Why do you color your hair?

@worldwise1 (14885)
United States
October 2, 2008 1:55pm CST
Many women(and men) regularly color their hair so I'm just curious as to what your reasons are for doing so -if you do. I used to often change my hair color when I was younger simply for the fun of doing so. Since I started to go gray, however, I have never colored my hair to cover the gray although many people do. I have a good friend who runs screaming if she finds a single gray hair.I laugh at her because I think there's nothing wrong with it. This question is for the guys also.
12 people like this
47 responses
@deathvans (301)
• Philippines
3 Oct 08
well for me, I did color my hair when I was in Primary school, and kinder garten, After that, I don't do that anymore. I color my hair, cause I think it is fun, and having a different color is what I think is good. Well, that's when I were in Primary.. Hehe.. But now, I don't do that anymore, cause it's awkward to do. Cause a lot of people will look at you when your walking, cause imagine, having a pink hair, walking down the streets or a red one.. What are you? Dennis Rodman! LOL.. Haha.. Well, have a nice day, and Happy MyLotting.. ^_^
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
Well, deathvans, Dennis Rodman isn't your average person, now is he?
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
4 Oct 08
Dennis Rodman... LOL! I've actually never dyed my hair anything odd like pink, green, or red. Not that I wouldn't, just that I haven't so far.
@Metalchick (1391)
2 Oct 08
Alway have my roots dyed as their forever growing out. No sooner do I get them recoloured then it's time to get them done again. The reason I get my hair dyed is because as a child I always had blonde hair and over time it was getting darker and darker and darker to the point where it was neither blonde nor brown but what can only be described as a dirty blonde. I felt I blended in too much and i'm not that sort of person I enjoy standing out. So when I first got my hair coloured I had it blonde with numerous red streaks through it just for fun. However now my hair stays blonde. I decided to stay with blonde partly because my hairdresser that put in the red previously said the red colour was more of a tint and contained less bleach therefore it faded and turned orange. Nothing against red heads but streaks of orange in blonde hair wasn't really the look I was going for. But i'm happy blonde now and will probably stay blond for the forseeable future anyway.
2 people like this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I'd say you are definitely someone who knows what she wants, Metalchick!
@Stiletto (4579)
3 Oct 08
When I was younger I coloured my hair just for the fun of it and because I got bored with having the same colour all the time, so I changed my hair colour frequently. Now I'm 46 part of the reason I keep colouring it is to cover grey hair. I used to say my natural colour (dark brown) was boring but the truth is my natural colour nowadays is probably grey. I guess if I just left it the majority of my hair would be grey. I wouldn't say I necessarily run screaming if I spot a single grey hair, but I don't give them much of a chance to show themselves - my roots are done regularly! I don't think there's anything wrong with grey hair either - I see people with grey hair and think it looks fine. It's just not what I want at the moment, but someday I may get bored with colouring it and let the greys show. Not in the near future though!
1 person likes this
@Stiletto (4579)
6 Oct 08
No I'll be grey. My sister is two years younger than me and doesn't dye her hair and she's as grey as could be so I'm pretty sure I'll be the same.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I don't think you would be totally gray at 46, Stiletto.At 62 I still have a long way to go before I become totally gray.
@annjilena (5618)
• United States
2 Oct 08
i color my hair because i want it colored iam a red head and i love red hair and i love covering gray hair i don,t like it.i cover my hair about every two months and i will continue doing it
2 people like this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
Of course you have the right to choose, annjilena.
@dio123 (1788)
• India
3 Oct 08
I never used any hair coloring product in my whole life, my hairs are black and now turning to some brownish color this days, without using any color
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
Most often it is in our best interest, dio, to be happy with what we have been given. Using chemicals can lead to serious problems if you develop an allergy or sensitivity to them.
• Philippines
3 Oct 08
hmmn.. well that's great, cause when you put a hair color on your hair, it has some chemical substance that will destroy your scalp, and hair trends.. Hehe.. ^_^
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
2 Oct 08
I color it because it makes me feel better.. Though lately I have been thinking of usinf herbs instead of chemicals, if it will darken the gray some I could handle that.BTW, I wait until my gray is at least 2 inches from the roots before coloring, I try not to color too much..
