...to think dyed grey hair looks shit?

[FourBagsOfMiniEggs]

I’m so fed up. I’m 30 and have been going grey since about 22. I’ve got frizzy, wiry greys sprouting out all over my head and I just feel so sad about it. I scrape it up in a bun or use a headband a lot of the time, but I hate all of these wispy greys. I feel like I look so scruffy. If I had straight glossy hair it might be different but I’ve always had very frizzy hair.

Anyway, I’ve been thinking about dying it and then I realised...dyed grey hair always seems to look shit! You can always, always see the grey regrowth shining through and the colour looks unnatural. I also think maybe it’s more ageing to dye it, particularly for me aged 30?

Has anyone managed to dye their grey hair successfully and NOT have it look shit? Anyone else gone grey early? Any tips on embracing it? I hate this frizzy streaky grey in-between. I feel like it’s too early to just give up on my hair but I just feel so low. It’s no fun going grey early 😣

I think it looks great on younger people but if I were to do it, I would just look very old lol

My MIL is completely grey and I honestly always thought she had auburn hair until lockdown when she couldn't get to the hairdresser any more. So I guess regular trips to the hairdresser is the way. I can't afford that and I have quite a few greys popping up, they aren't too bad if I keep my colour as close to the natural brown as possible but then my ends go darker than my roots and it all looks a mess. So I am considering embracing the grey but I'm only mid thirties

My mum died her grey hair for years and it didn’t look shit. I think, if done properly, it doesn’t look bad.

I thought you meant hair dyed grey, not grey hair dyed other colours.

Anyway, well done dye jobs on grey hair look great, but you could embrace it and dye your hair totally grey instead.

@GreenSlide do you use a permanent dye and get it done at the hairdresser normally when you have yours dyed? Yes, I agree - I think it can tend to look a mess when it’s all patchy which is why I feel so fed up about it all. I don’t really feel ready to completely embrace the grey, but my grey hairs are a completely different texture, so I don’t think they’d even take to dye.

As long as it is done properly by a trained colourist using the right products it doesn't look shit at all!

@BeingATwatItsABingThing@Takemetothebar how do you ensure a well-done dye job?! And how frequently do you have to do it?

You have to get it done professionally then use masks weekly (at least) to get the condition good. I have plenty greys but with a four-weekly trip to the hairdresser it's managed really well. I have a natural looking balayage so it's just roots/regrow the very four weeks then balayage once a year.

Now in lockdown it's theeeee worst and I've been doing home dyes to just touch up the roots but home dye is SHIT. Whether it's the product, the application or whatever it really can't compare to a pro salon.

Honestly I think 30 is too young to give into the greys, yes it's vain but I'm late 30s and even I refuse to give in just yet.

Book yourself somewhere good

I think your best bet is going to a hairdressers to have it done well - but then you have to keep getting it redone forever more. Or why don't you just get one of those spray on ones for roots if it's just a bit here and there you want to cover up x

I don’t think so, but tbh I don’t have experience with grey hair to notice the downsides you mention.

People my age (20s) that go grey tend to look good and pull it off. By grey, I mean like a silver platinum blonde.

I think you can pull it off if you gradually go blonde at a top tier salon with a great colourist. It will take a few appointments over the year to do it properly but the end result will be stunning.

My grandma dyed her hair until she was 97 and it looked fantastic.

On me, grey hair looks shit, trust me. When I dye it, it looks 100% better. Choose your dye carefully.

[quote FourBagsOfMiniEggs]**@BeingATwatItsABingThing@Takemetothebar how do you ensure a well-done dye job?! And how frequently do you have to do it?[/quote]
No idea about the care afterwards but my mum got her box dye from the shop and then her hairdresser (a family friend but qualified hairdresser) dyed it for her.

Oh fuck, thought you mean dying hair grey as opposed to dying over the grey strands.

Same advice though, go to a salon as they’ll do a better job. Maybe once you’re used to it after a few appointments and know what to do, you can try it yourself

I'm embracing mine. I've decided that looking as though my body is aging isn't something I'm going to fight. it's remarkably freeing 😂.

Actually mine doesn’t look shit. Perhaps because it’s curly and I have three different colours rub through it.

I have grey hair and have had it since 22 too (I am 29 now). It's throughout my whole head and I have very dark brown hair so it's hard to hide. I have my roots regularly touched up at the salon and as PP have said I will use a weekly hair mask to keep the condition good.

I think it depends on where the grey hair grows, I have a friend who has a thick streak of grey hair at the front and it looks fab!

Also the texture of your hair isn’t a problem. I’m dyed blonde and have had damaged hair before, but my hairdresser has always been able to blow dry it to look shiny and healthy. The texture doesn’t impact the colour really, they may just apply it differently eg on wet hair as opposed to dry hair

I like going the other way with a bit of henna, so the grey ones are still different in shade rather than blended in. But it sounds like it might be texture more than colour bothering you, in which case I have no advice (my greys are the same texture as the rest)

One more thing, look into keratin smoothing salon treatments. They last about 3 months and will work wonders for frizzy hair by giving you smooth and sleek shiny hair

@notmethenwho what hair mask do you use? The balayage idea is interesting - maybe it’s the home dye jobs I see that put me off dying it

Not dyed my hair in years; I had Brazilian blow dries for a few years to cheat the frizz, then one went wrong, so once that had grown out I embraced the curly girl method, and very rarely get frizz these days.
The problem with dying it is that the colour is likely to make the frizzy bits drier. Mine is mostly white now, a bit darker at the back.
I find the Cantu range of products really good - especially the co-wash, Moisturising Curl Activator Cream after washing, and curl reviver spray on days that I don't wash it.

If you have dark hair op and want to stay your natural colour I have heard excellent things about the use of henna (seriously) to cover greys and have it in lovely condition. Have a google see if it could be for you?

I dye my hair and I don't think it looks shit. I was getting it done at a salon but I'm ok doing it myself now. The trick is to just do the roots but do all the roots, so section into four then part at one inch intervals, dye each parting as you go, then refresh the rest by pulling dye to the roots for the last five minutes. Or just pay a hairdresser to do it for you.

And yes to the curly girl method if the texture it annoying you!