I've been gray since my early 20's, so I know what you mean! Whatever you do, if you've got a lot of gray already, don't go red, as the white hairs pick it up like a sponge and its RED. I've tried many times over the years, and anything with red tint comes up red. Auburn? Red! Chestnut? Red! I think there's a thread here within the past year where my hair turned pink.