Male magnets: thats because to men, a woman going grey is a sign of independence, strength and fearlessness; a woman willing to be her true self and not hide behind a product. I stopped dyeing my hair because I think it just didnt look good anymore. , You have many options from highlights and low-lights to pixie cuts. As I said, I planned to retire when I turned 52 meaning a cut in pay, so, in August, I asked my stylist, what approach we needed to take to allow the grey to take over. I decide to be free brought more colorful clothes and travel to the world. My hairdresser said we would have to lifts my hair so much it would turn brittle and break off soI took her word for it. Im not. The next thing I knew I heard myself say, Hi! METHOD #1: COLD TURKEY. There's an Instagram account dedicated to getting women to embrace their natural grays, and they are here for it. I will be 55 the end of the month. Your email address will not be published. I finally did it at age 61, I let my hair grow out 2 months, then did a buzz cut, I just knew that the skunk stripe would do me in, I couldnt go with it. i just turned 60 and am so tired of everything about it. We went on a cruise and between the salt in the ocean and sun bleaching out some of my dk. If you choose to go short, you can cut that time down tremendously. Anyway, I am getting lots of compliments and people asking me how I got that colorthey are surprised when I tell them its all naturalmy own grey! I would get compliments all the time on the gray!!!! Demarcation line/skunk stripe is one of the most challenging things for some women about growing out their grey hair. Cant I just dye my hair gray and skip the whole transition? My husband is supportive as is one of my very close female friends. The thing that really helped was browsing pictures of other brave women who took the step and let their silver shine. December 9, 2021. Denise I am having to color every 3 weeks now. I felt so freefree of the shackles of colorfree to be the real me. That's how I do things. Susan's journey, told with honesty and humor, takes you through her own adventure of ditching dye, of questioning the . Nothing looks right and Im frankly tired of trying to please others. Well, no! Dye Strip Method. Scientists don't know exactly why some people go gray early, but genes play a large role. My husband loves the blonde, and we all want the husband to be happy right? These . COLD TURKEY: PIXIE CUT. On average, for mid length to long hair 'cold turkey' grow-out, it takes about 20 months. blond, he told me my hair looked awesome and that my roots were a beautiful color. Going gray cold turkey (i.e., without help from a salon) is a popular way to transition to gray hair as it is inexpensive and doesn't damage your hair. . Four weeks later, I got an even shorter pixie cut! The last picture is at 17 months dye free. People from all over the globe supporting, empowering, encouraging, motivating and inspiring each other in so many ways became a movement! Happy Wednesday ladies. This, added to the fact that, as a working single mom of three children, its not really practical to spend my precious time chasing my roots every week! you go girl what ever gets it done ;-)) your a brave lady ;-)). I stopped the colouring about 4 months ago and while I do like the silver/grey at 90% , I am still not used to seeing myself yet. I'm going to try someone who works out of their own home, as I think I might prefer that than going to a salon again. That is important to me,. wonder when/if I will! I havent mentioned it to anyone else. Upkeep: Tone & Blow Dry every 8 weeks $95. Just an option! Call it a midlife crisis but in the last few months I have bleach my hair, gone red, back to brown, bleached again, then back to red, and cut my butt legnth hair off into a chin length bob. I'm 34 now and have several grey streaks that resemble highlights in my otherwise brown hair. Give up??? I get compliments daily about my hair now (not what I was looking for) and that makes me feel that I made the right decision. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It is hard! However, my stylist keeps telling me she cant add silver or grey, so Dianne Farb, what did your stylist add to help you with the transition? No regrets, except that I wish I had star. Here are six reasons for going cold turkey with long . Your hair & you are gorgeous. Here, hair color isn't just hair color: Dallas . Do you find your virgin gray hair healthier? I get compliments often on my color! What is the most expensive way to go gray? Then, I just kind of had a light-bulb momentI probably have that grey! Do not ASK anyone what they think.Instead, TELL them what you are doing and gush about how excited you are. She was enjoying a bottle of wine, dinner, and a few laughs with her hubs. Let us know how things go. I had a lot of thoughts to work through as I tried to make sense of this time in my life. It can be