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Style and beauty

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Original poster

Congratulate me, I have not dyed my hair for a whole year!!

140 replies

seashore · 25/01/2011 13:22

Hi all,

since it turns out I'm allergic to hair dye I have now not dyed my long hair for a whole year. It has been hard sporting a two tone look. A very helpful person here put me onto the going grey looking great website which completely turned my views around about grey hair. I can't remember your talk name, I think there was a moon in it? but thank you, you really helped me out. I am soon about to get a chop as I am close to half and half at this stage but it has been a long year. I'm 42 and thought I thought I would dye my hair until 50. My mum never dyed her hair at all and she always looked great. I think I have about another 6 months of growing to be completely dye free.

OP posts:

notskiving · 25/01/2011 16:29

you are brave!
i am 44 and wouldnt dream of not dying it at the moment, but i know the time will come when it will look ridiculous!

Congrats on acheiving what you set out to do!
x

Original poster

seashore · 25/01/2011 19:02

thanks notskiving, just over a year ago I would never have thought I would stop dying it but after a very bad reaction which I'm actually still getting treatment for I have no choice. Got to say my natural colour matches my eyes and skin tone much better, just wish I had never touched the stuff in the first place!

OP posts:

eyebrowqueen · 25/01/2011 19:04

I'm trying this too. I'm 34 and v dark with grey bits and at the mo half is a reddish strawlike texture. I'm just fed up of the maintenance of hair dying. I want to see if I can get through the barrier of not dying. Every so often I think fuck it I want to do it but for 6 months I have been hair dye free. I saw a woman on bus the other day with lon g grey hair in an up do. She must hVe been sixties or so with natural makeup and she looked so beautiful it was very inspiring. This is a bit of a rambling breastfeeding one handed response but well done. What's the website?

sharbie · 25/01/2011 19:04

are there not many of us that don't dye then? - i'm 45 this year and haven't used it for years.well done op

Cyb · 25/01/2011 19:05

I have not been using shampoo(just conditioner) an dmy dye has lasted AGES

pointydug · 25/01/2011 19:07

So do you wash your hair with conditioner then, cyb?

Cyb · 25/01/2011 19:08

Yar, just wet and comb through

I'm embracing my hairs natural wavyness at the moment and this seems to really suit it. Keeps body for miles longer, doesnt get greasy at front

Cyb · 25/01/2011 19:08

DollyMG thinks I'm a dirty hoooooar

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 25/01/2011 19:09

i am 24 and i have noticed ALOT of greys in teh last 2 or so years (i blame my EX) but as much as i would love to forget the hassle of dyeing i just cant bear to be known as having grey hair at my age.

well done you for grinning and bearing it.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 25/01/2011 19:10

cyb i do that too and my hair has never been in better condition.

Original poster

seashore · 25/01/2011 19:10

Hi eyebrowqueen, I'm glad to see there's other folk out there with an eye for those with grey hair, I always notice now that their hair is in such good condition. The first 6 months is a tough time but it's worth getting on past it. The website is called Going Grey Looking Great, just google that and you'll find it, loads of fantastic looking women with their hair at various stages, it's very encouraging and interesting. Thanks for your message, I liked that you were busy feeding your little one!

OP posts:

gillybean2 · 25/01/2011 19:10

I don't dye, mostly as I can't afford it. Haven't been to the hairdresser for well over a year now either.

gillybean2 · 25/01/2011 19:10

Oh and congratulations [bsmile]

Popbiscuit · 25/01/2011 19:11

Oooh...good thread. I'm 34 and having been dying my hair for ages. No greys but thought that dying my hair dark brown would be a good way to grow out the highlights I had grown tired of paying through the nose for. Now I'm a slave to the dye and I really want to go back to my natural colour! I think grey hair is beautiful, so no problem with that but I just don't know if I can go around sporting the two-tone look for however long it takes to grow out the dye ( my hair grows SLOWLY). Seashore, how long is your hair now and how short are you planning to go?

pointydug · 25/01/2011 19:12

I'd be frightened to try the conditioner-wash method.

You wet your hair, comb through conditioner and then rinse it off? And your hair doesn't go lank and greasy?

I am intrigued.

Original poster

seashore · 25/01/2011 19:14

Don't start dying it too soon Iloveitwhenyoucallmeboo, it's tough on the scalp, you'll get more milage out of it if you start later.

OP posts:

cece · 25/01/2011 19:15

I have embraced my grey since October. It was growing it out, so had it cut very short. I now have no dye and a very short crop. I am 44 soon and I am loving it.

However, I asked some friends and they all said I should dye it again as I look like their mother

I think I am going to keep it like this for a while.... I quite like it.

Cyb · 25/01/2011 19:15

No I cant believe it either. It goes the opposite of lank and greasy. It keeps its shape, doesn't smell, doesnt itch or anything.

I wont try and convince you-just that my (usually coarse, thirsty, but then greasy) hair seems to prefer it

gillybean2 · 25/01/2011 19:16

Surely you can use that temporary wash in type dye that washes out after so many washes to avoid a two tone look? Have no clue though.

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 25/01/2011 19:18

oh i already dye it. i have been dyeing since my early teens. i can get away with dyeing every 3 months or so as at teh minute the greys are not on the top layers of hair but some have started to poke through. have just been looking at that website and the youngest woman i saw on it was 38 and i have to be honest i dont think the grey matched her skin. her skin was very youthful but teh grey hair looked out of place with it. i think I'll stick to they dyeing but i might try to lighten gradually. i am very dark.

pointydug · 25/01/2011 19:18

Your hair sounds the same type as mine.

Do you wash the conditioner off? I am assuming yes but just checking.

Original poster

seashore · 25/01/2011 19:19

Popbiscuit, it's past my shoulders, it might sound ridliculous but I have just about managed to pull off the two tone look, my tide line isn't the worst although I certainly have plenty of grey (dh hasn't a single one! his hair is jet black, luckily he prefers my natural colour and thinks the dye never worked!) Anyway, I'm thinking of getting it bobbed to start with as that will get rid of most of the dye. I haven't had a bob since I was 16 so I'm starting to get excited about such a big change.

OP posts:

ILoveItWhenYouCallMeBoo · 25/01/2011 19:21

i wash the conditioner off pointy but if i am letting my hair dry naturally i will rub a smal amount of conditioner all through teh lowere ends of my hair because it makes teh waves more of a defined curl.

Original poster

seashore · 25/01/2011 19:22

gillybean2 nope I can't use anything right now because of the allergic reaction I had, I have to use two special shampoos and no product.

OP posts:

pointydug · 25/01/2011 19:24

hmm. Maybe I should try that during the holidays

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