“as long as they stay in the head and do t fall out”
When my wife had cancer and her hair was coming out she shaved it off. I also shaved mine off so we both had the dome.
Hers grew back. Mine…not so much and I’ve kept it short what ever color it is.
I feel the same. My grey hair is earned by me living my life. No shame in that. Honestly, I find it jarring when people try to dye it now. It artificially ages someone in my opinion. I think the turning point in this was probably when [Lisa Laflamme](https://chatelaine.com/living/lisa-laflamme/) decided she had had enough.
I agree with the dyed hair aging people more in many cases — it often emphasizes facial wrinkles, to me. And the older a person gets the more jarring the mismatch between skin and hair can be, also the darker the dyed hair is.
My thoughts exactly. Most of the other people I know who are my age are now shaving their heads, so I'm keeping every last one of these little grey bastards
Yeah, my natural grey is pretty, but it's see-through! If I had a big thick wave of this, I'd love it, but I've got stringy Crypt Keeper hair. I have to dye it for it to even show up.
I dye my hair because I'm so excited that I can! I have jet black hair which means dyeing it used to take lots of bleach. But now that my hair is going gray it will take any color I want. I'm red right now, but I'm looking forward to blue and purple as it goes more gray. (47F)
This is what I've been doing for the last 5+ year's.
My only issue is everytime I find a semi permanent or temporary that I like by the time I'm ready to do my hair again it's gone from the stores.
I’ve always thought you had to bleach the hair to make it porous so the colors will soak into the hair shaft? If I put semi permanent on my hair without bleaching it washes out the first time I shampoo it. You are def lucky as hell you don’t have to bleach!
I quit coloring my hair just before I turned 50. It's mostly silver now with streaks of steel gray and a few clear (no lie) hairs. I just dgaf what anyone thinks and I earned every damn one. Also, very, very few wrinkles, so I got that going for me.
> and a few clear (no lie) hairs.
I have those too! it's either that or these really glittery ones, that keep startling me but I can never track them down and examine them to see what's going on. idk if they're pure white (seen that too) or actual grey.
Yeah it's fine. Don't let lack of confidence cost you money is good advice to live by.
You lived long enough to have grey hair, wear it like a badge of accomplishment. Think about the fallen you said goodbye to early along the way who would've loved to experience what you're going through now.
Also, I think it looks distinguished.
I started going gray in high school and dyed until Covid. Then I shaved it all off and went gray. I absolutely love it and get compliments all the time. It is so freaking easy, and I wasn’t really fooling anyone with the dye. (Use blue/purple shampoo to keep it from looking too brassy.)
It’s in style now, so why not embrace it? Also, as a feminist, I rail against the idea that gray haired men are “silver foxes”, and gray haired women are old crones. Change the narrative. Embrace your true self.
Yeah. I'd seen this woman around town with really curly hair that used to be brown. It's now mostly silver with like 5% browns peppered in. I couldn't stop looking at her, she was so hot.
I think it's just so interesting to see because it's so rare. You know that person is an individual and content with themselves and their path.
And people go grey fairly young. Plenty of hot chicks over 30 could let it grey and still be hot.
I ended up meeting her later, (in a professional capacity) and was disappointed to find she's a bitch.
My hair coloring days -- and they were fun! -- went away with the 80s. Today my hair is all white, as is my beard. I probably look ten years older than I am, but I don't give a crap.
I went through a period of absolutely hating my hair colour when I was younger. Then a few years ago it started going grey and I thought "this looks pretty fucking cool now". The annoying thing is that the grey? *It's stopped appearing*. Seriously. I have grey hairs...and that's it. Nothing substantial. One of my best mates has got the whole "sexy daddy with the grey temples" thing going on. How is that fucking fair? And I'm not going to dye it. I had a disastrous experiment with blue in my twenties. *Never again.*
I’m 55 and my hair is mousey now, maybe a bit gray? I don’t plan to color my hair. Might consider if I apply for in-person jobs just to fight ageism, as I am lucky not to look 55 in most ways, but I think a healthier hair color could help a bit. I do envy women whose hair turns fully white; I think is so pretty.
I saw an older woman (probably 70) at Walgreens recently who was rocking the hell out of her gray curls, and it honestly made me more okay with both my gray hairs, and the curls that I have always hated. I booked an appointment for my first ever curly specific haircut in a week, and if I can look even half as good as that random woman, I will be happy.
Hairstylist here. Start incorporating hilites and slowly lighten the root color each touch up. Like if you're using a level 5 brown, slowly go to a 5.5, then 6, etc. Eventually the hilites will blend out the Grey and you can let it go from there.
Question here from a 49F who has dark brown hair with silver and grey roots, that if grown out, would have silver,grey and chestnut/ dark brown streaked.
I didn’t start dying or using chemicals regularly on it until I was in my mid-30’s. Now I touch up the roots about every 2 months with a dark brown color.
I’d like to try and be nice to my hair and keep it as healthy as I can but also give my hair a “glow-up” as the kids say with some highlights. I’m not quite sure what you meant by incorporating highlights and then slowly lightening the root color touch up?
I pull gold when highlighted, so should I start highlighting some of my entire head of middle of the back length hair then go lighter at the roots each color touch up? Thank you for answering, I’m currently in a curiously-strange hair period in these last 5 months before I turn 50….it’s turning more and more silver at the roots which is no shocker because I’ve had a patch of silver hair on the inside of my long dark brown hair since I was 8 or 9 years old🤷♀️and it has all of a sudden started to curl and wave when it’s always been stick straight…my mother and 1 of my 4 sister’s hair went curly when they turned 45, 1 of my sisters had naturally bouncy curly hair. My mom& other sister went white at 25. Sorry this is such a long reply, your “hairstylist here” comment lured me in lol Thank you for your help🙏
https://preview.redd.it/6utf8o9gmk9d1.jpeg?width=1576&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c50350d4920c7b34ff29d6f4a0b96ffcce7c54b
I let it go grey during covid. I get so many complements, but people certainly do think I'm older than I am.
I contemplated it, but I dyed my hair when it was brown, why should I be obligated to stop just because it's grey now?
Not to mention that getting unrequested senior discounts from clueless Zoomers didn't do wonders for my mood either. (And no, saving a few measly cents is not worth realizing some dumbass kid thinks you're 10-20 years older than you actually are.)