very difficult to get the people that love you the most to accept your decision. We cut through the marketing B.S. Id developed an allergic reaction to dye after dyeing it every 2.5 to 3 weeks for countless years. SITE CREDIT. I think I just needed one last time. And she was BEAUTIFUL! I went cold turkey, and it took me about a year, with a lot of patience, to grow out the dyed colored hair. I am 55 years old and in the process of transitioning to natural. . Now, Im not telling you this looking for sympathy, I tell you this because somewhere along my journey through this rollercoaster of life I felt that what Id been taught all those years ago just couldnt be true. Thousands of women have found success in this positive and supportive community, we would love to have you join us! But our society still seems to have a collective issue with the natural aging process of the female human being, so reaching for the dye as soon as the first silvery sprouts appear is de rigueur for the vast majority of women under the age of 60. Honestly, I have never seen Mother Nature be wrong about your hair color, she knows what she is doing and everyone I have seen make it through the gray hair transition phase looks softer, their eyes look brighter, and overall just more natural.. Many things in life are worth the wait and allowing your silvers to grow in naturally is another. Now I am older and the contrast doesnt look as beautiful anymore. METHOD #3: THE DYE STRIP TECHNIQUE. One woman experiments with going gray and learns that letting your roots show can reveal a lot about our ideas of beauty. Growing my hair out gray has been one of the scariest and most rewarding experiences. It's a matter of confidence and comfort too. My hair now naturally, has a salt and pepper look to it. The cry for authenticity came from deep within. lot's of lean protein is important, avoiding too much fat, eating the right carbs, and drinking lots of water is key. But there I was dying my hair again and again. thanks because i truly am ready and i know my husband hates it but i need to stop worrying about what people think and do what i want for once. Lol, nothing special! Feeling nervous about letting my stylist know my plan for ditching the dye. So I'm doing it. Six ways to grow out gray hair that is colored, Gray Hair Inspo: Braid Styles for Gray Hair, Growing Out Gray Hair: 10 Ways to Go Gray, Going Gray: (at 40!) I made some other, heart wrenching, difficult decisions at the same time. The connection I have found in social media is surreal sometimes! A different cut helps to eliminate a bulk of the hair you're trying to match or catch up to it also introduces the element of new. It was becoming a trend, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Never found someone to support my idea of going gray. But once my grays grew in long enough to where I could almost tuck them behind my ears (around 6 months) it starts to look intentional rather than questionable and at that point it all started to get a bit easier. I personally find the cold turkey gray hair transition fun, but I know not every woman feels that way, so here are 10 ways to help you get through it! My only regret is that I didntstop dyeing it sooner.In my collage, you can see that I tended to straighten my frizzy wavy hair. If you had asked me a year ago, I would have instantly replied that it wasn't for me. Ease into gray . Every four weeks it was time for a touch-up. He concluded that: 'If someone decides to quit drinking abruptly, they will experience Delirium tremens. 4. I have a short pixie hair cut already so I know growing it out will go quickly. I thought to myself, Stop fighting it, let the color grow out and see what I really look like. I love this blog! 6. I decided to stop coloring about 4 months ago because I estimated that I have spent around $27,600 on hair color over 26 years and, also, I hate that grow out skunk line at my part. I know what you mean about after dying your hair, it tends to be more shinier. We decided on a bob that was chin length. There are so many labels based on appearance, people are quite critical toward others and themselves . It looked a little splotchy with gray, sliver and dark brown but not as terrible as you might think. QuickSilverHair.com content disclaimer: content is provided for general information purposes and should not be considered medical advice. So, after looking at many, many gray-hairedwomen on the internet I took the plunge with the help of my supportive, skilled stylist. Thanks, Leigh!! Contrary to popular belief, stress has not been shown to cause gray hair. How to go gray? And I'm not saying it's my way or the highway. Which ever way you choose to go with your gray hair Seattle be sure you only make this transition with a seasoned stylist. I would rather cut it a little shorter and continue through with the transition or get tired of the skunk look and dye it again. Your young one