Three Reasons Not to Go Gray
Ladies, my hair is 100% gray, actually a white-gray according to my hairstylist. You will never see it, I am not a ‘silver sister’, and I will never ’embrace the gray’ as the saying goes…there are many of you who probably feel the same way, yet way more vocal are the countless other gals who feel ‘liberated’ to be freed of the effort and expense of routine hair coloring and choose to go gray. Thousands of women on Instagram speak out about how much they love their gray hair, and it’s super easy to find a published piece that touts the power and glory of gray hair and how hair coloring is related to ageism. HOGWASH, I say!
It’s time to hear from the other side.
Three reasons not to go gray:
- Gray is not a flattering color. Have you or a friend ever chosen a gray dress for a special occasion? Of course not! You will not not find a single item of gray clothing in my closet – no sweaters, no dresses, no coat, no blazers, no scarf, no trousers. Gray flannel trousers – those I may consider because they are not near your face, but anything from the waist up, forget it! Whatever your skin tone may be, gray washes you out, and gray is drab. Period.
- Coloring your hair is a SIMPLE way to vastly improve your appearance. We are visual beings and like it or not, people do form opinions about us based on what they see, especially when meeting someone for the first time. We choose our outfits with that in mind, whether for work, a first date, or when going on a job interview. We want our outer appearance to match the ‘message’ that we are trying to convey. Another way to improve our appearance is to maintain a fit body – this is certainly not simple! Yes, coloring your hair does take time and money, but anything of value takes effort. Would you stop working out, would you stop getting manicures?
- Gray hair makes you look older. Even if you are a stylish, stunning, and fit woman such as @greceghanem on Instagram, white/gray hair definitely makes you look older, perhaps even older than your actual age. You may look absolutely gorgeous, but the gray adds years.
So what, you say? You may point out that there is nothing ‘wrong’ with looking old! I agree that there are many gorgeous, smart, older women living active and exciting lives. While this is true, the stereotype of the older, smart woman who is tired and ready to slow things down is also true, based on the REALITY of aging. (This coming from a nurse with years of experience in a nursing home.) My point here is not to blame this perception as ageism when it is simply a fact of life.
As a soon-to-be-65 year old, I feel great and have no desire to slow down. While I am quick to disclose my age to the world, I want my outer appearance to reflect how I feel on the INSIDE: energetic and ready for fun! Coloring my hair is one of the many things that I do to look my best, and yes, to look younger than my years, and I am not ashamed to admit this. It has taken ongoing effort on many levels, it enhances my life, and it feels damn good.
Whether you ’embrace the gray’ or color your hair is obviously a personal decision, and one that isn’t life shattering since you can decide one thing today and tomorrow change your mind. It’s what feels right to YOU. As for me, I will be the little old lady in the nursing home with blonde highlights. 🙂
Ladies, would really love to hear your thoughts, regardless of which camp you are on…I was quite nervous about writing this post because it seems much more politically correct these days to be ‘natural’ and to write posts about ’embracing the gray’ – there are fewer than 100 posts on Instagram on #nevergogray! How can that be??? Let’s get a conversation going here…
Candy
candy in your inbox
Enter your name and email below to get notifications
of new blog articles sent via email.
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
15 Comments
I’m with you-what may be great for others is not great for me. I don’t WANT to have gray or silver hair. My mother wore it well and it always looked great- on HER.
Not my jam.
I feel great when my hair is the color it is. I work at making sure roots don’t show in between hair color visits. I also love having a shorter haircut that is stylish. It’s work to keep it all up but it’s well worth it.
Looking well put together is extremely important to me and hair color, style (as well as makeup & clothing) is a big part of that. It makes me feel like me.
So count me in to the ‘no gray group.’ It’s part of my monthly budget.
That’s my opinion and I’m sticking with it!
I could not imagine you with gray hair!!! 🙂 And my mom always colored her hair!
Candy
Me, as well. I have NO intention of letting my hair go gray.
Yes!!! I totally agree with you! I, too, am 100% gray. The time and money I spend to stay blonde is a priority!! And, yes, the 100% grays are all over social media… I don’t like any of the gray hair even on beautiful women!
Great, honest post!
I wonder why those of us that color our hair are more silent about it??? Thanks for your comment!
Candy
I’m so with you on that Candy! In my early fifties and all natural still, luckily not a single strand of gray hair yet 🤷🏻♀️ but when they come, I’ll surely dye them all for as long as I can 😂
Our hair is a big part of our image! You are lucky to have no gray yet! Thanks for the comment…
Candy
I say to each her own. I am 55 and blonde with just a little gray, so it looks blonde. I do highlight a couple of times per year. Having recently moved to LA, where a cut & highlight will run $500+, I can see how some will embrace their gray!
Yes, it can get costly, yet some gals color at home…to me, it’s worth every penny.
Candy
This post says it all! I am supportive of whatever an individual decides to do but it is so frustrating feeling like I am in the minority because I don’t embrace the “go gray” trend. Thank you for putting into words exactly how I feel!
And thank YOU for this comment! I figured there must be others that felt as I do…hairdressers are still busy!! 🙂
Candy
I am 57 and last May I decided to stop coloring my hair. Now that I am 7 months into it, I absolutely hate it. It looks like s*$t!. It is super frizzy where the gray part is and I look about ten years older. I want my beautiful dark brown hair back so I’m going to go back to the salon on Friday and dye my hair and get rid of this ugly old hair. I admit it, some people may look great with gray hair but not me. I look washed out and tired. Thank you for this article.
Yes, there are exceptions, but nine out of ten times, gray is DRAB and aging. Thanks for your comment!
Candy
Hi! Omgsh Yes!! I totally agree with everything you said! Ok so to each their own. But seriously I can’t understand why you would want to look any older than you need to. While it may be expensive, I laugh and tell my husband “honey I will be coloring/highlighting til the end.” Haha
One thing I have wondered is are these women doing this gray trend going natural in other things that keep us younger looking ie botox, juvederm, lifts, etc? Because if your going natural and want to be a silver sister than go all natural. Otherwise it seems a mixed message.
Count me in on the no gray group as well😊
Interesting points you make! Society has gone so crazy not to ‘judge’ anything/anyone, that we lose the ability to praise the beauty of youth, or even a fit body! Insanity!
Thanks for your comment!
Candy