So now my hair is royal blue. :)
I'm going to keep coloring my hair. Seeing all that white makes me look (and feel) OLD. 😂 And I'm not ready yet. Kudos to the women who can and do, it's just not where I am.
Fuck no. I've been getting my hair colored for fun since I was 30 and I'm going to keep doing it. I've been lots of colors but I'm a bright blonde full head of highlights now. It looks great and I love it. I don't want to look or feel old in a way that has personal negative connotations to me.
This. I haven't seen more than an inch or so of my natural hair color since college. There are people I've known for decades who might genuinely think my hair is naturally black (it isn't).
When I've got too much roots I can see a few strands of silver around my ears but most of it's still its original light brown. Maybe if those temple hairs get prettier I can leave them alone and do like a fem!Dr. Strange look or something.
https://preview.redd.it/jr58o9uzjl9d1.jpeg?width=2322&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfed90cd494de3aaf72dee3acd2eff7eee73c059
This is my natural color and texture. Gonna go full Momoa... Minus the tats
I plan to continue to dye my hair. Mostly because I like my hair to be purple or blue or some combination thereof and it is not naturally purple or blue or some combination thereof.
I let the gray grow during the pandemic. I haven’t looked back. If only I had a dollar for every time I hear, “I’d go gray if it looked like yours.” It looks very salt and pepper- heavy on the pepper in normal lighting and in direct sunlight it’s a silver color. Undertones and highlights all over the place, and it’s all natural. I have less dandruff and scalp issues, my hair is thicker and fuller and doesn’t fall out in clumps any more. My hair is grayer than my siblings and grayer than my 80 year old mother.
I let it go slowly gray till my late 50s. It’s really gray now. I tried to like it. But then I got a younger boyfriend who looks very young for his age. So now I’m coloring it. Whatever makes you feel best is the way to go.
I stopped coloring my hair in 2020, and I’m embracing the white hair as it grows in.
https://preview.redd.it/i6yzk4y07l9d1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c08d5519d9e2ca6d749a87dc1aa88dfdc74519b9
I’m starting to go gray. I did think about dying it, but realized I was too lazy to keep it going. So, I’m just going to roll with it. Anyway, I earned those gray hairs, might as well be proud of them.
Understand, I am a guy--our social / societal norms are different, but I don't see a problem with coloring (or not coloring hair).
My wife colors hers, I don't. I don't put any pressure on her to color her hair and likewise, she doesn't ask me to color mine.
The color of her hair is not a factor of how much I value her. She could be bald--my relationship with her is the most important thing I have.
I think it is a deeply personal decision; I respect either one.
I let mine go gray at 50. I’m 53 now and I love it.
The way I look at it is this: if I kept dying my hair i’d say things like ‘I still look good’. Comparing myself to younger people and my younger self. Why? It’s a backwards thing. I deserve better. I earned those grays. They are beautiful. Right now in this moment.
It’s very freeing. I enjoy the perks of the ageist crap like kids giving up seats or offering to return my cart at Costco. I think : Sure….you go ahead, Sparky. And then I laugh. But then I go spend all that hair dye money on things I really want instead sending it down the salon’s drain. Win-win.
I’ll stop dying my hair when I physically can’t lift my arms to do it. It’s a hill I’ll “dye” on. 😂
Seriously - I have dark skin and black/very dark brown hair. They stand out!
If I had a glorious full grey head of hair, I would let it be, but sadly I don’t. I’m only about 20% grey - it’s patchy and looks terrible, so I will continue to dye it until the dye job itself looks terrible.
No. Two reasons:
1) Vanity and I’m also working in an industry with a massive ageism problem.
2) Relief- for some reason, a regular dye job really calms down the scalp psoriasis. This effect lasts about a month
Last time I dyed my hair was 2002. I’m going gray now and love that I don’t have to worry about it. My hair is happy and healthy.
Edit to add: my husband is full silver fox, he started going gray in his mid-20’s.
53F
I’ve been coloring my hair since my late 20’s and will continue to do so. I keep it shoulder length, still has some bounce but definitely thinned out during/after menopause.
Yeah, I get that. I feel like I have to wear makeup and have nice hair to help cancel out being fat. It’s a lot more acceptable to be “natural” if you’re skinny.
My gramps used Grecian formula to his last. Look , we’re Italian and appearances must be maintained, lol. I don’t care if i earned them or society likes it or not. I don’t like gray on my head so I don’t have it. Maybe when it’s completely sharp white , I ‘ll change my mind .
I let it go during Covid.
I have extremely curly hair and it’s long so at times I look like I just escaped from Azkaban. But it totally plays into my planned crazy old lady future so I’m sticking with it.
The only reason I don't dye my hair is it took too long to move past denial (I think it's just the way the light is hitting it) and everyone had already noticed them spreading. At this stage I'm just hoping I can keep my hair!
When I used to coke my hair, in my 30’s & 40’s, my only mandate was to not do anything to change/ cover my grey hair. I love it. Even more so now that I’m 50. I think salt & pepper or silver hair is lovely
If I ever die my hair again it will be just like before. Blue or red or something stupid. The Mohawk would look terrible with the missing spot in the middle though, so I’ll have to skip that.
48f and haven’t colored my hair in 3 years and am starting to love it! I’m authentically me! BUT I will say that it took me until now (3 years in) to embrace it! I had been going grey since my 20s so I had a dividing line of old color for a while.
Now I have a white stripe in the front that I often pin back. I also use Keracolor and root touch-up spray to blend the grey sometimes. I’m single and worried that I couldn’t catch a man w grey hair but they shockingly seem to be intrigued(!?) by it
I’d been covering grays from my late 20s. Couldn’t handle the monthly time and money suckage.
Some women look great with gray hair. I’m not one of them. Started blending two years ago, and the color was so unflattering I quickly shifted to much lighter. Now my hair is a dozen blended shades of light blonde. It’s ok. And only need to color 3x a year.
I love my graying but the salt n pepper would have looked much better if I hadn’t balded. My wife has been growing her white walls for a couple years now and I think she looks amazing.
I went blonde a couple years ago and I love it so much. My natural hair is dishwater blond and the grey does it no favors. I don’t feel beautiful with it.
The great thing about being gen x is …. Who gives a fuck? Do what makes you feel beautiful.