may just LOVE having the cool mom with the awesome grey hair ? I'm getting a super short cut. i love it and it took a while to grow it this long! combating the effects of aging hair. Your email address will not be published. I felt like I want to rebel against anything that inauthentic. The bold and sexy feathered hairstyle looks so natural and relaxed. I'm happy with my silver streaks and want to set a good example to my little girl about beauty and self acceptance. How about hats? I hope you didn't change your mind! COLD TURKEY: LONG HAIR. 8 Books to Read. My very expensive and expert colorist advises that it is nearly impossible to remove all of the semi-permanent color from my hair and it cannot be returned to gray just by removing it. You sound so like I did last year. I documented the cut I got at the 2 year mark in the video below. COLD TURKEY: BUZZ CUT. My husband is 10 yrs younger and 80% gray. Sooo.tried it again and my stylist made the cocktail a little stronger and left it on longer.huge mistake! ! thought youd be the last to give up. Our first step was to create a convention, #SILVERCON, that will be happening in July of 2020 in L.A. WHAT!!! Growing out my grey now, I have about 4 inches of natural hair at this point. Have a hair appointment this Thursday. Im still amazed at how much prettier and more unique I feel with my own color. Thank you. xo, Lisa. I shamelessly ignored it for quite a long time, until April 2016 my first and only grow-out attempt! going gray before and after pictures here. At first, I started to get the stares. August 31, 2020 (updated December 19, 2022). Today. Definitions by the largest Idiom Dictionary. In this article, we will talk about one of the slangs or idioms that people use daily. The 3rd month was my breakthrough; I got a pixie haircut! You can try Balayage which is lightening your ends. Or to get tattoos? Why would I not want to look my age? Instagram / @myselfija. The plan was to frost it again in a few months if it needed better blending-but we didnt need to. No more expense, no more time spent in the coloring process, no more fretting over gray roots every two weeks. The most popular theory was repeated by the San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen in 1978: "It derives from the hideous combination of goosepimples [sic] and what William Burroughs calls 'the cold burn' that addicts suffer as they kick the habit." In Cop Speak: The Lingo of Law Enforcement and Crime, Tom . So I dyed my hair. Bring it on ! It is just what I needed! I am 64 years old and a Qigong teacher- hoping to show the world that we can age with health. If you are anything like me, you have a lot of questions about how to begin this gray hair journey. Im an all or nothing gal, so for me, I am now natural, it will grow and I am loving it! she has a short pixie cut and it looks great. In my twenties I would frost it to give it some style. I am not ready to be old, although I am 56 years old, I still feel young inside. Colored my hair a light brown one last time to get rid of the red, which had faded to a lovely neon orange shade. My transition to gray hasnt only shown me the plan nature had with me and my silver strands., but it also has shown me what I am capable of doing. I love wisdom of the sages. I really wish I could just have waited a little longer. I had always had long dark hair, and I was so desperate to keep it that way. I purchased a great book at this time, and it really helped me to keep going: Going Gray by Anne Kreamer. Documenting the first 18 months with photos, products I used and more! More here! I was a slave to the salon. I earn money as an Amazon Associate from qualifying purchases. But..I know I look older than mid 50s, yet Im healthy but older. This is just how I feel. But, after years of covering up, you can't just go cold turkey on the color. I call it a finding of self so to speak. I have a grown daughter (20 yrs old) and one still in elementary school (probably part of the reason I feel the need to still dye my hair). I have always been obsessed with my gray hair since I started growing them in at 19-years-oldand not in a good way. I was so scared that I would look like a witchone of those on a broomstick. So how to go gray gracefully? ?m going to be 50 and im single. And I was a die-hard. Long story short, I went to my stylist and I explained to her that I would like to stop dyeing my hair and Id like to grow my greys out. Do you. My advice to anyone wanting to free herself from hair dye: make a commitment to yourself and stick to it. My husband has always asked me to quit coloring my hair and just be my natural self~ my daughters didn't feel the same. It took me 20 months, and I was done just before my 46th birthday. i want to have the courage. I am nervous and excited all at the same time. I still remember how very scary the concept of grey hair was to me. As we age, our complexions get lighter, and I