https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:55:30 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670774 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 16:39:29 +0000 Aziraphale 1670774@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>JAileen -- "Mother Nature provided highlights" -- yes, I think she does, and it often looks great! :-)</p> <p>Gaylene, I know exactly what you mean. Confidently flouting the rules makes people seem more youthful. Emphasis on <i>confidently</i>. Maybe it's because it betrays a sort of irrepressible spirit that we recognize in people who are aging well? </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670770 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 16:35:39 +0000 Aziraphale 1670770@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Vix, re. the wig; my mother-in-law has worn one for about a decade, and it looks fantastic! It's a damn expensive one, I know that much (in fact I think she currently has three), but you can't tell it's not her own hair. It helps that she pulls some of her actual hair, which is white, out from around the temples, so it looks like she has greying temples. Her hair, which had always been thin and fine, got much thinner and finer ten years into menopause -- so much that her scalp showed -- until she said, Enough of this nonsense, I'm getting a wig.&nbsp;</p> <p>A point worth mentioning: while her natural colour in her youth was very dark brown, her wig is light brown. Dark wigs look wrong. She is in her late 60s.&nbsp;</p> <p>Another point worth mentioning: whenever I see her wigless, I am always struck by how gorgeous her now-white hair looks (it wasn't white back when she first got the wig). It's still thin, but not nearly as thin as when she was colouring and styling it all the time. Evidence that messing with your hair is not good for it. Anyway, she honestly looks even better with white hair than with brown now. She recognizes this, but says it would be a bit of a shock if she suddenly stopped wearing it, because she looks so different. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670763 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 16:31:21 +0000 Gaylene 1670763@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Elisabeth, I couldn't agree more that color can take years off when it works with a person's personality, face, and complexion. Forgive me if my sloppy writing implied anything different. :)</p> <p>What I've found interesting, though, is that "youthening" (love that word!) effect often occurs when a color obviously ISN'T natural. My friend in her seventies sports a very dark bob with purple overtones which defiantly flaunts all the rules, but looks perfect on her. Looking at her makes me wonder why other, much younger, friends often look older than their years in their very expensive, "cover-the-grey", and "lighten as you get older" hair color. Neither route ends up looking "natural" (whatever that means) but one ends up taking years off while the other seems to add them. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670738 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:59:53 +0000 JAileen 1670738@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I love "youthening". Vix, my hair only looked good for a week or two also. That was one reason I gave up dyeing my hair. What was the point, right? Now around my face is very light silver, with Mother Nature provided highlights. I thought I would look younger with grey hair, but I was never called granny with brown hair. I volunteer at a food pantry for seniors and some of our clients have hit on me after I went grey. I look very young for someone in her 70s. That's because I'm in my 50s! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670735 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:51:27 +0000 Vix 1670735@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting convo for sure!</p> <p>You know who never gets told to lighten as they age? People who <b></b>*aren't* <b></b>greying and coloring, but still have more or less their early adult color even though they show other signs of age.</p> <p><i><b>I feel like "lighten as you age" is what colorists say because it's a huge PITA to figure out what hair that's been colored forever and a day is going to do. &nbsp;And of course the growout thing is huge -- for those who are 70-100% grey "going lighter" hides that better.</b></i></p> <p>(See Janet's comments above; I have similar and I'm sure we're not alone!) </p> <p>As long as one's hair doesn't grow too quickly, I think it's easier to go darker once the hair is 100% grey -- no other colors left to "pull"/react one way or another.</p> <p>A relative of mine kept getting blonder and blonder after ~ 45 years of coloring and the particular shade looked godawful with her skintone. Thankfully after a few years of that she was convinced to go back to more or less her original shade ("freckle" or medium reddish brown). </p> <p>She'd look amazing grey/silver/white, but at least the color's harmonious with her personal coloring -- I think either is "youthening." </p> <p>I've said I stopped dying dark for vanity and I do think my silver/dark mix looks better than the color, which only really worked about 1.5 weeks out of the month. As I now have my *natural* variegated dark chestnut-y shade back in places (oh how I missed you for decades!) a quick combover tells me I'd still look good in that shade, too. Maybe a wig is in my future so I can mix things up! