<p>I tried to go gray. I had images of a smart sophisticated silver hair style. Instead I looked faded and frumpy. I have a friend in her mid 50’s she has been gray for many years. She went back to school to pursue a new career. After graduation she could not get a job. She dyed her hair and got the next job she applied for. Hm-mm…</p>
<p>Gray hair is very difficult to pull off. The woman needs fantastic facial bone structure and the particular shade of gray must be just so. I know a few who actually highlight and touch-up their gray, so they didn’t go gray to cut down on hair maintenance, they did it because they like the look. </p>
<p>Any successful hair color needs to layer several colors - lowlights, highlights, a shade in between, at the very least, to be flattering and natural-looking.</p>
<p>“All different ages and ethnicities, but their hair was all grey- which I thought was great
…I would worry about toxins ( like heavy metal) in some hair color, and the difference between grow out and the tint, is way more aging than the grey IMO.”</p>
<ul>
<li>I do worry about toxins very much, and while others might or might not look beautiful with grey hair, I myself look just plain ugly and very old having grey hair, nither I or my husband likes my grey hair (his hair is completely white which is totally fine with both of us). So I will color my hair for as many years as there are for me to live, although it might shorten my life, I do not want to look that old and possibly lose my job (I love my job, my greatest entertainment, I am not working for government). Others can enjoy their grey hair if this is theiir choice, and some of them are truly very beatiful, very gorgeous.</li>
</ul>
<p>Gourmetmom - you’re right about gray hair. some women do look stunning. Also, sometimes hair doens’t gray evenly - just turns gray on one side or the other.</p>
<p>I only have about 3 or 4 gray hairs but I love coloring my hair. I am a brunette and just make it a little redder but the real bonus is how it feels. My hair is very fine and the coloring coats the shaft and actually gives it more body and volume.</p>
<p>My gray hair is a silver-white, and I think it will look good if the rest of my hair ever turns that color. But the hair that is still brown is not the brown of my youth; it is rather drab. So, I continue to color so I don’t look washed out and washed up.</p>
<p>I tried coloring my hair about 15 years ago. The first time, even though the patch test was fine, my scalp itched for two days. I tried several other brands–each time the patch test was fine but the allergic reactions got progressively worse, until one morning I woke up with my eyes swollen shut and a scalp full of welts. :eek: Not being one to learn from experience very well, I found some hair color that touted itself as being ammonia-free and as hypoallergenic as hair color could possibly be. Not quite. I had to wash off the patch test after five minutes because it burned so much.</p>
<p>Apparently dark brown dye is notorious for causing allergic reactions. Luckily, my gray hairs are pretty evenly distributed, so it doesn’t look that bad. Salt and pepper, getting saltier all the time… :)</p>
<p>If no one knows, then on one knows, but VeryHappy asked:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>'Cause if by traveling I could cut that price in half, I’d do it.</p>
<p>That would be reasonable in NYC. I don’t know for sure because I haven’t asked my dermatologist. I see her next month.</p>
<p>I’ve bought the skinceuticals retinol 1 and started using it yesterday. I’ll see how it works on my acne and dark spots. I have only a few light wrinkles, but wouldn’t mind some help with those, too.</p>
<p>northstarmom -</p>
<p>Have you used Retinol before? If not, you may want to use it every other day until your skin becomes adjusted. Otherwise, you may find that everything is fine for the first several days, then suddenly your skin starts to peel. </p>
<p>I normally use it every day, but I find that my skin becomes very sensitive right before my period, so I stop for a couple of days. It takes some trial and error to find a good balance. I hope it works for you!</p>
<p>I’ve been using a prescription .025 retinol for a month with no results including no redness or flaking and no reduction in breakouts. I think it’s too weak.</p>
<p>It has taken me years to find the right combination of products and I have tried almost everything on the market!. Personally, I love Retin A (I use .5 strength) I use it everyday or at least 5 days per week. My dermatologist noted that it won’t work well if used less than that. I also used the OBAGI system for 6-9 months which made the most difference in my skin. Kit runs about $325.00 It was amazing, although took a few weeks of experiencing mild burning,flakiness and slight reddening.-- all of which were fairly easy to cover with makeup. My skin went from the gray/ashy look of middle age to a fresh and, at the risk of sounding corny, glowing. I also use NIA 24 after I apply the retin-a at night, which is an amazing product too. In the morning I use Anthelios XL 60 sunscreen which has kept any new spots form emerging. It is also highly moisturizing and creates a slight glow. The other anthelios products SX MX etc do not offer the same great sheen-Only the XL 60. I hope to try the IPL for a few spider veins around the base of my nose, but haven’t been able to get enough time away from work.</p>
<p>VeryHappy–you might be able to find less expensive laser treatments by looking for a nurse practitioner who works on her own under the supervision of a doctor (plastic surgeon or dermatologist). I started going to a dermatologist and ended up going to see one of his NPs. She had a small practice out of her home (we both live in the same area–about an hour from the doc’s office). She works under his supervision (as well as working in his office) and has her own laser equipment. She performs the same procedures in her office as she does in his. Her costs were less (by about 25%) than the doctor’s. I don’t know how you’d go about finding someone like this, but it has saved me money. This NP is very competent and doesn’t try to do anything beyond her area of expertise. Besides the laser treatments she also does filler treatments. Again, she does them in the doctor’s office too. She’s very experienced (probably in her 50s) and has been doing this for 25 years.</p>
<p>^^Interesting idea, Bromfield. I will have to consider how to find such a person.</p>
<p>I’m aware of someone who lives about 150 miles from where I do who had a facelift (yes, the whole enchilada) for about a third of what it would have cost in my area. So I know there are differences in cost, but not necessarily differences in expertise.</p>
<p>Just received “Help Me” in today’s mail and will start using it tonight. I have the melasma (brown patches) that everyone is talking about and also have noticed my pores seem bigger. Hoping this product helps. I tried 4 sessions of microdermabrasion and honestly, didn’t see much improvement.</p>
<p>Contemplating either Help Me or Skinceuticals for a laundry list of skin issues. Before I order, has anyone here ever tried Dr. Arthur Perry’s Night Skin? The simplicity of using a single product is appealing.</p>
<p>I started prescription retionol .25 at the beginning of Feb., then switched to Skinceuticals 1.0 2 weeks ago, and when I asked an acting coach (a woman who was teaching a one-day seminar, and who had no reason to lie to me) what age range I should put down for myself when applying for roles, she said 42-52. She was surprised to learn that I’m 58. I think this stuff works!</p>
<p>Great news and congrats, NSM. Ordering the .5 is on my to-do list for tomorrow. I haven’t found any websites, including Skinceuticals’, that offers a discount on it. Have you?</p>
<p>[SkinCeuticals</a> | antiaging-reviews](<a href=“http://antiaging-reviews.com/skinceuticals/]SkinCeuticals”>http://antiaging-reviews.com/skinceuticals/)</p>
<p>I am more confused than ever!</p>
<p>That last web site looked like a thinly veiled ad spot for Dermitage products.</p>