Women who let their hair go grey

[CJ2010]

I don't understand why women, except the very old, say age 70 plus do not cover their grey hair?

I know a couple of women who have just turned 40 who are letting their grey come through and are just leaving it. It makes them
look so much older and washed out. I don't understand it really. I appreciate that some women are into the 'natural' look and are not fussed with make up and hair dye but I think by not having colour on your hair you age yourself dramatically.

Grey hair looks so wrong on younger women. AIBU?

Off topic Folk but I always imagine you as a red-head...

When I go grey, Im going to have a blue rinse. I cant wait.

Nope, no urge to look "as good as I can" at all. Substance over style and all that. Don't wear make-up or heels either.

Puzzled as to why you care or think everyone else should conform to your shallow mindset.

arf @ WilsonFrickett's aim to be 'as prolific a Mumsnetter as I can'!

I love OPs phrase, "grey hair looks so wrong on younger women".

It encapsulates so much and so little.

Some young women have grey hair. How very 'unnatural' of them.
Call the emergency services.

My aunt has always been grey even when i was younger she had grey hair and it suits her, me not so much so I dye it, if women want to have grey hair then I don't see the issue

I think women who don't look nice should have to stay at home. What is the point of being female if you can't be pretty as a picture . It should be a valid reason for absence at work 'I can't come in today. I appear to be plain'

Some young scene kids are dying their hair grey :D

Taking ash blonde to a whole new level

Dying your hair silvery grey is actually a style statement at the moment.

Allergies, skin conditions, lack of cash, not giving a shit and plain old personal choice ate all reasons not too...

In some cases people look much, much worse when they try to cover it up.

Well good for you Tee for never working in a profession where age matters. However, many of us (non-actors) have to deal with the reality of the profession they've been working in for decades.

Sadly, I think the number of professions where this doesn't matter is dwindling. Even in say, education, how many MNers were appalled at the thought of a teacher in their (gulp!) 60s teaching their kids?

Well, some women don't dye their hair because they are not as shallow, vain and empty-headed as the OP is making him/herself sound.

crying at pag

I found my first grey hair last month at the grand old age of 28. I was actually quite excited by it!

I do wonder whether I'll take after my mum (only started going grey in her 50's) or my dad (fully grey in his 30's)?

Bah - I coloured my hair so much in my twenties that I'm now madly allergic to dyes if all sorts - even a tiny weeny patch test gives me a chemical burn. It's not always about 'choice'.

Also, why the bloody hell should anyone, man or woman, feel like they 'have' to dye their greys and conform with this idiocy about needing to look as youthful as possible?

Saw Tom Jones on Sunday, he is gorgeous now his hair is natural

Dad is the same age as Tom but is still dark brown, makes him look haggard (not that I tell dad). My dear grandmother never went grey either, did her no favours. I dye my hair blond as I've not a single grey hair and if it's it's true colour I look washed out

"I think women who don't look nice should have to stay at home. What is the point of being female if you can't be pretty as a picture . It should be a valid reason for absence at work 'I can't come in today. I appear to be plain'"

I agree pagwatch. I should not have done the school run today - I did not (shock) have enough makeup on.

Actually I personally don't want to go grey, and plan to start getting my hair coloured when I get a few more silver strands. I think I'll look and feel better without the grey.

But I have no difficulty understanding why someone else might do differently in my situation, what with them being separate people from me with their own independent minds and everything...

Dying your hair doesn't make you shallow or vain

I'm just bored lol
I have purple dye waiting til after the child is christened

OH ive seen the scene kids with that grey/heather colour hair and light blue maybe they are practising for their blue rinse days

^"What, you're not learning Latin? Why ever not? Surely you want to be as educated as you can?'
'You don't exercise every day? But surely you want to be as fit as you can?'
'You don't give away all your spare income to charity? But surely you want to be as generous as you can?'
'You don't hoover every day? Surely you want your house to be as clean as it can be?'"^

//\ This.

"Let" their hair go grey?

Well, I gave my grey hairs a stern talking-to, but the cheeky feckers kept on coming. Do you think I should put them on the naughty step?

Or did you perhaps mean, Women should hide their grey hair?
(as having been on this planet for more than 30 years is clearly a shameful thing....)

My mum has gorgeous silvery grey hair. She's never dyed it and in fact her hairdresser has said that she would refuse to do it as it looks so nice.

Her friends all dye their hair (every 6 weeks!) and they look worse than my mum as the colour does not suit their skin.

My mum does get a bit when offered seats on buses etc. (she's only 60 and fighting fit) because she thinks its only because of her hair.

I used to dye my hair but have stopped now (although not yet grey) as I can't be arsed with the upkeep and think that grey roots look awful, far worse than grey hair all over.

WilsonFrickett You imagine correctly. Although it does come out of a bottle. I'm very jealous of my natural red head son

I'm another one who doesn't have the choice - I have a madly sensitive scalp. When I tried to have my hair dyed a few years ago my scalp was left pretty much raw, with huge chunks of it falling off. I do try to disguise the grey with highlights (so the dye doesn't touch my scalp) but that doesn't cover it all. I have contemplated just letting it be natural, but it looks a bit scruffy on me I think.