Anybody choosing to stop coloring their hair?

[oregonjen]

There are groups on Facebook and other websites to help and encourage women through this process. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking that women are old, haggard and no longer taking care of ourselves if we don’t cover up the greys, while men are considered silver foxes. I’ve read so many posts from women who have been told rude things from their partners and close family members and even from complete strangers. My good friend decided to go back to coloring because she couldn’t take the negativity anymore.

Last coloring for me was in December. It’s one of the most freeing decisions I’ve made. The awkward first few months of growth was easy with having to stay home anyway. Now, over six months in, I’m enjoying my silvers!

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. What's "hair"? NT

[oregonjen]

5. Ha! My husband is right there with you!

[tblue37]

2. No, but I color half as often now, because who's gonna be looking at me? If I wore my hair

short I'd stop, but my hair grows too fast.

[Raven]

3. I made that decision years ago and I've never looked back. I would

always get a pounding headache after sitting with that goop on my head.

[oregonjen]

4. Right? My scalp always itched intensely after.

I’m not looking back either!

[yellowdogintexas]

40. I stopped too, because I had a lesion on my scalp and didn't want to make it worse

The woman who cut my hair told me I should let it grow out completely; she thought I was going to really like it & I could always recolor it if I didn't.

So I did let it grow out, and she was right, I do love it!!! I miss my dark hair but now I look like I paid big money to have it frosted. Since I have a short pixie cut the color mix is really interesting.

This was maybe 14 years ago. I only started coloring it to begin with because my formerly very dark brown hair was fading to this icky mouse color.

Oh yes, the lesion went away eventually so it's all good

[Sanity Claws]

6. Yes

This seems to be an ideal time to transition to gray. As soon as the salons reopen, I plan to get a cut but not to dye the roots. I already have 3 to 4 months of grow out. That was the hard part.
BTW, how gray are you? Haw drastic will the change be?

[leftieNanner]

9. When I decided to let mine grow out

I still had 6-7" of dyed hair left. I went to Sally's Beauty Supply and bought some bleach. Died the still brown stuff and then let it all grow out white.

That was 2.5 years ago. No regrets.

[oregonjen]

10. I'm white in the front and more pewter in the back

I’ve seen pictures of beautiful white hair all over, but that isn’t me. I’m so happy I made the decision to stop putting harsh chemicals on my scalp.

[WestLosAngelesGal]

7. I quit dyeing my hair a few years ago...

...after reading an article about Jamie Lee Curtis in AARP. I have never loved my hair so much as I do now.

[TruckFump]

8. I'm in my 70s and female.

I have not colored my hair for years. I have just a small amount of gray around my face. I love my gray hair. I tried coloring it for a few years when I was in my mid 60s. It looks and feels better and is healthier when not colored.

[leftieNanner]

12. I agree with you

Plus as our complexion changes, it looks better with natural hair than dyed. I'm embracing the white hair!

It makes me smile that young women have been dying their hair gray to be stylish.

[oregonjen]

18. Yes! I look at my pics and realized that my complexion looks better now with my natural silvers

shining through.

[TruckFump]

56. I know what you mean!

So many of the younger set love my gray hair.

[BusyBeingBest]

11. I last colored in February (semi permanent). I have a skunk stripe of white

on top of my head that's getting more obvious by the day, along with graying temples. Have dark blonde/light brown longish hair that needs a trim desperately--not looking real good at the moment. Thank god for ponytails. I would like to quit, but it feels like I'm giving up trying to look good. My husband swears he wouldn't be bothered by it, but I suspect he'd rather I keep it up. Don't know what I'm going to do.

[oregonjen]

14. If you are conflicted, grow it out some more and see

You can always color again if you don’t like it. It sounds funny, but there are support groups to help with this transition. Join them and see what you think!

[BusyBeingBest]

20. I think I'll let it go for now, at least until August,

which will be the six-month mark, and reassess then. I think my own psychological discomfort of watching those roots increasingly coming in white is the biggest challenge for me, not negativity from anyone I know (except my mom, who thinks I should color until I'm 80 LOL).

