love guys and girls with grey/white hair.so many little old ladies ask me how i got my hair the current colour and compliment me, while people in their 40's just ask why.i say embrace it!
although I say when I go grey I will dye my hair, but my husband always says the true you is the best you…so maybe I will find a way to make it work.Either way, as long as you feel beautiful, who cares?
<3
honestly… i'm not entirely sure what *i* would do. i just met a gal (same age as me, 29) with beautiful silver in her hair. i'll be honest, it took me off guard at first. her face didn't match the salt-in-pepper hair she sported, but her personality was so true that right away i knew she wore her 'crown of wisdom' (as you call it) proudly. it all too quickly became apart of who she is as a person, and it completely resonated with her.i'm rambling.because it isn't "out-there" for younger women to sport gray people don't know what to do with it. why would it be different than pink or blonde or black blue i wonder. its just a color. hmmmm.i say if you're comfortable with it, sport the gray. you can always dye it again if it doesn't work out.:-)
i'm just starting to getting little grey hairs and i haven't decided how i'm going to handle it yet. i guess you could say i'm in denial?
Such a hard decision. Do what you feel is best at the moment.
I have always liked the salt and pepper look on guys, but on women it really depends. If your hair is healthy, it can look very pretty. If it is all split ends and a mess (like mine) then it might just look like your lazy.
i don't have any gray yet. i stopped coloring my hair for a long time – 10 years or so? got tired of the maintenance, as you said. but this winter i was feeling a little dull so i got some highlights. made me feel better. so do whatever makes you feel better, i say
At 23 years old, I have LOTS of gray hair. I started getting them when I was 16 & while I do dye my hair from time to time, it's only because I think dyeing is fun…it's like a less permanent tattoo. I LOVE that I have some gray hair & I can't wait for it to completely take over!
My hair color is boring to me so I add the little red highlights for an extra kick. I haven't really thought about what I'll do when I start getting gray hairs *shivers* Lol. My mom has had salt & pepper hair for years {its partly a birthmark; think Cruella DeVille-esque} & doesn't dye it. Its so funny because people are constantly asking her if she dyes it that way.
I actually kind of dig some silver hair! If you're proud sporting it then I say do it!
PS photo q&a on my blog if you want to check it out! xo
I will dye until I die.
And I'm ok being vain hahaha. I think you'll rock it either way lady!
diana! i'm so glad you posted this. i am 23 and like like 30% of my hair is gray. WTF gives?? my dad went completely white by the time he was 30, so i know i'm doomed. but just last week, after almost 2 months of not dying my hair and an inch of silver on the top of my head, i thought "what if i just let it go?". i think about it everytime i have to dye my hair. what's the point? blah. i'm there with you. we should just make a pact and let it go!
i haven't dyed my hair in about 6 years. i don't know what i would do when i begin to go grey, i'll have to wait and see if it suits me
hehe
silver all the way! I started having really noticable greying (though it's pretty pure white on my head) when I was maybe 21, and I haven't dyed it yet. All my grey is in my bangs and from my temples. My hair stylist is so in love with it, she refuses to dye it and told me I would have to go somewhere else to have it done!
I stopped dying my hair about 6 months ago and it is HARD to keep from dying it again… and that is purely vanity talking. I am trying to celebrate my natural colour but trust me, there are days when you just don't want too! Moral of the story? god knows, but do whatever will make you feel the best! xx
I spotted my first grey when I was 12, and have been colouring my hair ever since. but being plagued by this has allowed me to have all sorts of fun hair colour! and now I'm not bothered by it anymore, I just get my hair coloured every 3 months or so. Plus hair massages at salons are the best! (; xo
The prob is – once you start coloring/highlighting…it's so hard to stop!!I personally look better with highlights and when I don't have them I feel…kinda, meh.But sometimes I wish I kept my hair's virginity…LOL!! It would be so much more cost efficient for me
XOXO
I color my hair more because I dislike my natural color than to cover the gray. I've been doing it for years and don't plan on stopping anytime soon. Especially now that I go to an Aveda Institute so it's way cheaper than a regular salon.
I've got 3 or 4 greys that I've had for the last year or so, but they're mainly underneath. I can't say what I'll do when I have lots of greys, but I do admire women who aren't ashamed to go au naturale.
Whatever is going to make you happy lady! My greys do NOT make me happy, so when they get outta control…a dyein' I will go!
I hate them, my husband loves them (go figure). I let them fly since I tarted gettinging them three years ago. I just dyed my hair a darker color last week and the dye didn't eve cover my greys?? So I guess thy are still here with me.
i don't have any greys (neither does my mom! and she's 46!), but i did color my hair for about two years because i thought my "dishwater" blonde shade was ugly. then i got so tired of my hair being dry and frizzy that i just chopped it off into a pixie! now i do get tempted to color it sometimes, but it's just not worth the hassle!
i color my hair. well I don't, but i have it done for me. the twinkling grays are coming through, and there isn't much i can do about it! it costs a FORTUNE to get my hair cut and colored, and i get it done about every 6 weeks even tho i should go more often. ugh. i'd like to be done with it someday, but not just yet. sigh. it is tricky. i don't think i'll be one of those women that looks super with gray hair. i really doubt it!
