At what age do you think hair coloring is OK - Page 2

[Drummer's Wife]

My DD had a purple streak in her hair when she was 10, and now at almost 12, she dyed the tips pink, herself. It will grow out; it can be dyed over. It's just not a big deal to me where I would say you have to be 16, or 18, or out of my house, or whatever. She's discovering herself , and she'll get bored of it soon, I'm guessing.

[Lazurii]

Originally Posted by MrsGregory 

Whoah, Lazurii, is that your hair?  I am obscenely jealous!

It was my hair.  I, erm, buzzed it all off.  I've always wanted to see what I looked like bald!  I've kept it buzzed about a year now.  At the moment it's around 1/2" and I'm trying to bleach it to white, but the best I'm getting is a bright yellow.  And that's after three bleaches with 30 volume developer and a hi-lift toner.  I think I need to admit defeat.

This is basically my current look:

[MrsGregory]

You are awesomely brave with your hair, and you're awfully pretty to boot! 

So - if you're still trying for white, and you're just getting yellow, maybe attempt a very cool, pale blonde over the lifted locks?  It won't be straight white, but it may be fairly close to what you are seeking.
 

[Lazurii]

Thanks for the tip, MrsGregory.  I did try an ash blonde toner after I had bleached twice and it was still brassy.  I think I"ll keep trying since it if doesn't work out I'll just buzz it off again.

[catnip]

I dyed a pink streak in my daughter's hair at 4. My friend did her son's all green at 3. Her daughter's is always pink (mom's is purple, dad is blue). My kid is 8 now, with hip-length strawberry blonde hair. I can't bring myself to let her overdye it all, it's too pretty, but streaks? Sure. 

[Doodlebugsmom]

Originally Posted by journeymom 

Wow! Good to know about the KoolAid! I'd heard of it, thought it washed out pretty quick.

We did dd's with Kool Aid on New Year's Eve. It still has just a hint of red to it. I thought it would come out in a few washes! It was so messy, but I'd do it again.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by Lazurii 

It was my hair.  I, erm, buzzed it all off.  I've always wanted to see what I looked like bald!  I've kept it buzzed about a year now.  At the moment it's around 1/2" and I'm trying to bleach it to white, but the best I'm getting is a bright yellow.  And that's after three bleaches with 30 volume developer and a hi-lift toner.  I think I need to admit defeat.

This is basically my current look:

You look great bald! 

[Lazurii]

Originally Posted by journeymom 

You look great bald! 

Thank you!  I was pleasantly surprised once I did it.  It's been my best haircut, especially in terms of maintenance and day-today styling.

[ACarter]

Originally Posted by mamazee 

I mean permanent dying, or highlighting? Is there a difference between boys and girls? What about between something not that dramatic, and something like bright green?

I saw a boy (maybe 10) with a bright green mohawk and my daughter said he told her that the dye is permanent. A friend said she wouldn't let her child get permanent hair coloring at that age, and particularly not something so dramatic. She thought kids should be teenaged before giving them so much freedom with hair.

I would be fine with it, personally. However, I also know someone who colored a toddler's hair because she thought her dd would be prettier blonde. I can't imagine having a toddler, (like even younger than 2) sit through and have chemicals on her head. But this toddler's grandmother was a hair stylist so she would have known what she was doing anyway. I don't know if that makes a difference on not.

My overall feeling is that if they're old enough to initiate the conversation and ask for it, then I'm OK with doing it/getting it done. Even something dramatic. But I'd want them to be old enough where they've formed an opinion and ask for it themselves.

I agree with you. If the child is old enough to make the decision, then I would be okay with it. But I can also understand someone not wanting their young child to have a wild hair-do. I guess it depends on how conservative you are. I think the example you gave of someone forcing their toddler to dye their hair is just shallow and wrong, but that's just IMHO.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by Lazurii 

oooh i'm insanely jealous L. you look FABULOUS. i tried it but it doesnt suit me very well. btw i love, love, love the photo. not just you but those beautiful pretty white flowers behind you. 

i love grey hair. i cant wait for mine to turn silver. it has started but at an extremely s l o w  rate. 

[Lazurii]

Originally Posted by meemee 

oooh i'm insanely jealous L. you look FABULOUS. i tried it but it doesnt suit me very well. btw i love, love, love the photo. not just you but those beautiful pretty white flowers behind you. 

i love grey hair. i cant wait for mine to turn silver. it has started but at an extremely s l o w  rate. 

 You guys are making me BLUSH!  That's my pear tree and it grows the best fruit.  *swoon*

And I'm right there with you about grey/silver hair!  I started getting my first greys (now that I'm the ungodly age of 28) and I was so excited I did a happy dance and made The Hubby join in.

[MrsGregory]

I started silvering at 19.  I'm nearly 50% gone now, except I'm blonde enough that people don't seem to notice.  Or they're very kind.  I don't color any more.

Clearly, I was not amused.  Oh well.
 

[swd12422]

If it weren't for the chemical factor, I'd be okay with dyeing hair at any age, as long as it's their choice. It's the chemical thing that bothers me -- I just can't get past it and I think i'm pretty much a firm "no" on doing it at all ti my kids are adults. If there were a totally safe way to go, I'd reconsider.

[beanma]

Henna is natural. We use Light Mountain Naturals. We've only used the "fox" one which is just henna, nothing else. Some of the other colors have other botanicals mixed in.

[catnip]

My friend with the green haired 2 year old reached out and grabbed a handful of dye and plopped it on his head when they were doing Dad's hair. Definitely his decision.

[limabean]

For other families, it's fine whenever they choose to do it. For us, it's something I'm not really cool with until ... I don't know when, but not yet. Maybe the teen years? We live in an affluent area, where several of my 3rd grader's classmates have iPhones, highlights in their hair, name-brand clothes, are always styled to the hilt, etc., and that's just repulsive to me (sorry to be so blunt). My kids don't even use hair gel or anything -- they just look like plain old little kids. Even when I flat-iron my hair for an event, I feel too "done up" -- I guess I just have an aversion to that look, because so many women who live around me look like the OC Housewives. 

ETA: Having a neon streak seems much more age-appropriate to me than blonde highlights. I think I would be much more likely to agree to blue or green than blonde. But the kids' school has a policy against non-natural hair colors, and neither of my kids have asked, so it's a non-issue for us. 

[beanma]

The henna is fun, natural, natural hair color (red) and looks pretty good. It fades out of medium to dark hair in a couple of months. Here's what some streaks look like (not me or mine, found online):

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=29765

[mamazee]

Originally Posted by beanma 

The henna is fun, natural, natural hair color (red) and looks pretty good. It fades out of medium to dark hair in a couple of months. Here's what some streaks look like (not me or mine, found online):

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=29765

I love how that looks! My daughter would like it too I bet and it isn't a chemical! :)

[alaskanmomma]

Probably 13+ for anything. Whether that's bright pink hair or subtle highlights. Doesn't matter which gender.

[ilovemygirl]

I was crazy with this as a teenager. I did every color imaginable. I eventually had a bleach job go bad and lost my waist length hair to a pixie cut. I was pretty devastated.

It may just be me imagining things but I feel like everyone I know that used the harsh chemical dyes never really got their natural hair back completely. We all ended up with limp stingy thinning hair by our mid twenties even after stopping the dyes. 

So my issue isn't really the color it's the chemicals. They are horrible for our bodies, our hair and the environment. If I knew then what I know now I would have never done it. 

That said, at maybe 13 I would say natural henna is okay for either gender.