Is there a good store bought dye for coloring gray hair?

[JoeBass]

Tried quite a few of the over-the-counter hair dyes, and haven't been too thrilled with any of them. I've seen professional jobs that look fantastic, but at $80.00 for a pro dye job, it's either stay gray or find something I can do myself. Anyone find anything that works well?

[ThePenIsMightier]

Ah, something I'm an expert in :) You will probably have no love with over the counter. Back when I was fighting the fight, I either spilled the money, or spent a day putting in highlights and then coloring, to get a natural color. And it wasn't any less expensive, when you take the time spent into account. I am old enough now, I don't care what folks think - so I use Manic Panic Vampire Red. Only good if you're self employed or a known crazy person.

[legrandfromage]

I had some gray hair long before I was thirty and played around with hiding it. It never really looked good and added yet another maintenance activity that I didn't care for. Stopped after a few years and learned to live with it. Women liked it and it made me look smarter and wiser at work, which didn't hurt because I was managing people older than me. By forty five I was silver gray and rather liked it. Just go with it.

[gearchow]

I figure what I don't spend money on dying my hair can be spent on my wife dying her's. It's win/win. It looks like I am hanging out with a younger woman and she is a younger woman hanging out with a older (successful, handsome, experienced, etc) man.

It's a fact of this unfair life we lead on this planet: guys look good with graying hair and most woman don't, unless she is



(JUST KIDDING!!!!)

-jim

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Joe:
How about Grecian Formula?




Read More: http://www.grecian-formula.com/

"Gray hair is like the soft light of the moon...silvering over the evening of life." Jean Paul

[oc_in_fw]

unless she is



(JUST KIDDING!!!!)

-jim

I'm not. Madeline Kahn and Bernadette Peters always did something for me.

on edit: this may be an embarrassing admission, but I had a crush on Betty White during the 70's, too. I guess I like funny women.

[Haggises]

Grow Old Gracefully
Anything else looks fake.

[oc_in_fw]

Grow Old Gracefully
Anything else looks fake.

Yep. When I started getting a lot of grey in the beard, I just stopped wearing one. I keep my hair at a #3, so it is hard to tell if I have any there.

[Seraphim]

Sorry to say, but you'll get ZERO sympathy from me about graying hair issues. If only I had enough hair on my head to worry about what color it was....

[Doc4]

Joe:
How about Grecian Formula?

+1

Any good Canadian will know that it'll give you "two minutes for looking so good."

[dpm802]

I'm 57yo and still have a full head of hair. Except for a few gray hairs on the temples, it is still dark brown.

My goatee is another matter. Very gray on my chin, with salt-n-pepper on my moustache. When I skip shaving long enough to show a full beard, it comes in white.

So I've asked a number of my women friends if I should dye my facial hair back to its original color to match what's on my head, and the unanimous answer is NO, leave it the way it is. They all tell me it looks fine, using words like "distinguished" and "mature" and "gentlemanly."

I've seen a lot of guys that have dyed their hair, and there isn't a single one that doesn't look like it is quite obviously fake color. And that makes them look silly.

[Doc4]

So I've asked a number of my women friends if I should dye my facial hair back to its original color to match what's on my head, and the unanimous answer is NO, leave it the way it is. They all tell me it looks fine, using words like "distinguished" and "mature" and "gentlemanly."
...

... and then they all give you the phone number of one of their elderly aunts.

[Saxon]

I started going gray at around 23 and it never bothered me until a few months ago. I'm 48 and an acquaintance asked me "You're like what, 65?". I didn't think I looked that old, but the gray hair and glasses do age me prematurely.

[Go West Young Man]

Back to the original question, I haven't seen or heard of an over the counter dye that didn't look obviously fake.

[Seraphim]

Joe:
How about Grecian Formula?




Read More: http://www.grecian-formula.com/

"Gray hair is like the soft light of the moon...silvering over the evening of life." Jean Paul

Grecian Formula is owned by the same parent corporation that owns Williams shave soap and Aqua Velva.

Combe Corp

[xraygun]

My hair started going gray at 23 or so. By 26 I was dyeing it. Over the counter stuff isn't any good. In my late 30's I started having a pro do it. Looked better, but you still look like an idiot for a day or two with the dyed scalp. Went blonde too. What a pain. Hot 30 yr old GF found out what was under there and made me grow it out.
Chicks dig gray hair, unless you are chasing 18-25 year olds.
Lose the barber, pay for a better haircut, forget the dye.
Have someone from a real school (Sasson, Paul Mitchell, etc) with experience cut your hair. Then you will look great and not look like someone trying to hide something.

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

Grecian Formula is owned by the same parent corporation that owns Williams shave soap and Aqua Velva.

Combe Corp

Seraphim:
That I did not know. Thanx for the info and for sharing.


"Gray hair is like the soft light of the moon...silvering over the evening of life." Jean Paul

[gearchow]

Back to the original question, I haven't seen or heard of an over the counter dye that didn't look obviously fake.

I've helped my wife dye her hair at home - wow, high chemical stench factor and it just doesn't last as long as going to a shop.

-jim

[Seraphim]

A "suicide blonde" was a woman who dyed by her own hands, i.e.- bleached it herself.

[The Pontificator]

Do a search on "Demi Permanent hair color" That's DEMI, not "semi".