Long gray hair, anyone?

[Silverwild]

So here I am, lurker turned member very recently, and with one burning question:
What do you think about long, grey hair:
Is it OK?
Can it be stunningly beautiful?
Or should it be avoided alltogether?

My hair is grey and since discovering ow healthy and shiny it has become after switching to the CO washing method, I am toying with the idea of (dare I say it?) growing it longer :o

Do any of you have opinions to vent, pictures to show, tips to share?

I wait in breathless anticipation...

[Katze]

I really want long silver hair! I have a silver - not grey, it is shiny - streak coming in above my left eye. I really hope to have waist-long, wavy, thick silver hair some day! It is the main reason I am growing my hair.

To be fair to those who feel grey/white/silver don't suit them, I have a very ruddy complexion, light eyebrows and light eyes, so I think silver will look really good on me. Also, women with dark eyebrows and dark eyes can look very good with silver/white/grey hair. But media/cultural pressure is great, and maybe some people feel it makes them look old...

for me I feel it will make me look like a witch -feral and powerful! :D

[jessie58]

Are you kidding? Have you seen our members with gorgeous long gray/silver/white hair? It is beautiful. In fact it is special and magical looking.

[Katrina]

Long, gray hair can be so gorgeous. I remember seeing some pictures (maybe here? or maybe it was some other forum?) of waist/tailbone length gray hair. It looked really good in my opinion and yes, it can be stunningly beautiful. Go for it :).

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures to show or tips to share, because my own hair isn't graying yet. Have a good growing!

[Silverwild]

Aw RIGHT!
Magical, powerful, feral witch? Yeah, I can live with that... :eyebrows:
Actually, more than that, it sounds like aging gracefully should be about.

So, grow it will. I haven't cut it since august, but it was really short then, so it takes some time. It is down to the shoulders now for the first time in many years, and I treasure the feeling of it brushing against my neck (childish, MOI?)

My hair used to be medium/dark brown, and still is, inbetween, I guess I have what you call salt-and-pepper hair right now. My brows and lashes are dark.

SHOW ME pictures!!!!! I will post a recent photo of my greying, shoulderlength hair too, so you can see.

[Kuchen]

Have a look in some of these threads (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/search.php?searchid=742252) :flower:

[LutraLutra]

Is it OK? Oh yes!
Can it be stunningly beautiful? Oh my goodness, yes!
Or should it be avoided alltogether? Heavens no!

I think gray/silver/white hair that's been cared for is amazing. :)

[AutumnLeaves]

There are some groups here on LHC with silver haired members. I think TammySue is the longest haired member of the LHC silvers, but I could be wrong. We even have a couple of silver streaked male members. Gorgeous all!

[Silverwild]

Kuchen, thanks a bunch!
Wow...
Now I really am inspired. ;)

[frizzinator]

Some of us wear our hair up to prevent damage. If you have doubts about your hair while growing it out, putting it up will get it out of your sight and it will look good. I wear my hair up everyday, and my white hair shows more than if my hair was hanging down. It took me awhile to learn to love the white hair.


You are at the right place because you will get a lot of support here not only for growing hair long, but also for growing grey and white hair. A rule we have here is if you ever decide to cut your hair off, you should wait 2 weeks before you cut, just to be sure it's not an impulsive decision.


You can see more photos after you get a higher post count, but meanwhile here are a few of mine. The updo photos show styles you will soon be able to make: a french twist, a folded ponytail and just stuff the hair into two combs held together with beaded elastic (this one is an African Butterfly Comb, but you can find more feminine-looking ones):

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/frizzliz/8508.jpghttp://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/frizzliz/41608028-1.jpghttp://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/frizzliz/12808019.jpghttp://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee178/frizzliz/11608007.jpg

[sky]

Oh, my...such beautiful hair!

I have nearly BSL dark blonde hair w/ lots of full-length silvers.....not enough yet to be this lovely, but it may grow up to be that some day.

No, no pics......


I am at the point where if I cut and coloured my hair, I might look ten years younger, but I truly love the FEEL of natural hair! What others think about it is not germane.