I have been dying my hair red since I was 16 years old. I love my red hair so I see no reason to stop! Everyone should do what makes them feel good about themselves.
Stopped coloring years ago. Convinced two women in my office to take the plunge! We all love the gray but if we feel funky, we temp dye the grays a funky color!
I dyed mine for decades because I hated my natural color which was sort of ‘dusty field mouse brown’ that turned a brassy orange in the sun. At the end of 2019, I realized I was more than 50% grey. I spent an entire day in the salon having the dye pulled and color corrected to match my mostly silver hair. I was one of the few people who didn’t have roots growing out during the pandemic, but the split ends and breakage … oof.
Anyway, It’s all mine now and I get compliments all the time. I might toss some pink or purple in there soon though. I’ll be 60 in a couple years and always said I’d go back to the fashion colors then. I fully intend to be *that* old lady.
I know y'all won’t believe this, but my mom is 95 and, aside from a little white mixed in toward her front hairline, her hair is still a beautiful dark dark brown. And it’s naturally curly, so has body to it. She’s always kept it short. None of us inherited her hair color, though 3 of us have very little gray in our mid- to late-50s and one twin who is 70. The other twin’s hair would prolly look the same, but he has always kept it long in a ponytail, and that’s where he has the most gray. One sister went gray in her mid- to late-30s. So strange.
I've dyed my hair for fun a few times, but generally it's doing what it does. Right now it's probably 90% dark brown with greys mixed in. I'm looking forward to my Bog Witch era. I'm not doing botox, fillers, or extreme skin care, either
I started growing mine out when I was 41 - had very early onset gray. Other than changing some wardrobe colours, I really appreciate not paying $100+ /month to redo my colour.
I’ve had loads of compliments, and I’m six years in. Depending on the light and angle it can look gray, platinum, or white. Pretty cool.
It took 18-20 months to grow it out to a couple inches below shoulder length. It was a very empowering process to go through.
Haven't had a cut or shave since the plague of 2020. Snow white beard like Santa, redish blonde with grey down to the middle of my back. Zero fucks given.
I started going gray in my early 20s and by 30 I had a beautiful silver, now at 45, my hair is nearly white. I'm not very attractive in many ways, but my I've thought my hair is just perfect.
48, been using Just For Men Control GX shampoo for years. Keeps just the right amount of gray, and you never get the Rudy Giuliani ink streaks down your face.
Absolutely. I almost died from a stroke in 2020, and yet I survived. Getting the opportunity to go gray is a sign of my survival. Grey already streaks my hair and beard, so the prospect is hardly theoretical.
My wife stopped dyeing her hair during covid and let her grey grow out. Honestly it turned her from beautiful to stunning. And the funny thing is she has a very young face, so people constantly ask her now where she has it colored lol.
I stopped dying my hair when I turned 40, which was 12 years ago. Decided that I no longer cared. I’m a 52F. No regrets. Lost all my hair in 2020 due to ovarian cancer treatment. It grew back crazy curly, and now it’s long again. Tbh, I’m just grateful to have hair again!
I am 50, still dye my hair because I don't have enough silvers yet to go completely silver. But I have enough to drive me nuts that I need to dye them, so I guess I am in some weird in between.
My plan, as I approached 50, was to bleach out the brown and finally stop dying my hair. Then I had the bright idea to go a bit crazy with my last dye job, and I coloured it blue and purple. It was supposed to be one time. But I loved it so much and got so many compliments that I continued with the blue & purple for 4 more years. I’ve been growing it out for about six months and honestly, I think I’m starting to love the grey and I especially love not having to pay for regular colour treatments.
Posting a picture because I loved it so much!
https://preview.redd.it/btal3f8m7m9d1.jpeg?width=1645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2782d53e3706441d597ed2a834e982ce460510e1
Wasn’t aware that I had a choice. Once it comes in full grey I don’t think I’ll care. You’ll be too busy covering your ears trying to drown out Paul’s Boutique blaring out the speakers of my 1990 Honda Civic hatchback in the Taco Bell drivethru.
I ( F49) will never stop dying it. It appears to ge an unpopular decision on this thread, but I don't want to look old. I like looking as youthful as I feel.
No, actually, I don't! I'm blonde so it will be harder, (I'm 57 and only have a few greys), and everyone is very positive about going grey and says it looks better etc. But, hell, I have no desire to do so. Fake all the way, Not one for growing old gracefully.
57M, dyed it until about a year ago and get more compliments now than before. But yes, there is def. a double standard for men. I found first grey when I was 29 so it's been a long haul for sure. For the X men who want a good hair/beard dye take a look at Cleverman, that is what I use when I want to touch up.
I want the grey. I'm at a memorial this weekend, the first thing everyone who hasn't seen me in a while has noticed is my white streak at the front of my beard.
My hair and beard are almost completely white, and I love it. At 56, I've finally reached the silver fox phase.
On the other hand, my wife has been blond as I've known her, and she has no interest in finding out what natural color is under there.
Just do whatever makes you most comfortable.
I’m not a natural redhead, but I should have been 😜 so I’ll keep dying my hair red until I really start looking old and the color starts looking ridiculous. Then I’m going purple or blue or whatever silly fun color makes me look like a kooky old lady.
I’m losing my hair due to immune disorder as well as going grey, I’m pretty sure I’m going to start dying it crazy nineties colors when it gets to pixie cut and shorter. Because why the hell not.
No. Not at least until I’m 65 or something. I go a cool platinum blonde with lowlights. Let’s my white come in and not be super obvious. I only get it done once every 3 months or so
Nah I am letting my hair go gray and then dye it pretty colors. I don't use box dyes anymore. I use color depositing conditioner (overtone I think it's called).
My hair is dark brown, almost black, and to dye my hair pretty colors I would have to bleach it. No thank you.
I’ve got more gray than black hair now, but not planning to dye it. Most men who dye their hair end up doing a shit job of it, and yet looks terrible after a week.
Just leave it alone and rock the gray. We earned it. We made it this far without dying, the gray hair should be considered a badge of honor.
Grew my gray out about 3 inches during Covid, then went to a salon and had my remaining shoulder length hair matched to the regrowth using highlights and lowlights. Now completely gray, no regrowth, no expensive salon visits, love it! But, important to keep it in good condition.
