OT/Going Natural

S

suzannaerin

Cathlete
Hi Everyone - Just wanted to take an informal poll on who out there colors their hair? I have been coloring mine since I was 23 (started going grey then and I always wanted to be a redhead...). At age 39 and 11 months, I decided that I was tired of coloring it. I cannot sit still long enough to have it done professionally, and coloring it at home for the past few years (since my colorist moved to Baltimore) has damaged my hair. I planned to have it done this past weekend, as I found an excellent stylist whom I trust. However, going almost three months without coloring it has given me a three-inch peek at the natural hue--my Irish dark brown with a liberal smattering of lovely silver thrown in. My husband has been after me to let it go natural. So, I decided not to color it. At least not a single process. It's going to be painful growing it out, but luckily, the haircolor I had been using was close to my natural color. My stylist said if I'm really having problems during the transition phase, she can do some low-lights so it won't looks so much like half&half hued hair. I'm thinking of all the benefits---no more worrying about roots, can use any shampoo I want, can GO SWIMMING without a cap, etc. :) Suzanne
 
Suzanne,

I have been coloring my hair for over ten years now. If you like red, I recommend the L'Oreal Feria products. I go between No. 67 and No. 66, which are both auburn shades.

They are easy to apply, a little difficult to rinse out (like most hair colors are, especially the reds), and the tube of conditioner is very good and lasts a long time, of course, depending on how much you use each time.

I once paid a professional to color my hair, as a treat for my upcoming wedding, but to tell you the truth, I didn't see (or feel) any difference in the color or the texture of my hair than when I used the home products. I thought the red might last a little longer because it was done by a professional, but nope! It lasted and faded in about the same time frame as my home coloring jobs.

Anyway, more information than you probably wanted, I know!

Happy New Year!

Susan G., who wants to stay red for a long, long time!
 
I've been coloring my own hair for the last few years, but I don't like chemicals, so I use henna products. I just don't like the look of grey hair mixed in with darker hair on myself (my natural color is a medium auburn). I probably will go natural once my hair starts coming in all white (though how I'll ever know....
 
I'm 53 and color mine. There's no way in H-LL I'm going to let my hair go gray! No way, no way, no way! It's red now, but if I let it go it would be dark blonde or brown with LOTS of gray. NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Do It! :)
 
Honeybunch,

Hello fellow redhead!

I always say, somewomen were born red, but I had to earn mine! LOL!

Something about being a redhead that I just love!

What products do you use? I saw in a magazine that L'Oreal has a new haircolor line coming out, something about highlights and lowlights, and I am wondering what their reds are going to be like - haha!

Susan G.
 
I am a natural blond who has only colored her hair once - it was when I was anorexic and my hair turned gray. I endure blond jokes, overly explicit directions to places, etc. but I have healthy hair and I have saved lots of money over the years by not coloring it. But I would love to be platinum someday. Just for fun.
 
RE: Do it at home?

I've been going to a salon to highlight my hair and the last time I did color. I would love to do it myself but don't know a thing about it. What are some easy (if any of them are easy?), less damaging products that some of you use? Thanks.

Joanne

P.S. I'm with Honeybunch-I can't stand it when even a little gray starts to show on me.
 
Me, I'm grayophobic. I tell my husband they're not gray hairs, they're just little sparkles of wisdom. (But then I hurry to Wal-Mart and find something to get rid of them as quickly as possible.)
 
Hi Suzanne...well it looks like alot of people like the red hair!I am 22 yrs. old and color my hair...believe it or not i have a few gray hairs.YUK!!!!My Dad grayed early so i guess it is kind of to be expected..but anyway i color mine a reddish brown w/highlights and I love it!I love red hair..!!I am usually all for haircolor i think it can look so good if it is done right.Hey and on the swimming thing i have heard that if you wet your hair down before you get in the pool it helps it not turn colors...;-)
 
I am all for hair colouring, I love it, I have, every 2 months, honey, caramel, blond shades weaved in to my barnett, and when it gets too brassy, have it all toned down again. I couldn't live without it !!!!!! :D

Anna :)
 