Have fun growing your silver.....

[Johanna64]

Oh yes I like beautiful long gray/white hair!
I hope one day I have such lovely gray hair of my own :)

[Calista]

Frizzinator, you know I am a big fan of your hair. And your updo skills are amazing!

[jojo]

To me long silver hair is unique and beautiful, rare like a precious jewel. I cannot wait to be a silver long haired fox.

[Radulfr]

About long, grey hair:

Is it OK? Absolutely! I have mostly silver/salt&pepper hair.

Can it be stunningly beautiful? Absolutely! See frizzinator's pics. :agree:

Or should it be avoided altogether? No way!

I am toying with the idea of (dare I say it?) growing it longer.
Please do!

Tips to share?
Put away the scissors and just grow it! :D

[Silverwild]

Oh, frizzinator, drool...
Well, what a place to come for support, count me in!
Surrounded by such strong and supportive women, I shall continue the quest.

Now I just have to figure out how to create a URL to show a picture of my (pitifully short and feeble) hairdo.
I'll be back...

[Katze]

Oh, my...such beautiful hair!

I have nearly BSL dark blonde hair w/ lots of full-length silvers.....not enough yet to be this lovely, but it may grow up to be that some day.

I am at the point where if I cut and coloured my hair, I might look ten years younger, but I truly love the FEEL of natural hair! What others think about it is not germane.


Not to mention how lovely silver looks in dark gold hair! Mine are like natural highlights, brightening up my otherwise darker hairline near my face. I love the look of dark blonde growing out silver! Spidermom is a good example of this...

[HairyCarrie]

Frizzinator - you are also my inspiration. After I posted enough entries to advance to viewing albums, and saw yours, I was in awe. I hope one day to have the same talent with updos as you and to have waist-length all natural hair.

Silverwild - it truly will be worth you building up your posts to see the albums these folks post. It takes this community to the next level when you can view the beautiful progress and hairdo photos.

Welcome to a fun place to learn and grow...

Carrie.

[busnutmedic]

Beautiful!! I saw a woman the other day with beautiful waist length grey hair. I hope I have mine long when I have grey :D

[rags]

I have streaks of silver (too shiny to be gray) which frame my face. I love it! I have gotten several compliments on my streaks - one girl said she had tried to dye hers like that! The rest of my hair is still salt and pepper, but I can't wait until mine looks like frizzinators!

So, yes, grow your hair! It will be beautiful!

[rags]

I couldn't get kuchen's link to work?

[GlassEyes]

I WANT silver hair. D: So yeah, it's perfectly fine. xD

[Spike]

My hair goddess was my paternal grandmother. When I was but a wee, impressionable chickie, she wore her pure silver hair trimmed to knee-length. (Any longer was just "too much to mess with.")

She wore it up in a silver crown during the day and in a plait for night--but if you caught her right at that moment when she was combing it out at dawn or dusk--WOW. Just WOW.

My "argent highlights" are starting to come in. I have nascent witchlocks in the crown, and scattered threads throughout. I love another member's comment about long grey/silver hair being feral and powerful.

It mirrors my feelings about the value of youth, like diamonds, being artificially inflated, and for much the same reasons.

[FallenAngel]

I feel I'm a little young to let my hair go natural and be as grey as it really is. I'm going to henna it for a while.

But not for ever!

But my granny has had silver white hair for as long as I can remember, and when I get a little older, I'm hoping to get her colour. And long grey hair is just BEAUTIFUL.

[MemSahib]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/homekeepinggran/Hair/LHCsigwinter06.jpg My hair is brown underneath but quite silver on top. Whether or not I "should", I do.

[Kuchen]

I couldn't get kuchen's link to work? Ooops! Just go to the Mane Board, click to "search this forum" and type in "salt and pepper".

[Lady Godiva]

My sister is fastly turning perfectly salt-and-pepper, and her 1b hair is among the most beautiful I know. She keeps it between mid-back and hip lengths. She's never given a rat's arse about public opinion or fashion trends or rules, so abiding by any of that or not abiding by it has never crossed her mind. None of it's ever been a consideration for her. Would that everyone came so predisposed to such independence and genuine anti-conformity.