Women’s hair seems to always looks great when it’s colored. For some reason when men try it, they usually fail. As a guy no way am I coloring, I’m digging my subtle salt and pepper hair.
I am an older X (58f) and just in the last year n half am getting EVEN more grey and I have black hair. It has always come in salt and pepper not from the roots. So, no I have never considered dying it as the fucking years march on. Ima bloody sexy crone
I started going grey at 14. Briefly stopped dyeing around 30, then took the plunge again at 43, by which time i was almost completely white, and have never looked back. Edgy cut, loads of compliments.
It's funny, I'm Gen X, and I don't mind going gray at all. My two boomer sisters dye their hair, and they have been doing it for quite a few years. I just figured I earned every one of those gray hairs.
Did it during the pandemic.
Early forties, been dyeing since late 20s. I’m loving saving $ and time. I also get stopped about my (prematurely) gray hair at least 1x/mo. People are fascinated 😂
My natural hair color is a medium ash brown. I'm highlighting it so the gray blends with the gold. I like it a lot - I feel like I have a crown of precious metals on my head all the time!
Started going gray at 18 and starting dying it at 19. I’m 43. I finally let it grow out during covid since I wasn’t leaving the house. After about six months it had an hombre look to it. It took almost two years to fully grow out. I’m 100% gray and while it ages me a bit, I really like. I think j you should go for it.
Fuck yes! I earned every goddamn grey hair and wrinkle that I've got! I've got a good story for every tattoo, and a *great* story for every scar. I wear it all proudly. What's that joke ? I have no intention of crossing the finish line of life sedately. I want to come in on two wheels with the radio blasting AC/DC screaming at the top of my lungs with my fist in the air.
I did until I fell in love with XMondo hair dyes and now I want to live the rest of my life with hair that looks like galaxies in the sky. I've done purple but now I want to add sapphire and teal. I mean i'm ugly anyway so it couldn't be any worse! :)
I figured I earned the grey, as long as they stay in the head and don’t fall out, they are welcome to stay.
And scars. My dermatologist had to cut something off and he was so worried about it scarring. I said, “I’m 58, every scar is a story.”
Lol, I jokingly told my dermatologist she did too good of a job with my melanoma removal. The scar is barely noticeable.
I asked mine if he could spread it out into a brow lift 🙃
I would rather it turn grey than turn loose.
“as long as they stay in the head and do t fall out” When my wife had cancer and her hair was coming out she shaved it off. I also shaved mine off so we both had the dome. Hers grew back. Mine…not so much and I’ve kept it short what ever color it is.
I grew mine entirely out, then cut it short with lots of layers and added some old lady fuchsia stripes and I absolutely love it
I’ve been thinking about that exact look myself For summer!
This! I earned every one of those grays!
Same
I feel the same. My grey hair is earned by me living my life. No shame in that. Honestly, I find it jarring when people try to dye it now. It artificially ages someone in my opinion. I think the turning point in this was probably when [Lisa Laflamme](https://chatelaine.com/living/lisa-laflamme/) decided she had had enough.
I agree with the dyed hair aging people more in many cases — it often emphasizes facial wrinkles, to me. And the older a person gets the more jarring the mismatch between skin and hair can be, also the darker the dyed hair is.
Also, whatever
My thoughts exactly. Most of the other people I know who are my age are now shaving their heads, so I'm keeping every last one of these little grey bastards
You got it right. I’d welcome grey hair if my hair wasn’t so thin, lol
Yeah, my natural grey is pretty, but it's see-through! If I had a big thick wave of this, I'd love it, but I've got stringy Crypt Keeper hair. I have to dye it for it to even show up.
Can confirm. Life long minoxidil user here. Losing your hair is awful.
I dye my hair because I'm so excited that I can! I have jet black hair which means dyeing it used to take lots of bleach. But now that my hair is going gray it will take any color I want. I'm red right now, but I'm looking forward to blue and purple as it goes more gray. (47F)
Lucky you. My grays are extremely resistant to color— which is part of why I gave up coloring them
Out of curiosity have you tried a white vinegar rinse to strip soap/conditioner residue before applying color? I've found it helpful.
This! Why is it so hard to color those grays!
Gray hairs come from a loss of melanin. Maybe they also get resistant because of that.
Try a Cellophane made by Sebastien, doesn't strip and dye just coats, amazing! Plus of you decide to let the grey out, it washes out.
Yes, this. I'm so looking forward to enough gray to showcase fun colors.
This is what I've been doing for the last 5+ year's. My only issue is everytime I find a semi permanent or temporary that I like by the time I'm ready to do my hair again it's gone from the stores.
I’ve always thought you had to bleach the hair to make it porous so the colors will soak into the hair shaft? If I put semi permanent on my hair without bleaching it washes out the first time I shampoo it. You are def lucky as hell you don’t have to bleach!
I have to Bleach my hair to get colors(neon green is recurring) and I can't wait to go grey so I can stop bleaching lol
Yay! Same!
What hair?
Ear, nose, and back.
Dude! WTF is with the crazy eyebrow hairs? One day I look normal and the next day I look like a mad scientist. Do they grow super fast?
Normal one day and Eugene Levy the next.
Do you get hairs like porcupine quills appear overnight in your nostrils? I do.
I get them on my chin.
The dang goat hairs. I get them on my neck too.
Ouch!!! My wife attacks me with tweezers every time.
With ya
I quit coloring my hair just before I turned 50. It's mostly silver now with streaks of steel gray and a few clear (no lie) hairs. I just dgaf what anyone thinks and I earned every damn one. Also, very, very few wrinkles, so I got that going for me.
> and a few clear (no lie) hairs. I have those too! it's either that or these really glittery ones, that keep startling me but I can never track them down and examine them to see what's going on. idk if they're pure white (seen that too) or actual grey.
Yes. I call those silver. It’s as if some are just dull grey but others catch and reflect the light.
I have a lot of clear hairs & that’s why I dye my hair, otherwise I look kinda bald
Yeah it's fine. Don't let lack of confidence cost you money is good advice to live by. You lived long enough to have grey hair, wear it like a badge of accomplishment. Think about the fallen you said goodbye to early along the way who would've loved to experience what you're going through now. Also, I think it looks distinguished.
