I spent a few years dying my hair blonde, and then a few years highlighting it, and then a few years reminding it that it was strawberry blonde, and then a couple of flat-out dying it red. In 2008 I said the hell with it. I don’t like spending two hours at the salon; I don’t like doing it myself because it’s messy and I’m not good at it. So I went to the salon and said, “I’m going to grow my hair out and never dye it again, and I don’t particularly want roots, what can you do?” Stylist recommended highlights, lowlights, varying shades, and commenced, and three hours (and $200) later I walked out of the salon with the idea to just let it grow out.
Expensive, but worth it, as it looked good then and has not looked bad ever since.
Surprisingly, my hair was not that gray. It grew out pretty well. She gave me kind of a skunk look which looked intentional, and that carried me through the next year and people said my hair looked great. I also pretty much stopped cutting it except for a trim a couple of times a year. So now it’s all natural and waist length, and there is gray, more noticeable when I wear it up, but really, less gray than I thought there would be.*
I did always have a natural blonde streak, which I guess now is a gray streak, but with the rest of my hair it still reads as blonde, pretty much. Depends on the light.
Amateur Barbarian, yes, there are gray dyes, and there have always been gray dyes. The really surprising thing (to me) is that younger people are dying their hair gray or highlighting with gray. At first I assumed it was a misstep with the purple dye (happened to me, a long time ago), but I think it’s intentional.
*It was about chin length when I did this.
) It just so happens I have a hair appt this weekend, though only for a trim. I’ll ask the stylist what he thinks, though I’m pretty sure he’ll suggest some costly, three part color job.
(And be brave. As long as you are happy with you…Who gives a shit?!)