[oregonjen]

21. I totally understand

I’m a bit past the six month mark and it’s been nice to slowly say goodbye to my dyed hair. The color has faded a bit, though. It’s a nice way to transition, especially because I’m not going anywhere.

[leftieNanner]

23. When my roots grew out

And I decided to stop coloring my hair. I had the long hunk of still sorta brown stuff to deal with. I went to the Beauty Supply store and got some powdered bleach. They told me how to use it. Then I bleached out all of the remaining color. It worked because my new growing in hair was mostly white (not a steel or pewter color). Don't know whether that would work for you or not.

[BusyBeingBest]

27. That's an idea if I decide to stop, my grays are white too.

[bobbieinok]

13. In 90s a colleague stopped. She got so many compliments she never started back up!

Her hairdresser suggested she try it IIRC. (He's really good!)

[Glamrock]

15. Fuck no!

I’m gonna be 50 next year! I’m so doing the Ronald Reagan thing. But, truth be told, I am one very vain individual.....

[Midnightwalk]

16. Silver fox?

Let me go ask my wife. Wait a second.....

































She spit her drink all over the cat and they are both mad at me. Thanks a lot OJ!

[oregonjen]

19. LOL!!

[Doreen]

17. I haven't colored my hair in years but I have been wanting

to do highlights. I hate it that were my grey hair is coming in looks like those grey hair that's on the bride of Frankenstien. At least I could look like the bride of Frankenstien with some nice color.

[Arkansas Granny]

22. That's something I never started because I'm too lazy to keep up with the roots.

Over the years my hair has lightened somewhat, but I'm still blond.

[louis-t]

24. Did for a while. Started again end of May.

I feel much better.

[leftieNanner]

25. I stopped 2.5 years ago

Realized that my roots were growing in white, bleached out the bottom part of the previously dyed hair, and moved on. Love my silver hair! Plus it's healthier without the toxic dye stuff.

[GreenPartyVoter]

26. I quit years ago.

[oregonjen]

28. Beautiful!

[GreenPartyVoter]

34. Thanks! I had a new bathroom I didn't want stained, and a white line at my forehead every

2 weeks, so I decided that grey is lovely indeed!

[Dream Girl]

30. Very pretty !

[GreenPartyVoter]

35. Thanks!

[Jirel]

38. Man, did you luck out!

That’s gorgeous. I’d stop coloring if mine popped like that.

[GreenPartyVoter]

39. There's a secret trick to it.

https://www.kroger.com/product/images/xlarge/front/0068804713039

[oregonjen]

41. Yes! I haven't used blue or purple shampoo yet, though.

My hair could probably use it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

44. It's fabulous, and that's a good brand sold almost everywhere.

[NRaleighLiberal]

29. my wife stopped about 5 years ago. She is simply gorgeous, all silver

and soft grays. Reminds me of Emmy Lou Harris. At 63, she still makes this 64 year old's heart stop. We are at 40 years of bliss!

We don't care about hair color, clothes, etc...the essence of life is to enjoy our time, our experiences. The rest...the "stuff"...the vanity is a waste of time and money.

as for me? just happy with the little I have. Mostly in the garden or out hiking, so well hatted!

[Dream Girl]

33. Aww..so sweet!

[oregonjen]

37. Exactly! Here's to you both, many more years of bliss!

[cornball 24]

31. I decided to let my hair grow long, turn white or grey, whatever! I've always wanted

to be an old hippie chick so I guess it's now or never.

[Jirel]

36. Nah, I'm doing it.

I almost always do it myself, anyway.

Gray hair looks great on some men and women, and awful on others. My husband was going white before age 30. At 50, he is almost full white, and it’s gorgeous. I just made him trim off the last of the dark hair.

Me, I can’t stand my gray. If everything started to go, I’d reconsider. But thin white streaks? No thanks. Worse yet, my natural color is near black. Nope, my hair will stay a nice, maintained auburn unless the white pops everywhere.