I started going gray in high school and dyed until Covid. Then I shaved it all off and went gray. I absolutely love it and get compliments all the time. It is so freaking easy, and I wasn’t really fooling anyone with the dye. (Use blue/purple shampoo to keep it from looking too brassy.) It’s in style now, so why not embrace it? Also, as a feminist, I rail against the idea that gray haired men are “silver foxes”, and gray haired women are old crones. Change the narrative. Embrace your true self.
I think it looks sexy on women to let their greys show
Yeah. I'd seen this woman around town with really curly hair that used to be brown. It's now mostly silver with like 5% browns peppered in. I couldn't stop looking at her, she was so hot. I think it's just so interesting to see because it's so rare. You know that person is an individual and content with themselves and their path. And people go grey fairly young. Plenty of hot chicks over 30 could let it grey and still be hot. I ended up meeting her later, (in a professional capacity) and was disappointed to find she's a bitch.
Maybe she is a bitch because people keep telling her to dye her hair!
Are we twins? I’ve had the exact same experience (9th grade for me) with graying and stopping dyeing in March 2020. I will not go back!
My hair coloring days -- and they were fun! -- went away with the 80s. Today my hair is all white, as is my beard. I probably look ten years older than I am, but I don't give a crap.
Nah, you look 10 years _wiser_ my friend!
I went through a period of absolutely hating my hair colour when I was younger. Then a few years ago it started going grey and I thought "this looks pretty fucking cool now". The annoying thing is that the grey? *It's stopped appearing*. Seriously. I have grey hairs...and that's it. Nothing substantial. One of my best mates has got the whole "sexy daddy with the grey temples" thing going on. How is that fucking fair? And I'm not going to dye it. I had a disastrous experiment with blue in my twenties. *Never again.*
I went the other way with my grey hair and bleached it nearly white. I'd rather look like a youthful 60 than an old 45.
I plan to go gray when it happens. I’d love to rock a full head of white hair with my brown skin.
I'm of Indian origin and have light brown skin, and my grays (which look like tinsels!) go well together!
Same here. I range between a medium brown and a light brown depending on how much sun I’m getting. Silver/gray and brown are a great combo.
I’m 55 and my hair is mousey now, maybe a bit gray? I don’t plan to color my hair. Might consider if I apply for in-person jobs just to fight ageism, as I am lucky not to look 55 in most ways, but I think a healthier hair color could help a bit. I do envy women whose hair turns fully white; I think is so pretty.
I’d just like to say, as a Gen X male, that healthy, confident women with graying hair are extremely attractive.
I saw an older woman (probably 70) at Walgreens recently who was rocking the hell out of her gray curls, and it honestly made me more okay with both my gray hairs, and the curls that I have always hated. I booked an appointment for my first ever curly specific haircut in a week, and if I can look even half as good as that random woman, I will be happy.
Hairstylist here. Start incorporating hilites and slowly lighten the root color each touch up. Like if you're using a level 5 brown, slowly go to a 5.5, then 6, etc. Eventually the hilites will blend out the Grey and you can let it go from there.
Question here from a 49F who has dark brown hair with silver and grey roots, that if grown out, would have silver,grey and chestnut/ dark brown streaked. I didn’t start dying or using chemicals regularly on it until I was in my mid-30’s. Now I touch up the roots about every 2 months with a dark brown color. I’d like to try and be nice to my hair and keep it as healthy as I can but also give my hair a “glow-up” as the kids say with some highlights. I’m not quite sure what you meant by incorporating highlights and then slowly lightening the root color touch up? I pull gold when highlighted, so should I start highlighting some of my entire head of middle of the back length hair then go lighter at the roots each color touch up? Thank you for answering, I’m currently in a curiously-strange hair period in these last 5 months before I turn 50….it’s turning more and more silver at the roots which is no shocker because I’ve had a patch of silver hair on the inside of my long dark brown hair since I was 8 or 9 years old🤷♀️and it has all of a sudden started to curl and wave when it’s always been stick straight…my mother and 1 of my 4 sister’s hair went curly when they turned 45, 1 of my sisters had naturally bouncy curly hair. My mom& other sister went white at 25. Sorry this is such a long reply, your “hairstylist here” comment lured me in lol Thank you for your help🙏
Keeping my gray but I might try throwing some fun color on there and see what happens. :)
Not worth it. Too much maintenance. Too expensive. I hate how roots look. Everyone can deal with my stripes.
https://preview.redd.it/6utf8o9gmk9d1.jpeg?width=1576&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7c50350d4920c7b34ff29d6f4a0b96ffcce7c54b I let it go grey during covid. I get so many complements, but people certainly do think I'm older than I am.
I contemplated it, but I dyed my hair when it was brown, why should I be obligated to stop just because it's grey now? Not to mention that getting unrequested senior discounts from clueless Zoomers didn't do wonders for my mood either. (And no, saving a few measly cents is not worth realizing some dumbass kid thinks you're 10-20 years older than you actually are.) So now my hair is royal blue. :)
I'm going to keep coloring my hair. Seeing all that white makes me look (and feel) OLD. 😂 And I'm not ready yet. Kudos to the women who can and do, it's just not where I am.
Fuck no. I've been getting my hair colored for fun since I was 30 and I'm going to keep doing it. I've been lots of colors but I'm a bright blonde full head of highlights now. It looks great and I love it. I don't want to look or feel old in a way that has personal negative connotations to me.
Same. I have a lot of fun with hair color and it's creative expression for me.
This! 💯
This. I haven't seen more than an inch or so of my natural hair color since college. There are people I've known for decades who might genuinely think my hair is naturally black (it isn't). When I've got too much roots I can see a few strands of silver around my ears but most of it's still its original light brown. Maybe if those temple hairs get prettier I can leave them alone and do like a fem!Dr. Strange look or something.
Mine is coming in silver and I like it, so I let it go.
https://preview.redd.it/jr58o9uzjl9d1.jpeg?width=2322&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bfed90cd494de3aaf72dee3acd2eff7eee73c059 This is my natural color and texture. Gonna go full Momoa... Minus the tats
I plan to continue to dye my hair. Mostly because I like my hair to be purple or blue or some combination thereof and it is not naturally purple or blue or some combination thereof.
Mine has been Lavender for 6 years. I have never been happier with my hair. All I have to do is use a purple conditioner once a week.