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
You are wise to not go overboard on the coloring, carmelanirel. My sister once had her hair colored and ended up in the hospital with a bad reaction from the dye.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I forgot to add that my oldest daughter also recently had a bad experience with coloring her hair. Her face was swollen and she had to go on Prednisone to counter the effects.
1 person likes this
• United States
5 Oct 08
Oh that is awful..Didn't they do a test before using the product? I am glad they both are doing better, do they still color their hair? I believe I had this discussion with you before and that I told you I found a site that uses all natural products to color your hair..If not and if you want the site, just let me know..I haven't tried it yet, I was going to use the sage, but since I recently colored my hair, I thought I would wait until I need it again..
@loved1 (5328)
• United States
2 Oct 08
I never colored my hair until I started to see some greys poking through. Now, I don't run screaming at the sight of a grey hair, but I do think I look better without them. I get a really good deal on salon treatments because I am good friends with the lady who runs the place. In my opinion, guys look much better in grey hair than women do. For some reason guys look distinguished, but women just look old.
1 person likes this
@loved1 (5328)
• United States
2 Oct 08
I have to clarify something here. I think nicely groomed grey hair looks great on a woman who is at the age where you would expect her to have grey hair. When I am in my sixties, I will probably not dye my hair and just let it go grey. No offense to my silver haired friends!
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
2 Oct 08
I was about to say, loved1, before I read your addendum, that you must not have seen some of the fabulous-looking gray-haired women I've seen! Some are absolute knockouts -gray hair and all.
• United States
2 Oct 08
I colour my hair because I hate my natural colour. I have that mousey, nondescript brown colour naturally. I've been dying my hair auburn to blood red for 7 years and I don't intend to stop or change.
1 person likes this
• United States
2 Oct 08
Maybe that came out catty lol. I meant I don't change my hair colour, I just dye it red and I really don't ever want it to go back to brown.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
2 Oct 08
That is as it should be, Gloom. That's why it's so nice to have the freedom of choice!
@xParanoiax (6987)
• United States
3 Oct 08
Me and my Mom personally think gray and white hair is beautiful. Especially if it's prematurely that way! It just seems striking on the young and is a lovely sign of age on the elderly. I'm still young yet though, so I color my hair for fun. Mostly with kool aid though, since most other dye...my hair seems to eat (absorb) rather to get stained with a new color. It's weird. I tend to put red streaks in my hair the most. Since I'm dark haired, I'm always tickled when this works out.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
There was a time when gray hair was taken as a sign of maturity, xParanoiax, but I guess everyone's too busy trying to appear young anymore.
@mommyboo (13174)
• United States
3 Oct 08
Well.... I highlight my hair. I am not a natural blonde but my whole family is blonde so I add streaks - because I like it. I guess I just do it now because I still like it and I'm used to it. It takes a bit of maintenance but it's not that big of a deal. I am not going to go gray. That's another thing about highlighting, it helps to hide anything. Like your friend, I would run screaming too - and PULL IT OUT. I have no desire to ever have gray hair or have anybody know if it is even headed that direction. Growing old gracefully is silly, I'm just not going to get old. A lot of older people don't seem to care and I can't understand that. I don't want to get gray and LOOK like I'm getting old, know what I mean?
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
No, mommyboo, I can't say that I do know what you mean. It seems that you have much to learn about growing old gracefully as opposed to seeking the elusive fountain of youth. There is much dignity in growing old, and I am proud of my age...and my gray hair.
@3cardmonte (5098)
2 Oct 08
i colour my hair as i have a grey streak in it and i am only 24!
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I had a friend when I was growing up who started going gray in high school, 3cardmonte. I don't believe she ever colored it though.
5 Oct 08
thats brave but i dont have the confidence to keep it grey, i thought i did but i dont.
