AIMB to embrace the grey?

If you have it done at the hairdresser, by a skilled colourist, they will blend different shades taking into account your skin tone and come up with the shade that looks most natural for you and it won’t be an overall flat colour. Box dyes are a very blunt instrument.

37 and I have a lot of grey. I only ever use semi permanent hair dye and often don't bother so the grey comes through periodically. Only one person has ever commented on it with a very insincere sounding "good for you"

Honest the trick is not to care. People will get used to it and stop commenting

Your complexion changes as you get older which is why people with dyed dark hair often look so awful, they stick with the colour their hair was when the were 20.
Men would never be having this discussion.

I'm 37 and can't dye my hair so I've just had to deal with it. Could not give two hoots what anyone has to say about it, it's my hair so my opinion is the only one that counts. If looking at grey hair is so distressing to people that they simply must express their horror then I'll tell them just not to look at me.

Started going grey in my early 40s but kept dying my hair dark brown/auburn (pale complexion and hazel eyes if it helps build a picture!)

got fed up of dealing with regrowth with box dyes or £80+ at hairdressers every 5-6 weeks about 4 years ago (46). Grew out most the dye - I have shoulder length very thick, very coarse hair normally wear down and has a wave.

Since growing it out and hitting peri-menopause it’s gone much curlier which really helps soften the greys.

I tried something last summer after seeing a hairdresser do a consultation on Instagram with a lady growing out her dye/accepting the grey - the hairdresser said she could do something like a balayage and she’d only need to have it touched up about every 3 months - sounded like heaven to me. I had it done and very happy with it - didn’t go back for other reasons (financial and been busy in her available days).

when my hair was straight the steely cold silver tones did wash my complexion a bit. But with embracing the curl and learning how to manage it - it really softens the colour and I get so many compliments on my hair now.

you could always have it silver but maybe have your mum do some very subtle high or low light thingies to soften the effect? I’m not a big hair maintenance fan so no idea of all the phrases! 🤦‍♀️

Lazy? To have your own hair colour? How strange. And people who think they're knocking years off by dyeing their hair are generally deluded. I'm not saying dyed hair doesn't look good on loads of people, but it's not a magic bullet. You still have the same face.

I got my first grey hair in my teens and dyed it religiously until I turned 40

Then I started to question who I was doing it for and haven't dyed it since

I'm 47, I look 47 although my lovely daughter says I look younger I have thick healthy hair and I do not miss the 3 weekly roots sessions and the amount I used to spend on maintenance and hair treatments because my hair felt so coarse and hard to manage

No one criticises men for having their natural hair colour or labels them as lazy!

Getting older is a privilege so I'm not going to apologise for embracing it

I stopped dying mine at 38 and I’m 43 (went grey in my twenties). I love it, it’s so much less hassle and I get lots of compliments on my hair colour.

I tried, but absolutely hated it. Then dyed it various shades of blonde but looked like death with them all. I have gone back to my natural dark brown.
I wanted to love the grey but it didn’t work for me unfortunately.

I'm 57 too. I stopped dyeing my hair during the pandemic and will never go back. It was originally black, but I started dyeing it dark brown, then mid brown and finally ash brown. I hated the fact I got one week of it looking good, followed by a week of slight regrowth, then suddenly a grey stripe the size of a runway. I was constantly stressed about keeping the grey covered and used those spray things. Now it is silver grey with a few strands of black. I have never had so many compliments in my life, some from complete strangers. And plenty from younger people. Unsolicited compliments, believe me, because I'm a very quiet, introverted type. I don't think I look older. If I do though, I don't care!

I'm 39 and have greys around my temples. I'm just letting mine come in naturally. I have seen too many friends and family keep going with the dye longer than they'd wanted to because they were afraid of the inbetween stage of growing out the dye.

I also kind of feel like the reason having greys in your 40s is seen as "horribly ageing" is because for decades, we've expected women to cover them up. Like, we're supposed to have greys in our 40s, and the more people who just let it happen, the more society becomes used to the idea. I have no objection to looking 40 at 40, or 60 at 60; why would I still want to look 35?