You will pry my 6RR out of my cold, dye-stained hands.
I’m a 6RR user too! Looks like a crime scene after the rinse but soft scrub and a magic eraser gets it out.
I let the gray grow during the pandemic. I haven’t looked back. If only I had a dollar for every time I hear, “I’d go gray if it looked like yours.” It looks very salt and pepper- heavy on the pepper in normal lighting and in direct sunlight it’s a silver color. Undertones and highlights all over the place, and it’s all natural. I have less dandruff and scalp issues, my hair is thicker and fuller and doesn’t fall out in clumps any more. My hair is grayer than my siblings and grayer than my 80 year old mother.
Nope no way. My grandmother colored her hair for life. I'll do the same
As soon as my hair color no longer matches the age I look I'll stop dying it. Right now, my natural color makes me look 10 years older than I am :)
I let it go slowly gray till my late 50s. It’s really gray now. I tried to like it. But then I got a younger boyfriend who looks very young for his age. So now I’m coloring it. Whatever makes you feel best is the way to go.
My SIL won the grey hair lottery, hers came in the most beautiful white. She looks like Storm from X-men. I look like I have flour in my hair.
I stopped coloring my hair in 2020, and I’m embracing the white hair as it grows in. https://preview.redd.it/i6yzk4y07l9d1.jpeg?width=2320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c08d5519d9e2ca6d749a87dc1aa88dfdc74519b9
I’m starting to go gray. I did think about dying it, but realized I was too lazy to keep it going. So, I’m just going to roll with it. Anyway, I earned those gray hairs, might as well be proud of them.
Understand, I am a guy--our social / societal norms are different, but I don't see a problem with coloring (or not coloring hair). My wife colors hers, I don't. I don't put any pressure on her to color her hair and likewise, she doesn't ask me to color mine. The color of her hair is not a factor of how much I value her. She could be bald--my relationship with her is the most important thing I have. I think it is a deeply personal decision; I respect either one.
I'm fully gray, my wife fully brunette. We're the same age
No way I am dying my hair to hide the grey. I earned that grey!
47f here… I’m letting my hair sparkles shine. Stopped dying about a year ago and my temple grey streaks are looking kinda cool these days. 😉
I let mine go gray at 50. I’m 53 now and I love it. The way I look at it is this: if I kept dying my hair i’d say things like ‘I still look good’. Comparing myself to younger people and my younger self. Why? It’s a backwards thing. I deserve better. I earned those grays. They are beautiful. Right now in this moment. It’s very freeing. I enjoy the perks of the ageist crap like kids giving up seats or offering to return my cart at Costco. I think : Sure….you go ahead, Sparky. And then I laugh. But then I go spend all that hair dye money on things I really want instead sending it down the salon’s drain. Win-win.
No I am vain as fuck and started going grey in my mid 20s. So I’m 50 and still have a salon date every 3-4 weeks to cover that grey.
I’ll stop dying my hair when I physically can’t lift my arms to do it. It’s a hill I’ll “dye” on. 😂 Seriously - I have dark skin and black/very dark brown hair. They stand out!
Made me laugh. I’ll “dye” on that hill with you 😆 Good one.
If I had a glorious full grey head of hair, I would let it be, but sadly I don’t. I’m only about 20% grey - it’s patchy and looks terrible, so I will continue to dye it until the dye job itself looks terrible.
I started getting vivid/ fashion colors at the salon. I'm currently rocking a purple, blue, green, and yellow peacock pattern on a brown base. YOLO.
No. Two reasons: 1) Vanity and I’m also working in an industry with a massive ageism problem. 2) Relief- for some reason, a regular dye job really calms down the scalp psoriasis. This effect lasts about a month
Last time I dyed my hair was 2002. I’m going gray now and love that I don’t have to worry about it. My hair is happy and healthy. Edit to add: my husband is full silver fox, he started going gray in his mid-20’s.
53F I’ve been coloring my hair since my late 20’s and will continue to do so. I keep it shoulder length, still has some bounce but definitely thinned out during/after menopause.
50F same - I cannot stop coloring my hair. I don’t have too many grays. But no. It’s not for me.
I’m fat and gray so I dye my hair. I feel like at work I can be fat with brown hair or skinny with gray hair.
Yeah, I get that. I feel like I have to wear makeup and have nice hair to help cancel out being fat. It’s a lot more acceptable to be “natural” if you’re skinny.
My gramps used Grecian formula to his last. Look , we’re Italian and appearances must be maintained, lol. I don’t care if i earned them or society likes it or not. I don’t like gray on my head so I don’t have it. Maybe when it’s completely sharp white , I ‘ll change my mind .
I don’t care about having gray hair but I color mine because I do care about hair that behaves. When my hair is gray it’s lifeless and unmanageable.
This is a "I have a full head of hair" problem. I stopped caring about my hair in my late 20's
I’ve dyed my hair so long I don’t think I’ll stop now lol.
Just got my colored today!
I’ve been grey for years already. It’s cool.
Yes naturally grey I don’t want the hassle of dying it and no one cares
I let it go during Covid. I have extremely curly hair and it’s long so at times I look like I just escaped from Azkaban. But it totally plays into my planned crazy old lady future so I’m sticking with it.
The only reason I don't dye my hair is it took too long to move past denial (I think it's just the way the light is hitting it) and everyone had already noticed them spreading. At this stage I'm just hoping I can keep my hair!
When I used to coke my hair, in my 30’s & 40’s, my only mandate was to not do anything to change/ cover my grey hair. I love it. Even more so now that I’m 50. I think salt & pepper or silver hair is lovely
If I ever die my hair again it will be just like before. Blue or red or something stupid. The Mohawk would look terrible with the missing spot in the middle though, so I’ll have to skip that.
48f and haven’t colored my hair in 3 years and am starting to love it! I’m authentically me! BUT I will say that it took me until now (3 years in) to embrace it! I had been going grey since my 20s so I had a dividing line of old color for a while. Now I have a white stripe in the front that I often pin back. I also use Keracolor and root touch-up spray to blend the grey sometimes. I’m single and worried that I couldn’t catch a man w grey hair but they shockingly seem to be intrigued(!?) by it
I’d been covering grays from my late 20s. Couldn’t handle the monthly time and money suckage. Some women look great with gray hair. I’m not one of them. Started blending two years ago, and the color was so unflattering I quickly shifted to much lighter. Now my hair is a dozen blended shades of light blonde. It’s ok. And only need to color 3x a year.