Fie on the rules. They mean nothing. Do what suits your preferences, period.

[ole gray mare]

My avatar pic is pretty accurate. Here is another, as well. I really like my silver hair, but it does require different treatment than it did when it was dark. (It wants to absorb color from everything around it!) The canopy on mine silvered first. There is still some dark hair underneath.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h180/katrinabee/Sept08004cropped-1.jpg

[mellie]

So beautiful!!! Thanks ladies for sharing your pics!!

[FallenAngel]

Ole grey mare - Sooo beautiful!!

That is exactly what I'm hoping for! My granny had that kind of hair, but shorter though.

[janeytilllie]

My grandma had long silver hair to her ankles :D

she looked beautiful and she always wore pretty buns :D

My grandma once said that the reason she had long hair, is becuase alot of people she knew thought as your grow older your hair should be shorter because if you have long hair you look old. My grandma pointed out to me "its silly! because alot of older people have short hair, so isnt it short hair that makes one look older?" . My grandma was a rebel :D.

Also another wise thing from my grandma told me, " if it makes you happy do it! never mind what others think". :D

Theres nothing wrong with long silver hair. :D im never cutting mine :D

[spidermom]

I never could decide whether my hair is turning silver or white. Recently I realized that my hair has been golden blonde all my life and now is adding in white-gold.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c79/spidermom/hairpin.jpg

[RocketDog]

I think that long silvered hair is so amazing, I cannot wait until I have my own headful :) Neither of my parents started getting silvers until their late 40's, so I still have a good 20+ years before I can expect it, unfortunately...

[HairColoredHair]

I want long silver hair... When I was in my early teens I asked my mother to help me dye my hair silver... She had to tell me I probably wouldn't be able to get a good 'silver' without bleaching my hair to death first... I was so put out.

And based on her hair I won't have a good amount of silver until I'm in my 50+ years. Some people call in 'good hair genes'... I call it too long to wait! :wail:

[ole gray mare]

Thank you, FallenAngel. (Nice name, btw!)

[Bill D.]

Are you kidding? Have you seen our members with gorgeous long gray/silver/white hair? It is beautiful. In fact it is special and magical looking.

I want to add my voice to the chorus of voices supporting long gray hair. I love to see older --or even just middle-aged-- women with long gray or white hair. It's beautiful in and of itself and its presence tells me that the woman is not blindly conforming to society's silly rules about hair and fashion.

There's a woman I've seen several times in a nearby city with *really* thick salt-and-pepper hair to her hips or tailbone. She's East Asian so her hair must have started out black. Her thick mane is just stunning, and I'm glad Elizabeth had the opportunity to compliment her once. Elizabeth also plans to have gray hair as she gets older. :)

Bill D.

[Speedbump]

I think long gray hair is gorgeous when it's well cared for and I greatly anticipate being an older lady with same one day. :D

[Teazel]

Some of the most beautiful heads of LHC hair are grey, or silver, or white. I've seen photos that have just taken my breath away!

It took me a long while to come to terms with my own premature greying, but now I'm quite happy about it. I even enjoy updos that fully display my silver (most of it is under the canopy) like the one below. I hope one day to have long white hair, like my great-grandmother did. :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=583&pictureid=28252

[girlcat36]

Teazel, that is so beautiful!

[ole gray mare]

Some of the most beautiful heads of LHC hair are grey, or silver, or white. I've seen photos that have just taken my breath away!

It took me a long while to come to terms with my own premature greying, but now I'm quite happy about it. I even enjoy updos that fully display my silver (most of it is under the canopy) like the one below. I hope one day to have long white hair, like my great-grandmother did. :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=583&pictureid=28252



Teazel: as always, your hair takes my breath away. :thudpile:

[angelthadiva]

I couldn't get kuchen's link to work?

Yeah, me neither?!

[Elenna]

Teazel: as always, your hair takes my breath away.

I second that, wow!

[Radulfr]

I third that. Beautiful silver braid and bun, Teazel!