found that continuing to dye my hair brown made me look olderit emphasized the aging lines in my skin. What if Im made fun of? Glad to know Im not alone in this journey. Conscious consumerism and informed decisions will impact the marketplace, our health and THE WORLD! More ideas here! Of course you can wear cute hats, scarves and headbands. Sharon, all the best to you too. More like, I caught myself wondering what I would look like gray. Quitting addictive drugs such as heroin can be much harder cold turkey. and this is my last unnatural thing that i've been hanging on to. 3. There h. (Stars on the harbor to be exact for all my South Shore, Massachusetts friends). One way people cope with quitting smoking cold turkey is learning to recognize the triggers that make them want to smoke. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how I can transition without looking like I stopped taking care of myself? I stopped dyeing my hair in September 2017, after thinking about it for several years. I too have long hair and dont want to cut it, but I may. I made some other, heart wrenching, difficult decisions at the same time. I was thrilled and somewhat curious about how my real hair color would look. FURTHER READING ABOUT HOW TO GO GRAY FROM COLORED HAIR, Philippas Buzzcut Transition from Red to Gray Hair, Balayage, Highlights and/or Lowlights, or Grey Blending, international database of gray-friendly salons, Going Gray in Secret with the Dye Strip Technique, let your gray hair grow out cold turkey underneath a wig, ditching the dye benefits our hair health, before and after photos of women who went gray, 10 Gray Hair Transition Mistakes Youll Want to Avoid, How to Embrace Your Gray Hair When You Have No Choice, My 9 Month Gray Hair Transition Progress Report, All You Need to Know About Yellowing Gray Hair. I'm seriously thinking of taking the plunge, too! I was just SOOOO done with the cycle that I did not want to prolong it another day. by Joli A. Campbell | 02.16.2019 | All About Gray Hair, ProAging, Transition to Gray Hair. Im about 4 or 5 weeks grown out. Cut it as you want. Ironic since it seems to grow fast when in coloring mode. It became and is aboutdiscovery, patience, courage, confidence, personal connections, and loving friendships made near and far!~Tracey H. Once upon a time, I swore I would dye till I died. Aveda Blonde Revival Purple Toning Shampoo 200ml. Who did we think we were fooling?!). Ive been growing mine out for 6 months and its only just now covering the crown of my head. Do you want him to worry about what you think? Why take the chance that it won't wash out. I am quite apprehensive about the grey coming through, and looking a wreck, but your experiences are really helping. It will accentuate the gray base and seamlessly blend the demarcation line. The hair care content is also for educational use, I am not a hair care professional or dermatologist, please be careful with your hair and skin. Approximately one year and three months into the grey hair transition, the overall effect is, er, patchy. Somehow going back to my natural self has impacted on every aspect of my life and I feel so much easier in my own skin. Wonderful! Haircut $80. In many parts of the world, hair salons were closed for long . People would say you look so much younger with the blonde. Once I made up my mind that I was going to go gray, I just had to lean into perseverance after that. While you are waiting be sure avoid these common pitfalls while going gray. But in pictures my hair just looks gray and it makes me look older. 5. Going Gray During Lockdown? I've already cut back to washing my hair only 2x a week, and I also have an array of purple shampoos being delivered to me via Amazon and visiting friends. I was DONE! Thanks. In those 3 years, Ive learned that nothing about who I am has changed. I have been dying my hair for so many years now that I have been afraid to let my hair go natural. I decided to ditch the dye at the age of 45 for a number of reasons. Here are their stories. 4. Now, thats the key, am I right? Then one day, I saw this beautiful woman in a restaurant in Hingham, MA. I was even more tired of scheduling my life around my hair! But, I do think gray hair can be so beautiful and cool looking. Once I started, I found it very exciting to see my natural colors emerge. What exactly is everyone doing at the skunk stage? This "sit and wait it out" method worked well for me. Now that I am fully transitioned, I enjoy the freedom of truly being me. On the other had, I do not like to have this obligation to color my hair all the time. I am changing up how I wear my hair trying to hide the transition. I plan to wear it in a pony tail or pulled up once it stRts to really show my silver/white. Ive been debating going gray for a few years now, and now on the brink of turning 40 I feel ready for so many of the reasons you mentioned but one of my biggest reasons in my hair