So thankful and inspired from all these comments. I disagree with the complexion getting lighter as we age; its all about the colors we wear be that on the face, the hair and body. Have been dyeing it blonde for years. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. I cut ties with people . Check out my first 18 months here. sit there for two hours and chat with my hairdresser, how to avoid the ugly phase of going gray, My 11 Month Cold Turkey Gray Hair Transition Progress Report, My 4 1/2 Month Gray Hair Transition Progress Report, My 9 Month Gray Hair Transition Progress Report, My 10 Month Cold Turkey Gray Hair Transition Progress Report, 7 Unexpected Benefits of Going Gray From Dyed Hair, 10 Mistakes NEVER to Make If You Want to Successfully Transition to Gray Hair. I just chose to go gray cold turkey, no color corrections, no interfering in my natural grow-out process even if this surely wasnt the most stylish solution. Truly the most liberating thing I have ever done. Since the mid-20th century most of the tea produced in Turkey is Rize tea, a terroir from Rize Province on the Eastern Black Sea Coast. You sound so like I did last year. My hair stylist and I came up with a plan to grow my gray out gradually. Once I started, I found it very exciting to see my natural colors emerge. We will see! Before you decide to just go cold turkey, there are a couple of options that can make the grow out way less painful. Blue Grey Hair. Over the past 20 years, I figure Ive spent almost $17,000 and just about 30 entire DAYS in the chair getting my hair dyed. Going cold turkey is an inexpensive way to transition to natural gray hair as it does not require any salon visits or the use of any harsh chemicals. I am quite apprehensive about the grey coming through, and looking a wreck, but your experiences are really helping. Anyone who has started going gray knows that this doesnt happen overnight; its a process that seems to take forever, and you have good and bad days. Like so many of you, I am so happy to have found this blog! People are saying it will age me, but as been shared, I feel the brown dye is ageing me. 8 Months into the Transition . It's going to take some time and just like growing out a . first and foremost healthy hair starts with a healthy diet. Hi Sarah! I think the important thing here is to create a social conscience rooted in respect for other humans, to eliminate labels and break beauty taboos. WHAT!!! The cry for authenticity came from deep within. The next thing I knew I heard myself say, Hi! This would keep a color line from showing. And dont give a f#ck what other people think.~Melissa L. If I were going to give words of wisdom, Idsay to wrap your brain around WHY you want to do this.Hair is much more than just hair.Ask anyone who lost it from cancer treatment or who was losing it in handfuls from autoimmune disorders.Gray hair is just a color.Weve been conditioned and brainwashed to believe that the gray looks old, bad, witchy, or unprofessional so that well be either buying box dye each month or so that we visit our stylists.Research the ways to do this transition and learn as much about each of them as you can.If getting it cut short or if you use chemicals on it, research and research to find the right stylist to help you.There is nothing as discouraging as putting your trust in the wrong person. I let all my hair (silver gray) come in and last summer folded under the same peer pressure . Here are six reasons for going cold turkey with long . The men in my family are a little harder to get through too. I do feel sad sometimes, because I am used to seeing myself with dark brown hair. Do you find your virgin gray hair healthier? Through interviews, field experiments, and her own everywoman's chronicle, Kreamer probes the issues behind two of the biggest fears aging women face: . 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? I am now torn on what I should do to grow it out, although this time form blonde not dark brown. It defines me and how I have become after so many ups and downs and life. I love promoting the beauty of ageing. you go girl what ever gets it done ;-)) your a brave lady ;-)). A kinder term for this is "grombre" now a major hashtag on Instagram, where women trade tips and help mentor others through the process. I sit here with a huge desire to do it but the doubt that I have the strength and perserverance to stick with it. For me it is about finding my identity in something other than outer beauty. In my bathroom mirror my hair looks good and the gray hair coming out looks like silver highlights. I'm so thankful to have found this blog! My mother died her hair up until she passed away and both of my sisters color as well. Who you want to be, and what you want to put out into this universe. Demarcation Line. Watch. I'm 72 years old, healthy, people often mistake me for early 60's. I'm going to be 44 in a week and my hair has been going grey since my twenties. She went grey cold turkey with long hair and looks fabulous! I had expected to keep adding some color low-lights for contrast, but really liked my own color. There's a fair amount of dark blonde-y, brown-y hair mixed in with the streaks of silver, but the more . Your hair & you are gorgeous. Instagram / @myselfija. Have a hair appointment this Thursday. Much to my surprise, I have been getting a lot of compliments on both my cut and color! December 9, 2021. People would say you look so much younger with the blonde. I purchased a great book at this time, and it really helped me to keep