@GemmaR (8517)
3 Oct 08
I do it because I just like the change every now and again! It gets a little boring after a while looking into the mirror and seeing the same person every single time, so I colour my hair a different colour every couple of months. I don't vary the colour wildly, I just make it either a little bit darker or a little bit lighter than the last time, depending on how I'm feeling on the day that I decide to do it.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
But after all, GemmaR, are you not still the same person that you face in the mirror in spite of what color your hair is?
• Canada
3 Oct 08
i color my hair for lots of reasons. One of them is to cover the gray, I feel like I'm too young to look so much older with gray hair. Another reason is for the fun of it, I like change especially with my hair. The final reason is because it's fun to tell my husband who works out of town during the week that he will have a new woman when he comes home! Speaking of hair color, I have some time now and am due for a color change so off I go....
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I suppose, appleblossoms, everyone has their reasons.
• United States
2 Oct 08
my natural hair color was dark brown, almost black, but not pure black... anyways, i've recently partially highlighted my hair with blue :D (as you can see in the picture) i did it just for an experience, and the fun of it. also because i loooove the color blue :)
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I went to your profile page to get a better look, chibiX, and I must say that the color is interesting.
• United States
6 Oct 08
Thank you :)
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I dye my hair to cover the gray. I'm 37 and it bothers me when I see lots of gray hair. It never use to when there were only a few strands, but now I have a lot. I dye it maybe once every 5-6 months. My mother is 62 and her hair is all gray - she actually looks really good with gray hair, especially when she wears green.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I've been waiting for my hair to all turn gray, maddysmommy, but it just won't cooperate! Most of my gray is at the temples.
@palonghorn (5479)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I used to color my hair just for the fun of something new. And seeing how different hair color makes you look, or feel different. Now, I color it to cover the grey hairs. I'm not ready to go grey just yet lol. I think it's funny that a guy can get away with having salt and pepper, but doesn't look as good on most women lol. Some women I've seen actually look good with grey hair, but I'm not one of them. So for now, and for a while longer, I'll keep on covering the grey.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I think it's all in our minds, palonghorn, whether we look good with gray hair or not.
@tlb0822 (1410)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I color my hair when I feel things are out of control in my life, because its the one thing that I can control. I just dyed my hair last week, but I kind of wish I would have waited until this week because this week is worse. Its kind of a stress relief for me. Just changing things up, and starting with a new color for awhile.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
That says a lot about us, tlb. I used to cut my hair when I felt that things were out of control in my life.
@sharra1 (6340)
• Australia
3 Oct 08
I don't any more. I used to color my hair to hide the Grey and look younger or at least look my age but then I got a pain in my shoulder and could not get my left hand up to my head and could not afford a hairdresser so I let it go and now a year later I don't mind having Grey hair. I have decided to grow old gracefully and stop pretending. I also got sick of having to die my hair every month as the Grey hairs grew back in a week.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I think that was a wise decision on your part, sharra. Gray hair doesn't have to be boring or unkempt. People should give it as much attention as they would their natural color.
@TessWhite (3146)
• United States
3 Oct 08
I have colored my hair since I was a teen, simply because I don't like the mousey blonde color. Its a dark blonde if I don't color it. So, I lighten it quite a bit and enjoy it more. The added benefit now is to cover up the gray hairs. Gray doesn't bother me, but it seems the gray hair is more coarse than the rest for some reason.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I don't understand why it should be so, TessWhite, but the gray is usually a coarser texture than the normal hair. It's the only thing I really dislike about mine.
@belk89 (1103)
• Philippines
3 Oct 08
I use to change hair color every 3 months but since i notice my hair becomes dull and frizzy i decided to stop. The reason why i use hair color is to change my look. I just love seeing myself with new looks every now and then. There are colors that really makes me feel beautiful lol but later on life i decided to stay with my natural hair color.
1 person likes this
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
5 Oct 08
I could see the sense of it, belk, if you didn't have to keep re-coloring or touching up the new growth constantly. That would drive me batty.