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670730 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:43:05 +0000 Aziraphale 1670730@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Gaylene</b>, in response to your comment:&nbsp;<i>I'd like to think older women who choose to dye their hair do so because they like the look, not because they are under the illusion dyed hair makes them look younger. To my eye, what makes a person look younger is the skip in their step when they are happy with their appearance--brown, blonde, grey, red, purple, green--it's the confidence, not the hair color, that takes off years.<br /></i><br /><i></i><i></i><i></i>I agree with the "skip in their step when they are happy with their appearance", certainly. Confidence is appealing at any age, and if a person's body language is more youthful, we "read" them as younger than they are. But I do think that hair colour can take off years, whether or not it looks "natural". The right hair colour for your complexion makes make you look younger mainly because it makes you look healthier -- makes your skin brighter, etc.</p> <p>On that note, it's worth mentioning that natural-looking hair isn't necessarily better. I remember the first time I saw an post-menopausal woman with rainbow hair colour. She was probably in her 60s, had a cute short 'do that was mostly white, and hot pink streaks around her face. Didn't look at all natural, of course, but it was nevertheless fabulous because you could see she was absolutely comfortable with her look. Also, the hot pink looked good against her skin.</p> <p>Janet, I suspect that you are one of those women on whom greying hair will look very good. I wonder if the best answer for you would be to just let it go grey? I also agree that your dark hair still suits your face, and is good for the more edgy look that you like. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670703 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:02:58 +0000 Janet 1670703@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Hmmm. I'm taking all this in. I pretty strongly resist the idea of going lighter with my hair, despite prevailing conventional wisdom. </p> <p>Some time back, my MIL told my husband that she didn't like my hair dark, even though my natural color sans grey is quite dark brown (some forum members who have been around a while might remember that I briefly had much lighter highlights a few years ago, and my MIL definitely subscribes to the "coloring your hair lighter as you age" thing -- it's very much a thing especially in Texas). I never liked the way the lighter shade looked on me in photos -- it felt wrong, turned brassy very quickly, and the growout was more apparent with that color than it is now, when I'm covering my gray with a shade very very close to my natural color. </p> <p>Immediately after a salon visit with my current color, I always feel like it's too dark, but it quickly softens up by a couple of shades. When I was going lighter with my hair color, I tended to go warmer and a bit more auburn, which I kind of liked, but I tired of it. And again, the growout always looked more obvious because you could see more of a line of demarcation between the cool toned roots with some grey and the warm-toned dyed hair. To go lighter with my natural hair tone would leave me with, I dunno, a washed-out ashy lighter brunette? That doesn't sound appealing. So I think for many people, going lighter means either going straight to grey/silver or going significantly warmer in tone, which is not always flattering or practical in terms of upkeep. </p> <p>Again, interesting to think about, but I'm not sure what the answer is for me. In a recent hair thread I posted, I had a couple of suggestions to go lighter, but somehow that feels like taking some drama and edge away from my look. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging/page/2#post-1670673 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:07:13 +0000 Aziraphale 1670673@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>So...as with everything else, it seems like there <i>is</i> a general rule, and then a whole pile of exceptions. &nbsp;I should have known before I asked!</p> <p>Good point, <b>Anna</b>, about how not everyone can pull off blond. You must be right, because we all suit some colours better than others. Stands to reason that some people just can't do blond. (Mind you, there are lots of shades of blond...maybe you had the wrong one!). I should clarify that I wasn't asking if people should go blond as they age -- just lighter.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>StyleFan</b>, those on the ginger spectrum have a different aging experience, from what I've observed. Their hair doesn't seem to go grey so much as fade. I can think of five true gingers and one strawberry blonde, all middle-aged women now, and all of them have hair that is lighter and much less red than before, but there aren't any white hairs in there. (Two of them dye it back to darker red. On one of them, it works; on the other, not so much. The former is covered in freckles, and the latter has a pale porcelain complexion. I don't know if that's why, but you say you are hesitant to dye your hair redder so maybe that's useful information for you!)</p> <p><b>Rachylou</b>, you just described my grandma in the 1980s. I don't see elderly people with blond hair so much these days, though, but it might be where I live.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670660 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 13:43:05 +0000 Lisa 1670660@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a fair amount of white hair and indeed I have had to go lighter as I've gotten older. &nbsp;I've also had to add more red to the color, because for some reason my hair is going lighter and redder before it turns to white, alas I seem to be skipping the grey stage. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670591 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:56:24 +0000 Anonymous 1670591@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Actually, I'm not sure if my roots are darker or just more ashy. Either way, I need to go with that color. I want to make an appointment for this weekend because it's been bothering me. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670587 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 11:50:22 +0000 lyn67 1670587@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I am naturally ashy dark blonde and have had always put in some highlights for dept.&nbsp; Now, at 48 &nbsp;I have baby &nbsp;fine and very thinning hair&nbsp;but I've noticed &nbsp;going lighter all over &nbsp;doesn't do &nbsp;me any favor. It is much better to have some contrast on my face and I can achieve that with various tools. Dark (or colored frames) dark brows&nbsp;(but not black!)&nbsp;and some eye makeup can do all the difference meanwhile &nbsp;now that I have a short asymmetric cut, too- I really need to have my roots dark brown and the ends light blonde. &nbsp;Would you call it ombré?</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670562 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 10:56:42 +0000 Style Fan 1670562@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I would think it depends on the woman's skin tone, features and her personality.&nbsp; And probably lots of other factors.&nbsp; My hair has gradually gotten lighter with age.&nbsp; When I was a child my hair was a strawberry blonde, as a teenager my hair was a rich red with blonde highlights and then when I hit my twenties it went back to strawberry blonde.&nbsp; Then my hair started to go golden blonde.&nbsp; Not sure what you would call my hair now.&nbsp; I have grey going through it but the blonde masks it unless you get real close.&nbsp; <br />Sometimes I get the urge to colour my hair red (because I love red hair) but I don't think my skin is the same as when I was a teenager.&nbsp; Okay I know it isn't.&nbsp; And my eyes are not as green.&nbsp; More teal.<br />The lighter, faded version of my hair is probably better.&nbsp; Plus I am extremely low maintenance.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670540 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 07:59:13 +0000 rachylou 1670540@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Heh. I don't know. It struck me not so long ago I see a fair number of elderly people with blonde hair, tan pants, white top. Of course, I am talking elderly here, not simply older. But I don't know if I think it looks good, because I find it...misleading. It makes me feel like they're all Nancy Reagan. I feel it's a bit fading in terms of personality maybe. Maybe the thing is so many follow this rule, it makes the look generic and messes with my head... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670454 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 02:16:41 +0000 Anna 1670454@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have been dying my hair for years. I never went grey, it went right to white. I have pale skin and my hair is a medium reddish brown. I have tried lighter and even with brighter makeup I looked older and washed out. I tried blonde once and as soon as it was dried and styled my styllist offered to dye it back for me! I declined, lived with it the rest of Saturday, Sunday and Monday (holiday weekend) and called in sick Tuesday morning. Flew down the street to the stylist and dyed it back. She said not everyone can pull off blonde. To be fair, she did try to talk me out of changing to blonde. Learned my lesson big time. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670429 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 01:26:52 +0000 Helena 1670429@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Well, I have to admit I will be keep dying my hair dark brown for as long as I can! I do think you have to go easy with it though; I have to go lighter than I think to get the right color, because as I get older my hair gets little dryer and soaks up the color crazy fast. I think Lisa is fight, a lot has to do with how healthy the hair is. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670428 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 01:20:39 +0000 Jaime 1670428@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Agree with the general sentiment here. The conventional wisdom is lighter with age, but there are many exceptions. My hair was nearly black from the day I was born. When it started to grey in my late 20s I easily covered it with dark brown drugstore color. As I got older it got more complicated, and the red toned brown that I had before I stopped dying my hair was not really right for my coloring. Black was too harsh. I do think the white around my face is flattering, although I would not call it youthening even if that were a word. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670423 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 01:15:50 +0000 Anonymous 1670423@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I recently colored my hair a shade lighter. It did look good, but now I have darker roots showing. Lesson learned. Stick with a color as close to what's actually there as possible. Yes I cover some white hair, but it's still predominantly brown. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670420 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 01:09:50 +0000 MsMaven 1670420@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I just wrote three paragraphs on this and touched the wrong spot on my laptop and it all disappeared! Anyway, for me, lighter was wrong. I didn't feel like myself for several years after my hairdresser couldn't get my hair back anywhere near its original color. I let the gray grow out--unfortunately a long process because my hairdresser told me blonde highlights were the way to blend in old and new color. Wrong! My natural hair color is much darker than I ever imagined.