BEAUTY
March 24, 2011
Thinking Of Going Gray? Read On…
Dear Deborah,
My hair is about 75% grey/white and dark in the back underneath. It’s very curly/frizzy and coarse and thick. My usual natural color (the color I color it) is a fairly dark brunette with a tint of red. It’s about shoulder length.
I get a lot of compliments on my hair, but it also grows very fast, therefore the roots need to be colored every 2 and a half weeks. I have olive skin and bright light blue eyes. Do you think I should try to go grey and if so, how do you proceed with this without looking like a skunk?
Thanks for your advice. Debb
Hi Deb, I have turned you over to my celebrity hair expert, Billy Lowe! Here is what he has to say:
Hi Debb: Greetings from the red carpet here in Hollywood. I must say you’ve come to the right place for beauty, fashion, and everything “fabulous after 40!”
I’m thrilled to be part of the team for hair and yes, intelligence does start to show up a little more in these fine years in the form of silver linings here and there. But fortunately, there are lots of options. I suggest sticking with color. Which color?
First of all, red is a very difficult color to commit to if you’re concerned about grey coverage. Red fades the fastest, needs more routine touch-ups to keep the color true and vibrant, and it’s hard to shift or move the color once it’s set.
I suggest moving into a brunette with highlights. Anytime you use a single process color to cover grey, the regrowth is very obvious because of the single process application.
However, if you break up the color with subtle highlights, then the regrowth is not as obvious and you can get a little more “wear and tear” out of the color. In the meantime, try going brunette with subtle highlights. I think you’ll like the results, and I think you’ll be less frustrated by regrowth and in-salon time. In beauty, Billy Lowe
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Disagree either have blatant hair color or the nearest paler shade of natural color or embrace the grey and spend savings on new makeup. It’s only an opinion.
Hi Deborah, After reading this blog has helped me to embrace my gray hairs. I’m of Asian descent with a light brown skin tone and dark brown eyes. I’ve always made drastic changes to my hair, so going gray will only be a natural step. Thank you!
Great post.
Billy completely ignored Debb’s request for advice on how to be naturally grey and just told her how to spend more time and money in a salon covering her grey. I also recommend the excellent site about going gray. Please spend some time reading there and looking at the photos of all the gorgeous women with naturally beautiful shades of grey, silver, platinum, and white. They all look better – and younger -and their hair is healthier! Let’s stop letting the lucrative hair care industry boss us around. Stop being a slave to the bottle for the benefit of others. Natural is healthier, and that will make you look younger! The question is, not what color should you dye it, but should you dye it at all!!
There is this apparent considerable body of opinion that going grey is terrible or that it makes us look (much) older. Many memorable women with grey hair, e.g., Judy Drench, Helen Mirren, Paula Deen, and Meryl Streep. There are blogs like this one: http://goinggrayblog.com/ that help us gain respect and appreciate our beauty as mature women, so I would not be so quick to color my hair and face the continuing process of maintaining that look. Frankly, I love the idea of different grey wigs to change my hairstyle without worrying about what shows from underneath. Just one lady’s opinion
I have been using Bumble and bumble thickening conditioner, making my hair shiny and healthy.