I'm 53 and growing mine out . It's long. I got fed up having to do my roots blonde all the time. It's alot less hassle and my husband and children like it. I am quite into it . Feels freeing .

Ha, my mum also didn't approve! My DH and friends were also unsupportive when I announced my intention. It was as if I'd said I was thinking of removing a toe for vanity. I stuck to my guns though and I love it and I get lots of compliments or my "chrome accessories", "natural highlights", etc., best thing is my hair is healthy, unique and very low maintanance!

There's nothing more aging than someone of 65-70 or older dyeing their hair a uniform dark brown.
I embraced the grey during lockdown & it has faded to a sort of blond/silver mix which is weird as it was definitely mousey when I was younger & I always had blond highlights. My hairdresser is always going on about what a fabulous colour it is. I'll take that, true or not 😂

I’m 62 and yet to embrace the grey. If I ever go white all over then I will. But my skin tone does not suit grey hair.

Isn't it more lazy to judge someone for something that affects you not a jot?

I decided, when I was a good bit younger, to just embrace my grey as it came in.
Now in my late 40's I am about 20% (max) grey and it's just blending happily in. I did use a semi permanent dye to add some brightness, but it turned out less intense than planned and so the grey was still grey and the brown was shinier brown - it was an accidental success! Somebody once said to me 'you're too old to be grey' and my response is that 'I'll go grey when my hair decides it's time to be grey'. I feel like it's a personal thing, I don't judge anyone for greying naturally, using dye, going a bright shade of pink (or whatever colour they like) - I would say it is easier to start grey naturally than it is to decide to do it after a period of dyeing (you might well know that, but others might not). Do what makes you happy!

Berlinlover · Today 11:39
I can’t understand anyone “embracing the grey”, it just looks lazy and like you can’t be bothered. Why anyone would want to look several years older than they are is a mystery to me”

I’m frequently told I look several years younger than I am so maybe it’ll make me look my age, yippee 😁

😅😅you have described me @BIossomtoes yes I am an old person with dyed hair. Unfortunately I'm not ready to give in yet, so will have to keep paying around £500 a year to get my roots done.

I'm 40, been going grey since my early 20s, finally embraced it about 18 months ago. I love it. The condition has improved so much since I stopped dyeing it and the grey is sparkly silver and pretty.

I went down the route of getting ashy blonde highlights first to blend with the grey, so I didn't have as extreme a demarcation line as I grew it out. I've now covered what's left of the blonde with pink, so it's silver on top and pink on the bottom. People my age and younger have gushed profusely about how amazing it looks but my mother (68 and says she will never stop dyeing her hair blonde) is absolutely horrified!

Does it age me? Of course. But I still have quite a young-looking face, so for me it's more that it signals my age rather than makes me look older, if that makes sense. I was fed up with people thinking I was much younger than I am and I'm perfectly happy to actually look my age!

I’m not sure I’m embracing it as such but as I think I’m about 80% grey/white now and the hairdresser was putting in a white blend I decided it was a bit crazy to pay for that if it’s there anyway and I haven’t had it coloured since before Christmas. It’s been coloured blond for years but I was originally mousey. So I’m seeing how I go with it. I’m using purple shampoo every few washes.

Getting it cut next week so may go a bit shorter too. I went to a new hairdresser a couple of months ago for a cut and really liked what he did and I think he would do a good job on a shorter cut. And would be honest if he didn’t think he would suit!

oh and I’m about to turn 60.

I am 48 this year and just starting to get some grey hairs - not ready for that yet so will booking to have some highlights done soon!

I am 66, it's only in the past 5 years or so that I have obviously started to go grey. I haven't dyed my hair for about 20 years, I feel much better about going grey, as I was constantly asked about dying my hair, even DH thought I dyed my hair!

My friend has gone grey. She has a sharp bob with a thick fringe. It looks like a steel helmet. I’d never say anything to her, but it does not suit her at all.