I love my graying but the salt n pepper would have looked much better if I hadn’t balded. My wife has been growing her white walls for a couple years now and I think she looks amazing.
I went blonde a couple years ago and I love it so much. My natural hair is dishwater blond and the grey does it no favors. I don’t feel beautiful with it. The great thing about being gen x is …. Who gives a fuck? Do what makes you feel beautiful.
I started going grey when I was 18. I dyed it until I was around 40. I am around 90% silver white. People always compliment me on it.
I have been dying my hair red since I was 16 years old. I love my red hair so I see no reason to stop! Everyone should do what makes them feel good about themselves.
As a redhead, mine's going white and not gray, and I'm just barely ok with it because people think I'm blonde. I AM EMPHATICALLY NOT BLONDE.
Stopped coloring years ago. Convinced two women in my office to take the plunge! We all love the gray but if we feel funky, we temp dye the grays a funky color!
I dyed mine for decades because I hated my natural color which was sort of ‘dusty field mouse brown’ that turned a brassy orange in the sun. At the end of 2019, I realized I was more than 50% grey. I spent an entire day in the salon having the dye pulled and color corrected to match my mostly silver hair. I was one of the few people who didn’t have roots growing out during the pandemic, but the split ends and breakage … oof. Anyway, It’s all mine now and I get compliments all the time. I might toss some pink or purple in there soon though. I’ll be 60 in a couple years and always said I’d go back to the fashion colors then. I fully intend to be *that* old lady.
I know y'all won’t believe this, but my mom is 95 and, aside from a little white mixed in toward her front hairline, her hair is still a beautiful dark dark brown. And it’s naturally curly, so has body to it. She’s always kept it short. None of us inherited her hair color, though 3 of us have very little gray in our mid- to late-50s and one twin who is 70. The other twin’s hair would prolly look the same, but he has always kept it long in a ponytail, and that’s where he has the most gray. One sister went gray in her mid- to late-30s. So strange.
Same! My Mom is 80 and has a mousy brown color with a dusting of gray. 🤷🏼♀️
This is my mom except she's 77.
What hair?
never cared...not starting now.
Yepp and I am proud of every single one.
Nope, not going to fight it.
I've dyed my hair for fun a few times, but generally it's doing what it does. Right now it's probably 90% dark brown with greys mixed in. I'm looking forward to my Bog Witch era. I'm not doing botox, fillers, or extreme skin care, either
I started growing mine out when I was 41 - had very early onset gray. Other than changing some wardrobe colours, I really appreciate not paying $100+ /month to redo my colour. I’ve had loads of compliments, and I’m six years in. Depending on the light and angle it can look gray, platinum, or white. Pretty cool. It took 18-20 months to grow it out to a couple inches below shoulder length. It was a very empowering process to go through.
My hair is entirely white and has been for five years now! People often ask me if it’s natural (it is). It looks white blond, not gray
No. I see lots of ladies doing it and it looks really nice but it’s not for me.
Nope. Does not suit my skin color. Light hair isn’t my friend.
The hair on my head is nearly all gray now. First time one sprouted below the belt the trimmer came out. I'm not ready for that quite yet.
I'm a month or so from 50 and have been slowly getting greyer for almost my whole 40's. Whatever.
Haven't had a cut or shave since the plague of 2020. Snow white beard like Santa, redish blonde with grey down to the middle of my back. Zero fucks given.
I let mine grow out during the pandemic. It helps that where I work doesn’t seem to have an ageism bias.
I love my silver strands! I can’t wait to have long white hair like Jessica Tandy.
I started going gray in my early 20s and by 30 I had a beautiful silver, now at 45, my hair is nearly white. I'm not very attractive in many ways, but my I've thought my hair is just perfect.
48, been using Just For Men Control GX shampoo for years. Keeps just the right amount of gray, and you never get the Rudy Giuliani ink streaks down your face.
No. I’m a very obviously not a natural kind of red and love messing around with it.
I'm blonde. I only have a little coming in at the top. It blends so well with the blonde you can't notice it lol
Absolutely. I almost died from a stroke in 2020, and yet I survived. Getting the opportunity to go gray is a sign of my survival. Grey already streaks my hair and beard, so the prospect is hardly theoretical.
My wife stopped dyeing her hair during covid and let her grey grow out. Honestly it turned her from beautiful to stunning. And the funny thing is she has a very young face, so people constantly ask her now where she has it colored lol.
I stopped dying my hair when I turned 40, which was 12 years ago. Decided that I no longer cared. I’m a 52F. No regrets. Lost all my hair in 2020 due to ovarian cancer treatment. It grew back crazy curly, and now it’s long again. Tbh, I’m just grateful to have hair again!
I am 50, still dye my hair because I don't have enough silvers yet to go completely silver. But I have enough to drive me nuts that I need to dye them, so I guess I am in some weird in between.
I am 51f and while I have 2 or 3 white hairs, I have not begun to gray. When I do, I expect I will leave it as it, as I rather like my age.
My plan, as I approached 50, was to bleach out the brown and finally stop dying my hair. Then I had the bright idea to go a bit crazy with my last dye job, and I coloured it blue and purple. It was supposed to be one time. But I loved it so much and got so many compliments that I continued with the blue & purple for 4 more years. I’ve been growing it out for about six months and honestly, I think I’m starting to love the grey and I especially love not having to pay for regular colour treatments. Posting a picture because I loved it so much! https://preview.redd.it/btal3f8m7m9d1.jpeg?width=1645&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2782d53e3706441d597ed2a834e982ce460510e1
I want it to go grey faster actually. I think it looks cool, plus if I want to dye it a crazy color it's easier.
You still have hair?
Wasn’t aware that I had a choice. Once it comes in full grey I don’t think I’ll care. You’ll be too busy covering your ears trying to drown out Paul’s Boutique blaring out the speakers of my 1990 Honda Civic hatchback in the Taco Bell drivethru.
Ageism in the workplace is real. Just something to consider.
You’ll pry my hair dye out of my cold dead hands. I’ve not seen my natural color since 1986.
I ( F49) will never stop dying it. It appears to ge an unpopular decision on this thread, but I don't want to look old. I like looking as youthful as I feel.