[spidermom]

I third that. Beautiful silver braid and bun, Teazel!

Ditto. (server demands more words)

[jessie58]

Teazel is one of my favorites in silver. *sigh*

[Teazel]

Aw, you're making me blush! :o

(You've also made my day. :D)

[ratgirldjh]

i love long silver hair! my mom has long silver hair - it was to her waist - she cut it chin length lately - but it is rapidly (thank goodness) growing back out!!!
i have very dark almost black hair with quite a bit of silver in it - and i love it!!!
btw - i have found that grandpa's pine tar soap helps make the silver shine and takes any yellow out! but i use it sparingly as it does eventually dry out my hair - my hair esp the silver ones love virgin coconut oil. YAY for LONG silver hair!!!!! go for it!!! I am. :)

[ratgirldjh]

couldn't figure out how to edit my post to add this in: once i saw a lady in the grocery with grey/silver hair down to her waist. i was totally entranced and had to stop myself from following her around to stare at her beautiful hair! i would have gone up to her and complimented her (i wanted to SO BAD) but she was very busy shopping and seemed to have already noticed me 'stalking' her and didn't seem into it - oh i wish i had though - sigh...
YES - long grey/silver hair IS STUNNING!!! please do it!!!

[Schmoomunitions]

I LOVE long silver, salt and pepper, grey hair!!! It looks excellent, like a sexy witch. You can be all coy and girly or magical and scarey. I think long grey hair is powerful.

[Juli414]

My last cut and dye was in August, 2007. With my hair down, there are a few stripes of gray, but kinda cool. Recently I've been putting my hair up, and was shocked to see how much gray I have around my face in the under areas. I was about to see about resuming the dyeing, but this thread has strengthened my resolve to let my hair go natural.

[goatgal]

I'm silver on the canopy, and waist-length. When braided, it alternates silver, sable, silver, sable. I love it. My granddaughter refers to it as marbled. I'm going to have to have hubby take pictures and try to post them here.

[mimi1153]

I've also got long and gray (tbl and about 80% gray with the rest being a mixture of blonde, red, brown, and believe it or not a couple of really dark brown/black). Most of my darker is under the canopy also which makes a very pretty braid or any type. I love my long grey and so does most other people (DH included). But, Teazel - - WOW!!!! People talk about me having so many updos that I've been challenged to do one a day for a month - but can I have a few lessons from you first. I love your updos with the bun and braid combination and the gibraltar and nautilus bun. I'm in AWE. I hope mine will get as long as yours before I hit terminal.

[ItalianFlower]

Are you kidding? I'm eighteen and one of my minor goals in life is to have long, grey hair. I don't want to be a short-haired grandma. Mine's going to be long and ALL natural. ^_^

[BranwenWolf]

I think long, healthy silver or grey hair is amazing.

My mother is of the mindset that women over a certain age can't have long hair.
I told her I intend to piss everyone off when I'm that age by having long locks.

My mom got beautiful streaks when she gave up coloring her hair- my hair is much lighter than hers but I hope I get the same pattern. She has this flash of grey right at the crown of her head and it spreads out from there. Alas, she keeps her hair short.
There's a photo somewhere of my great-great grandmother with a HUGE bun on her head. I'm pretty sure her hair was classic or longer most of her life.
My mom remembers seeing her in her coffin at the viewing with silver braids to her knees.

I want to be that way in my older days.

[misstwist]

My mother will be 60 this year and she is just starting to silver.

*pout*

I love the drama of black hair that is going dramatically silver.

[HairyCarrie]

Teazel: I love how the various colors intermix. So much more interesting than a single color box dye that *I* use to do when I was younger. My hair is quite mishmashy in colors and when it gets long enough to do a 'do like yours, I hope mine looks that nice.

Quite stunning...

[Islandgrrl]

Long & silver is really the ultimate goal, as far as I'm concerned. My hair will eventually turn silver (I hope), and I'm not cutting. Not for anything or anyone. I say...go for it!

[Twitter]

I plan to let my hair go gray/silver when it gets there. I think long silver hair is beautiful, I wish more women felt comfortable growing their silver hair long.

