I am surprised and somewhat amused by other people’s reactions to my gray hair. At least once a week a perfect stranger walks up to me on the street and congratulates me on my hair color. They say things like:
“it is so beautiful”
“you are so brave”
“it looks gorgeous”
“I am so inspired”
“Was it difficult to do?”
One woman even asked if I “dyed it”
Do I accept all the physical changes of ageing? Well, I have to be honest …in case any of my friends are reading this blog. Some days, the good days, I am quite accepting but others I moan at the cellulite and flinch when I see the bags under my eyes. But when it comes to hair I have come to a place of acceptance assisted by some very heavy practical issues:
• I save approximately $1000 a year which would be spent on salon coloring. I will not go to a hairdresser who suggests dying my hair. I have a lot of other things I can do with that $1000.
• My father turned white in his twenties. I got those genes. My first gray rogue hairs showed up at 21 so I have had a long time to get used to this changing palette on my head.
• Silver hair has forced me into a whole new color theme for my closet and new makeup. OK I am shallow but now I have an excuse to shop and to give away some great clothes to Urban Possibilities
• It’s popular to “go gray” now, why not join the crowd. Bring on the silver foxes! Check out Going Gray Looking Great
I am proud to be “a little old gray haired lady” I like to think that I can I role model what life 50+ can be by wearing my natural color so if you want to join me here are my tips for the journey to the silver crown.
Use Good Shampoo and Conditioner
I have not found a change in texture though I know some people say gray hair can be more course. To keep my hair soft I use a good quality conditioner and don’t do what I do , do what I say…deep condition with a home product or at the salon every few months
Work through the Stages to Silver.
You can go “cold turkey” I did not have the guts for that and my mother was really on my case about my premature graying so here is what I did to make the transition a little easier:
1. I started out dirty blond with a few grays tucked in but mostly unseen
2. Then went streaked blond to blend in the gray when it was more abundant.
3. As the gray increased I went to the salon and had my hair backlit. I had at least 4 colors going in my hair at the same time. But it worked, it looked very natural and all the while the gray was growing.
4. When my temples went white I took the leap and stopped dying.
That was 15 years ago. I forgot to mark it on the calendar. If I had only known it would be the day my courage began…I would have marked it.
How to Keep the Silver from Tarnishing
This does not involve wearing plastic bag on your head.
The secret is blue shampoo that keeps the gray silvery and protects from the brassiness that sun can cause. E.g. Blue Malva by Aveda or Clairol Shimmer Lights.
These shampoos are specially made for gray / white hair and you leave them on for 1 minute or so…not too long or you end up looking like a blue haired granny (not that there is anything wrong with that) .
I also use a sun screen for hair called Miss Oops Block Your Locks to give extra sun protection.
Now What about the Brows?
I get mine dyed. I resisted this for a long time and then I did it once and I was hooked. No, I am not a hypocrite I just need to have a facial expression and penciled in brows make me shutter. It only costs $10. and you just get it done when you get your hair trimmed every 6-8 weeks.
Other body hair areas? You are on your own ladies… do what you need to do.
Dress for Silver Success
I have a whole new wardrobe in gray tones. I have found that gray looks great with gray also blue but that may be an eye color issue. Short skirts and high fashion look great with gray hair. When you are gray haired and keep on top of the styles and/ or boldly display your own style it becomes a very interesting look. I think people look and go “oh she is old but wow she looks great’ …Now that is my favorite message to send.
I think natural hair color can help women look better.
For the record I do not equate younger and better. Yes, gray hair may signal a “certain age” but what is attractive about a woman who is obviously fighting her age e.g. dyed hair which is unnatural looking, drastic face lifts, lip plumbs or brow lifts which result in a permanent pout or shocked affect. I think there is nothing more beautiful than an older woman, gray at the temples ,wrinkled and maybe even a little bent but clearly confident and comfortable in her own skin. Have you ever noticed the radiance in the eyes of such a woman shining under her platinum crown?
