new thread
To dye or not to dye...that is the question? I am an older (that's relative, I guess) gentlemen who is growing his hair out after many years of having it short...in the past few years I have had a swatch of grey hair at the temples, over my forehead and at the nape of the neck. My hair is about six inches long on the top and sides and eight inches in the back. When I look in the mirror, all I see is the grey hair because I am looking straight on...as my hair gets longer, the grey will extend and cover my head...I want to grow it long enough to all be in a ponytail...anyway, I think it makes me look older, where before with short hair...this was just a swatch of grey...so what to do...dye or not too dye...please give me your ideas...thanks!
I usually recommend not dying hair, as I've had some bad experiences since I've been growing my hair out. In your case though, I'd say, yeah go for it! A little dye won't hurt, especially just to cover gray areas. Just remember, you'll have to get touch ups if you do. Just don't over dye it...and you'll be fine.
Well, we all have to die someday, but in the meantime, keep artificial color out of your hair. It looks silly, and despite what people say, it is really easy to tell, especially on an older man who 'should' have grey hair.
kilgore
Try the type of dye that gradually fades after 20 or 30 shampoos instead of using the permanent type. My wife uses this type all the time, and the effect is much more natural. Your roots won't show as dramatically that way.
Dear Bob:
Coloring your hair isn't about whether or not "No one can tell"; it's about enhancing your appearance and feeling good about yourself. I've worn my hair in a pony tail for about six years (I'm over 50, okay?), and I've dealt with a few people who would rather we all wear our hair like Dear Old Dad did. When I was a young sailor (long time back), I obeyed the rules and got a haircut once a week. Today I don't give a damn what anyone else thinks about it -- I wear my hair the way *I* like it. If you want to color your hair, you should do it -- but please be careful.
First off, I recommend that you stay away from those shampoo-in products that are marketed to men. Gerald Ford's joke about Ronald Reagan's hair being "prematurely orange" was a direct reference to that kind of stuff.
Second, remember that few people -- not even children -- have hair that is naturally one, uniform color. Years ago, I dated an Asian woman who had gorgeous "black" hair -- until you looked closely. It was actually full of browns and auburns and reds, and even a few grays. If you don't know what you're doing (and most guys are pretty clueless about hair coloring), and you dye your own hair, it's likely to come out as a single color and that (IMHO) always looks "dyed."
My recommendation, if you'd like to look less gray is to do what I did some four years ago. I noticed that my hair was really starting to reach critical mass in the gray spectrum, and I didn't much like the way it made me look. I asked around until I found a colorist -- a hairstylist who specialized in that area -- who had a good reputation. I told her I was unsure about what to ask for, but I just wanted my hair to look less gray, and I *didn't* want it to look like a "dye job." She colored my hair using a technique called reverse highlights, in which the color is woven through your hair and applied to individual strands and small sections. Now I visit her about every two months and the base price (before tip) is $30. That may be expensive, but if I still smoked (which I don't), it would amount to a couple weeks worth of cigarettes. The process requires that your hair be rolled up in pieces of aluminum foil, and you have to spend about 20 minutes under a hair dryer, but in the salon I go to, there are usually other guys going through the same kinds of things.
I'm sure that co-workers and others who know me are aware that I color my hair; in fact, when the subject has come up, I'm no longer even shy about telling them so. So what? I also shave my face and no one complains that it looks "unnatural."
Anyway, if you can afford it, I recommend you get it done professionally. In my opinion, the difference in the quality of the outcome is well worth the price.
JP in san diego.
I'd recommend the aluminum foil treatment. In the hands of a good
stylist, and with your specific instructions, it can look quite
natural. I have it done every 10 weeks.
Thanks for all your ideas and consul...I have decided to wait another year when, hopefully, I will be able to pull most of my hair into a ponytail and then see what it looks like...since my hair is light brown, and already sun-streaked, a friend tell me the gray hair looks like "highlights"...so I will wait and try not to be my own worst critic!