To ask Mumsnet to decide

[RedButtonhole]

if I should dye my hair.

I recently had my bum-length hair chopped for charity, it has grown quite a bit since then and I now have a chin-length bob. Having it all cut meant that I had no residual random colouring left over from previous dye-jobs. My hair is now completely natural, which I like.

I'm only 25 though, and while my natural dark brown is lovely, I have alot of grey too. No "roots" just whole strands through the whole of my head. It is noticable as people have commented on it, my best friend said I should dye it as I'm "too young to be grey".

I can't afford to keep having it done at the hairdressers, and would need to do it myself at home, I've never found a colour that matches my natural one so am always left with an obvioua line of dyed hair and natural hair when it grows in. I suppose it sort of looks dip-dyed, but I'm not a fan of that look.

I do wonder if I'm a bit young to embrace the grey fully though, will it really age me if I leave it?I don't want to look older than my years.

What would you all do?

Well its your hair. I personally can't stand to look at the greys and dye my hair darker than what it is naturally.

If you want to embrace the natural order of things, maybe invest in some decent products to enhance your natural tones?

Dye it.
I think as long as it's close to your current colour, subtle differences won't notice.

I'm 28 and I have exactly what you describe. Go to the hairdressers and they will take care of it, it was the best thing I did for my hair.

Don't just dye it because other people think you should or because of your age. I've been dying my hair for years because I like to change colours but now the greys are coming through its a lot more up keep. I'd quite like to give into grey but I hate having roots. I really dislike the pressure on women from society to cover the greys.

Only you can make this decision

I don't like my hair grey, so I use a brownish red hair colour.

browneyedgirl86 The OP has said she can't afford the hairdressers.

Never mind what others say. How do YOU feel about it? Does it make you feel comfortable/daring/elegant?

A youthful face and good carriage combined with a salt-and-pepper bob can look utterly stunning IMO - but it's your opinion that really matters.

I was exactly the same and got pressured into dying it by my sister and aunts, bloody leave it and wait until YOU decide you might or might NOT want to dye it. its a hassle and its messy and i find it a total pain.
The do-it-yourself dyes are easy enough to use and about 6 per go. so MUCH cheaper than a salon.

make the decision for YOU and not anyone else.

Oh whoops sorry!

I think that some women carry grey hair very well and look younger with it than with dyed hair. I think half the battle is the confidence and attitude.

Try it natural for a while and see how you feel.

Leave it. Don't dye it. You'll look better and feel better for it.

(But re-assess the status of your 'best' friend!)

Tzibeleh I do have quite a young face, and at the risk of sounding up myself I do think I'm quite pretty (at least not unattractive) But I have had one or two " you're only 25???" in the past few years because of the grey.

Thanks Cub If I do dye it it will be a DIY £6 job for sure! I rarely find anything that matches my colour though and so always have flipping roots- even if they're not grey they're still obvious.

I guess my problem is that I take alot of pride in my hair, take care to keep it in good condition and am not sure I want to start mucking about with it now that it's all natural again. But at the same time I like to look nice and that I've made an effort, I dress quite young too (not short skirts or heels, just a bit quirky), I don't want to appear older than I am.

My mum encourages me to use semi-permanent ones as these wash in and wash out, but I still worry about roots and coliur difference.

How about a home-dye lighter than your natural colour? One that will just turn the grey hairs a different shade without affecting your natural one. That way you'll only see a few grey strands starting to appear as it grows out.
Ultimately if you hate the grey you should dye it to please yourself and no-one else. You don't need to make a statement out of 'glad to be grey'.

i cover my grey hair - but with white-blonde bleach then pink dye. cheap and easy to do - but not for everybody, i guess!

53Dragon That's how I ended up with the dip-dye look with my long hair, it really was awful, it faded and eventually ended up what I think they are calling "ombre" at the minute, while the rest of my hair was still dark.

exWife That's exactly how I used to have my hair . I'd go back to it in a flash if it wasn't for the upkeep and the damage the bleach caused to my hair.

RedButtonhole ooer thanks for the tip - I won't try that one then!!

A hair dresser I know told me that the numbers on a hair dye packet ( 5:36 or 6.72 for example) refer to the darkness/lightness of the colour and the warmth/coolness of the tone. She told me the range of numbers I should stay within for a natural look and I've never gone wrong with home hair dye since. Are any of your friends hairdressers who could do this for you or could you afford one trip to the hairdresser to find out your numbers?

You need to ask a hairdresser to help you find a colour from the shop that DOES match, if you want to go that route. Personally I love short, salt and pepper, but it depends on your preference.

Or highlights, which can be done a lot less often.

I don't use permanent dye.

There's no obvious regrowth then.

It just fades out to how it was before.

I have dark brown hair which I love.

Tend to put a reddish tone on, which generally just gives a sheen to it & more often than not turns the greys pink!

not for everyone but fine by me!

Use a semi permanent (24 wash) dye. I find they do last longer than 24 washes in my hair, but do wash out eventually.

You could try a colour depositing conditioner. I use Aveda Black Malva. Its quite expensive but i don't need to use it every time i wash my hair so it lasts a while. It blends in the greys without changing the natural brown too much.