I will miss the compliments on the street but I look forward to a time when gray hair is as natural as blonde on a beach in Santa Monica in August!
To Fabulousness Ladies!
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Jaki, I was smiling ear to ear when I read your blog. I have never dyed my hair, though most of my friends do, as often as possilbe. I have always jokingly said..I have earned every gray hair on this head… my mom had beautiful auburn hair, though she went through many cancer treatments for six years, her biggest concern was, what color would her hair come back in as. She was accused by her siblings and girl friends for years that her hair was dyed. Not a drop of dye ever met her head. When she passed at the age of 76, her auburn hair with touches of gray was as beautiful as ever. I am 56 years old and have quite a bit of gray giving me a salt and pepper look. I too have been approached asking if I had it “done” this way. hah I have not been to a hair salon since I was very young. I have cut and styled my own hair since age 14. Most women would not be caught with gray heads. What would the neighbors think? I think it is just wonderful to express who you are from head to toe. Todays society expresses to be as natural as possible..perhaps many need to re-examine the word “natural”, it goes beyond organic foods… it not just what we put in our bodies, its what we put on them…..a man who goes gray is said to look distinguished… as women going gray makes us just fabulous!!
I am 63, and feel 18…..I have no gray or silver in my hair. It is naturally curly, thick and past my waist. I will be blonde forever!
LOL
LOL…I have no idea what color my hair is since I started putting “Sun-In” on it at the age of 14!!!!
I KNOW what color my hair is (light brown), I was supposed to be blonde, and so I am!! LOL
AND…we DO have more fun!
To Namaste and Alicia…the secret is to be happy with what you have and you ladies obviousley are…congratulations and enjoy
Thank you for your comments…my favorite part of this blogging thing is getting to hear what other women are thinking about the topic.
Thank you …sucha good point about naturalness, “it goes beyond organic foods… it not just what we put in our bodies, its what we put on them.” and yes, heres to Fabulousness in all forms!
I started to silver at 16, dyed my hair full time until I was 41 then quit for a few years..then colored it again for a couple years…then decided it was too time and money intensive and stopped again. I recently got a “wild hair” (pun intended!) and thought I might color it again, but I couldn’t decide for certain if I really..REALLY wanted to do this again..so I put it to an “open vote” among my FB friends…..the overwhelming response was for me to keep it silver and be proud of my silver. My stylist has even told me he has had women ask him if he can make their hair be the color of mine! Some days I love it, some days I hate it (it truly is a love/hate relationship!)….but I don’t think I’ll ever dye it back to the color of my youth (auburn). Now I can take that hundred and some dollars I was spending every 2 weeks (yes, every 2 weeks! my hair grows FAST!) to keep my silver roots covered and use it in other ways. I also added another 2 to 4 hours of “free time” to my life twice a month, every month!
I do highly recommend doing as Jaki has said and using GOOD shampoos and conditioners, deep conditioning on a regular basis and gently using a “bluing” shampoo to help keep the silver shining. I also would encourage having a clear gloss done at the salon around 3 times a year. It makes your silver SHINE!
Being silver means never having to say: Are my roots showing?????
P.S. Red…true reds, bright reds..not blue based reds/muted reds, are also awesome colors for silver hair!
Thank you for the red tip. I used to wear reds in the former blonde days but had left them behind but maybe I can rethink that now.
I love this line, “Being silver means never having to say: Are my roots showing?????”
very fun and interesting to read. My own hair is blondish…I have natural sun highlights on the top layer. The underneath is darker dirty blond….I am getting more and more gray in the mix. So far it looks like highlights, except when I am in the sun….at least that is what my daughter tells me….I don’t want to completely dye it, money and lazyness are my reasons….So , I use highlighter shampoos, and brightening rinses…Most people think I get my hair highlighted because of the color changes….Oh well, a good cut does wonders…=]
I have been wanting to stop coloring my hair for the last 4 yrs, my husband and daughters don’t want me gray..they don’t want to be reminded that I am getting older…59. I just colored it this week, after reading this post and Holly’s on going gray..I will let it go and my family will just have to adapt. I’m just tired of coloring it, I believe it will be S&P, but do not know for sure. thanks for the courage. I use a blonde rinse between coloring so now will use it until it grows out all the way.
