Chris Rock has a new movie coming out: Good Hair, about black women and their hair. Oprah had him on her show today, and (I swear I don’t usually watch daytime TV, really) I watched it.
She said – several times – that she doesn’t know a single white woman who doesn’t color her hair. Off the top of my head, I can think of two: me and my sister. Have no idea about most others.
So, I’m curious about what kinds of stuff women do with their hair. Note that this poll is private (no one else can see your answers) and has multiple answers enabled, so go ahead and check as many as apply.
If you want to come out of the closet on any of your answers, or anything else, feel free to post as well.
I’m actually not quite sure what color my hair is naturally right now. I’ve been dyeing my hair since I was fourteen, which was when my mother first allowed me to do so. Other girls wanted to experiment with make-up; for me, it was all about the hair dye.
My younger friends (50’s and younger) who are still working dye their hair. My older, mostly retired friends don’t. I don’t know what that means. If it’s just family who sees you every day, you don’t worry about gray hair?
I alternate between blow-drying to straighten and just leaving the damn house with the towel still on my head. Most of the time, I couldn’t care less.
I haven’t dyed it in years, but when I did, it was usually to the brighter red it was when I was a teenager. I haven’t strayed too far from my natural color since college.
I flat-iron my bangs, but let the rest air-dry to it’s natural wavyness. I am starting to get some greys and am thinking about dye to cover, but I don’t know that I want to get on that merry-go-round.
Oprah doesn’t know any white women who don’t dye their hair because that’s the standard for her world. Doesn’t mean that’s what the majority do.
Yes, and answered. I hope you were asking for current treatments. I used to henna my hair but stopped a few years ago. I’ll probabaly take it up again next time I have to job hunt, <sigh>.
They’re doing it for specific gain, rather than simply to look young and pretty? If you are working, the perception of your age may determine what types of jobs you’re given, how you’re treated, whether you are able to bring in new customers or clients, etc. I do nothing to my hair. I don’t have a lot of gray hair yet, and I’ve always thought that I would never dye it. But if gray hair meant that I might not be able to progress in my job, I might dye it solely for that reason (like wearing pantyhose and pumps). Once the job was over, I’d have no need to dye.
wash it, comb it out, and braid it when dry. It gets a thorough brushing twice a day, and washed every second or third day unless something happens to get it dirty [or i get caught in the rain/snow and it gets wet… if i dont at least take it down and rinse it with clear water and dry as normal it is wierd feeling to me.] I also am the heretic that uses Dr Bronner with Tea Tree Oil on every part of my body including the hair.
Only thing I do is wash, condition and put some Sunsilk cream in every two or three days. I don’t even cut it except maybe a trim every few years. It’s naturally kinky-curly so I just let it go. I’m about 20% silvery haired. I used to use the gray cover rinses but they made my hair feel stiff. I’d rather live with soft silvers than stiff auburn hair.
When I was young I would hot roll it then flat iron every piece. Twice a day if I had plans after school. It was the only way to achieve the fly backs look every other girl had in my class. After perms got big I didn’t have to work so hard; I’d just straighten and spray the hell out of my bangs.
Not everything about getting older is bad. I like that I don’t care anymore.
And the “working women in their 50s” thing gives me pause, since I’m looking for a job. Since I can’t even get a freaking interview, though, I don’t think I’m gonna go running for the Lady Clairol quite yet.
For me it’s washing, towel-drying, and putting in frizz serum. I’ve dyed my hair a couple times, but nothing regular. When it comes to my hair, my one stipulation is that it be cute, but low-maintenance.
I put blow dry which I do to straighten it and make it bigger, but I don’t do that too often. Maybe once a week…though I’ve been doing it more often. It’s pretty straight on its own but kind of wavy–it gets a lot straighter from blow drying it.
In the past, I dyed my hair red once in a while, just for the heck of it. It’s been years since I colored it, so what you see is what I am - light brown. Amazingly, at 55, I have no grey. That’s my paternal genetics. Mom was graying in her 40s.
I used to get it cut, but my spousal unit asked me to let it grow, so it’s now past my shoulders - I haven’t had it this long in over 20 years. It’s straight, and I pull back the top part in a rubber band, just to keep it out of my face. No perm, no blow dry, no nothing. Wash, towel, comb, air dry.
I started getting grey early (like in my 20’s) and I really hate my natural hair color (dark mousy brown) so I dye it blond. I have dyed it blond since my late teens and have only let my real color grow out a few times. Grey really ages me, so it always ends up with me coloring it again when I can’t stand it anymore.
I don’t do anything to my hair, except wash it and scrunch a bit of mousse into it every morning. I’ve never colored it–I like the color it is, which is a very nice shade of brown with a little red in it, and I’ve always worried that if I colored it then it wouldn’t come back as nice. Now I’m getting a few grey hairs (I’m 35). I don’t know what I’ll do when they get very noticeable.
My mom has never colored her hair, and is one of the few women in their 60’s that I know who doesn’t. But she’s not the only one by any means. She’s all salt-and-pepper now.
I’m far too lazy to color my hair. I can’t keep up with houseplants, I’m sure I couldn’t manage roots.
I’m pretty low maintenance in all aspects of my life. I’m 40. I’ve got a few gray hairs coming in. I actually kind of like the way they look. I can’t imagine I would cover the gray (see laziness).