Do I Have to Color My Whole Head for a Few Gray Hairs??

I get highlights a couple of times a year, to lighten my hair up...having more than one color in my hair makes the few grays unnoticeable (so far!) :D

I'm in this situation. I tried dying my whole head, but found that many store-bought brands don't actually cover the gray - even though the box says "100% gray coverage". They changed the rest of my hair color, but the gray was still gray. Frustrating.

I'm seriously considering getting an eyebrow wand to see if that will cover up the couple of grays that are right on my part that bother me.

I just call them silver highlights!!!!
You don't "have" to do anything!

And I'm 32 also :)

Actually the plucking causes them to multiply is a wives tale. They just tend to hang in groups which make it appear that way.

I got my first at 32 while I was pregnant with my third by the time he was born I had about twenty in five different clusters. Not that I have counted them but looking at the cluster just above my right temple and multiplying I have about 100 now and I am 44. My point is what you do, I plucked for a while, does not cause them to spread.

When I was younger I just bought a wash at the store, nothing fancy, or plucked. The washes don't last very long when you wash your hair every day but they are a lot easier to deal with than a total dye. If I remember I was 40 when I started dying my hair.

At a certain point, Sharpies are just too time consuming.

I always did a demi-permanent color that would last for 28 Shampoos. Either at the salon or Natural Instincts. There is no ammonia so it won't damage your hair like real dye will.

My favorite brand is Acceptance. Embrace it. Or talk to your hairdresser and see what she suggests! She might be able to do some highlights or lowlights on a few target places.

(I used to color my hair. I have two words for you:grow-out. ugh.)

I waited as long as I could stand to color mine. I'd ask my mom when I visited to pull out the grays from the back of my head, which she would do. Then one day she told me that I had too many and she couldn't do it anymore. I was 39. From then on, no more looking back.

I'm not sporting gray hair until I'm 70!

As far as brands are concerned, my particular favorite after trying 3 of them is Goldwell. Google Goldwell to find a colorist near you who uses it. Goldwell is a bit more complicated to use, so the "lesser" colorists don't use it. I like that, quite frankly. The ones who understand color (and it is like chemistry) do a much better job with it, so those colorists who really are better at it don't shy away from Goldwell. It's not just the color on your head that is important. It's making sure that your hair doesn't get dried out in the process. It does take a while to figure out how your hair takes to color, by the way. That helps figure into your prescription.

I will tell you that once you start coloring, that's pretty much it. Unless you just get highlights to try to camoflauge the gray (which I have friends with light colored hair who do this).

Good luck!
Dawn

You can ask your hairdresser for subtle highlights and they'll end up blending the gray hairs right in. Or if it's just a few, ignore them for now, they're probably not that noticeable to others. If you're going to do anything, I think I'd go with highlights over dying my hair, but that also depends on how dark your hair color is.

I have a friend that does as Mallory P. suggests below.
She "dyes" her hair, the color of her own natural hair color. Therefore, it does not look, dyed. And it is not a huge difference. Still looks "natural."

When I first started getting enough grey hairs that they were quite noticeable I had my hair frosted. That way the grey blended in with the blonde highlights. Otherwise, if you want to cover the grey you do have to color all your hair. How would you be able to isolate each grey hair?

A few grey hairs are not noticeable. And can be seen as a positive sign of maturity. Think men with grey on the sides. They're thought to be wiser and better able to give advice.

I do not color my whole head for a couple of grays !

You can color just your roots. Most grocery stores and drug stores sell the root touch up kits. This way you are buying a smaller amt of color and spending less, too. Match your hair color !! Mix the root touch up color and apply to your roots only. Make sure you wear plastic gloves, a junky
t-shirt and follow the directions on the box.

You can put in highlights, but, the cost @ the hairdressers will be alot more than the $5.99 (or so) box of the color mentioned above.

During the next month or so, use shampoo for color treated hair so the color will not fade as quickly.

After 5 or 6 weeks your roots will be gray again !

If the touch-up kit is on sale, buy 2 of them.

If it's just a few leave them. I'm way older than you but I leave mine and if you just pluck a few out a time then it surely isn't many. Don't pull them out. You could be bald in a few years. :-)

Yes. If your going to use an at home treatment, you could follow the directions for root touch up, which is then followed by dying the entire head.

I like Clariol Nice and Easy. The old kind, NOT foam.

Im 38 and have some grey. I'm not going to dye my hair....i see what my mom has to deal with-no thank you! I do use Pantenes Brunette shampoo n conditioner and i feel like it helps the grey not be so noticeable.

Im doing my best to embrace my grey....some days are easier than others.

1) don't pluck. trust me.
2) i was 70% grey by 21. (thank you grandma byrne!)
3) do not use the over the counter products at wal mart, target, walgreens, etc.
4) find your local Sally or Ulta and tell them your issue. They sell salon quality products, have samples that can help you match your natural color, and as a result you will spend approx. 45 minutes and $4 every 4-6 weeks to cover up only your roots.

Been doing it for 20+ years now, I'm 100% grey, and the gal who cuts my hair doesn't know. I know she doesn't know because I told her and she still doesn't believe me. (FYI, I use Ion)

I'm blonde and I completely embrace my gray hairs. People actually think I pay for the "highlights".

If you have darker hair, it might be more of a challenge, but still, I don't think there is such a stigma attached to gray hairs meaning that you are old or you look old. I know plenty of women younger than me who did the plucking and the dying and now.....they just say to heck with it.

I don't color my hair, but women I know who do, or have, have found the fight against gray to be less than worth it.

No one will look at you and think you are hideous over a few gray hairs.
I promise.

If you decide to color, it can be a never ending battle. Gray roots....other grays popping up.

Rock the gray.

Just my opinion.

I am 40. I started going grey at 17. I quit dying my hair because I hated the cost. When I went to a party at my husband's work last year, I was complimented on my "blond" hair. It isn't blonde, I am definately grey but who am I to argue. I love my hair. If you want to color your hair, yes, you have to do all of it. You could use this to experiment with your hair color. Use some temp colors. They wash out in a few washes and then you could try something else. Maybe there is a color you like better on you than your natural hair color. Go one shade lighter than you think you are if you decide on a permanent color. Women tend to think they are darker than they are. There isn't much difference between the brands that I could see (except for price) maybe someone with more knowledge could educate me on the difference.

Unless it's really noticeable, leave it alone. Do not pluck any hairs on your scalp unless they are sticking straight up. What's wrong with dying your hair? I use one or 2 shades lighter than my normal color every 3-4 months. I think Perfect 10 by Clairol is the best.

So do I. I kept plucking them though, it is kinda itchy, isn't it?
I used to dye my parents hair with henna. I love it! It is natural. Try mountainroseherbs.com...