What happens when you go grey?

[50StrandsOfGrey]

I’ve fairly recently started going grey and I’m curious about how it will progress. Noticing people who have gone fully grey, it seems that they are mostly a dark grey with silver bits (I guess this is salt and pepper?) eventually turning completely silver/white.

My hair is long and a dark chestnut brown colour with red undertones. I can see some strands that are fading to a blondish/light brown colour and then strands that are silver/white, mainly through the front and top and only a few inches long at the moment. Where do the ‘pepper’ strands come in or will I have these but they’re less noticeable against my dark natural colour? Do some people just go straight to silver/white?

Although they’re starting to get more noticeable and the greys are accelerating, I haven’t decided if I will dye my hair or let myself go grey naturally yet, kind of hoping I get a Mallon streak. When I search for images of people going grey, it just returns ones of people who are growing dyed hair out to their natural grey/silver so I’m curious to know how it happens if you decide not to dye.

Would also love to hear when/if you decided to dye your hair at what point did you start and how you did it (box dye, salon highlights etc)?

Think it varies person to person about grey/white hair distribution and whether you're happy with it.

Grey hair doesn't happen uniformly across the head. I'm grey at the top of my head but the section above the back of my neck is still dark brown.

When greying started, I used to get highlights to hide it. Then I stopped that and went all over tints (downside, constant root retouch, though could manage a bit with powder - like ColorWow - temp touch ups).

Then during Covid I grew out all the dye. Hated the grey, and went back to highlights PLUS lowlights. It's hiding the grey okay-ish. Not as good as an all over tint, but lower salon maintenance.

Yes...I'm nearly 65. At first, I got the occasional grey strand, mainly on top and at the front.

My natural colour was mid brown, but got darker as I aged. At the moment, if I don't dye it it's dark brown underneath with a few grey strands on top and is pure white at the temples.

Most of us have no idea how it naturally progresses as we’ve been dying it for years (for me since my mid 20s!)

I definitely have a lot more silver/white at the front/top and the underneath/back is still coming through quite dark. I assume the natural dark hair is the ‘pepper’ but maybe it loses some of the red undertones until it becomes more of a neutral brown, before turning steely grey.

I often toy with the idea of growing it out but I feel like I’m both too old and too young to be grey! A few years ago - before peri meno took its toll - I could have been one of those ‘prematurely grey’ young faced ones. In another 10 years I might be ready to look my age. But at 50 I feel like I want to cling onto the last crumbs of youth by dying it and living in denial!

I've got a streak on my temples, so one either side of my face, very little else where yet, just a few grey strands here and there.

I had grey hairs..I think from age 45 . I have always been blonde so now aged 60 I can see grey hairs around my hair line.

Some people are grey and some pure white eventually.

You can take a punt based on your parent, aunts/uncles and grandparents etc if you have similar hair colour/texture.

Annoyingly for me, my hair is like my paternal aunt but my paternal grandparents had nicotine coloured hair and aunt has always dyed her hair even into old age so I'm not sure how mine will end up. Hoping for pure white though rather than dirty grey.

To answer your question about dyeing...Before covid I had a full salon colour every 8 weeks. Cost a fortune.

During Covid, switched to box dyes and although it's not as good, for the price difference I can live with it. I am lazy though and only get round to doing it every few months which really isn't enough.

I took advantage of Covid to allow my dyed dark hair to grow out.
I was shocked to see the new growth was really white.
I looked like a badger for months, so lockdown was a blessing.
I will never get used to the natural colour, because I was always brunette, but it's a relief not to cope with roots anymore.

Good luck going grey/white...it's a huge change.

I only have white or my normal dark brown hair.

I just realised all my parents generation dye their hair jet black. So I have never seen them in their grey glory even in their 70s.

I hate my grey hair, mine is mostly on top too at the back. I read once they are grey even if you pluck them they'll still grow grey. Maybe it's time for me to dye my hair which I've never done. I'm scared of chemical in my scalp.

I apply a box dye to my roots every 4 weeks. Costs £36 a year at the supermarket.

I have the same hair so following. I've been getting highlights. It wasn't the white hairs that led me to get highlights, it's more the fact that in winter my hair goes a really cool dark brown colour and can to me look a bit flat (in summer it naturally picks up - through sun dyeing - and goes more sun kissed). Whites have accelerated more now though.. they are either blonde or white and only around the front. I think I've got some time left (am 44). DM uses henna so never went grey (she is 76).

Good tip about low lights.

The modern dyes are not harsh. They don't use ammonia or bleach since you are adding colour. It has got a nice smell. The ones I use are oil infused so my hair feels soft after a dye job. I do it at home with help from my dh.

When my greys were not as plentiful, I used to pluck them out. I slightly regret as the roots grow back weaker. My scalp was also got itchy and irritated.

I'd start dying them if the greys bother you.

Mines isn’t grey
it’s a pure white strip now that I have to dye every ten day to 14 days
It didn’t used to be so bad
I also have the Munster side stripe at each temple
I would class it as a battle
Im in my early 40’s and feel too
young To let it come through.

Everybody does, there is no 'grey' hair, just it looks it depending how many white ones you have amongst the dark. I guess if you start blonde it's not so noticeable? I am massively allergic to hair dye, so I know that once the colour goes, it's gone (only a few white ones at the mo)

My MIL had dark hair when she was younger but went grey soon. She is in her early 70s and has been dying her hair light blonde for a while now. I think she looks good.

I think some peoples hair really does go grey rather than having white hair in among the pigmented hair.

Dunno but my head gets itchy because of them.

I started noticing the odd white hair when I was about 42 and it became more frequent now I'm 45 (but still about 2% of my hairs). I have naturally black hair so they stood out a lot, and I kept meaning to dye my hair but only got around to it the last month. I'm really glad I did, it makes me look instantly much younger. I don't feel the need for a salon job as my hair when younger was just the same black and there's no need for anything more complicated than an all over black dye. I'll just have to keep doing the roots regularly, I don't like the look of grey roots at all.

I went from dark with some grey strands to Brillo pad to tarnished silver.

I have mouse brown hair.
Had all sorts of dying done.
Went blond, brown, with highlights. Black. Once.
Covid did for me too.
I haven't dyed it since.
It's short. And the grey is noticeable around my temples.
I see myself and think... I look ok. The grey is blending.
I'm not sure if it ages me more than my years.
I don't know .

I don't miss dying it though.
I think I should invest in a purple shampoo.

Depending on your hair colour and skin tone, grey might not look like salt and pepper. People who are warmer-toned tend not to suit grey hair.

I've been dying mine(home box dye)since my late 20s when I started getting some grey hair at my roots,I'm nearly 50 now and still dyeing my hair,I'm a natural red head(auburn rather than ginger)so I dye it red,I don't know if I'll ever let the grey just grow maybe one day I'll embrace it and it'll look great.

Am in my late 40s and like so many others, stopped colouring my hair during COVID. Turns out my hair colour - after being blonde until my early 20s and then dying blond it as it got darker - is now a brown/reddish colour, which is nice, but really showcases the greys, which are very light coloured.

My grey hairs are mostly at the front/underneath, with the exception of a very grey stripe near my parting. There are none in the middle/back, as far as I can tell.

This means if my hair is down, the front looks grey but not really that much. But if I have it up, it looks very grey and a bit washed out. I alternate between acceptance and annoyance at this situation!😂