Ok, I have a sob story and a joke. My hair is naturally darkest brown, like raisins. It started getting gray in my early 30s and I started coloring professionally at 35, then by 40 it started to look soooo bad a week after it was colored, because it was so gray in the temples it looked like if I parted my hair in the middle I was a SKUNK. So I went to low-lighting. Then, by 43 I had to give up on that because it still looked crappy at the roots within a week or two. I say, if it doesn't look natural, I don't like it, so no more color for me. I am now 45. My hair is half gray in the front and maybe 10% in the back. My skin, body, etc. look very young and my hair is the "old" part, but I really just am letting it go. People with lighter hair can pass, but if I colored it now, even for one week I would look like Elvira, then I would look like I needed to color my hair again. At 100 dollars a week, I think not.

My joke is that I have a theory as to why blondes are dumb. (No flaming now, this is a joke!) You see, in-coming thoughts are reflected from their heads due to the light color, wheras dark hair absorbs them. The proof of my theory is that as people get older and their hair turns white, they also get dumber. Me included.
 
Thanks everyone for their input. When I colored it myself, I used L'Oreal, first Preference Light Auburn which looked very natural with my skin tone. Everyone thought it was my real hair color. When I got more grey, I started using Excellence, Medium Reddish Brown. I think the Excellence had more ammonia in it than Preference because it FRIED my hair. The color was pretty and close to my natural, so it's a good thing it was the last type I put on my head. I could never do the touch ups right, so I ended up soaking my whole head of hair with dye when refreshing. The gal who cuts my hair told me that the at-home products are harsher on hair than what you can get in the salon. I just want to get my hair healthy again and tell you the truth, I don't have the time or inclination to sit in a hair salon for an hour to get it colored. All that said, each to her own, eh? Coloring your hair is fun, so have a blast. I did it for more than 20 years :)
 
I have dark brown hair with natural reddish hi-lights in the sun. At 50, I am fortunate that I have not started to gray at all except my underside of the temple area. (with the exception of a few strays here & there that somehow get yanked out as soon as they are spotted! :-wow) Is it possible to color JUST the temple area and make it match my natural hair color well? I have been growing my hair a bit longer and now it is long enough to pull both sides up with a clip, but then those grays just stand right out. I have a friend who got hers done and it did not match at all. Any suggestions? Thanks from someone who is HOPING to be able to hold off on the total head dying for awhile longer!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Debbie,

That definitely sounds like a question for a professional hair stylist.

OR you can call the 800 number on the box of most any hair color and see what they say!

I think the trouble happens when the root color is so intense that it does not match the natural overall hair color.

Have you ever tried a semi-permanent color that comes out after just a few shampoos?

Susan G.
 
Suzanne-
I've never even tried dying my hair. I like my natural very dark coloring. Most of all, I like to keep my life as simple as possible, and don't have the patience to sit around a salon. My time is too precious. My mother has never died her hair and has beautiful salt and pepper coloring. I'm hoping to be lucky enough to have the same!
-Nancy
 
Thanks Susan!

No, I have never tried anything on my hair other then when I used to get it hi-lighted about 10 years ago. Hmmm, that semi-permanent sounds like it might be a good idea, especially if it turns out the WRONG color! I guess I am just not sure I want to start messing with it yet??? Thanks for the tips, Susan!

Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
I'm 36 with really dark brown hair (with a few stray greys here and there). I had colored it my natural shade for a few years and was happy with it, however, I became allergic to haircolor in the past year and had to stop. Anyway, for you lucky ladies who aren't allergic, check out RobertCraig.com. I ordered some coloring from him once and loved it. It's inexpensive, comes in a powder form that you just add water to......NO STINK at all! The colors were great and it left my hair looking and feeling great.

Bonnie
 
I've been dying my hair since I was about 21. I inherited the bad 'early gray' gene from both of my parents and am now about 75% gray even though I'm only 32 years old! I wish that I could 'go natural' without looking like my mother because dying my hair is such a pain. My hair grows very fast so I have to dye it every 3 weeks.
 
Horror, JenniferAnn! Have you ever considered just cutting it very very short. I am considering that option also. I mean, my hair used to be a real asset. It's thick and straight and glossy, but now with all the gray and gross kinky gray hairs it is my "oldest" body part. The more I have, the more I look like a witch. A buff witch, but still...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top