[Teazel]

Teazel: I love how the various colors intermix. So much more interesting than a single color box dye that *I* use to do when I was younger. My hair is quite mishmashy in colors and when it gets long enough to do a 'do like yours, I hope mine looks that nice.

Quite stunning...

Thank you very much, HairyCarrie (and mimi1153, of course!). Not long ago I read an article by someone claiming to be a style expert, in which long greying hair was comprehensively sneered at. The mixture of pigmented and grey hair - quelle horreur! How embarrassing, to make such a gaffe! What a breach of sensibility and good taste - I should hide myself away and never be seen in public again.

And yet so many people on LHC have mentioned specifically how much they like the multiple colours in my hair. It just goes to show: listen to your own sense of beauty, and don't let the manipulative opinions of the beauty biz hold you back.

[Bill D.]

And yet so many people on LHC have mentioned specifically how much they like the multiple colours in my hair. It just goes to show: listen to your own sense of beauty, and don't let the manipulative opinions of the beauty biz hold you back.

I was just telling Elizabeth last night how much I like the intermingling of the colors in your hair. Of course, her hair will be just like that some time in the future. :cool:

Now I have to finally learn to French braid so I she can wear styles like that beautiful updo of yours!

Bill D.

[Xi]

What beautiful silver-hair pictures! Certainly, Teasel, Spidermom, ole gray mare, MemSahib, and Frizzinator have some of the most beautiful hair and elegant updos I've ever seen.

My silvers are just starting to become noticeable (under certain lights).:cheer:

[wintersun99]

What beautiful silver-hair pictures! Certainly, Teasel, Spidermom, ole gray mare, MemSahib, and Frizzinator have some of the most beautiful hair and elegant updos I've ever seen.



I agree ladies, you all are an inspiration! :)

[spidermom]

I think that going with the natural color is going to give a much nicer result over time. The older women I know who have dyed their hair for many years have a steel wool look, texture wise, kind of crimped up looking.

[Xandergrammy]

Another fan of white/silver/gray hair here!! :waving: I stopped dyeing my hair 2-1/2 years ago and can't wait 'til I have a long white braid!!

[swiftbn]

i can definitely agree that long, gray/silver hair is pretty. about an hour ago i just opened the door for a very pretty woman with shoulder length silver hair. she has the prettiest face and smile that i can ever imagine.

[cami_henderson]

I have brown/blondish WHITE hair. I'm 26, but have decided to embrace my white hair (which was purple when i dyed it, because i dye it black, which was cool and all)

but yeah my mom has stark white hair (has since i can remember, she's 55, I haven't seen a picture of her that she didnt unless she dyed, very bad blondish brassy color, the only pictures i have seen with her having some natural color was in her teens..but then she started coloring it, and stopped in her mid 20's, and was white by the time i was born in '82)

but she is white, my grandmother, grandfather, and greatgrand parents all on her side of the family are stark white no grey or silver.

my sister wanted to the white hair. I remember growing up and her talking about wanting white hair like mom (she's three years older than me). And all i talked about was how much i was going to dye my hair so i would never see it.

Guess what, She still have lucious healthy shiney auburn/brown hair. no dyes, no grays no whites.

hahaha

[JamieLeigh]

I only have a few greys as of yet...but I will happily embrace my natural colors as they continue to show up! I will love my long grey (or white...depending on which side of the family I take after. Impossible to tell at this point!) locks!! :D

[Elenna]

I think that going with the natural color is going to give a much nicer result over time. The older women I know who have dyed their hair for many years have a steel wool look, texture wise, kind of crimped up looking.

Dyed hair on older ladies never looks natural. It looks harsh.

It covers up what could be lovely white/silver/gray hair color.

The hair texture doesn't look right either. Spidermom really has eagle eyes.

[AprilElf]

Hi Silverwild - welcome to LHC!
Long gray -silver- hair is more than okay. It's gorgeous. :D
I've given up dyeing and have plenty of silvers growing in. The silver-haired members here, I find very inspirational.

