There is nothing about gray hair that should make you grow attached to it. Gray walls? Sure. Get rid of the gray.

My MIL is 86 and still not gray. Me? Prematurely gray at age 27. Love hair color.

WOW! I say dye it. I'm only 36 (geesh, but why do I feel so old writing that . . .I don't feel 36!!!) and I've dyed my hair for awhile. I know some women with stunning (dyed) gray/silver hair, but most women look better with dyed "original" color hair, and definitely a woman as young as yourself!

Pesky, I do a semi-permanent rinse that is several shades lighter than my natural hair color. The result is that my gray gets covered and it appears that I have highlights in my hair. The color itself for the bulk of my head is very close to my natural hair color but the rinse is just enough to cover the gray without a full on dye job!

Yep, if you do not want the gray, use a semi-permanent color. I have a small amount of highlights and the rest is semi-permanent - similar to my own color minus the gray. Just a couple hours at the salon 4 times a year for color. Too scared to do it myself at home. LOL I just know it would end up some strange variation of green.

You might want to try Clairol Nice'n Easy Root Touch-up on the gray strands. It is a $7 kit that is intended for spot use. I use it on the gray hair at my temples in between trips to the hairdresser for highlights.

Once you buy it and have the brush, you could save money by switching to regular hair color. You mix the bleach and color in equal parts (maybe a Tablespoon of each), apply with the brush, and get three or four uses out of one box.

I do exactly as Deborahnj does. Choose a lighter shade (I have dark brown hair also and if you are like me, a shade that matches your own will come out too dark anyway), and the grays will look like highlights. I use a golden brown. I think coloring all your hair will be much easier than trying to find and individually color the gray ones.

tina

pesky, I am in the same spot you are. I talked to my stylist about it and told her I didn't want the every 4-to-6 week commitment of salon hair color. She told me to get a semi-permanent in a light brown. As my hair is dark brown (except for those grays!), the dye won't alter my natural color and the grays will appear as highlights, just like tina said.

I haven't done it yet because I can't find semi-perm hair color! I go to the drugstore and read all the boxes yet none of them say specifically if they are semi-perm.

Deborahnj or tinam61, can you suggest any brands? Also, how long are you able to go between applications? Do you find the "highlighted" hair becomes stronger in color with subsequent applications?

pesky1, I am happy you started this thread...

Nicole

Definitely semi-permanent. I have a girlfriend who is a beautician (not working in her trade) who gets me professional Redkins Shades in Cherry Cola. However, I have been known to use a semi-perm from Sallys Beauty Supply. Great stuff and cheap; premixed in a squeeze bottle with a tip so you don't have to mess with the developer. It is called Ion Color Brilliance Semi-Perm. My natural color is medium to dark brown so I use Dark Red Brown in the Ion.

I still let my beautician do mine when I need a cut.

Tuesday

I am in the same boat and have been using Clairol Natural Instincts.. it is non-permanent hair color, ammonia free... it is supposed to last through 28 shampoos but i find that I have been able to go 3-4 months without doing it again... it is approx. $10 and very easy to use... But do as suggested above and buy a shade that is several shades lighter than your own hair color!

I say, why worry? Embrace it. I think a lot of people actually look older if their hair color is not REALLY well done. It can end up looking flat and sometimes doesn't flatter one's skin tones. I only have about five gray hairs at age 58. I wish I had more. I love totally gray hair, salt and pepper, or scattered gray. What I also don't have, but would love is thick hair. Oh well, maybe in my next life!

Oh, my stylist says use a demi-permanent. Stronger than semi, not permanent.

Natural Instincts does contain peroxide which will in time give an orangy "brassy" color to your hair.

The suggestion for the root kit is excellent as you only do the few places where your hair is gray. As a hairdresser, we always used demi permanent and then the client needed it done only every couple of months. There's no reason you can't do it yourself.

What is demi permanent, is it the same as semi permanent? And is there a good recommendation? I used to do blonde color and I am in NO WAY going that way again!

Deborahnj or tinam61, can you suggest any brands? Also, how long are you able to go between applications? Do you find the "highlighted" hair becomes stronger in color with subsequent applications?

Nigel, sorry for the delay in posting, I was stuck in NYC because of the snow and am finally home! Anywho, I'm not sure of the brand because my hair dresser does it, I never color myself. I go about two months or so between applications and that's mainly because of new growth. The highlighted hair does become stronger in color the more I do it and it does look wonderful.

I am a salt and pepper kind of girl so gray is mixed heavily throughout my darker hair. So it looks really good with the highlights. I think the key for me is going with a shade that really compliments my natural haircolor but again gives me a highlighted look when the gray is covered. Hope this helps.

Thanks for getting back to me.

I went to the beauty supply store the other day and bought L'Oreal Gems, a demi-permanent hair color. I'm hoping to try it tonight.

Nicole

Dark brown hair w/gray sprouting up 'here and there', mostly 'here.'LOL I will be eternally blonde, thank you! ;o)

My dd had dirty blonde like me. She wants to try that style where it is blonde on top but dark underneath. But she wants to be chocolate underneath, not the black color. Her friend had it and it is actually pretty. But my dd also has this really cool streak of light blonde. Her hair naturally parts to the side and the hair that frames her face is the naturally lighter streaks. In the summer they get really blonde and so do other strands on top. Many think she pays to have it done.

Another cool thing is that when she was born she had this little bit of hair at top of forehead. It is about 2in across the foreheadand the hairs have always stayed about 1/4in long and are curved, not curly. When she pulls all her hair back you see this little bit of hair. It is not a real widows peak, more rounded. When she was a baby I would sing this little poem about where she was. I would pull back her hair and say there she is and kiss her forehead. I still do this to show her that she is always my little girl. It always makes her smile.

Ds is a toe head like his dad was when he was little. Little stinker, he will probably stay that way. His little eyebrows are so cute when he raised them. You can barely see them but they are there and arch so cutely.

I think if I start going grey someday, being a dirty blonde, I will look into coloring it a bit to see how it goes. But if it starts to go all grey I will embrace it.