<p>This is important. This is about hair. What does everyone do to get rid of the gray? I have been coloring my hair (with what I believe is called “single process”) at a salon every 6-8 weeks. Only problem is, my hair is now much darker than its natural color. Every time I bring this up to my colorist/stylist (some of you are no doubt thinking: stop right there. Your stylist is never good at color – you need a different person for color), she says the same thing. “Your hair darkens as you get older.”</p>
<p>But how does Nancy Pelosi do it? Same medium brown hair color, no gray, for years and years and years.</p>
<p>I am now officially overdue. I have gray roots showing. When I can’t get an appointment, I use the Clairol touch ups on the roots – it works great. But my question is – is single process the way to go? I had one person who used this vegetable dye, but it didn’t last as long. Is single process bad for your hair? What’s the best way to get rid of the gray but still look like you used to look?</p>
<p>I’m thinking at some point, I’ll get a wig. Think about it – so easy – always looks great – no frizz, no gray, sleek and shiny. Very Liz Taylor. You know, before she was dead.</p>
<p>If you like the Clairol touch-ups, why not try the same shade as an all-over color?
I’ve been using drugstore color for years and it works fine if you are coloring close to your original shade.<br>
Those who advocate the beauty of salt and pepper natural graying don’t have my coloring…I’d go natural in a minute if it looked good. Dark blond plus age = Geige, the ugly sister of beige.</p>
<p>Excellence by L’oreal. Medium golden brown. I use the full color every three months or so. In between I use L’oreal Root Rescue in the same color. My hair is actually a tad lighter now, not darker!</p>
<p>I suspect Pelosi has her hair highlighted at the same time the roots are covered with a darker shade (that’s how mine is done). The highlights don’t have to be real light, just lighter than the base color. </p>
<p>Jamie Curtis may look great, but my fair complexion combined with the mouse brown/gray combo that grows naturally on my head would make me a perfect extra for The Walking Dead if I didn’t color my hair.</p>
<p>I like the idea of using Clairol or another brand for color because I can do it when I want (and not when the salon can fit me in). Plus it’s so much cheaper (and I don’t have to listen to the stylist talk about her kids). </p>
<p>I agree about letting your hair be naturally gray – the delicate silver look is fabulous on some women – I’d do it if I knew I’d look like Meryl Streep in Devil Wears Prada – but on me, I’d look ill. </p>
<p>Thanks all. Looking forward to some more ideas here.</p>
<p>I have no intention of being mistaken for my 12 yo’s grandmother again, so I color. A don’t recall where I read this, but the cheaper permanent drugstore store colors got the highest marks-the Clairol Color Silk was one of those. It’s what I use-about $3 at Target. You DO need to go a little lighter than your natural hair color as you age because it DOES darken, just as our skin gets lighter. I go a shade lighter and I’m really happy with the light golden brown (I am dark brown with too much gray).</p>
<p>Follow the directions on the box exactly and you’ll do fine. My sister was a hairdresser and said it’s pretty close to how they would do it in a salon unless you’re getting foils or high or lowlights.</p>
<p>Maybe when D is older I’ll let it go, or when I stop working, but jobs are hard enough to come by for older workers and I want to look more employable.</p>
<p>On eBay you can buy professional colors, like Redken Shades EQ plus the activator. This allows you to both blend a couple of shades to get exactly what you want and do it any time you see too much silver sneaking in.</p>
<p>It is a wash out color, so it does get lighter, but never silver again, and you can adjust the darkness by washing it out sooner.</p>
<p>There is a problem with your hair being too dark because your skin thins as you age and it appears paler or whiter. A colorist will match the hair color to your skin tone. </p>
<p>You don’t need to go to a salon all the time. High end cosmetic places in the mall or in a nice department store will do a color analysis for you. They will sell you the color. Some will, I gather, sell you a blend made for you. (I know this because I’m friendly with a woman my age who has been trying to get me to color my hair silver. She says I look so young but my hair could be better.)</p>