going: Going Gray by Anne Kreamer. How To Survive Going Gray: The First Year: Tips, Tricks & Hacks, The Dye Strip Technique for Going Gray in Secret, The Surprising Truth about Transitioning to Gray Hair, Its Time to Bust These Tired Myths About Gray Hair, Color Lounge Answers All Your Salon Transition Questions, How to Piss Off a Gray-Haired Woman in 5 Seconds or Less, 7 Unexpected Benefits of Going Gray From Dyed Hair, 10 Mistakes NEVER to Make If You Want to Successfully Transition to Gray Hair. For anyone planning on growing out gray hair or for anyone wondering how long it will take, I would say to plan on a solid 2 years for the grays to grow past your chin. Here it is April, and I think all the frosting has about grown out and its all natural grey/brunette salt and pepper. First month I tried using a semi-permanent dye. Add message. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. I was thrilled and somewhat curious about how my real hair color would look. I started to build my own self-worth, my own self-confidence, based on the person I found out I was. It was the best choice I've made and the transition will be difficult in the beginning but I swear I go on Pinterest and look up pictures of women with gray hair as inspiration when I feel the need to turn back , This is my third time going gray, and I believe that this will be the last time. What happens when you stop dyeing your hair? The Ones Who Did It Early. My hairdresser (who wants to be supportive) warned me that some people are going to ask if I'm his grandmother, which does worry me a bit, but I'm hoping to keep myself current and fashionable enough to not look like a dowdy granny. Hopefully this site has given you some inspiration. There are so many labels based on appearance, people are quite critical toward others and themselves . : Expert Advice & Inspiration from a Former Color Addict. 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.. Some of these approaches include: 1. Rock it! Why would I not want to look my age? Rize Province has a mild climate with high precipitation and fertile soil.. Domestic production. And she was BEAUTIFUL! We are proud to belong to this community of amazing women who just accept themselves and each other, just as we are! You can also find amazing Facebook groups, such as GGG (Going Gray Guide), Silver Revolution, Grombre and Silver Sisters International. They can then consciously use coping mechanisms to . Hair dye seems to be the final frontier in my transformation to the all-natural, simplistic lifestyle that I seek. I'm 34 now and have several grey streaks that resemble highlights in my otherwise brown hair. And, we want to finally hug and celebrate each other! I have been coloring my hair for 37 years! Hi Joy, you may find that you hair grows in thicker and healthier after you stop coloring. I decide to be free brought more colorful clothes and travel to the world. It's the communal push pack of the aging process. He looked me right in the eye and said, You should totally do it.. I have now made the Full Transition to Gray Hair. I am thrilled to have found this website! I dont want to cut it super short and grow it out AGAIN after I just spent the last 18 months growing it out. Then one day, I saw this beautiful woman in a restaurant in Hingham, MA. I totally disagree with transitioning to grey by just stopping the color. IF I DO ANYTHING ELSE I WILL STICK WITH T HE WASH OUT GREY COLORS BY ROUX. 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. It was literally; WTF am I doing??!! 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 am naturally a dark brunette. I explain my feelings about my gray hair transition so far, and tell you . 4. I knew at some point I would have to do the big chop so I started with it. I go every 5 weeks, but the last two weeks before my appointment isnt very attractive because I see the gray roots. It will be a relief to see my hair as it really is and not fret over the white line in the middle of my head after 2 weeks. My decision was based on the fact that as I was getting older, I felt I did not look natural with brown hair. IT IS A LONG ROAD BACK ONCE YOU CAVE IN I KNOW!!!!! August 31, 2020 (updated December 19, 2022). I stopped dyeing my hair because I think it just didnt look good anymore. This past 2-3 months has been a very good exercise in patience and humility. After getting hi & low lights to make the transition less painful I've found the lipstick type color touch up sticks are definitely helping. 5 years dye free and happy to be me.~Rachel T. I started growing out my gray at age 44. I was sooo impatient, I just couldnt wait to see the real me. Then 2 months later 20 foils, toner, cut/styled. A decision was made. Was I more beautiful then? And dont give a f#ck what other people think. I admit some days it's all I can do not to grab a bottle of dye! I got my hair highlighted with 60-80 foils, cut/styled. I'm with ya Andrea! My husband is supportive as is one of my very close female friends. In 2019, Turkey produced 1.45 million tonnes of tea (which was 4% of the world's total tea production), which made it one of the largest tea markets in the world . I remember my friends being helpful by pulling out my gray strands in high-school. Karen and I first decided to start this endeavor as an Instagram page. 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. In the light some of my gray hair strands show sparkly silver glints and as a result I now wear brighter colours that I've not worn before and silver jewellery. At first, I started to get the stares. SITE CREDIT. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. . This "sit and wait it out" method worked well for me. I hope that I can be an inspiration for them to also stop coloring.. Who knows what damage we are doing to our bodies with all of the chemicals! Youd think Id just told them of my plans to commit a capital crime. Your young one may just LOVE having the cool mom with the awesome grey hair ? Hey Humor Consumers, In Episode 4 we talk about gray hair and the journey of letting it show. Colored my hair a light brown one last time to get rid of the red, which had faded to a lovely neon orange shade. In the past few years I have had to spend a small fortune every 4 weeks at the hairdressers just to keep the re-growth under control. I was longing to be what I was meant to be, both inside and out. Happy Wednesday ladies. I patiently waited for it to grow, while keeping the overall length. Thousands of women have found success in this positive and supportive community, we would love to have you join us! That was a mistake; it played weird with my new growth and left a stain even after washing it tons. It's a shame you'd gone through the hardship of it during the pandemic and then erased that hard work, but at least now you know how long the process takes and what it will look like! If you are anything like me, you have a lot of questions about how to begin this gray hair journey. i really want to grow out the gray! The Au Natural - Also called the "cold turkey" . I am not ready to be old, although I am 56 years old, I still feel young inside. , I just need support, I did also use some of sallys temp grAY HAIT COLORS BY ROU. Save. If you want to look like Pepe Le Peu, the skunk, go for it. I agree, not to even try to transition with semi-permanent. I went cold turkey, and it took me about a year, with a lot of patience, to grow out the dyed colored hair. It's truly liberating! It took me 20 months, and I was done just before my 46th birthday. Apr 25, 2019 - Feeling blah while going gray? SITE CREDIT. Its been a lot of trial and error to see what products work with my gray hair and my new gray hair needs. xo, Lisa. i am on facebok if anyone wants to be friends , i am married age 54 i recently got my hair cut really short hopefully 1 more cut and i can find a gray type color to help accent what i want my hair to look like, i buy some products at sallys beauty supply, but some stores carry some of the products for gray hair. With a pixie or very short cut, it will take 3-9 months. Going "cold turkey" is definitely challenging, but I'm now convinced that it's the best path for most women to take. So if you do speak to someone, please make sure that person has had experience with transitioning gray. Passionate about clean beauty, organic eats and nontoxic lifestyle, Lisa writes to create awareness. These past few years were simultaneously the most difficult, most scary, most rewarding, and most freeing of all. I will be 55 the end of the month. I felt liberated from the tyranny of the beauty ideals I had been obeying for so long! And yes I am not letting myself go. 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. Unlike the quick transformation away from gray (during a one-hour hair appointment, say), the transition back to gray is a months-long process and you'll need a plan. I think grey is beautiful I just needed the courage to do it. You have given me a lot of hope. Wonderful! I was ready to show the world the real me. Growing out your grey is a process. A bit of color on your cheeks can add a rosy glow to your face. Be prepared to take more selfies than you have ever done! Hey, gals - it has been TWENTY-ONE freaking months of growing out my grey hair cold turkey. Going grey is most easily done cold turkey with a degree of humility. From there if you choose to use the help of a Supportive Stylist, it will depend on the processes you choose for your comfort zone. Why take the chance that it won't wash out. Use Pinterest to create gray boards of women whose hair you admire.Look at the different Facebookgroups (Instagram too) anddo whatever you need to work up the enthusiasm to get you through.To grow out my hair, I stopped dyeing in July 2014, and the last of my dye was cut off in January 2016. Your email address will not be published. Maybe you can relate. I was focused, had a goal in mind, and every day I was closer to it. Again, 2 months later, cut, toner styled. Even with the dye I am unhappy with the results~ broken hair-never the exact shade I am looking for. Grey Hair With Bangs. My colorist says highlighting isnt a good idea because it will add another color to the hair. Why in the world do I want to look like Im in my twenties? I loved it. During the growing out phase, my hair was such a mess, a mixture of the old dyed color, my new natural dark brown, and the gray . My colorist has said when Im ready shell help me grow it out!! The connection I have found in social media is surreal sometimes! Yes! Hi Im 47 and 40% grey. My brunette identity was important to me and I . i am on facebook joann cooper troupe in a striped shirt with my husband jim. I have considered putting in highlights/lowlights if I want some pizzaz, but so far, I get a ton of positive comments. I tried to look into this but my colored hair was too dark to lift to gray. Im determined and search Pinterest for inspiration. And, very thankful to our younger women who embraced dying their hair white and gray; giving us mature women the courage to embrace life changes, from