is so dry and brittle. He looked me right in the eye and said, You should totally do it.. Somebody needs to read this today. i'm going to start today in honor of my mother's disease of bulbar ALS. I'm going to cut it off, cold turkey, let it grow in and see. These are just two of the benefits Ive discovered while transitioning to gray hair but Ive detailed out 18 more in this video! I got a lot of positive and negative comments. Resisting buy violet shampoo because I am afraid it will stain my white/grey. I really like my new, natural hair color and I LOVE saving time and money that used to be spent dying my hair! ALTERNATIVES TO THE LONG GRAY COLD TURKEY GROWOUT. WHICH I LIKE , STEEL SILVER IS ONE OF THEM. This would keep a color line from showing. I have my next appointment in 2 days. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Add message. I had women coming up to me asking me who my stylist was because they wanted the same unique colour. Not white, but light. Something about turning 50 that made a shift in my psyche. I love my grey hair (my husband loves it too). I am active and happy and I am not the color of my hair !! Now that I am 60 and tired of dying my hair every 4 weeks, I want to let go of the dye bottle. I was shocked to find that embracing my grey hair would be a positive and strangely freeing experience. i've been coloring my hair since my early 20's. Through interviews, field experiments, and her own everywoman's chronicle, Kreamer probes the issues behind two of the biggest fears aging women face: . I asked my hairdresser, if possible, to color my hair closer to my roots, so as not to have to color it as often, and jump on that trend. A year later I have a T section of foils in with my cut every two months. But really the hard work is just waiting. To give myself the opportunity to officially say goodbye. But I like it. Will switching from permanent to semi-permanent dye make my transition to gray easier? Turned 50 this year and have lost some weight and just decided its time to be healthy and fit. L. Laura Patterson. Vaczi said to stop using shampoo that is for color . I relapsed oonce or twice last year I am seeing a lot of gray once again I am now age 55 I turn 56 in april, I have a little aubturn on the ends, I am pretty gray in my top of my head and sides. To book your free gray consultation with Joey today call him . Honestly cant wait to see what it looks like, but still hoping it wont make me look old. . Its undeniable that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. . She is married with a daughter and a son and works as a part-time administrative assistant. I'm afraid of leaving my hair to become entirely gray would deepen my already not so easy crisis of turning 50. I'm going to be 44 in a week and my hair has been going grey since my twenties. No, no, and no. If you have wavy or curly hair, rock it! I thought I was just growing my hair out but little did I know I was growing and changing on the inside too. I very soon discovered that there was a strong movement going on on Instagram! Going grey? What kind of styling tools should I use and what is the bet product to use for black American women with graying hair. Yes, there is a revolution going on! I wasnt feeling good with my hair dye, so I made the decision to stop using it. Going Gray is Kreamer's exploration of that experience, and a frank, warm and funny investigation of aging as a female obsession. She explains why she chose to go grey cold turkey and keep her hair long, and her favorite grey hair products. Have you spoken to anyone regarding using semi permanent during the transition? It gives me hope that I might find a way to live with it! Check out my review of it. I've started by letting my temple/hairline area stay silver. But I keep telling myself it will grow again. It made me jealous how good his hair looks and there's no monthly upkeep. Bypassing the entire grow-out by either shaving your head or getting a cute shortie or pixie cut. The silver roots are really there in two weeks!!!! OMG!!! It was awesome seeing my natural hair revealed after all those years of using permanent hair dye! . I love my shiny, healthy, one of a kind hair now! I don't like myself in short hair, so, I bit the bullet and decided to go gray cold turkey. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Know that there may be some rough spots but in the end, youll love your natural color and the bonus is healthy hair.