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| Go gray | 41% | 2107 votes | Total: 5081 votes | |
| Dye it | 59% | 2974 votes |
Go gray
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Add to FavoritesBreaking a 20-plus-year hair coloring habit has personally been as difficult for me as quitting smoking. Both have been loyal friends that have gotten me through some pretty tough times - break-ups, financial problems, separations, divorce - there's nothing like changing your hair color or a satisfying nicotine fix to lift your spirits and renew your faith in a better, brighter future.
Driving in the final stake, saying the forever good-bye, has not come easily. Abandoning these familiar fixtures of my youth means that I choose to accept that there are fewer years ahead of me than there are behind me and that I will be eligible to join AARP in a little over two years from now. My mother and I will finally have something in common.
My hair is thick, wavy, (mostly) dark brown and long - past the middle of my back, so keeping the gray under cover for the past few years has been both expensive and time-consuming. Except for a brief salon period where I had conned myself that I could be a credible blond, I've always used home coloring kits to maintain my natural dark brown shade. The problem now is that only a few days go by and the Medusa-like grays re-emerge, seemingly greater in both number and vigor. It's a vicious cycle and quite frankly, I'm ready for a change.
I want to make a clean break, but coping with the ugly growing-out phase, the crisp line of demarcation dividing girlish dark brown from matronly silver, is tough. I've never been a fan of the "down-and-out crack whore" look. There are two other viable alternatives:
- A shorter hair style.
Less hair would mean less gray hair and that would certainly minimize the problem. But I do have to consider how long it has taken me to get my hair to this length. After careful thought and a stern warning from my husband, I don't believe this is the appropriate answer. Besides, I can only make one life-altering decision at a time. I do have my limits.
- Low-lighting.
Low-lighting, or applying one or more shades of brown to sections of the gray, is something I've considered. But when it all comes down to it, that just seems to be a different method to waste the same amount of time and money. I figured that one out all on my own without actually having it done a few times. I guess I really am maturing.
My best bet is to grit my teeth and grow it out - old school - roots and all. If I happen to change my mind at some future point in time, no harm has been done, no money spent. It's a woman's prerogative, after all.
You can enter the second half of life kicking and screaming, or with grace - it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Recognizing that growing older doesn't have to mean growing old, and making the most of that second half, is what really counts.
Learn more about this author, Snow Vandemore.
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Dye it
I personally have been colouring my hair for years, but now in my early 50's I find I now colour it because I need to, not to get a new and different colour. My mother's hair is black at the age of 72, and my father is totally white at the age of 71. I have a girlfriend who is 53, and went white in her early 20's, and left it that way, until she turned 40ish, then started to colour it different shades of Red.
I think to colour your hair, or not to colour is a matter of personal preference. Some ladies look great with Silver, or Grey, or White hair. Other's like myself, look horrible. I used to colour my hair fairly dark, but was told some time ago, that the older you get, the lighter you should go, and for me, that's right. I now colour my hair, light browns, and the white picks up the colours in a little lighter tone, and it looks quite nice.
I don't think there is a right or a wrong here. Should you go grey naturally? Yes if that's what you want to do. Should you colour your hair, yes if that's what you want to do. It's your preference. There are no hard and fast fashion laws that say you should or you shouldn't.
There are so many colourants out there. If your not sure, use a temporary colour to see if you like it or not. Try different shades, different colours for that matter. There are women who just cannot let their hair go white, as they feel that if they do that, they are giving up the fight against age. I'm not sure why we fight it, exactly. It's the only thing that is a sure thing, besides death and taxes.
I don't think it should be viewed as a fight, but, just doing what you need to do, to make yourself feel better about yourself. And if that means colouring your hair, then go on, colour your hair.
I do know that as long as I can help it I will be colouring my hair. They have become resistant little things in the temple area, and I find I'm having to colour more often. However, with using the lighter shades, as recommended, it does make me look just a bit younger, which was not my intention, but a bonus!
So if you are one that likes to save money, do it your self, yes by all means. Read the labels. Some hair colours to tell you what percentage of grey they do cover. Try the one's that only last 4-6 washes if your not sure.
If you want to go the Salon route that's fine to, don't be afraid to tell them what exactly you want. What ever you decide, enjoy it, getting older and going grey is far better than the alternative.
Learn more about this author, Laurie Pielak.
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