[paper]

I'm planning on having long grey hair. :)

[Siava]

I love it when the grey/silver threads get started. The pictures that follow always take my breath away. :D

[Fairlight63]

Thank you for this thread. I love looking at all of the pictures of the beautiful ladies with long gray hair! You are an inspiration to me!! I have saved the pictures to look at when I think that I should cut it.
I am 63 and have dyed my hair seems like most of my life. I didn't even remember what my natural color was like any more. I also mostly wore it short. I decided that as I get older I didn't want to look just like all of the other older ladies around me that have a perm (look like a poodle) or dyed & it looks a weird color & the texture of steel wool.
Gray is one of the natural hair colors that God created - just like blonde, brown, red, black and gray is nothing to be ashamed of! It is just as beautiful!
I decided that I didn't want to dye my hair any more so I have not dyed it since about last June. I started out with my hair short - above colar length. My hair now is below shoulder length and a mix of gray, lt. blonde & dark brown at the neck line. It has taken me about 18 mon. to get this long. I wear it mostly up because I don't think that my DH likes long hair, so I keep it up so he doesn't know just how long it is getting. I am afraid that he will tell me to cut it & I don't want to. I have always wanted long hair but always wound up cutting it off for some reason. Now when I think of cutting my hair I put on my short hair wig & I think "That I look better with it long", so I don't cut it.

[girlcat36]

Keep growing Fairlight!

[Xandergrammy]

Welcome, Fairlight! And keep on growing. Maybe your DH will actually like your new hair?!

[jessie58]

Another example of the most gorgeous long silver hair here is that of JKRBeloved. She had been dyeing her hair a dark brown color and then we saw her transition here as she went to her natural silver. She looks absolutely gorgeous. She is my silver haired heroine.

[neema]

Frizzinator, Your gray hair is stunningly beautiful. It's an inspiration. The pics will keep me away from the Henna isle this weekend.

I truely believe gray hair is beautiful. So many years, I have been told to dye away my grays; it is a difficult habit to break.

[Othala]

I have BSL grey hair....well it is blue-black and white hair with no detectable intermediate shades.

Problem is that the white hairs are curlier than the black hairs and also thicker and coarser. I tend to condition way more than I used to to overcome this so I find I'm having to wash my hair more frequently as it greases up quicker.

[Madame J]

I'm only 26, but have decided to embrace the silvers that I have, and any more that should arise. There's a male professor in my department who has a long, probably waist-length ponytail that is brown on the ends and gets progressively silver up to the roots, probably because he went gray while growing it. It's kinda cool, and he's young for a Physics prof, so it doesn't make him look "old."

[Charlotte]

Oh my!!! I have never seen so much beautiful hair in all my life before joining the LHC. I am utterly fascinated and newly obsessed with all things hair.... The silver haired ladies take my breath away... I am DEFINATELY growing out my highlights and letting my natural silvers take over, heh heh heh!

[JamieLeigh]

I can't wait for my long silver locks. :D I've already got about 5 grey hairs, and I'm definitely not covering them up. I'm at classic length right now (top of thigh) and it would be amazing to be at terminal length (if I can handle it that long) with an all-silver mane. :crush:

[Moonstruck]

I always always dreamed about having shining white-silvery hair cascading down my back. I think my hair will probably stay too dark for that color to be attained, but my lord is it gorgeous.
And rare. I don't understand why silvers mean that it's time to high tail it to the salon and get a godawful perm and color, with your hair now looking like a chewed on brillo pad. Maybe from afar it doesnt look bad, but =/

[Wanderer09]

Another silver hair admirer here! I think it looks magical. :)

[Quixii]

When I grow older, I would absolutely love to have long, white hair.
I'm thinking I may cut it sometime in my 20s-30s, and then hopefully after that grow it long again. =)

[MuzicalH3rb]

I think it's magical and beautiful!

[SurprisingWoman]

I haven't been here since January :confused:, I am not sure why, but I find this thread. It's fate!

I haven't taken any recent pics. My hair is at tailbone now. I am hoping to get to classic before hitting terminal.

