How do I go grey gradually?

[CerseiHeartsJaime4ever]

I currently have no colour on my hair because frankly, its a good colour and I will miss it when its gone. Its a very dark brown with natural red highlights. People always ask me what brand I use!

Anyway, the greys are coming through thick and fast now. I am thinking I would be happy with a full head of grey hair, but how can I get from this patchy phase (which could last 10 years!) to a full on grey.

Could I - highlight gently over the years, adding more until eventually the colour matches my natural grey, whatever that might be?

Or, find a colour that matches my natural, and then start the highlighting phase later on? (How will I know what the colour underneath looks like if I take this route?)

My Mum recently grew out her coloured hair and it has not only taken a long time, it is only just starting to look good. I want a more gradual effect so that no one notices (hence starting the highlighting now).

Tips would be really great and appreciated!

[Fuzzballs]

Your own grey coming through would be like natural highlights an would be gradual so that no one would notice. Going grey now through dye will be high maintenance as you will have roots every few weeks and the problem with highlights is that they won't match our grey. If you are looking for natural looking highlights and want to go grey then just leave it. Or am I missing something?

[CerseiHeartsJaime4ever]

They aren't coming through in a particularly "highlight" type style. Think skunk.

Obviously a hairdresser could put some highlights through to blend them in until one day the highlights become less and the greys take over = natural grey.

[EmmaWoodlouse]

I used to know someone who had very dark hair with quite a lot of individual white hairs in it. What she did was to use semi-permanent colours that were quite a lot lighter than her original colour, so it didn't show up on the darker hairs and the white ones looked like red or blonde highlights.

[Fuzzballs]

The problem with highlights is that they just make you blonder and blonder with no real going grey stage. You just have blond and brown with white roots

[Fuzzballs]

IE it's much harder than you'd think to get highlights that are cool and pale like the grey, and not blond

[CerseiHeartsJaime4ever]

Emma, that is a fantastic idea! I think that's what I will do. I could easily get a red-ish semi that will show on the greys but not on the brown! Then its not such a drastic change.

[Fuzzballs]

Honestly I don't want to sound dismissive of your plans but if you want to go grey then jut let it happen. No dying will give you the resul you Are after, and you will end up growing the dye out. Just read the threads on going grey on here

[madwomanbackintheattic]

A drastic change that might take 10 years? Uh huh.

Seems really bizarre to have dye free hair but decide to alter it chemically when your ultimate goal is to be grey.

If you've got a proper skunk, rock it. And it ain't taking ten years.

I'm also dark brown. Tried some highlights. They actually looked pretty funky as the colour faded to blorange, and the brown, blorange, grey was a pretty cool effect. Most people don't like faded blorange highlights on brown/ grey hair though. I was a bit of an oddball.

Growing out highlights is a glorious pain in the arse. As they fade and you have to have more put in, your hair becomes gradually more and more dyed. So in the end, you still have to go through the skunk phase to get rid of what were highlights and are now just dyed hair. Same as trying to keep it dyed the original colour. It's just dealing with a different colour skunk.

Just leave it. Unless what you are really saying is 'I'm not ready to be greying yet', in which case, all good. Grab the dye in whatever colour you want.

[CerseiHeartsJaime4ever]

But grey strands coming through on dark hair doesn't look like highlights. It looks like you can't be bothered or haven't got round to colouring it yet. I know about 6 women who have done this and after about 10 years of salt and pepper, eventually succumbed to an all out dye anyway.

My mums hair is white, which is gorgeous. I don't really want to be fully dye free until I am at a grey I like. Right now I am more of a 'bedraggled grey'. I am not against colour or chemicals, I haven't been dye free because of that, I just naturally had a colour that looked like highlights so never changed it.

[madwomanbackintheattic]

Lol, I know. But dyed highlights on grey hair on dark hair have the same effect. They tie you in to a dying routine, which ends in complete head of dye and ultimate skunk stripe anyway, even more noticeable because but the time you are finally ready to accept your natural colour, it is entirely white/ grey.

There is no shame in being not ready to grey. There really isn't. But trying to dress it up as 'going grey gradually' won't help, lol. The 'can't be bothered' 'bedraggled' comments are culturally excusable in a society that fetishizes youth though. It's ok. Not everyone is ready to say fuck you to social convention.

The only way to go grey gradually is not to dye your hair. Otherwise it is just hiding grey, or colouring grey. Which is fine. But it ain't gradual. it's camouflage until your hair is a colour you like.

Total semantics, but I wish you like in finding a colour you are happy with.

[CMOTDibbler]

Semi permanents won't work if you have a mallen streak - they can blend in the odd hair, but once you get a few hairs together you get a very odd translucent effect.

I've been going grey since my early 20's, and spent 10 years having to use permanent dye to cover up my grey once the semis couldn't, and then decided to grow my grey in instead. Which I love - and yes, at 42 there are very few women who are grey and I'm sure some judge me for it.

[Twinklestein]

Bugger going grey naturally.

Just dye it dark brown with red highlights aka your natural hair colour.

The time to go grey naturally is when you're dead 80+

[AllPizzasGreatAndSmall]

The light colour semi on dark hair doesn't just cover the greys and leave the rest dark though, there is peroxide in the dye that lifts the colour of the dark hair too.

[bonzo77]

If you want to go grey, don't dye it. Rock the skunk look and take good care of your hair and have a great cut. Dye is a massive, expensive treadmill, whether it's highlights or all over. I speak as a skunk haired salt and pepper brunette, formerly dyeing every fortnight for nearly 20 years.

[LikeASoulWithoutAMind]

Yes I use semi permanent on my hair (naturally very very dark brown with lots of grey now) The semi is a few shades lighter than my natural colour and it changes the colour of all my hair, not just the grey bits. It's quite kind to my hair though.