Many shades of grey

Many years ago, I heard a personality (I can't remember who) say that as you age, white hair is better than no hair! As someone who's been prematurely grey since my thirties and is also battling rapidly thinning hair, I couldn't agree more. There seems to be a trend, albeit more in Western countries, for women to go completely grey or silver and stop coloring their hair. I've been coloring my hair for more than twenty years. Do I want to follow suit?
I've done it all, colored my hair at salons as well as used home treatments to cover the grey. As a result, my hair can get dry and brittle if I don't follow up with special hair treatments. I've had to settle for shorter and shorter hairdos as well to deal with these dry, thinning locks.

My friend, T, tried going completely grey once, and I have to admit, with her abundant, thick tresses, she did look good. It also helped that the grey actually enhanced her natural coloring. After a couple of years of being silver, she went back to coloring her hair dark, because she said grey hair made her look and feel old.

I know another woman, R, who has let her hair go completely white. Maybe it's just me, but I think that pure white hair somehow doesn't go well with Oriental skin tones. While I applaud her for her bold move, she is looking considerably older than her spouse.

My friend, K, has tried to let her hair go grey naturally, and her long hair is streaked with strands of white. She's had comments that she's starting to look like her mother, and other well-meaning friends telling her "not to let herself go".

So what should I do? Is coloring my hair a form of cheating or faking? I don't consider it any different from tying a  beautiful scarf around my neck, putting on bright lipstick or accentuating my eyes with some mascara. I think a beauty guru summed it up best by saying just do whatever makes you feel comfortable and good about yourself. For now, that means continue coloring my hair, until I reach a milestone (turning 60? A grandchild?) and decide I want to try something new.

Here's a look at some women who've gone silver and loving it!