O To Be a Silver Fox

[Patrick Murtha]

I'm 49, and my short brown hair has been gradually graying for years, but the pace has picked up noticeably in the past year. I love the gray, always have, and can't wait till I'm a full-blown silver fox like Anderson Cooper or actor John Slattery on "Mad Men." I asked a stylist if there was a way of getting there faster, but she indicated that dyeing to silver/white doesn't work well, winds up looking un-natural, and is expensive to maintain. To those of you who know about such things, I ask, is that pretty much the case? Do I just have to be patient and let nature take its course? I've nothing against my hair the way it is, but a complete snowy top is even more appealing.

 

[Miss Brill]

I think to go gray you'd probably have to bleach the color out & then apply the silver. Most women do root touch-ups rather than a full coloring when they need it, and you could do that & I don't think it would be that much work, unless your hair grows really fast.

 

[carter]

Being there

Just remember, there isn't much difference between a Silver Fox and a Q-Tip.

 

[Jovan]

Wait for nature to take its course, I say. I'm too young to be getting some grey like I am, and I curse your genetics for being better! lol

 

[Miss Brill]

You can use natural products to add some color--like brunettes can rinse their hair with coffee, or cranberry juice, and blondes can use lemon juice--and I'm pretty sure I've seen things to enhance gray hair.

 

[Miss Brill]

Do a Google search for: enhance gray hair
and you'll get lots of hits:

http://www.lhj.com/lhj/story.jhtml?...j/story/data/MG_LoveYourGrayHair_10152004.xml

We tell our salon clients to keep their gray hair shiny and soft and their color pure with moisturizing, clarifying shampoos and conditioners, some of which are now made specifically for gray hair. Clairol Shimmer Lights Shampoo ($10.50), Phytargent Whitening Shampoo ($20), or Artec White Violet Color Shampoo ($15.50) are shampoo treatments that contain bluing tints to prevent that avoid-at-all-costs yellowing effect. To ensure the shampoos achieve the level of brightness you like, mix equal parts of the shampoo with a regular moisturizing shampoo at first use, and experiment until you get familiar with the product and its effect. If hair starts to get a purplish cast, switch to a clarifying and/or moisturizing formula shampoo, alternating formulas for best results.

http://www.beautybuzz.com/hair.asp?page=greyloreal

For those who want to celebrate their gray, L'Oreal introduces Gray Chic Translucent Color Tone a new haircolor brand targeted to women who have predominantly gray hair and don't currently color it. According to Carol J. Hamilton, deputy general manager for L'Oreal, Natural gray hair ofien needs a boost -- a bit of extra sparkle or a way to improve tone and banish yellow. Gray Chic is a translucent color tone that provides women with the brightness, clarity and luminosity they want. Now women can play up their gray in a soft, natural way -- without covering it up. 11 Adds Oribe, consulting hair stylist for L'Oreal, "Gray hair can be very flattering for many women of all ages. It can create a striking contrast with a woman's skin tone. Gray hair can be the ultimate in natural glamour."

 

[katiemakeup]

Salt and pepper hair can be nice!

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I had to wait for over thirty years to get the silver fox look, am just now achieving it and love it. I will not put coloring on my hair.

I think gray and white hair soften the features of we who are aging and I love the look on those who are "prematurely gray" as Anderson Cooper is or that wonderful actor from the 1950's, Jeff Chandler. Wow, he was handsome.

Another added bonus: my hair was always straight and limp, little or no body, had to rely on a really good cut to give it any body at all. The gray has body and I can now comb my hair up and it stays there without my using spray or volumizing agents.

Miss Brill, thanks for all the info on shampoos. I was told some years ago by a hairstylist that if I could not find a shampoo that was specifically for silver foxes, we should look for one that is a blue or purple color and that will enhance our silver and keep the dreaded yellowish color away, something I will need to do as I have basic ash in my hair.

karol

 

[kamikat]

True grey hair is the absence of pigment and is impossible to achieve artificially. The closest you can come to it is platinum blond. However, with a base of dark brown, even a platinum blond will be difficult to achieve and will look like a bleached blond. As a professional, I do recommend that you just wait and let nature take it's course.

 

[Patrick Murtha]

True grey hair is the absence of pigment and is impossible to achieve artificially. The closest you can come to it is platinum blond. However, with a base of dark brown, even a platinum blond will be difficult to achieve and will look like a bleached blond. As a professional, I do recommend that you just wait and let nature take it's course.

Thank you! I had pretty much decided to do just that. I'll Pray for Gray Every Day.

 

[dhermann1]

Good Lord, man, why be in such a hurry! Everything in the fullness of time! Let nature take its course. If you're lucky you'll have many, many years to enjoy the status of "Silver Fox".

 

[Patrick Murtha]

Good Lord, man, why be in such a hurry! Everything in the fullness of time! Let nature take its course. If you're lucky you'll have many, many years to enjoy the status of "Silver Fox".

Well, one hopes so. But I was exploring this as a fashion possibility, like dyeing your hair any other color, rather than as an age marker per se. I think that young silver foxes (otherwise known as the "prematurely gray") often look exceptionally sharp.

 

[Antje]

I wouldn't do it,
your hair won't like it
it is very very difficult to make al you color go out,
and it would be dissapointing if you turned out yellow like

 

[Jonny's Angel]

I have the opposite problem . I'm only 25 han have huge grey streaks on both sides near my face. My dad's family are Italian and all the women have the same, but I dye mine.

Anyway, I wish you luck in your Grey quest!

 

[Bama Mike]

I'm about to turn 32 so I probably have a little more time before this is an issue with me. However, I think I understand your "problem." I worry about losing my hair but I don't worry about it turning grey the way some men do such as my dad. Perhaps it's because there are so many fine examples of grey heads out there. I think men like George Clooney just have more character with it and many men just look even more distinguished. We really are so much more lucky than women in that regard.

 

[RetroMom]

Salt and pepper hair can be nice!

I agree!!

My husband is 44 and has been going gray for years. His hair was a naturally dark brown, almost black, and I think he looks very attractive with the silver in his hair.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

Maybe you could rent a 6 year old, mine seems to be causing my grey hair to come in quite nicely (and quickly)!

 

[Marlowe P.]

funny enough

Im 29... turning 30 in a couple of months... and for the last couple of years they keep coming in one at a time. I thought it was the stress of an awful girlfriend, so I got rid of her and kept the grays. Now, I kinda like em. Plus, Cary Grant and Clooney both looked good going gray, right?
I also have to add that, for men at least, keeping it au natural is the best policy... no dyeing, comb overs, rugs or transplants. And this is off the topic but ponytails on men are a bad idea after you turn 20 and a crime once you have gone bald.

 

[Jovan]

And this is off the topic but ponytails on men are a bad idea after you turn 20...

My stepfather would highly disagree.

 

[Nashoba]

Just remember, there isn't much difference between a Silver Fox and a Q-Tip.

lollollollollollollollollol