There are pics of my transition from coloring my hair to letting it go natural here:

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=478

Enjoy, it is sooo much easier!

[Hampshirelass]

SurprisingWoman

Thank you for that link, you have such pretty hair :) It was only yesterday that I made the decision to allow my silvers freedom, and to see both yours, and spidermoms, photos has confirmed to me that it really is the best decision I will ever make hair-wise!

[Hampshirelass]

Thinking about it, is there a thread anywhere on here about careing for silver hair? One of the previous posters on this thread made a comment about their hair trying to absorb colour from anything around it, and I remember reading somewhere (maybe on here?) about someone who used a blue coloured shampoo that tinted their hair. There have also been comments about the different texture.

Just wondering, as I would hate to fall in love with my silvers only to then go and ruin them :)

[drquartz1970]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having long silver hair! Looks heaps better then having a short poodle hair perm and dyed hair just looks unnatural. My own hair is going grey and I'm going to grow it out as long as I can. I personally think that waist length silver hair makes a person look wise, and distinguished.

[bahannas]

I love the look of long, healthy grey hair. It gives off a sheen that reminds me of pure silver. :)

[Bill D.]

I love it! My wife Elizabeth is looking forward to having long gray hair herself one day.

Bill D.

[Vrushali]

I think long gray hair looks stunning and magical...and so distinguished!:)

[Babyfine]

Thank you for this thread. I love looking at all of the pictures of the beautiful ladies with long gray hair! You are an inspiration to me!! I have saved the pictures to look at when I think that I should cut it.
I am 63 and have dyed my hair seems like most of my life. I didn't even remember what my natural color was like any more. I also mostly wore it short. I decided that as I get older I didn't want to look just like all of the other older ladies around me that have a perm (look like a poodle) or dyed & it looks a weird color & the texture of steel wool.
Gray is one of the natural hair colors that God created - just like blonde, brown, red, black and gray is nothing to be ashamed of! It is just as beautiful!
I decided that I didn't want to dye my hair any more so I have not dyed it since about last June. I started out with my hair short - above colar length. My hair now is below shoulder length and a mix of gray, lt. blonde & dark brown at the neck line. It has taken me about 18 mon. to get this long. I wear it mostly up because I don't think that my DH likes long hair, so I keep it up so he doesn't know just how long it is getting. I am afraid that he will tell me to cut it & I don't want to. I have always wanted long hair but always wound up cutting it off for some reason. Now when I think of cutting my hair I put on my short hair wig & I think "That I look better with it long", so I don't cut it.

I'm with you-I don't want to look like all the other over 50 ladies either-in the area I live they either have short permed grey hair-or dyed.(over 65-70) or in my age group they have short, highlighted or dyed hair. Some of the short cuts look great-but I like being an individual. I'm not brave enough yet to let the silvers come in-but I'm hoping I will be soon. They are a frizzier texture than my pigmented hair.

[C_Bookworm]

The salt and pepper thread is very inspiring. And there are some lovely people there to help if you find the growing out process frustrating

[ratgirldjh]

I have almost APL very dark brown hair with quite a bit of silver in it. I loved it - but decided to henna recently (2 months ago). I found that I really miss my silver and was so glad when my henna started growing out and my silvers were shining through again!

My dbf on the other hand - really likes my hair hennaed. So I did a root touch up.
I do not see me doing the henna much longer however - I miss my silvers.

They also make me feel powerful and feral and witch-like and beautiful :D

My mom had waist length very thin silver hair and it was amazing. She stupidly (IMO) gave into my sister's pleading to get it cut and now she has below her shoulder silver hair - that she is rapidly growing again...

You should have seen all the men around my 67 year old mom when she would wear her hair down ;) Men love long silver witchy looking hair!!! People were always coming up to her when we would go places and telling her how beautiful it was. But usually she just wears it up anyway... go figure :P

[klcqtee]

I love long grey hair! So long as it remains healthy, I don't see any issues with it at all (of course this is standard for all hair!). It can be gorgeous, and I think it looks much better than older people who dye their hair (often I think it looks unnatural and ages them).