~Janice C. I stopped coloring April 2017 at 57 yrs. So, now I am tired of coloring (after 4 years) but dont know if I can deal with negative comments especially from my children. I'm in month 2 going cold turkey and building confidence as I go. : Expert Advice & Inspiration from a Former Color Addict. I refused to do the skunk stripe and cannot help but cringe when I see it on other heads. Heres my story about when I transitioned to gray hair and kept busy on social media platforms created for bold women like me. My husband's hair is snow white and beautiful. I wanted to ditch the chemicals. Apr 25, 2019 - Feeling blah while going gray? So, I do not think it will be a good idea to apply semi or demi permanent color with the expectation that it will just fade out to your gray hair. For my 40th birthday I decided to go grey. In her book, Anne Kreamer describes her journey to grey. Wig Method. Do you want to try color? So, I said, sure, why not? I wear my hair pixie short to chin length bobs and most often, layered. This is embracing who we are and what we stand for. I've been coloring every 2 to 3 weeks for over 20 yrs. There are moments at work when I feel a bit insecure about it, but no one seems to be staring, so I guess i'm ok. Then 2 months later 20 foils, toner, cut/styled. Its working beautifully. Going, Going, GRAY! Your email address will not be published. Cold turkey is when you simply do nothing and grow out your colored hair to it's natural gray. There is a strong movement that is beginning to take shape! QuickSilverHair is an affiliate with the following brands, I earn a small percentage from any qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. So, I am excited to get to know people who are in this same boat, and share confessions and give advise to me. They are colorful and they also do a great job of covering up the gray, plus they look cool and fashionable. My children are in their 20s and both have a lot of grey hair. 2017-2022 All Rights Reserved by Joli Campbell. Reading all the blogs has really helped and I will keep you posted on my progress. Hey, ladies! Always fun. Going Gray After Coloring Your Hair: Lizs Story, How to Grow Out Gray Hair with Confidence: Saras Story, Where Can I Find Stylish Readers? These how-to steps will get you started as you go from your cover-it-up-color to the gray . Its a process like everything else. I learned that you cant always blend into the crowd, but the truth is this was never my goal. I was longing to be what I was meant to be, both inside and out. Josh Rosebrook Hairspray to hold down the flyaways. To add insult to injury we are going on a cruise together in February celebrating our 25th and I want to look fabulous! I now have about 5 inches of natural growth (my hair is long), and shes begun weaving in charcoal to blend my previously highlighted hair with my natural growth. Blue Grey Hair. If you want to look like Pepe Le Peu, the skunk, go for it. It took a year to complete grow out but so worth it. I remember my friends being helpful by pulling out my gray strands in high-school. Its shiny & lovely after I color but that fades and then I need to color again. I guess I feel insecure and afraid of rejection or just being invisible. But in December 2015 when I went in for a cut and color, I decided that was it as far as coloring my hair goes. Yes, there is always going to be that one person with an opinion but that person's opinion really has nothing to with you but their own issues. There wasnt much thinking behind my decision; I had just had enough. Also joined Gray and Proud! Was it hard? In a nutshell; I have elbow length hair that has been colored and hennad since the 80s. Photo courtesy of Michelle Ortiz. It will sound so cheesy, and others have said it, but you grow in many ways on this journey, and it is so much more than hair. This is the most gentle technique next to cold turkey. Thank everyone so much for the encouragement; so glad I found this site. I love being part of changing the world by changing the way we women look at ourselves. sounds great, maybe I can suggest my hairstylist to do the same. I cut ties with people and places that have not been serving me. Im only 44 and dont want to be viewed as old or frail, which I definitely am not! We added highlights, then low-lights, for 6 months or so as I was not open to cold turkey.. This can be your sister, mom, friend, husband, wife or finding anyone else who is going gray to connect with. So liberating to let go of colouring. Im Lisa, the founder of TNK,an ethical lifestyle site for women. Most comments come from strangers, and I feel flattered and honored to now know that I have inspired or encouraged some women to go gray, as well! Have a weird yellow bit on top even though my hair was brown . Salon Transition. I think that regular haircuts at every 4 weeks help with the transition The one thing that I noticed about the natural hair is that it is so smooth and shiny, no breakage and I also noticed a lot more new hair growing in. So if you do speak to someone, please make sure that person has had experience with transitioning gray. I will look like their grandmother. I must say that I do have to remember to take care of myself better for yesterday I was rushing to get out of the house and forgot to blend my sunscreen and put on my tinted chap stick without lookingI looked in the rear view mirror in horror..