# WSJ says 60% of American women color their hair regularly! Why so vain? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 3, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417 "2003-01-03T14:53:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417/41 "2003-01-04T17:42:22Z")
I started coloring my hair soon after the divorce (he left for an older woman) when I realized that plucking the gray hairs was going to leave me bald one day. What had started as an infrequent plucking of a few stray hairs began to escalate as the gray increased. When I realized that I was having a problem resisting yanking those little traitors, I decided to eliminate the need. I’m not afraid of growing old, but entering the dating world again after age 40 (and I’m 45 now) was intimidating enough without facing rejection based on gray hair. Hell, I have enough other reasons to be rejected, why not eliminate the easy one? Then one day I looked around at my church choir where I am one of the “young” ones and realized that only one older woman let her hair go gray. Once I found a color that matched my original color, which I loved, I made the commitment to continue coloring my hair. I proved to my son the other day that this is my natural color (I saved braids cut off in my first haircut at age ten) and I am just happier when I look in the mirror. And I no longer have a compulsion to pluck the gray. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417/42 "2003-01-04T20:50:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\* > However, in light of the female (and one man but he’s still _very butch_) Doper’s responses to my OP I have seen the highlights and I will repent of my anti-dye ways and will embrace the twin godesses of L’oreal and Clairol because well, “you’re worth it”. \*\* All is forgiven. And may I say your eyevbrows are a lovely shade, don’t change a thing 🙂 . ---
**Author:** ![Trancey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Trancey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trancey)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417/43 "2003-01-04T21:02:49Z")
I’ve been dying my hair black since i was…14, now I’m 18, and I’ll forever dye my hair until I die. My natural hair color is ash blond. The most boring hair color of them all. It’s dull, dirty, gross, and even more gross than you could imagine. Did I mention it’s gross? Black hair just suits me so much more. Everyone who’s known me with both colors, agrees. Chemicals in my scalp? Oh well. Pollution in the air will eat away at my skin anyways, so who cares about some hair dye. “The Pains of Beauty” as my brother’s girlfriend calls it. I probably won’t keep my hair black forever, one day I wanna go to a nice darkish brown. But the chances of me going back to my natural hair color? That’s not possible. Plus, I have big bright blue eyes, now match that with black hair? Trust me, it looks damn sexy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![ghandi5569](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@ghandi5569](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghandi5569)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417/44 "2003-01-05T01:15:18Z")
I wash my hair every day. Otherwise, it looks like I stuck my head in a vat of oil. I also dye my hair. Because I like to change the colors of my hair. I use a semi-permenant haircolor, and I apply it so that it is a bit streaky and will wash out leaving different color intensity streaks in my hair. That’s just the way I like my hair. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417/45 "2003-01-05T02:06:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astro \* > \*\*This little bon mot made my whole day brighter! \*\* 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsj-says-60-of-american-women-color-their-hair-regularly-why-so-vain/146417.md?page=2)