&nbsp;</p> <p>I now have a degree of contrast between skin, hair and eyes. Not dramatic, more medium contrast, but I am returning to colors that used to make me fee washed out. I spent too many years unhappy with the blonde. I'm planning on doing a gray hair update. Life has been hectic lately.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670411 Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:38:52 +0000 Gaylene 1670411@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I totally agree with Suz. Dyed hair on an older woman can look really good, but I think it's a stretch to call it "natural". Some woman rock dark hair because it suits their personality, even if they are in their seventies. </p> <p>I'd like to think older women who choose to dye their hair do so because they like the look, not because they are under the illusion dyed hair makes them look younger. To my eye, what makes a person look younger is the skip in their step when they are happy with their appearance--brown, blonde, grey, red, purple, green--it's the confidence, not the hair color, that takes off years. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670375 Tue, 31 May 2016 23:39:25 +0000 Aziraphale 1670375@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Elle -- Really? I didn't know skin colour could change. I thought it was the one thing that didn't change -- but hey, I could be totally wrong! I don't know where I read that. Mine doesn't seem to have changed, except that it's more weathered, lol. But my whole face is more angular than it was.</p> <p>Echo, I've always thought that dark-haired beauties luck out when it comes to greying, because their hair turns an enviable salt-and-pepper colour, even in the early stages. Medium or light brown hair doesn't. &nbsp;If I was dark, I'd absolutely let it go grey without messing with it. With lighter shades of brown, highlights do hide the grey really well, and look more natural, I think. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670369 Tue, 31 May 2016 23:34:47 +0000 Aziraphale 1670369@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p><b>Rabbit</b>, I agree that people with dark eyes and cool-toned skin usually look good with dark hair, and also with salt-and-pepper hair. You might be one of those classic "winters". <b>Peri</b>, maybe this is true for you too -- which is why both of you still look good with dark hair.&nbsp;</p> <p><b>Suz</b>, that's a good point. When colouring over brown, I've never had anything but a semi-permanent gloss. It tends to add shine. When going blond, the stylist has to leach out some colour first, and then she puts a toner over that to get the right shade of blond. I've never done a permanent brown dye, but maybe those inherently turn out dull?</p> <p><b>Jenava</b>, I've had a lot of positive comments on the blond this week too. I'm wondering if the brown hair was making me look a bit washed out because my brows and lashes have so little colour, and my cheeks don't have the fullness they once did.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670359 Tue, 31 May 2016 23:25:08 +0000 Echo 1670359@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wonder about the advice to go lighter as one ages. Traditionally, the advice was given to go lighter or to highlight hair because it hides grey better, but I've seen too many people with naturally dark hair begin with highlights and end up some version of light brown or dark blonde, which isn't "them" at all. My mum did this for a while. I finally talked to her and told her that I thought her hair would look beautiful if she let it go salt and pepper, and indeed, when she went back to her natural colour, it was amazing. Now it is almost purely silver, and no colourist could have made a better colour.&nbsp;</p> <p>So jet black hair like she had in her youth wouldn't have looked right, but a completely different colour did not look at all natural, either. She looked "right" with her natural hair, which I think is often the best solution. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670350 Tue, 31 May 2016 23:13:39 +0000 Jenava 1670350@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think it might. &nbsp;I recently went lighter. &nbsp;The reason was that I stopped wearing as much makeup on a regular basis due to life style changes and my old dark color was making me look washed out. &nbsp;I did color my hair, but it was the same shade as my natural color (which is now salt and pepper, likely). &nbsp;The blond is an identity adjustment for me, as I loved my darker color, but I get SO many compliments on it, it makes me wonder how washed out I really was starting to look! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670345 Tue, 31 May 2016 23:09:54 +0000 Suz 1670345@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I also think it may depend on the type of dye we are talking about. A semi-permanent or gloss is so different than a permanent colour both in how it leaves the hair and in the impression it gives on the head...so if a person is dying it dark with a semi-permanent, not to cover grey, then maybe that looks great -- but once it is a permanent dye to cover grey it starts looking less good? I don't know... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670340 Tue, 31 May 2016 23:01:39 +0000 rabbit 1670340@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think one of the barriers is that it's very hard to go from a saturated (and dyed over time) deep brown to either a significantly lighter color or gray. &nbsp;My dyed brown hair is lighter in that it is now brown, no longer dyed straight black as I did in my 20s. &nbsp; It can look okay with highlights, but only so far in summer and if my skin has a little more freckles and tanning, otherwise highlights tend to eventually look too warm toned, even if originally more ash. &nbsp;Gray roots growing in with saturated brown are a pain though and need cosmetic covering between dye touch ups, not ideal at all.</p> <p>In general I think it can be true that lighter works better for many women as they age, and I'd experiment more with lighter colors if it wasn't such a 'you can't get there without cutting it all off' situation. &nbsp;In general my coloring is high contrast (very dark eyes and hair, very pale skin, blue veins, etc), so my tendency would be to go for a high contrast light color -- either salt and pepper gray (my natural now at the top of my head) or closer to platinum. &nbsp; But I don't know. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670311 Tue, 31 May 2016 22:14:34 +0000 Elle 1670311@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Skin color does seem to change as we age (or at least mine has). &nbsp;So I think going lighter works for many people (not all, obviously.) &nbsp; It's great that you've found a flattering color - even if you had to suffer through the orange phase. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670304 Tue, 31 May 2016 22:10:34 +0000 Peri 1670304@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I'm not sure. I know this is the common advice, but surely there are always exceptions to common advice. My hair color was turning out lighter and a bit reddish and I didn't like it at all. I thought it brought out red tones in my skin and made me look tired, and I also thought it made any frizz look more obvious.&nbsp;</p> <p>Last time I got it colored she went back darker again...dark brunette and we both thought it looked so much better. I am super pale, and naturally a dark brunette, and the darker color that was closer to my own color took the redness right out of my skin and made it look glowing. I think the contrast helps my paleness and the medium brown was just washing me out. Or, I could be wrong!</p> <p>Anyway, I don't think common advice is true for everyone...just that it is a generalization, with exceptions. I have hardly any grey, so I color for fullness and shine.&nbsp;</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670291 Tue, 31 May 2016 21:59:00 +0000 Lyn D. 1670291@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I firmly believe that lighter is better as our hair and skin ages! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670272 Tue, 31 May 2016 21:18:33 +0000 Aziraphale 1670272@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sterling, I think if your hair is still much more brown than grey, colouring over it works. The women I know whose dark brown hair now looks strange are the ones who have a LOT of grey. You can always tell because their white roots show very quickly. :-)</p> <p>JAileen, yes! I have indeed seen elderly ladies with jet black hair. Jet black beehives, even. Not a good look. :-)</p> <p>smittie, I've always wondered what my colouring is. I honestly can't tell. My veins look greenish and my arms look very very light gold, so I've always assumed I was warm (which means spring or fall, right?), but I've got tons of pink in my face. Medium brown hair, but blond eyebrows and lashes, blond peach fuzz everywhere, and pale green eyes. I do tan, but will burn if not careful. All of this adds up to not fitting easily in any box. *shrug* :-)</p> <p>Suz -- "She's now a frankly weird shade of reddish brownish blonde" LOL. Sounds like <i>my</i> hair! OK, it's not really that weird anymore, but that pretty much describes what it looked like a couple of weeks ago. But yes, it does make my skin look healthier, somehow. And I do know that going any <i>darker</i> than my natural brown is always a disaster -- even when I was young, that was true.&nbsp;</p> <p>Ledonna, a purple weave does sound a little safer, lol. I think hair texture affects how the dye "takes" in hair. Purple hair is way cool, though -- I hope it works out for you!</p> <p>Sally, I've had lots of colours over the years, too. But I've had totally au naturel in the recent past, too, so I know what the baseline is!</p> <p>LisaP, I'm sure there are some women who can pull off the dark for longer. Maybe it helps if you were really dark to begin with. Nobody would ever have described me as "dark brown", though, so maybe that's why mine looks better lightened up. I've never really felt like a "brunette", especially since my facial hair and body hair is visibly blond. (Like I said to Suz, even when I was young, going <i></i>darker<i></i> than natural was always disastrous, although going redder than natural often seemed to work).&nbsp;</p> <p>Ginger, maybe that's it; I just need "softer" now that my features are fading! :-)</p> <p> </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/thoughts-on-hair-colour-and-aging#post-1670263 Tue, 31 May 2016 20:53:25 +0000 Ginger 1670263@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Ledonna, I must say that if anyone can rock peacock hair, you can. It must have been really bad! :(&nbsp; Looking forward to the purple weave, though. :)</p> <p>I can't speak much for experience on this; I've never colored my hair and my only gray (so far) is a white lock I found in college.&nbsp; But I've noticed that women's coloring tends to go more muted/less striking with aging. So for many women, maybe going lighter reduces contrast with the face. (Or at least is an analogous "softer" look overall.) I've definitely noticed how gray reacts to dye; my mother's covered up her gray for years. The overall effect is as much reddish as brown. </p>