being simply identified as being old, whereby mature men hair graying and therefore be considered distinguished, Love the journey and most importantly, to thyself be true. But why did I never question the idea that we have to cover gray hair? Thanks, Leigh!! What kind of styling tools should I use and what is the bet product to use for black American women with graying hair. If I could just buzz cut it & grow out from there Id be fine but that would sure look stupid for a while lol. We went on a cruise and between the salt in the ocean and sun bleaching out some of my dk. My husband is totally behind me so that will help. It was absolutely thrilling. It is just what I needed! Honestly cant wait to see what it looks like, but still hoping it wont make me look old. It was becoming a trend, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful. By Lindsy Van Gelder. 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. But in pictures my hair just looks gray and it makes me look older. I was shocked to find that embracing my grey hair would be a positive and strangely freeing experience. if you decide to go gray do not let others bring you down i did that for a few years but no more!!! 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. So liberating to let go of colouring. METHOD #1: FADE YOUR HAIR DYE. ~Michelle Ray Author of GO GRAY YOUR WAY! Also a good check up, especially a thyroid test would be a good idea.Mari, After much soul searching Ive decided to go gray! 2021 was the year of grey hair. He concluded that: 'If someone decides to quit drinking abruptly, they will experience Delirium tremens. Did you have to cut your hair? In that moment, she kinda blew my world open. Honestly, its a thing! "For my hair, I need a lot of moistureI started going gray when I was 15, so every three . It's a matter of confidence and comfort too. To book your free gray consultation with Joey today call him . If you dont have any of that, consider joining The Gray Book. Good luck, Hi, I just turned 52 and retired from 30 years of teaching. For me, it is not just the gray hair, it is more about feeling comfortable in my own skin and not been bother about what people may think of me. I am changing up how I wear my hair trying to hide the transition. We need to stop feeding ourselves with stereotypes, which are idealized and unreal. My hair is now bleached blonde. In my 30s a few grey strands showed, and it helped to hide them. I am not sure I am making any sense. I guess I feel insecure and afraid of rejection or just being invisible. And its been 3 years and the best thing she ever did. Feeling nervous about letting my stylist know my plan for ditching the dye. Photo by Carolyn Simpson Hair by Donna Dellaero, Donna Hair Design. 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. This has probably made my transition to gray easier than it would have been in my home country. Going grey with (grohm) (bray) A radical celebration of the natural phenomenon of grey hair. PROS & CONS TO THE COLD TURKEY GRAY GROWOUT METHOD. This is embracing who we are and what we stand for. Enjoy! Tips for Going Gray. I had been considering going grey and so, this was the perfect time to attempt it as I could save a lot by not having my hair colored. Just let your natural gray hair come in as it will. One day I caught myself fantasizing about going gray. This became so much more than a journey about hair! Full Highlight, Toner & Haircut. I didnt start coloring my hair until I was 45 and at that point I was probably 1/4 to 1/3 gray. See, I was never really a girly girl, and primping, and time spent doing so, just annoyed me.I saw many young girls coloring their hair grey. I just decided to go cold turkey, and let the ugly warm brown tones grow out without tampering with the color. But there I was dying my hair again and again. Color correction, cold turkey, shave your head, try a pixie.Whatever floats your boat. I couldnt help myself. Growing out my grey now, I have about 4 inches of natural hair at this point. It took about 2 years and I was fully transitioned. But when her hairdresser freaked out over the decision, she realized she was heading into territory that for many is a no-go zone. 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. Firstly, I decided to get my hair cut short - it had been in a bob style. (BTW, look at all the women walking around with a grey growth line. Keep reading for more of my going gray story or jump to my going gray before and after pictures here! Thank you. i want to have the courage. My decision was based on repeated allergic reactions (that were steadily progressing to a sever breathing emergency) to dye. I have been thinking about letting my gray grow out for several months. xo, Lisa. I had forgotten how dark my original hair color was. I love my grey hair (my husband loves it too). 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! While at 55 years, I look much younger than my age; part of that comes from taking care of my skin in my youth and the other being DNA. I felt like I want to rebel against anything that inauthentic. Thank you all for being there. So reading all these nice stories amke me stronger to, at leat, give it a try. . Question Two: What is the fastest way to get completely gray hair? However, I have my issues of my skin getting darker, such as age spots. Denise is beautiful. I have gotten nothing but positive comments, and to be honest it was quite liberating! The reaction wasnt satisfying at all. SACHAJUAN Silver Shampoo, 8.4 Fl Oz (Pack of 1) Add to Cart .