I was always a brunette. My family goes prematurely white - not necessarily gray/silver - that comes later but by the time I was 32 I had enough white to be dyeing it every month or so. I tried going lighter - it looked terrible. Now I'm in my 50's and I actually went a few shades darker and get all kinds of compliments. I guess I'm lucky, we may lose our hair color young but my Italian genes has given me very few wrinkles.

I think it is all trial & error. It has taken me several trips to the salon to get the shade I love. Gray hair looks good if you have a young looking face but blonde is best for me.

My hair is white in the bang area and salt and pepper in the back. It grows 1/2 inch every month, which means to keep the white stripe that is so unattractive away, I'd have to color every 3 weeks. Since my hair was brown black when I was younger, it's too harsh a color for me approaching 60. I finally made the decision to go natural and it's easier for me, but I don't think it makes me look younger. Financially, I cannot afford the upkeep to have it done even once every 2 months (highlight/lowlight schedule for my hair). I'm sorry, there isn't a person alive who colors their hair that it doesn't scream, "I did it myself." And, that is not a compliment, even if I do tell you it looks nice, I am probably lying to you because the effort to look nice is what I am complimenting.

Ladies,

Dying your head can cause cancer..the chemicals going into your scalp (most absorbing location on the body). I know of a few woman who dyed their hair for years and died of cancer.

Wigs, or highlights not touching the scalp.

J

also, many who dye their hair with low immune systems will have symptoms right after the dye job. take notice. now more and more salons are going organic, natural, no chemcials.

NOW THAT I'M 60, I'M A LITTLE DARKER SHADE OF BLONDE (NATURAL IS BROWN) BUT BEEN BLONDE ALL MY LIFE, BEEN VERY LUCKEY MY ITLAIN HERTIAGE SHOWS HARDLEY ANY LINES AT ALL....

well im italian too but have few wrinkles of course im ONLY 37 years old so i dont have to worry about that for a while any way the women in my family go grey early as well and after YEARS and thousands of dollars of dying my hair i finally let it go but you know what i get MORE compliments on my hair NOW than i did when i was dying it

My natural color was a very dark brown but for the last 15 years of coloring my hair I had gone blonde with light brown low lights. Two years ago it seemed to becoming harder and harder to keep the grey covered so I got lighter highlights and let the grey come in. I now have beautiful salt and pepper, shiny silver hair that EVERYONE compliments me on. I am SO glad that I decided to give it a try. However if you have darker hair to start out, this is not an easy task.

Helen Mirren's hair looks like a light blonde to me - not gray as they are claiming.

L'Oreal? WHY would anyone use a product that INSISTS on testing on animals in their laboratories?

I am 48 and white in front, salt and pepper everywhere else. I finally grew it out after 25 years of coloring it. My friends (and husband) say I look younger. It is quite liberating to not have to get the roots done every 3-4 weeks.

I'm 56 years old. I look to be about 35 facially ( due to good genes. My grandfather died at 88 years old and didn't have a line on his face AND had a full head of hair ) but I started getting gray hair at 19 years old.

I've been dying my hair most of my adult life and about two months ago, I said "Enough!"

Let's face it, after age 50, you aren't kidding anyone. That non-gray hair color and chemical highlight job came out of a bottle.

I got a short hair cut ( a la Jamie Lee Curtis ) and said good-bye to all the fried, color-treated hair that fell on the floor of the salon.

I have to tell you, I am thrilled with my natural gray hair! It ranges from white to salt & pepper. My plan is to let it grow out to "bob" length and then have some snarky silver-white highlights thrown in. There won't be any upkeep, other than cuts and the highlights can grow out naturally.

Let me tell you, if you maintain healthy skin and keep your hair in a stylish cut, you will look amazing. Too many women keep dying their hair in an effort to look "young." Instead, it has the opposite effect.

A great hairstyle/cut with gray hair can actually make you look "youthful." There is a difference between the appearance of trying to look "young" and actually looking "youthful."

One tip: Don't try to have long hair if you choose to go with your natural silver/gray. Unless you are Judy Collins or Emmylou Harris and have endless time and money to invest in long siver locks, you will either look like an old hippie or a Banshee. Keep it short to chin-length and in a style that ranges from edgy to "snarky" to bouncy.

I am now 51 ... mother of two boys 21 and 23 ... I have never not once colored my hair ... I have gray hair mixed in with what I grew up with ... a reddish, blonde ... the man who cuts my hair
does an awesome job ! My hair is short ... I don't even comb it ... just run my fingers through and I'm good to go ... the Bible talks about gray hair ... " gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life " Proverbs 16:31

Wish I was Italian......I not only have grey hair but Irish wrinkles.....

I agree with many of the posters here about keeping a natural look - nothing's worse than an extreme hair color that clashes with your skin tone or age. And yes, Helen's hair is NOT grey - sheesh. Long grey hair is gross - I have yet to see ANYone pull that off - long hair is for young women - if you want to keep your long hair (many men like it - even into older years), at least tie it back or up - looks way more classy. And a good cut is fabulous - find someone who has a good cut and ask them where they go for it - it's worth the extra expense. I disagree with the poster who said DIY dye jobs always look bad. I have a knack for it and no one has ever guessed that I do it - not even my hair stylists (I don't cut my hair)! AND, I even perm my own hair and they couldn't tell! You do have to have a good hand at it, a good eye, and be a bit of an artist to get away with coloring your own hair. But - that said - I'll be glad for the day when I decide to stop - it IS a pain and I hate the chemicals.

My hair was a beautiful mix of brunette,strawberry blonde. Im getting very grey now. I want to pop up the grey to a brighter silver color. Any suggestions? My stylist says she cant make a silver color out of grey. I would like to get it more white to make it pop instead of dull grey.

In my youth my hair was dark brown. As I grew older I lightened my hair and by the time I was 67 I was a blonde. I was forced into grey hair due to a broken arm and after being grey for a while I actually liked it. So many people came up to me and said they loved the color of my hair which is several shades of white/grey. It actually does look very stunning. My husband loves it too. It is very freeing not to have to color my hair anymore. I guess I'm lucky to have pretty grey hair.

Several years ago, in the place where I worked, there was this lovely lady, who also worked there. She was petite and had been dying her hair for years. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor and so, so quickly she was gone. She had just become a grandmother for the first time and her other daughter was pregnant for the first time when she passed. We heard that all the chemicals for all those years were part of the reason for her demise. She was not old. In her fifties if I remember correctly. What a price to pay for trying to look like something you are not.

I would like to find out how Deb is going to get silver color out of her grey color! I, too, have dark hair that is really an ugly grey. If I did not color the grey, my pale, pink complexion would look ancient. A lighter hair color makes me look anemic.I want to know if someone has an answer that works.