My Going Grey Gracefully Journey.
- Thread starter Narnanz
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Oh you look fab and I'm so jealous! Having black hair, I don't think there is a going gray gracefully option. When it get's too bad I may just shave my head
My hair is a very dark brown but the old dye faded to the ugly brassy color. There are lots of ladies who have black hair and just bite the bullet and let it grow out. Instagram helps! It’s nice knowing others are going through the same thing and have the same feelings and doubts.
Happy New Year! If I keep my hair this length I should be able to have almost all of it transitioned by my 50th in June but I need some length so I can put it in a ponytail. I miss ponytails while exercising! My end goal is just below shoulder length.
Interesting article from the Washington Post on setting the gray free and a possible, though by no means definitive link between regular use of permanent hair dye and breast cancer, especially among African American women:
"Are Hair Dyes Safe? Health Concerns Are Increasing Interest in the Going Gray Style Trend"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...7504ca-3c66-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html
If some of you can't read this I'll paste in the story, but it's a long article and that might take me a while. But I think it's important to read.
"Are Hair Dyes Safe? Health Concerns Are Increasing Interest in the Going Gray Style Trend"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/heal...7504ca-3c66-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html
If some of you can't read this I'll paste in the story, but it's a long article and that might take me a while. But I think it's important to read.
I just skimmed the article but I didn't see mentioned whether the color of the dye made a difference. I remember when I was pregnant reading that black dye was dangerous so I waited until my baby was born to start dyeing my hair.
I'm loving my gray hair while it is growing out. DH doesn't. He suggested that I might enjoy a trip to the salon. His hair is completely gray and I don't bug him about it.
I’m sure that chemicals are never good for us. But in order to prove that due causes cancer, the study would have to randomly assign people to dye their hair for years, while the other half of the subjects never dye their hair. Then analyze the data over the years. That’s nearly impossible. Correlation does not imply causation. For example, if I say I eat corn and I got cancer, that doesn’t mean corn causes cancer. Most people who get cancer have probably eaten a lot of corn in their lives. But yes, I’m sure that hair dye does not help. Perhaps people who dye their hair are also more apt to have certain other behaviors that contribute to cancer. Perhaps they live longer lives, and are more apt to eventually get cancer. Perhaps they have higher incomes and get diagnosed & treated sooner. I don’t think we should be so fearful of hair dye that we are running scared in fear. I’m going grey because I love the ease of maintenance and I don’t want to cause damage to my already dry hair. I also get compliments. The dye/bleach never really touched my scalp because I only ever got highlights with foils, about twice a year. Side note, studies have also shown that nail techs have a slightly higher risk of brain cancer.
My DH says: No gray on my watch" so I have continued to color/highlight as needed
My DH says: No gray on my watch" so I have continued to color/highlight as needed
I'm so glad I'm doing it, but it takes so long for it to grow out. Someone actually complimented me on the silver. She was older than me and didn't want to go through the growing out process.
I don’t understand the “growing out” process several people have mentioned. I just got fewer and fewer highlights on new growth over time, and less frequently, to blend the new growth with the old.
My hair is mostly grey. Highlights are skillfully placed to the darker strands at the root for touchups.
Here you can see the how highlights blend the darker streaks and grey.
I know I could have done this but I didn't. My solution was just to cut it really short.
You make good points. There's no way to know if there's any link between hair dye and any type of cancer because it's all just correlation. And slender correlation at that. Similar to all the studies that have come out linking eating deli meat with developing colon cancer. It's assumed nitrites are to blame but that's only an assumption based on a correlation. Is that enough reason to give up Reubens?
Still I think it's an intriguing study. Is permanent dye harsher on one's scalp than semi-permanent? Can a difference in dye color be at fault as Whateve suggested? Or is it all a statistical non-event?
Agreed. I’m sure we will have more conclusive information and less harmful products in the future. Until then, we can all use caution and don’t go to excess to avoid unnecessary exposure. Goodness, when I was a baby, it was the norm for women to drink and smoke when they were pregnant. Cigarettes could be sold to anyone underage. I bought them for my babysitter when I was 7. The FDA has banned or limited the use of drugs and food products which were found to cause cancer and birth defects. Science and the cosmetics industry is always changing and advancing.
When I was a kid my mom and her friends walked around with a cigarette and martini when they were pregnant.
My mom and her many sisters all started dying their hair when they were in their 30s and continued into their 90s. None developed breast cancer, but then it doesn't appear to be in the family. To this day I don't know what my mom's natural hair color is and I don't think she does either. When I was a kid my friends would ask "Why does your mommy have a different hair color every time I come over?" I was taken aback. "Doesn't your mommy's hair color change every few weeks?" 