One nice thing about having blond hair is that the grays aren't as visible. I've started to get a few gray hairs around my temples but they're mostly hidden under other hair and not very noticable. I haven't dyed my hair since my early twenties and don't have any plans to.You've got such a youthful face, I think you could totally pull off some silvery locks!
I've been coloring my hair since I was twelve and I'm kind of over it too. It's still fun to change it up, but I can't afford salon color and box color damages my hair too much. So…I dunno. Let it grow out and see if you like it. I personally love grey hair. I think it's beautiful.
I bet you would ROCK some silver!
There was this lady at my old job and she never dyed her hair, she was about 50 and had gray streaks in her hair and we (my friends & I) LOVED her. We loved her because she had a way of just carrying herself, she walked with such confidence and poise and she did it wearing thrift clothes and voluminous gray hair – that is sexier than any dye job. I say go Au-natural!
I think you could totally pull off some gray hair.My best friends dyed my hair purple after my first break up at 14, and after ten years of coloring I decided enough was enough. It's been about a year and a half of my "no dye" streak..and I'm still waiting on a couple inches or so of hair that still has color in it. It's been pretty painless – although every time I get a hair cut I'm urged to dye it, but I'm at least waiting until my whole head is one color before doing so. I've got quite a few grays as well, and I might eventually get some highlights but I doubt I'll ever go back. It's really nice not staining my bathroom, bathrobes, etc. with hair dye and having a few extra dollars every other month to spend on other fun stuff. I wish you luck in your decision!
i'm sure you're incredibly beautiful either way. but if you decide to go for a change, i go for pink. just so i could live vicariously through you:) and have pink hair…
I think you'd look totally sexy in grey hair! My husband said he's had grays since he was 18 and now he's totally salt and pepper – which makes him look like a cross between a classic movie star and Superman (he had blue streaks! Hehe), in my completely unbiased opinion, of course.I just got my FIRST grey hair around a week ago and it was unruly and thick so I yanked it out immediately. Maybe if it was more uniform I could work it but with a strand here and there, I think it'd just look unkempt. iamemmamusic.blogspot.com
I do a little of both. I color, but only every 12 weeks or so. I saw my first grey when I was 23! I like to cover it, but am just not into the work involved in maintaining it. I love your hair.
ha, this made me laugh. sadly, i hide my shame. i've been coloring religiously for the last few years and even my fiance thinks it's ridiculous, but i just can't bring myself to "flaunt the silver mop." maybe you're braver than i and can start a trend?
by the way, i love that line – celebrate my crown of wisdom.
I'm actually a fan of grey hair, especially in younger people. I think it has a lot of character. I say let it go, but that's up to you!
My mom used to yank out any greys she saw, but it got to a point where that became impossible. I've only dyed my hair twice in my life (red!) and really wasn't fond of the upkeep.
honestly diana, i think that everyone's appearance comes off a certain way because of their attitude! if you are feeling good, then you are looking good!!do what makes you happy!
I'm going to have to agree with what a few others have said: do what makes you feel confident and beautiful
I started to get grays in my teens and have had a long history of coloring my hair. Back then it was blond and/or caramel highlights. About 5 years ago I started dying my hair a few shades darker than my natural color. I usually keep up with it every few months (more so lately to cover up the grays), but have gone through spells where I didn't really care.
ugh. i am so with you. especially since i went red, and now (just yesterday) dyed my hair black(ish)…i keep thinking, why did i even begin? my hair was fine to start! ha! and i hate sitting in the chair, being ogled by passerbys… i got no prob with a dash of silver in a do though! i hope to go gray or white even someday:) perhaps you could make it your new trademark look
♥ claire
For 25 years I coloured my hair every 6 weeks. I went blonde (Blergh – not me at all) black, plum, burgandy, copper, red etc. AND! Then I stopped and I just can't tell you how liberating it is!!! My hair is naturally dark brown with a reddish tinge and you know what? It's OK! Such a relief to not have to do it anymore! I say do stop colouring your hair – even for a little while – it really is the best style decision I have made in a lobg long time!
P.S. Found my first grey hair the other day – was quite excited actually!!
I'm 36, and my hair is probably 50% gray. Luckily, my sister-in-law is one of the best hairstylists in town, so I trade cuts & color for home renovation stuff. I probably wouldn't be opposed to going gray except that my gray hair is wiry and awfully textured, plus no one in my family will let me. My mom's hair was just like mine, and finally at 52 she stopped coloring. But by that time, her hair had become silky and silver in color, and now it's beautiful. So one day maybe my gray will be pretty too and I will embrace it. For now, it's the bottle. I am thinking of going blonde for the first time in my life though.
I'm torn because I love my natural hair colour and I dyed my hair black for most of high school and then stopped and swore I never would dye it again. Unfortunately at the ripe ol' age of 23 the gray hairs are flocking in. I'm still undecided on what to do.