Touching up grays with marker

[Yame]

I only dye my hair about once a year, and I'm seriously considering stopping (let's see how long I last). My natural color is dark brown, and I dye it black so there isn't a huge difference.

I've had one or two grays for a few years now, at first I was plucking them but I've decided to stop since now I have a couple more. I have only about a handful on either side of my head (that I can see of course), and they are hidden most of the time, but they are starting to peak out when I put my hair up.

I don't want to be forced to dye my hair over only a couple of grays. Even if I decide to dye my hair, I don't want to have to dye it more than once a year because I never had to before... I'm very low maintenance and want to keep it that way.

On the other hand, I don't really want the grays right now. I'd love to have all white hair one day, but it's not happening any time soon and probably not ever. I'll probably be fine with my grays showing once I am older and have more of them, but I don't want just a few assorted grays showing right now.

So today, I came up with a solution. I took a regular black marker and colored my visible grays with it. It worked pretty well, so I might do all my grays after the next time I wash my hair. Even if this only lasts for one wash, it's still an okay solution since I don't have that many grays to pick out and color and since I wash just once a week, it would last at least once a week.

Does anyone else do this?

[Seeshami]

They make dye/hair paint for just that I think. It comes in a mascara like bottle and is called root touch up or something like that. I would just use that because in theory it is hair safe and possibly more permanent then marker.

Edit:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=root+touch+up&um=1&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1424&bih=338&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15763316487260101488&sa=X&ei=Zrd_T8OONqWr2AXH64jzBg&ved=0CJYBEPMCMAM

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=root+touch+up&um=1&hl=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1424&bih=338&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=11168561065515393005&sa=X&ei=Zrd_T8OONqWr2AXH64jzBg&ved=0CLoBEPMCMAg

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=root+touch+up&hl=en&safe=off&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1424&bih=338&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=4757493525894122098&sa=X&ei=x7d_T5OMHsbL2QWtjrjuBg&ved=0CKABEPMCMAY4Cg

[Yame]

I took a look at markers and mascaras specifically made to touch up hair, but I honestly don't see what the benefit is.

They are much more expensive and don't seem to work better, based on the reviews I read.

The marker I used on my hair stays on and doesn't seem to rub off on my hands when I run my fingers through my hair or flake off, whereas these hair mascaras and markers appear to do that. I haven't found any that are permanent (they all wash out when you shampoo) but would consider one that was.

I am not overly concerned over safety, I'm assuming in such small amounts it's not really toxic or dangerous. I mean, people use markers all the time and sometimes it gets on their skin and it's not a big deal when that happens... so a small amount on a few strands of hair shouldn't be a big deal, right?

[Seeshami]

Awe shucks I was hoping something I noticed and thought was bazaar beyond weird and remembered would help some one.

[MinderMutsig]

Maybe you could use permanent dye, mixed in small quantities, and apply it with an old mascara brush. If you don't want to mess with regular size packaging you could also use eyebrow dye which comes in smaller tubes. That way you only have to do it once for the entire strand and just touch up the roots every couple of weeks.

I imagine having to color every single strand every week would get tedious and old fast.

[Yame]

Maybe you could use permanent dye, mixed in small quantities, and apply it with an old mascara brush. If you don't want to mess with regular size packaging you could also use eyebrow dye which comes in smaller tubes. That way you only have to do it once for the entire strand and just touch up the roots every couple of weeks.

I imagine having to color every single strand every week would get tedious and old fast.

Hahaha perhaps eventually, but for now it's not that bad, it's something like 8 strands, all very short. It would only take about 2 minutes... which is less effort total in a month than I'd have to spend prepping permanent dye and applying it.

But perhaps eventually once I have so many that this is too much work, I will consider this method.

[MinderMutsig]

I dye my own eyebrows and it really doesn't take that long to mix the dye. I put about 1 cm of dye and a couple of drops of developer in a small dish, stir and apply. It takes longer to cover the surrounding skin with vaseline than it does to mix, color and remove the dye.

But I understand if you don't want to go that route just yet. It's something to keep in mind though if you ever get more greys and get tired of using the marker. ;)

[Emy Sue]

Interesting sidenote: Rosemary essenstial oil causes the hair to produce melanin again, thus reversing gray hair. The fix is temporary, eventually your hair follicle will not produce color anymore, but it is a great way to keep the grays at bay for longer by coaxing the compound which produces hair color to keep producing hair color.

My dad is 50, has been using this since he was 35, and has 3 gray hairs around each ear. (Come to think of it, they might be his ear hairs. Ew.) I am 31, and have yet to see a gray hair. What we do:

Get a bottle of Rosemary essential oil. Use the tail-end of your shampoo (or conditioner if you are CO) and add about 10 drops per ounce of cleansing method. If you are a water-only, then you can get the same results by mixing water and oil, 10 drops per ounce, and spray it on your scalp. Almost instantly your hair starts growing in darker again. You can see where the line in the hair is that kicks in the melanin. So you will have gray that's already there, but it will start darkening up again.

It also helps regrow thinning hair, and smells wonderful, too. Best of luck to you!

[Debra83]

Interesting sidenote: Rosemary essenstial oil causes the hair to produce melanin again, thus reversing gray hair. The fix is temporary, eventually your hair follicle will not produce color anymore, but it is a great way to keep the grays at bay for longer by coaxing the compound which produces hair color to keep producing hair color.

My dad is 50, has been using this since he was 35, and has 3 gray hairs around each ear. (Come to think of it, they might be his ear hairs. Ew.) I am 31, and have yet to see a gray hair. What we do:

Get a bottle of Rosemary essential oil. Use the tail-end of your shampoo (or conditioner if you are CO) and add about 10 drops per ounce of cleansing method. If you are a water-only, then you can get the same results by mixing water and oil, 10 drops per ounce, and spray it on your scalp. Almost instantly your hair starts growing in darker again. You can see where the line in the hair is that kicks in the melanin. So you will have gray that's already there, but it will start darkening up again.

It also helps regrow thinning hair, and smells wonderful, too. Best of luck to you!



:confused: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!!!! I can't believe I never heard of this before? I'm going to try that for SURE! Thanks for the info! :D

[Emy Sue]

Dead serious. There's not alot of info about it on the web, but I learned from my grandmother who was a midwife/herbalist/witchy-woman, and she didn't go gray until well into her 60's.

I did have a friend who used this method for 6 months with no result, so she gave up. But it has worked on myself, my father, and 2 other individuals that I know of. Best of luck to you in your journey!

[MinderMutsig]

Dead serious. There's not alot of info about it on the web, but I learned from my grandmother who was a midwife/herbalist/witchy-woman, and she didn't go gray until well into her 60's.

I did have a friend who used this method for 6 months with no result, so she gave up. But it has worked on myself, my father, and 2 other individuals that I know of. Best of luck to you in your journey!Rosemary and sage rinses have the same effect. I think there's some info on those on the forums somewhere but if there isn't, google should have it.

From what I know you steep a tea from rosemary and sage, dunk your hair in and pour over the length a couple of times, cover with a shower cap and let it soak for a while and rinse. Or maybe you're not supposed to rinse, I'm not sure because I never tried it.