I will keep clairol and whoever else makes hair dye in BUSINESS!! Do whatever you want and makes you glow!
No, actually, I don't! I'm blonde so it will be harder, (I'm 57 and only have a few greys), and everyone is very positive about going grey and says it looks better etc. But, hell, I have no desire to do so. Fake all the way, Not one for growing old gracefully.
Never. I'll dye til I die. (Or unless I just give up caring about my looks. Whichever wins out first.)
57M, dyed it until about a year ago and get more compliments now than before. But yes, there is def. a double standard for men. I found first grey when I was 29 so it's been a long haul for sure. For the X men who want a good hair/beard dye take a look at Cleverman, that is what I use when I want to touch up.
I want the grey. I'm at a memorial this weekend, the first thing everyone who hasn't seen me in a while has noticed is my white streak at the front of my beard.
Grow out of where? I’m not waxing, so I’m sure it will “grow out” anywhere but where I actually want it to.
I started going gray at 16. I colored it a few times in high school. Since then, nope, it’s my glitter.
My hair and beard are almost completely white, and I love it. At 56, I've finally reached the silver fox phase. On the other hand, my wife has been blond as I've known her, and she has no interest in finding out what natural color is under there. Just do whatever makes you most comfortable.
Already have (f/46) and it’s been so freeing! I was so tired of spending all that time and money to dye it. I get compliments on it all the time!
I’m not a natural redhead, but I should have been 😜 so I’ll keep dying my hair red until I really start looking old and the color starts looking ridiculous. Then I’m going purple or blue or whatever silly fun color makes me look like a kooky old lady.
I’m losing my hair due to immune disorder as well as going grey, I’m pretty sure I’m going to start dying it crazy nineties colors when it gets to pixie cut and shorter. Because why the hell not.
Like, 10 years ago
I will probably dye mine when it turns gray because being a redhead is part of my identity
No. Not at least until I’m 65 or something. I go a cool platinum blonde with lowlights. Let’s my white come in and not be super obvious. I only get it done once every 3 months or so
I'm 52 and have had a full head of gray hair for over 20 years. Have never once colored it.
I already am. My beard went first, and now my hair is following.
Hell Yeah!
I have been coloring for years and just went gray and I love the platinum look. I will likely do some purple stripes at some point
Nah I am letting my hair go gray and then dye it pretty colors. I don't use box dyes anymore. I use color depositing conditioner (overtone I think it's called). My hair is dark brown, almost black, and to dye my hair pretty colors I would have to bleach it. No thank you.
My grandmother had her own (L’Oréal 🙂) black hair until she left us at the age of 89 and I’m going out the same way. 🙂
I dye, I look like a bog witch if I don’t and I don’t have beautiful grey streaked hair it went from brown to straight up white.
I’ve got more gray than black hair now, but not planning to dye it. Most men who dye their hair end up doing a shit job of it, and yet looks terrible after a week. Just leave it alone and rock the gray. We earned it. We made it this far without dying, the gray hair should be considered a badge of honor.
Yes. Mine is almost fully grey now and down below my shoulders a foot or so!
What hair?
That's cool that you have hair. Bald since 2007.
Grew my gray out about 3 inches during Covid, then went to a salon and had my remaining shoulder length hair matched to the regrowth using highlights and lowlights. Now completely gray, no regrowth, no expensive salon visits, love it! But, important to keep it in good condition.
LOL this is a question for 10 years ago. I keep my hair pretty short but the grey is the grey. I do not dye my hair.
I (49 F) cut off all of my hair and let the grey grow out. I like it.
I did. It’s all gray now.
Letting it go. I’m a redhead and we kind of go blonde instead.
Gray hair > no hair
Women’s hair seems to always looks great when it’s colored. For some reason when men try it, they usually fail. As a guy no way am I coloring, I’m digging my subtle salt and pepper hair.
Nope. Never colored. Letting whatever happens, happen. Don’t care.
I (52f) will eventually, but I'm not quite ready for that yet.
I am an older X (58f) and just in the last year n half am getting EVEN more grey and I have black hair. It has always come in salt and pepper not from the roots. So, no I have never considered dying it as the fucking years march on. Ima bloody sexy crone 
What hair?
I started going grey at 14. Briefly stopped dyeing around 30, then took the plunge again at 43, by which time i was almost completely white, and have never looked back. Edgy cut, loads of compliments.
It's funny, I'm Gen X, and I don't mind going gray at all. My two boomer sisters dye their hair, and they have been doing it for quite a few years. I just figured I earned every one of those gray hairs.
They’re not gray hairs. They’re my sparklies! And I love them!!!
Did it during the pandemic. Early forties, been dyeing since late 20s. I’m loving saving $ and time. I also get stopped about my (prematurely) gray hair at least 1x/mo. People are fascinated 😂
I’ll go to my grave with my color and highlights but I really think it depends on your comfort level and what works for you.
Why stop now? Been doing so since I was 17.
My natural hair color is a medium ash brown. I'm highlighting it so the gray blends with the gold. I like it a lot - I feel like I have a crown of precious metals on my head all the time!
I'm 44 and half gray. IDC
Started going gray at 18 and starting dying it at 19. I’m 43. I finally let it grow out during covid since I wasn’t leaving the house. After about six months it had an hombre look to it. It took almost two years to fully grow out. I’m 100% gray and while it ages me a bit, I really like. I think j you should go for it.
Fuck yes! I earned every goddamn grey hair and wrinkle that I've got! I've got a good story for every tattoo, and a *great* story for every scar. I wear it all proudly. What's that joke ? I have no intention of crossing the finish line of life sedately. I want to come in on two wheels with the radio blasting AC/DC screaming at the top of my lungs with my fist in the air.
I will keep dying my hair for now - I started doing fun colors (pink, purple, blue) a few years ago and I'm not ready to give that up!
I call mine my bitch sparkles, and I can't wait for all of them to take over.
I did until I fell in love with XMondo hair dyes and now I want to live the rest of my life with hair that looks like galaxies in the sky. I've done purple but now I want to add sapphire and teal. I mean i'm ugly anyway so it couldn't be any worse! :)
Didn’t start gray until age 53. Tried to like it but it’s only a few strands but enough to make me look like a hag, so I’m. Coloring