To love salt and pepper grey?

[UltraProcessedLifeGoals]

People always seem to complain about it as if going white grey is preferable, but I see something attractive in both.
S&P hair has a kind of awesome presence to it, and the contrast between light and dark can look striking.

My sister is S&P grey and still box dyes, so she definitely doesn't like it.

I have what people call dishwater, 'dirty' or mousey hair, and I don't much mind it, but it also seems to get bad press. God knows what age will do to it. I am bracing myself!

Why are some hair colours/changes seen as positive or negative? Why favour one kind of grey to the other? I wonder where that comes from.

It vastly depends on the skin tone/overall colouring and the type of grey someone has! Some grey hair colours can drain the face and make the person look sick! Other colouring combos can work.

I'm likely over 50% grey, so if I let it grow out would be salt/pepper. I use a semi permanent colour box dye at home, and have done for years. I'm mid 40's and not ready for grey!

I have noticed salt and pepper at my nape and around my ears im 44.

The hair thats going grey is very dry.

Dont like permanent dyes im using nice n easy zero ammonia.

I like mine more than I ever imagined, and am happier with it coming through gradually like this than a severe two-tone change that would take a lot more nerve (or faff) to style out. I had some wobbles early on but just don’t care now (mid 40s).

If it’s acceptable for men my age I don’t see why women should be ashamed of the same!

Mine is salt and pepper and I absolutely love it! When I WFH I often twist it into a topknot and survive boring zoom meetings by looking at the swirls in my hair 😂

Mine is sort of salt and pepper new hair in top comes through white/grey but underneath at the back still very dark hair from root to tip, haven’t dyed my hair since the first lockdown, used to dye it bright red and it was nearly waist length. Doubt I will ever dye it again, I’m 48.

OP, my natural pre-grey colour sounds like yours but as the grey has come in the natural colour seems darker by comparison so I still get that striking S&P contrast.

My son described my hair as ‘Brillo-pad grey’. Hmmm.

Glad to see the love for salt and pepper hair!
I have a few strands of white, so like to tell myself when they come in properly It will look like I have had babylights done

Alternatively, I might look quite insane.

I've got to that point now, in my early 50's, that I feel the health of my hair outweighs the colour. If it stays healthy and in good condition, that's all i'm going to worry about. All hair types are gorgeous when in good condition.

If only nature hadn't blessed me with frizz...

which box dye do you use? I can’t find any that actually cover my greys

I'd sell a vital organ for hair like these tbh.....bit of curl envy too.

It looks amazing to me with a bob cut. Wish I could pull it off.

Casting colours creme gloss by L'oreal. Its a semi, so doesn't leave a harsh, permanent colour line when it grows out. I'm naturally dark brown, but use the light brown, because it does come out darker than you'd expect.

I colour it about every 5 weeks due to the grey regrowth, but its so much quicker and cheaper doing it at home, rather than a salon.

My DP is a proper silver fox with a salt and pepper beard and hair - black with bright silver flecks swoon

Sadly I lean towards being a redhead which means my hair is likely to go a less exciting shade of beige as I get older 😁

When I was around 40, I read a book by James Herbert, in which he casually mentions that a female character had 'the most beautiful grey hair he'd ever seen'. That really took me aback - grey can be beautiful? Of course it can be, and it is.

My mum had read hair and hers turned to a very soft, warm tone with age. It wasn't grey, more of a pale strawberry blonde. It was quite lovely, although she had discoid lupus and suffered awful hair loss in her later years.

Edit to add: my cousin also had very bright ginger hair which turned white blonde after he turned 40.

Yes it can be lovely!

Slightly disappointed as i thought this would be a thread for objectifying S&P men 😂

When I first decided to give up colouring in my very early 50’s - big mistake. It was too salt and pepper and was too harsh for my skin colour

i went again late 50’s and it’s much whiter and I think it looks beautiful. The condition is amazing My one problem now is I’m back working in a kitchen and it’s absorbing the grease that’s in the atmosphere so it’s yellowing , and I find all the purple shampoos very drying of the scalp.