[Skittles]

42. HA!

I heard from some folk that they'd finally see my "real" hair color - I have never colored my hair, it has always been blonde

[oregonjen]

43. Lucky!

[Kali]

63. same here

though it has gotten darker on its own, I do get random white hairs but they are just amusing to me.

never colored it in my life and haven't cut it in nearly 40 years,

[bif]

45. When I hit 50, I was having a hard time getting a job.

I'm an advertising copywriter, and like most people in the field, there are stretches of unemployment. My dad suggested I color my hair--he thought maybe I wasn't getting hired because people thought I looked too old. Well, I ended up coloring my hair for the last 15 years. After I got laid off from a job last year I said "Screw it", and quit coloring it. I let it grow out and grew a mustache and beard. Almost all grey. Best decision I've made in ages. I got so sick of using those nasty chemicals.

[oregonjen]

48. The chemicals are nasty and quite toxic.

Ageism is very real. Isn’t nice to realize it’s okay to be grey?

[TristanIsolde]

46. We all grow old

Let's just let nature take its course and age gracefully I say. And about the opinions of others... fuck that and fuck them, I don't give a damn what others think

[Freedomofspeech]

47. I did on January...three of my best friends did the same thing.

Could not have done it at a better time. Everyone loves it, especially my husband. Right now it's like 50 shades of grey. I will never dye my hair again. Plus saving tons of money, another plus.

[oregonjen]

49. Right on!!

[stopwastingmymoney]

50. At almost 50 I don't have grays

I was a blond child and have done highlights since I was a teenager

I’m weird that my hair has become darker in my recent hormonal upheaval years

I have better than two inches of root but it doesn’t yet bother me enough to actually go to the salon just yet

I will go back though, I just don’t feel like myself if my hair is too dark

[blueinredohio]

51. I decided when my eyebrows starting graying it was time to stop dying my hair.

[LeftInTX]

52. My solution: Dye eyebrows..LOL

[Tikki]

53. Love my grey hair..."You won't know (how it's ultimately going to look) until you let it go".

Tikki

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

54. I've wanted to do it for awhile - at some point having hair that isn't gray

when you have an old-ish face just makes one look even older and a bit pathetic - but I didn't want to go around with several inches of gray roots while it grew out. The lockdown was a perfect opportunity because I'm not going anywhere and probably won't for awhile. By the time it's safe to go out I figure all or most of it will be gray and I won't have to deal with that awkward transition.

[LeftInTX]

55. I stopped, but I thought it looked good, but my scalp is looking dull

I haven't dyed it since January.

Pictures taken today

[oregonjen]

61. GreenPartyVoter upthread linked to a good purple shampoo to help brighten hair

That might be a way to help you feel better about your hair?

[ailsagirl]

57. Here is a fascinating before-and-after video of older women going from dyed hair & roots...

to gorgeous silver manes.

Love the hairstyles!

[oregonjen]

59. Really pretty and fun to watch

Although, it’s still spending a lot of money, hours in the chair and lots of chemicals on the scalp. Jack Martin charges thousands of dollars for those styles. Intense bleaching to achieve those looks can be very damaging to your hair if not done correctly, but if you want the transition to be over and done with, it’s definitely a gorgeous option!

[catbyte]

58. Not yet. I started going gray when I was 25 so I've been coloring my hair for decades.

Being Ojibwe, my natural hair color is dark brown, so going gray is not something I can transition to gracefully. My hair is between chin and shoulder-length, so either I would have to practically shave my head or look like Cruella De Vil for months on end. Maybe I'll stop in 10 years or so, but not yet.

[Lars39]

60. Good grief, they need to tell those rude people fuck right off.

[handmade34]

62. never...

I WANT Gray or silver or... I am destined to naturally have brown hair forever... so I color it!!

[Habibi]

64. I lost my hair to cancer treatment a couple of years ago,

and when it grew back, I decided not to start coloring it again. Too expensive, and I may very well lose it again anyway. I love my silver/gray now, though I confess I do miss being a redhead some days.