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| Go gray | 42% | 2037 votes | Total: 4899 votes | |
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Go gray
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Add to FavoritesTo dye or not to dye, that is the question. Whether it's nobler in the mind to let the gray strands shine, or to dodge the slings of outrageous fortune and reach for the Grecian Formula, is a problem that men and women have had to deal with for many, many decades.
I once had a friend, an otherwise intelligent man, who in his mid-thirties began to go gray. He took the easy way out and dyed his hair. I must admit, he looked good with his raven-colored locks. But, we were sent off to Vietnam to fight in that dreadful war, and his duffel bag had room for only a limited supply of Grecian Formula. After six months of our one-year tour, he ran out, and within a week, his black hair was peppered with gray. Imagine the reaction of his other friends who did not know he had been coloring his hair. They thought he was having a nervous reaction to being in a combat zone, and in fact, his response to the appearance of gray hair caused such angst, he began to act in ways that supported this belief.
Now, let's fast forward a few years. Your humble writer is among that group of people who get gray hair early. I began to notice strands of white in my late 20s. My first reaction, supported by my loving, but vain wife of the time, was to get rid of them. Before I took this step, though, I recalled my friend from Vietnam. Did I really want to risk being thought of as vain; could I cope with the embarrassment of running short of dye at an inopportune time and then having to explain myself?
My answer to myself was, NO! I decided to let nature take its course. In a year, I was definitely gray at the temples, and had not yet reached my thirtieth birthday. I had escaped the union with a person who hated to see the silver strands proliferate, and was in a new relationship. My new significant other informed me that the sprinkling of gray hair, starting at the temples and working its way toward the back of my head, made me look distinguished. I noted that young people with whom I worked treated me with a slightly greater degree of deference. I got second, and appreciative looks from women in public places.
I am now in my mid 60s and almost completely gray. Now, instead of a sprinkling of gray, I have a scattering of dark hairs in a field of glistening white. Now, I am fortunate to also be among the rare people who have no wrinkles or laugh lines. My face is as smooth today as it was when I was 12. When I walk into a room, though, the head of white hair marks me as someone with experience; someone who has lived a life full and well; and probably someone worth paying attention to.
To dye or not to dye. There is no question. Be who and what you are, and you will be much better off for it.
Learn more about this author, Charles Ray.
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Dye it
There is an old adage that says, 'gray hair is nature's way of softening your features'. It's a lovely sentiment, but what about those of us who gray early? Do your features really need softening?
Graying early has several causes, such as heredity or outside trauma. In my salon, the percentage of my clients with gray hair is roughly 80%. Of that, 60% are younger than 50.
What does this say?
In our never-ending quest to fight the aging process, we'll do just about anything to brighten, tighten, and camouflage. Open any women's magazine and try to count the number of ads for skin care lines specifically targeted for anti-aging. Nearly every line has an entire system of products to remove wrinkles and dark spots, and to exfoliate and rejuvenate.
Where does hair color fit in this trend?
Think of someone you know who has grayed early. She may have gorgeous white hair, but what color are her eyes? Is she wearing pumps or tennis shoes? Without haircolor, all of our attention is focused on the color of her hair.
Try it yourself; notice women in the grocery store, the mall, etc., who have gray hair. Could you tell the color of her eyes? What clothing she was wearing? It's likely that her hair overpowers most of her other features.
A little color can instantly transform us, and there are several options to use-
1. Temporary, semi-permanent, or demi-permanent colors are a great way to introduce color without commitment. They blend gray hair, rather than cover it completely. Because they don't actually change the hair's natural color, they won't lighten the hair. . Think about a piece of wood covered with stain; you can still see the variegations of the wood itself. You don't have to worry about regrowth maintenance since your natural color is still intact.
2. Permanent color is the one to choose if you want your gray to be completely covered. Ammonia in the color lightens the hair, and the hydrogen peroxide (the developer) provides the oxygen needed to develop the color molecules. If we take another piece of wood and paint it instead of stain it, you know that paint is going to completely cover the wood; all you'll see is the color applied.
3. The third choice is highlighting. Highlighting is a great way to camouflage the gray. Your colorist can add nearly any color and amount you can dream of. Going platinum isn't the only result of highlighting. It can be super-subtle, only a level or two lighter than your natural color. If the highlights are soft, scattered, and not far from your natural color, regrowth maintenance is quite low.
With all the options available to us, we can easily slip away from that gray and, as an added benefit, our hair texture will soften and become shinier, leaving people to wonder,does she or doesn't she?'.
I'll never tell...
Learn more about this author, Rhonda Piraino.
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