I did not mention in my blog that my mother had a a very hard time with me letting my hair go gray. I teased her and said she just could not handle the fact that she was old enough to have a gray haired baby.
The truth is i loved her white hair and my Dad’s and was happy to be quickly making my way to the “family shade”
I think through out our lives it takes some courage and confidence to do what we think is good for us when those around us don’t approve and are open about their opinions. But that is another one of those wonderful things about growing older…we become more confident and the internal voice of evaluation becomes more and more important than the external ones. So go where you are comfortable and in the end they will love you for your strength of character. Until then try your best to smile while they grumble.
xoxox
Thank you for this post! I decided to quit dyeing my hair several years ago and have had nothing but compliments on it since. Trying to grow old gracefully is not always easy but I feel great and my hair color is one less thing I have to worry about. My mother dyed her hair for years and years until it started turning a horrible green hue and she finally quit. She, too, looks so much better now!
Jaki, I had to respond to your comment about your mothr having a hard time with your going gray. I, too, grayed prematurely. Had a few gray hairs in my mid-30s, enough to make my hair look dull, so I started the process of highlighting. Through the next two decades, I dyed and highlighted and lowlighted and every other version of trying to deny what was becoming the predominant real color. Finally, in my mid-50s, I was so gray that the roots and the expense and the drying out of my hair all got to me and one day I told my hairdresser, “Just a cut, nothing more.” We lived several hundred miles from my parents at that time and the next time we visited them was the first time they had seen me since I stopped the highlighting and dying and by then all the highlights were gone and I was completely gray. My mother said that, as we walked up to the house, Dad looked out the window and asked in all seriousness, “Who is that gray-haired old lady?” My husband, too, resisted my growing gray; he told me that me being gray made him look older! But, by then, I was committed and had the courage to tell him that was his problem. My hair is not silver but gray and I’m quite happy with it and a lot of people tell me how pretty the color is. Even my hairdresser who would make a whole lot more money from me if I were still doing the highlighting. A good cut does indeed make a difference. I am lucky because my hair is extremely thick and has a lot of body and that helps. Yes, it does immediately identify me as an older woman but, as so many have pointed out, it’s our actions and attitude that truly make us old. The weird part about all of this is that my mother is 80 and, other than a few gray hairs at her temples and perhaps a handful scattered here and there, her hair is as dark as it was in her 20s and she has never used so much as a rinse. But, thanks to the father who accused me of being a “gray-haired old lady”, I inherited his coloring. I am not really sure why I eventually decided to stop hiding the gray but, once I did, I’ve never looked back. It was my decision and mine alone and, it seems to me, that’s the important thing. Whether you choose to highlight, dye, streak or let your gray hair show, it should be your decision and you should be happy with that decision.
I lost my often colored hair to chemoptherapy 10 years ago and it grew back in its natural shade of grey. I have not even considered dying it since. Love my grey. And I wear a lot of silver and blue as well.
Well, folks, my Sig. Other says “the woman should never be grayer than the man”. I don’t really think he’s being sexist, he just thinks I’m going to look like Barbara Bush. Ugh! It’s enough to scare me, plus I keep pointing out gray-haired attractive women and he says he might be attracted to them if they didn’t have gray hair. Visions of zero sex life dance in my head. This is not a matter of courage, ladies. This is a matter of survival!
So, I use henna made especially for gray hair (Light Mountain). My temples are now red and my naturally dark hair is threaded with red rather than gray. How long I can play this game will depend on how fast the rest of my hair turns gray. When it gets to be too much gray, the bright red will look freaky, so I’d rather go purple, I think. My Sig. Other has not said he would not have sex with someone with purple hair, so that is promising.
