My natural color is almost black that is now almost all gray; since I have hypothyroidism, and take Synthroid, that tends to make one get gray early. I keep my hair long and it's still pretty thick and if I did it myself, I'd destroy the bathroom, so I allow myself a visit to the parlor once a month to keep the roots nice and dark.
Like Andie MacDowell (for L'Oreal) says, "because you're worth it".