<p>Oh, I am all about professional hair coloring! Single color is tough, because most peoples hair is not naturally a single color. I’ve got highlights and lowlights, and most of the time different shades of each and that’s not including my panels. I have a strong grey piece in the front (think Cruella DeVille) that my colorist is keeping uncolored but he’s working with it and around it so it blends in. </p>
<p>I think all grey looks great on a lot of women. More magazine had a great article about a year ago on the best way to get there when you’ve been coloring. I’m just not ready to go there. And while my DH was a mensch during the lean years by being my colorist and pulling my hair through the highlight cap, I’ll happily pay for a pro to do it now. And occasionally he’ll convince me to do something fun like hide some pink in the back :)</p>
<p>I recently heard about a new online company [eSalon.com</a> | Custom Formulated Hair Color](<a href=“http://www.esalon.com%5DeSalon.com”>http://www.esalon.com) I believe the concept is to bring a higher quality of color to women who color at home. I pay way too much every 8 weeks for my salon color. I recently learned that i can save $40 by only having the highlights/lowlights put in every other time.</p>
<p>For those who do apply color at home, do you have someone else brush it on your roots or do you apply it to your entire head?</p>
<p>RobD - having your H do your color creates a fun visual!</p>
<p>I have highlights, so my hair is different colors anyway, which makes the gray streaks less obvious. When I start to notice them, my sylist touches up the gray with my base color, a medium brown.</p>
<p>Kajon: my DH hasn’t done my hair in about 15 years! He started doing it after we had D1, when we were down to one (very small) salary. I’d been highlighting (and until pregnancy perming) my hair since the age of 16 & I just couldn’t go without, but we had no $$ so DH to the rescue. He’s a great guy. But I was happy to go back to a salon And I adore my stylist here; I really tell him to do what ever he wants and I trust him.</p>
<p>I am very lucky-when we moved in here an older lady had owned the home before us and had mounted a second mirror on the wall so that you can always get an almost 260 vuew of your head. We left it up and it’s wonderful for styling or coloring. I did go to a beauty supply place and buy a coloring brush to do my roots (you do those first) then just work the rest in as directed. I bought some of that new foam coloring recently and I will try that-no brush needed. We’ll see if it comes out as well.</p>
<p>I guess I’m living on the edge – I both color my own hair AND cut my own bangs!</p>
<p>For my recent birthday, my H wanted me to splurge and get my hair professionally colored. When I went to get my hair cut and colored, the stylist did my roots, but said my color looked perfect and she wouldn’t change a thing (I was open to a different color or shade).</p>
<p>When I came home, H didn’t know that they just did my roots, and told me how much better my hair looked professionally colored than when I do it myself!</p>
<p>I am with the highlights and lowlights crowd. I have both done in the salon. Since it is not all over color and not one color I can get away with much more time between coloring. And it looks much more natural. From what I’ve watched on makeover shows, I think too dark ages you. Highlights brighten the face.</p>
<p>Just wanted to say, everyone thinks gray will look bad “on them” & has their own particular reason. I agree that darker hair looks bad with older skin (Dick Clark?). Really accents the wrinkles, when a lighter or grayer color would be softer. Also, think about the way men hang on to the comb-over idea, when so many would just look better going natural. I know someone who had to give up coloring for health reasons (it really is toxic, she had a compromised immune system & the doctor said no more). She was kicking and screaming. “Gray looks fine on so-and-so, but won’t on me because …”. She had no choice, of course & ended up looking great - much more confident and chic. So many compliments.</p>
<p>Look around & remember that the more we try to forestall looking old, at a certain point the older we look!</p>
<p>I wanted to ask if anyone has ever gotten gray/silver highlights? Is there any such thing?</p>
<p>At some point I would like to quit coloring my hair brown and have my gray show
but I would like it to be a pretty color with nice shiny gray. Right now my natural is kind of a dull un-shiny brown with streaks of gray.</p>
<p>I am not necessarily trying to look younger -just good</p>
And I adore my stylist here; I really tell him to do what ever he wants and I trust him.</p>