I would love it if my hair were to go white, but I’ve been told blonds don’t turn white, just grey. My hair is about 40% grey now and with the dirty blond it looks really drab, so I am coloring and highlighting it until it gets more grey, then I’ll stop. My issue is finding natural dyes. I buy some from the health food store but the color is not quite right, it brings out red tones, a color I never was. I am still using the natural dye, but also added some highlights at the hair dresser a month ago. It looks better with the highlights. But, it’s expensive and time consuming and not natural. All this money and effort for looks, not sure it’s worth it….
My parents were into their late 70′s when both of them started to turn gray, and I seem to be following that same path. I am 59 and still have my dark brown hair,but most people think I dye it. Whenever it does turn gray, I will wear it with pride. I see a lot of women with thinning hair, I believe it is due to the hair dye chemicals. Happy with whatever nature gives me.
I don’t think thinning has much to do with hair dye…. I think it’s genetic.
When I was a child I heard of men balding and it was genetic to men only. I have only heard of women balding in the last twenty years, that is why I believe it is the chemical related.
I only dyed my hair for only a brief time, grew it out painfully and have never looked back. There are days that I would rather not see the image of a gray haired – somewhat aging face looking back at me in my mirror – but it passes and I’m back to loving the gray. I am also dealing thining – and I believe it is more a hormone issue than chemical. I am currtently working with my dr. – monitoring thyriod and getting the right bioidentical hormone replacement. It is definately a male-patterned thing with me – just thin on top. ;o(
I do get a lot of compliments on my gray – recent case in point – I had to have a colonostopy last week. When it was over and I was taken into the recovery area, the nurses commented on how they loved my hair… We all laughted that with the job they do, I gave them a little diversion for a change.
My hair was dark blonde as a young woman, then went kind of chestnut – but at my mother’s request at 40 I started ‘highlighting’ – and as usual the hairdresser (all of them) get you lighter and lighter – and I just didn’t like it and quit. But I found my brown hair had gone mouse colored, and with white thrown in… it was awful. I always looked washed out. Now I highlight again, but my whites have definitely become a pattern – I just ask the colorist to ‘follow the gray’ with light blonde, and mix darker blonde and brown for the rest. It LOOKS pretty natural, and I get 3 months out of it. So, yeah, if I were all white I’d definitely do it, and YOUR hair looks great, but my in-between hair does NOT look good au natural!
I am 55 and have not yet had the courage to stop using dye, I would love to do so. I highly recommend the book, “Going Gray” by Anne Kreamer, as another great resource. If that is your picture, you look great!
My gray is in the front and in stark contrast to the rest of my very dark hair. And for me, the consistency has completely changed. It is a frizzy mess on top. In fact, I’m going to get my shoulder length hair completely cut off soon!
I had been thinking that would be a great way to slowly let it go gray, by going really short. My gray looks dull. But this article was a terrific boost to looking at this differently.
So weird that we have to consider going gray as “courageous.” But it is really true. I face health issues right now and gray is another stark reminder of the passage of time. But whether I dye or not doesn’t make the years disappear. It’s an optical illusion, pretty much only fooling me.
Great blog posting.
my natural hair was very dark brown almost black. I never dyed it because it was so dark and so fine I figured I would destroy it if I tried to get the color out. I turned grayish in my 40′s but didn’t want to dye it – never have
what I cannot figure out is why when I look in the mirror my hair looks dark or silvery dark but when people take my picture it is much more grey than it looks in the mirror
Thanks for the post – I am considering the eyebrow thing. Never occured to me before
Grey-haired ladies be proud! There was an article I read yesterday (8/18/10) on the internet. It was reporting how younger people are now coming around to the idea that grey hair is very ”cool”. Some of them are stripping their hair or having it dyed grey.
According to the article, the younger people see grey hair as the new way to be different in this day and age of dye and plastic. We who are grey are now looked upon by the young generation as being courageous and “cool”! When we pair the best clothes for ourselves along with the best cut for our face & figure type, we grey-haired women stand out in a sea of dyed hair and plastic body-parts.
