Pesky greys..

[ShirleyValentin3]

I have very dark brown hair and I am really quite grey. I don't want to 'go grey', as I am still quite young and I feel like my dark features are part of my identity.

I have boxed dyed on and off for a few years, but it's leaving my hair 'banded' and dry.

Hairdresser recently sorted the colouring out, but it needs doing every 4 weeks, and I can't really afford it.

I use the root spray when it gets bad, but I hate the texture it leaves on my head and hair.

How do you look after your greys? Any styles/colours that have helped? Hairdresser suggested high/low lights in, to disguise growth, but not sure this will end up costing any less than a root touch up every few weeks? 🥴

My dark haired friends have all gone blonde once root touch ups become onerous. They say it’s just easier.

Embrace them. Think of them as Nature's highlights. The thing I've found over the years is that it's all very well keeping your hair the same colour as you've had for many years with all the work that goes into the upkeep, but your skin changes tone as well as you age. There is a very definite "over-dyed" hair look that looks wrong with the changing tone of the face.

I've decided to go fully grey and perhaps dye my hair silver with a stripe of purple should I fancy a change. That, and telling everybody who asks that I'm 10 years older than I actually am. That way they think I look fabulous anyway.

I really can't see myself as a blonde. My eyebrows are so dark!

That's very true about the 'overdyed' look, and of course the complexion changing. I have been following a few ladies who have taken the plunge to transition to grey, on instagram, but I just don't feel ready for it yet.

I have opted, however, for slightly lighter root touch ups, to make sure my hair doesn't end up too dark, which washes me out. This was my main issue with the box dyes building up.

I'm 43 and have a fair bit of grey in my dark hair. I've been dying the roots for years but have found that, no matter how ashy the dye is, and no matter how much blue shampoo and hair mask I use, it starts to take on orange tones within a week or two. I tried about 4 years ago to embrace the grey by having some ash highlights so I could grow it out but I wasn't ready and started dying it again. I've just booked an appointment for a drastic cut (from about two inches below shoulders to a long pixie) and ash highlights and I've decided this time to stick with it. I think there comes a time when continuing with dark dyes just don't work anymore, with changes in skin tone but also due to the texture of grey hair when it's new.

John Freida do a shampoo that is meant to hide/blend grey hair. I have no idea I’d it works but it may be worth looking in to.

Buy the proper hair colour (I buy wella koleston & peroxide from Amazon) & teach someone close to do it for you. It’s really not that that difficult - my DH does mine and saves me £70 a pop! 😁 Tip - pop Vaseline on your skin around the hairline to save staining

Try a T of highlights, then get root regrowth and toner for highlights done at hairdressers every couple of months, pay for it by giving up something non-essential like milk or electricity

I thought this was going to be a thread about squirrels!
However, I do have a suggestion re grey hair. I'm a greying red head and numerous hairdressers have told me it would be impossible to match my natural colour and that i should just embrace the grey. (I don't have the time/money/inclination to go to get it dyed regularly anyway to be honest.) So I had more or less accepted my fate until someone on here suggested coloured conditioner from Superdrug. It's brilliant! Its supposedly wash in wash out but I only use it about every fourth wash and that seems enough. It doesn't get rid of all the greys but makes enough difference and generally lifts the overall colour to give me a bit of a boost. It also leaves my hair nice and smooth and shiny. I don't know if it would be as successful on other colours but they do have quite a range of shades. It doesn't cost a lot and it's gone in a few washes so you haven't got much to lose if you don't like it or it doesn't work.

I use box dye, but carefully just on the roots for 20 minutes and then only on the ends for the last 10 minutes. You can do it with a brush and bowl, but I find I can do it with the bottle. I put it up along the front of my hairline, and ears, and then in 1 inch strips back down my head, just in the roots.
Even though my hair is dark brown, I don't use dark brown dye as it goes black on me, even medium brown goes very dark. I use light brown and it looks natural, even though it doesn't show as light brown on me.

I’m dark haired and although I don’t have many greys they show up very brightly 🤣 Someone on here recommended the Leganza colour conditioner. It goes on like a hair mask and colours the greys - you can leave it on for a shorter or longer time depending on what you want. If you leave it on for 15-20 minutes it’ll show as highlights and 30-40 minutes it’ll look pretty dark. It lasts for a couple of weeks on me - but that would probably depend on your hair type, how often you wash etc. It leaves my hair nice and soft too.

It’s about £8 on Amazon, since I started using it I’ve not used hair dye. I was going to the hairdresser every 6 weeks as the greys were showing through and it was costing a bomb. Weirdly they showed up more when I was dying my hair, I think as it was more of a block colour any grey roots really showed. Now there’s more natural variation you can’t see the greys even if I haven’t used the treatment for a while.

Honestly can’t recommend it enough.

I started going grey at 17, What started as the odd grey hair is now thick bands of grey roots that grow in super fast (I'm 34 now)

I had dyed red hair for about 15 years (box dye burgundy red colour) but had to admit defeat around 6 months ago as the greys were just too much work. Even with doing box dye myself, the colour was fading so fast that it was needing done every 3 weeks and I just couldn't be bothered. I've now got highlights and a sort of copper tint so that the greys don't show so badly. I do need it done by the hairdresser every 4 weeks which is an expense I begrudge. I've had to accept that its no longer a luxury for me but fast becoming an essential if I don't want to embrace the grey.

I have seen some other threads on here with people wondering if the products in box dyes had changed as they were no longer lasting like they used to. Perhaps there's some truth in that, I'm not sure.

If you like what the hairdresser is doing it is worth trying to persevere. I absolutely understand about the cost. Perhaps they could just do the ‘t’ section after the first four weeks rather than full roots and colour. If that’s not an option there are on line salons that will send you the colour match for you to do at home and maybe you could then visit your hairdresser every few months. I’m in a similar position dark brown hair with grey roots , I go much more often than I would like but go without other things to make it work for me.

I used to do this a lot with the wella Koleston, it's a really great dye. But I was struggling to find a colour match. The hairdresser uses 2-3 different shades to get it right, so maybe I need to play around

That's a good idea, I forgot about the online hairdressers. Do you think they send out salon quality dye?

I agree that they're not as good as they once were. The colour fades so quickly. Or maybe I am just way more greys these days

Squirrels - but you still clicked? 🤣

That's interesting about the conditioner, I'd imagine it's a similar product to the Leganza a pp mentioned. I think this might be a next step!

Yes, I do this - despite having dark brown hair I mix 1/4 dark blond and 3/4 of a light brown. I just do roots and after half an hour comb through the ends for the last 10/15 mins. Their colour chart is really good and I pick a shade for my cool skin tone. I quite liked my natural colour and this is very close, although slightly nicer I think.

@ShirleyValentin3 , yes absolutely . They made a real impact during lockdown when we all had bad hair! Your own hairdresser should tell you your colour numbers and which brand they use, my hairdresser had no problem with that. You can then find it on line. Before spending your money have a look at a you tube video of colouring roots. If you feel confident to do it you could order the exact amounts so that you are not nervous about getting the mix right and then as your confidence grows you can buy larger amounts and mix yourself.

This is fab, thank you.

I think I might try this, and stick with the hairdresser for a bit - just accepting that I'll have to pay for it. Doesn't help that I went to quite a fancy salon as a treat, and they've been doing such a fab job. Not cheap though!

I thought this was going to be a thread about squirrels

I came on here wondering if it was hair or squirrels.

I don't really have anything to add to the thread except that my hair is highlighted so the greys blend in.

I forgot to say I go every 4 months or so. They do start to show through but I'm not paying to have them done any more often. In the summer I can leave it about six months.