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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Going Gray

It’s official.  Other people are starting to notice the silver threads beginning at my temples.  I was talking with someone at church the other day, and overheard several older ladies close by discussing how naturally my gray hairs blended into the rest of my hair.  I didn’t know whether I should be flattered or offended.  They all admittedly color their hair, not being able to cope with being all gray, but still! 

You may be thinking, “So why not color your hair?”  I just can’t do it!  I have seen ladies of all ages color their hair, but I just can’t bring myself to do it.  There are several reasons for this.
1.  The cost.  It would take $8-12 per month for the rest of my life.  I plan on living a long time, so that is a lot of money!  That is not considering the cost of inflation on the hair color kits, either…
2.  The look.  I know a lot of people color their hair, but it changes the way your hair looks, especially if you don’t get the exact shade.  It also takes away the natural shine and highlights by covering the hair with dye.  Constant coloring of the hair also affects the texture of the hair, making it coarser. 
3.  The time.  I’m sure it doesn’t take long to color your hair, but it only lasts for three weeks or so before the roots start showing.  Very unattractive, in my opinion.
4.  The result.  Coloring the hair is an endless cycle of maintenance that most people don’t know how to end.  Be honest—how many 70-year-old ladies do you know with black, brown, or red hair?  Do you let it grow out and endure the awful “skunk” look until it is long enough to cut off the colored part?  Or do you color until you die? Once you start, there is no easy way out.

So now that I have offended half of my readers by stating my rather blunt opinion of hair coloring, I will say that if you want to do it, go ahead—it’s not a sin.  It’s just not for me.  I choose to grow old and gray as gracefully as I can.  Those of you that color—take the challenge and quit now, while there is still hope! :)  It really isn’t that bad to go a little gray!

4 comments:

  1. I'm going to be in the same boat, Sarah. My hair just won't colour. I tried to do it myself (just for fun) a few years ago, and nothing happened. So I went to my hairdresser....and nothing happened when she did it either! I have un-dyeable hair, apparently. :)

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  2. Going gray here Sarah, but I have a whole lot more than you do. :) I started coloring a few years ago, but Roland was not happy with it. He wanted the natural look. So I gave in and stopped with the dye. I also heard that the dye does not let your hear breathe and it is very bad for it. I would rather have hair that is gray than have all of it fall out from dye. Oh yes, I have seen some very old ladies with black and brown hair. It is really funny! Here in Ukraine everyone dyes their hair, so I am quite the spectacle with my gray hair! :)

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  3. I colored my hair just for fun, for different looks for 12 years. I tried to stay within my natural color (dark brown), but over the years I had blonde highlights (roots show so badly!), red, auburn, burgandy, etc... After trying to get back to my natural shade, I ended up too dark, almost black. Note to anyone coloring: once you go black, it's hard to lighten at all! :( I had a terrible mishap and had to have emergency help from my hairstylist. From then on, I quit coloring. I have a lot of "sparkles" as I call the gray, and 2 good streaks on my temples. I am starting to like the highlighting look I get. It's not just sparkles anymore, but "God highlights". The skunk growing out look is not for me. ;)

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  4. Sarah...Just to show the flip side of the coin...(You know how I love a good debate! Ha!) I have colored my hair for years because I was almost totally gray at 25 years old, and that was just too soon for me! My hair stylist says that I do as good a job as she would, and that my hair is the healthiest hair she has seen on an adult woman! I use a dye with no ammonia or sulfates, so it is not bad for your hair. I do use shampoo and conditioner that is for color treated hair. Thanks to coupons I rarely pay more than $1 - $3 for the dye I use. My color lasts 2-3 months, so I only do it 4-5 times per year. I matched my natural color as close as I could and most people can't even tell that I dye my hair! When I mention it, they are like, "What? That's not your natural color?" :)

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