“Au natural” is the road I took 7 years ago when I cut off my dyed hair and wore it super-short to allow my natural salt & pepper color to emerge. I have received so many compliments on my hair color and it actually looks like it’s highlighted with silver-grey. Going grey has seemed to release a freedom in my spirit and I love it!
For those of you thinking about going natural – I say give it a try. You can always go back to buying your color off the shelf if you don’t enjoy being a ”cool” and “rebellious”. ^_^
Lady Gaga is on the cover of Vanity Fair this month with gray hair. AARP reported this month on the trend for young people to dye their hair gray, men and women. They said that it was a power “thing”. The young people believe that the gray is a sign of intelligence and experience… this is a trend I can applaud. Finally something which is the symbol of aging is seen in a positive light. I do believe that the world is turning ladies on its opinion of aging. We have much to celebrate if this stage of life will finally be accepted as a stage of human development with its own unique characteristics and attributes which are available only with age.
…and who would have thought that the first sign of change would be gray hair?
I wish I had the guts to go gray. However, my identity is so tied up with the fact that I am (was) a natural redhead, I’m having a lot of trouble making that decision. Maybe I don’t know who I’d be? Also my hair is longer, and I can’t think how to do it without the two year awkward growing out.
The thought of not spending $135 bucks every 5 weeks is soooo tempting. According to my hairdresser I am 95% white – just as my Mom was. I am 62 and it sounds so intriguing to “go white and wild”. Being white-haired and dyeing my hair has given me thicker, more lustrous dark brown tresses ..so if I went dye-free I would have thick white hair (also, occasionally wavy and unruly). This can go one of two ways: totally awesome or disastrously bad.
To go from dark brown to “natural” is a miserable process (according to my hairdresser). You can just let it go and spend a real long long time with white roots..you’ll go thru the Friar Tuck period where you’ll look like you’re wearing a white skull cap and from there it gets worse. At some point you can cut your hair real short to hasten the end of the misery. OR You can strip your hair chemically and dye it white and then let it grow out naturally..(this is tough on your hair) OR you can slowly let strands go grey and over time build from there. It AIN’T EZ!!
I’m not sure where I stand on this. My husband isn’t ready to live with a grey-haired woman. My complexion is so light that I’m sure I will look like the pre-dead. I like being mistaken for a 45 year old..and that would surely end. I guess I’ll meditate on it a bit longer…
Having colored my hair since I was 14, I decided that when I moved to a new state and retired at age 57 that I was going to see what my TRUE hair color was indeed. To my surprise it was “salt and pepper”. That was six years ago and I’m still “salt and pepper”. I too have had lots of queations and compliments about my hair color. I have chosen to add black, white and grey into my wardrobe. The bright jewel tones still work for me. Being in the “silver age” has been a positive expeirence for me and hope all women can celebrate this wonderful age.
Love your hair! I, too started dying mine quite early…the gray started with a few strands in high school…About 3 years ago I just decided this is it, I had just spent $300 on a new short cut and blonde with streaks and thought this is ridiculous! I just let it all grow out, for me to start with a short cut was the easiest ~ letting the color, style and bangs all grow out at once got it done in less than a year…best benefit I have found, after 40 years of dying my hair it is now soft and thicker rather than course…another big change I have made recently is no shampoo! I found gray hair doesn’t shine as much as dyed hair so I wash with conditioner…huge improvement as I live in a fairly dry climate…just use conditioner as you would shampoo, works great ~ just no protein enriched conditioner, found the lesser expensive brands work the best (Suave & Alberto VO5) ~ congratulations to you Jaki you look wonderful!!!
The best thing about all these comments is how good people feel about being themselves, gray or blonde, dyed or not…oh the the wonderful freedom of being “aged”
So true! I am liberated by my white hair. I’ve read that untreated thyroid issues cause early graying, and maybe that’s what happened, because my summer blonde turned into winter long before I was ready. I tried dying, but my immune system was compromised by the metal toxins in the dye. So I dyed it one more time–silver to match my temples, and let nature take its course.
