hair color/stylist advice - YouLookFab Forum

hi again ladies,

as i approach 35 in a few months, i'm noticing a few more white hairs, wrinkles, etc...i'm at peace with it and prefer to age gracefully if possible.

when did you decide to color your hair? i've until now kept my original color, occasionally use the flat iron with heat protecting product...

i've been going out with a younger man recently (7 yrs my junior, we've been a happy couple for 4 months, met 6 months ago) and i'm a little more aware/self-conscious about looking good. he loves how i look, but recently asked if i've ever had highlights done...? he's encouraged me to try a few fashion risks like--whoa! shorts! found the same style in bright blue @ marshalls:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/vi.....ts-_-1_2_A

i know according to the ylf over-30 'no-no' list these shorts do not pass, but he likes my legs and heck, if i can pull it off reasonably well, why not once in a while

i feel great! refreshing my style is totally fine with me. aside from style updates, i'd love a youthful, low maintenance and not TOO expensive haircut/color too. i'm loving this new chapter in my life and want him to appreciate me even more

any references? i live in the san jose bay area, CA.

many thanks!

12 years ago

qfbrenda

Veteran

I started coloring a couple of years ago after a traumatic event that seemed to cause my hair to gray very fast. I was around 37 then. The grays looked like trauma to me in the mirror and I couldn't deal with them. Since I turned 40 I've made peace with the grays and am in the middle of growing out the color. I'm not 100% sure I'll stick it out but I really want to embrace and rock gray hair.

At least there isn't a right or wrong answer to your question about dying or not. Whatever works for you.... it's all good.

bj1111

I started at 27 with semiperm intermittentlt for fun. More seriously in my early 30s. Still using demi perm. Going to perm is a HUGE commitment.

Hil

(website)

I posted this elsewhere recently but I will say again... I am 35 and I have quite a lot of grey hair, but I have pretty much always coloured my hair for fun. I liking having a reddish brown, but have gone as dark as almost black (didn't like!!!) and I am currently a very coppery red. Most of the time I colour my hair myself. I do think that at some point, I will stop with the colour and grow grey gracefully, but for now, I feel too young to be grey and I am still having fun with the colouring.

T-Rex

I started coloring my hair in grad school just for fun, then kept it up until around 5 or so years ago. I'm now 47, with noticeable gray. I originally allowed my hair to go back to it's natural state just because I was curious about how much gray I actually had.

I may go back to dyeing it eventually, but mostly because I'm getting bored with it now. Although I'm sure I look older with the gray showing, I'm not that bothered by it. (My boyfriend is *way* more concerned with the gray in his hair than I am with mine!) This feeling is subject to change, of course. But for right now, it's OK. I do wish the gray would come in streakier. I have one nice white streak near one temple, but the rest is pretty evenly distributed.

BTW, I don't think there is a rule for wearing shorts on YLF. I think it all depends on how those particular shorts look on you, and how they make you feel.

tarzy

This is such a personal choice. At 56 I have a lot of grey, but I am in no way ready to "be" grey yet. I fully support anyone who chooses to stop coloring, but that's not my choice at this time. It is a real PITA because my natural hair color is dark brown and my roots come in every three weeks, but I do it myself, so that keeps the cost down a bit. I don't like to feel pressured by society or anyone to do something - whether that's to color or to stop coloring! Some day I'll rock a head of curly silver -- but not just yet.

rachylou

Wait, why are those shorts a no-no? Because they're supposed to be so old-lady and aging that only the very young should be able to get away with them? They seem entirely appropriate to me; they're tailored.

Diana

The shorts are great! That is my preferred length for shorts - and I am 33. I like a slouchy fit and wider leg opening on my shorts so I usually size up so they are more low rise. Lots of people here know that I have poison eye for knee-length shorts so I always go shorter (midthigh) or longer (below the knee).

I've had my hair dyed for fun (usually some shade of red/burgundy) and aesthetic preference since I was 23. For tricky color (like mine, which is red - the hardest color to do right - over natural black) or for highlights which require a more discerning hand, I'd definitely get it done at the salon. It can get pricey but I think it's worth it (for me at least). In all these 10 years I've been getting my hair colored, I have never once done it myself. I'm afraid of turning it orange, LOL. My hair has not gone significantly whiter (although I've had a few whites since I was a child) but I'd probably keep dying it if it did, as I am pretty sure it's going to come in as strands of pure white dispersed among totally black strands. If I actually got chunky white streaks, I'd consider keeping them!

Anyway, I think you should try it at least once! It's fun, and a nice change, and you can always dye it back to natural color if you don't like it.

cciele

So glad that you are doing well Lisa! Your young man sounds fantastic

I started coloring my hair in my mid-twenties; my dad's side of the family tends to go gray early. I have no idea how much white I have now, but it's definitely more than 50%. Since I am dying my hair anyhow, I decided to go red (a bright crimson shade) about two years ago, and am loving it! I dye it at home using a L'Oreal product (L'Oreal For Dark Hair Only) specifically formulated to lighten and dye dark hair in one step.

Hair is fun to play with because it will always grow out. I think you'd look good with highlights, but they are expensive to maintain. Unfortunately I don't have any good references down in your area; I'll ask around.

And those shorts aren't too short at all!

Anonymous

I started coloring my hair around the age of 30. That's when I started noticing some grays. I decided to stay within my natural hair color. A lot of older women go a little bit lighter or get highlights since their skin gets a little dull. Going lighter will make their complexion glow. From what I hear, going darker will usually make dark circles appear more noticeable. Have a good day.

I'm 32 and recently started coloring my hair out of necessity rather than just changing up my look, lol. My hairdresser kept my base color close to my real color and added highlights. I like the highlights for a little bit of dimension, but that's a personal preference. The plan is to touch up my roots every other visit and add the highlights only as needed. I'm hoping that'll save my hair and my budget!

I've had highlights off and on most of my adult life, and they are very low maintenance if done correctly, i.e., coloring in small stripes vs. large chunks. Ask your stylist what she recommends to minimize the appearance of re-growth.

Carla

I started getting whites around 48 yrs and started colouring around then, but I ended up looking more blonde then red, and didn't feel like me. I grew it out, and have been 100% natural since November. I'm 52.

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