I love the freedom and the feeling that I’m no longer poisoning myself. I look smashing in lavenders and pastels, grays and black. I wear hats and suits. I think that what happened was that when I accepted my natural color, I accepted myself. I wrote a book about the changes (ORDINARY APHRODITE), that has helped other women. And you’re right–people stop me on the street all the time to compliment me on my hair. What a difference I see in myself–self acceptance has become my signature. I’m more content with myself at 62 than I have been in years.
Anne Schroeder
http://www.readanneschroeder.com
I wish my gray hair was coarse. My graying hair has gotten thinner and wispy Help!
I stopped coloring my hair, and to my surprise I received many compliments, people ask me if I streak my hair , and i tell them that is all me and saving money !!!
It took me a while to come to terms with the gray in my haiir at all. I found I have some beautiful silver streaks mixed with my regular brown hari, and the back is stil dark. I’m so happy I was able to come to terms with my gray, and you girls who are still coloring.”rock on with your bad selves, I salute you!!!”
I colored my hair off and on for years, mostly because its normal brown was so… brown. I liked a redder shade like my grandmother had – so beautiful! After a 3-colorings weekend debacle as part of an experiment gone very very wrong, I ended up with Cheeto orange hair and resolve that I would never color again.
When my thyroid was removed (don’t ask), the few gray strands here and there turned into a neat Bride-of-Frankenstein streak. It got friends and got wider (as have I) over the years. But I was still going for that elusive Grandma’s shade.
I got my head shaved for St. Baldrick’s Foundation a few years ago – goodbye, Cheetos! and then fell into coloring again only I used non-permanent Loving Care and just went with brown. I still have a box of it sitting on the shelf because I’m done with it all.
Now I only wish it would go gray faster and in great wide swaths! Cheers!
I don’t recall when I stop dying my hair, I think in my fifties, but my dauther in law wanted to dye my hair but I told her I didn’t want all my hair colored, so she foiled some of my hair and she dye some of my hair and I still had grey hair so you can tell to much if I color it or not.
Thank you for your share on going all the way in gray. I read a book ages ago about a women in the entertainment business and her experience going gray and I loved it. Tried to go it myself but on a bad day looking in the mirror sent me flying by that afternoon to any hair colorist who would take me. Being unemployed for quite some time now I’ve not had the resources to color my hair nor the patience to do it myself so it’s been doing it’s thing and I’m just letting go one day at a time. I’ve kept it long and so far it seems to be working. My sister says cut it all off but I’m loving my hair long but another close friend tells me to go back to coloring it. I never thought I’d be thanking unemployment but “Thank you” I don’t think I would be able to do this on my own.
I’m one of those women who go up to a silver fox and ask her when she got the courage to go gray. I have a great hair stylist and enjoy going to the salon every 6-8 weeks to get highlighted. I know I could save a lot of money but there is just no way I can do it yet. I had no idea it’s supposedly the “in” thing with the younger crowd. That bodes well for looking at aging in a different way than before. I’m told all the time that I look younger than most people my age (I just turned 61 and still have a hard time seeing that number in black and white!). From what I can tell of my roots, I think my hair is all gray but my hair stylist says it s&p. Well, all I can say is I salute you and in many ways wish I had the courage to do it, but I’m not even close.
For those of you naturally grey (or silver)……what shampoo & conditioner do you use? I am using Pantene Pro V Silver Expression but I hear they have discontinued it. What a bummer!
Hi,
i hope others answer your question as I am always interested in finding a better product. In the blog above I recommend”Blue Malva by Aveda or Clairol Shimmer Lights.
These shampoos are specially made for gray / white hair and you leave them on for 1 minute or so…not too long or you end up looking like a blue haired granny (not that there is anything wrong with that) .
I also use a sun screen for hair called Miss Oops Block Your Locks to give extra sun protection.”
But Iadmit Aveda products are expensive. I have not found a conditioner made for the silver foxes. i just try to use a good one that brings up some shine and keeps down the static issues.
Thanks for posting a great question.
Thanks, Jaki!
I must’ve run through the posts too fast b/c I missed your tip. I knew it was there but then I didn’t see it when I went back to find it. Sorry!
I will definitely try the Aveda. It’s probably worth the extra money since it is made to help the gray/white/silver look its best. And thanks for the warning about keeping it on too long. I usually just wash and rinse fairly quickly and I’m done. I am not a hair person, so the quicker and easier something is to use the better I am with it. ^_^ Thanks again!
Hi all hahah if ever I say in front of my 7 year old and 13 year old grandaughters I want to color my hair they go bananas on me and say “no nanni I like your hair with the silver and white streaks in it” or ” ,no nanni you would not be you”. hahah
I tinker with the idea of color once in a while when I get frustrated with the frizzies and want to get a pick me up ,but I really do not want the hassle of color and the extra hair care one needs with it.
But after reading about the shampoos for silver hair and gloss I like this better. Maybe a clear Henna might do to bring out the silver highlights as well need to look into that as well. Thanks for the tips.
I use very good shamppos and conditioners. And am looking into a hair oil by HDC , but it is not cheap. If I can get the frizz to relax on me the silver stays with a great shine after using the tips here. My brows are dark yet and my skin has very if any wrinkling to it so this may be a fun thing for me right. And my grandaughter will be very happy with their silver haired Nanna.DLb
Nanna being Nanna is definately the best thing… Enjoy it.
I think it is great what you are role modeling for your grandaughters. To them silver hair will always be beautiful besides now that Lady Gaga has died her hair gray, Nanna is so in!
Yes they did discontinue Pro V Silver. I contacted Pantene and they recommended Jhirmack Silver Brightening Shampoo and another by Clairol. Bought the Jhirmack, used it several times – but not a big fan. It makes my hair impossible to manage for a few days afterwards – probably need to use a good conditioner. (And am not in love with the strong perfume that lingers.) The Pantene worked so good for me – I did not even need the conditioner. I still say the fashion/beauty industry had better wake up – they are missing a huge segment of consumers out here.
“They” certainly are missing a big market. i was in my local CVS yesterday looking for shampoo and they have an entire aisle dedicated to shampoo , conditioner and hair dye but not one shampoo or conditioner product for gray hair.
Hello. CVS marketing department, have you studied the US demographic trends lately?
It’s all part of making us feel ‘invisible.’ I didn’t think that was really true until the past few years. I have been overlooked, ignored and just treated rudley by – of course, most men of any age, but women also. I now step up and speak up which is not easy for me but the only way to noticed. I also am not shy about writing and calling companies when I feel they are ignoring my needs. We all need to make noise out here if we intend to be heard and taken seriously.
What can we do about this? Shop on line is one quick solution . I guess that is the point , speed. It takes a lot less time to shop on line and find what we need than to figure out who to write to at ProV or CVS and then compose the letter and follow up etc.
Of course shopiing on line is a “giving a fish” solution while writing to CVS or Pro V is a ‘teaching how to fish” solution.
There is a gray movement happening check out this website
http://goinggrayblog.com/
or this one
http://goinggraylookinggreat.com/
Silver Foxes Unite…this is not just about our hair!
I totally agree! The Pro V Silver is fantastic. I still have a few shampoos left in my bottle. Like you, browser, I did not need the conditioner – just the shampoo. It was THAT good! I have ordered online the Aveda shampoo that Jaki recommends. I hope it will rival the Pro V and that I will like it b/c it’s hard finding anything at all for gray hair.
Shame on Pro V for discontinuing such a wonderful product. I’m bummed that CVS doesn’t carry ANY gray hair products whatsoever (I learned this first-hand last week). Nor am I finding any at other drug stores. Even online it’s tough to find something to purchase. The hair companies are missing a whole niche market!
Wallgreens carries Jhirmack – but I will try others that have been mentioned here.
I am nearing 60 and have not plucked up the courage to stop dyeing my hair…I am an older Mum (my children are 19 and nearly 23) and before I dyed my hair and when my daughter was young, some people assumed I was her grandma! Maybe when the children have left home I will pluck up the courage.