grey hair...

[refmum]

what's the best colour to go for if you have a lot of greys in your roots?

My hair is currently dyed an auburn brown but my roots are about 80% grey

I have an appointment for a colour in 2 weeks and was wondering,is it better to go lighter so there's less of a contrast or stay the same? and if i go lighter would that be highlights? bit clueless when it comes to hair and i'm not ready to go grey just yet!!

any advice? anyone?.....heeellloooo!!!!! !!

well, I've been going lighter for the last few years - a wee bit lighter overall (was originally dark brown) and then blondey strands to incorporate the grey.

And it's pretty effective, so that's one option.

Personally, I think auburny-brown is high risk. Last time, because I fancied a change, I went more down the auburn route, and I fear it's a bit too orangey. I feel like the combination of dark roots and grey strands is making me look a bit like <a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=3.bp.blogspot.com/_sFqkluIPwKA/SOCnQ0fZVDI/AAAAAAAAAAM/hRZYv_KjZbc/s400/Tiger%2BGrowl.jpg&imgrefurl=tigertyagi.blogspot.com/&usg=__tkFFX4rmDKCxfq9sK2VMSvb7ybc=&h=348&w=350&sz=26&hl=en&start=0&sig2=1Jlkx-DsGjkr74S7yLaYbw&zoom=1&tbnid=o-0fn2Zx4Tw6PM:&tbnh=154&tbnw=178&ei=PQPcTb-VBI-WhQeelZmfDw&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtiger%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D809%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=991&vpy=124&dur=472&hovh=208&hovw=214&tx=75&ty=100&sqi=2&page=1&ndsp=28&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this.

This is actually a subject very close to my heart. DH, who had hair as dark as mine when he was younger, now is overall steel grey and very distinguished it is too. I fear that if I did likewise, I'd look witchy and odd. But at what point (at what age?) do we embrace the grey? I don't want to be the oldest person in the nursing home still having blonde highlights, but I don't know how to go grey gracefully.

Sorry, you were worried about tumbleweed and now I've come along and hijacked your whole thread

no,great to have a reply [happy]

i think i should do as you have and go lighter,it's ironic because i was naturally blonde then went darker with each child (have 5) had highlights for years then recently decided to go brunette which keeps going auburn.

Now wish i'd stayed blonde as the roots are nice and light (white/grey) now.

Glad I found this - I have decided to grow out the grey - I have been 80% grey since late twenties. A decade on and I have dark brown dyed hair, shoulder length.

But - I don't want to be fifty and suddenly needing to go grey/ keep dyeing/ go short.

So, I am very groomed and slim (tho i say so myself) and I have decided to give up. I am telling myself that with a good cut, and diverting of cash to a manicure rather than colour, I will look fine.

I am a bit excited about it, weirdly.

so are you going for the chop?

or just growing it out?

Me? I am definitely not having it all chopped off - I am keeping it this length, so having it trimmed. I think really long grey hair can look a bit manky.

Might have it reshaped - I think that as long as hair, make up, etc doesn't let you down, grey hair is fine. And a bit of a relief.

I'm letting mine go grey and growing out colour - I might get cold feet mind you - when I see the full old lady effect! I just hate the dyeing and the way it dries my hair out.

I have naturally dark brown hair and have been going grey for 14y.
Ihave tried going lighter but I will never be a blonde.I dont think the
greys show as much with lighter hair but then I would have 2 start
tinting my eyebrows which is a maintenance 2 far.I try to avoid red
tones as I think the greys show really quickly.I would love for it 2b
pure white but its not all over yet
Sorry not much help!it's a problem 4 me.Thought bout shaving it off
and buying nice wigs!

yes was talking to you grumpy

i just think if i grow in the grey,how will it look when it's say,4 inches of grey roots and the rest auburn?

don't think i could do it but good on you for going for it,you will get the desired result in the end.

not sure what to do really

am grey and proud. worst bit was when still had quite a lot of brown alongside the grey. now am steely and love it. top tip. use a purple old lady shampoo to get it a lovely gleaming silver...

OP - one option is for you to tone your base colour to a more ashy shade or a more neutral brown, you could do this by applying a light ash brown over your entire head.

You could then have a full head of highlights which would make you a fairly warm darkish blonde colour (think Jennifer Aniston - lovely for summer)

You could then stick with highlights only, and in time you would be basically a blonde, and there would not be a big graduation of colour particularly as you are sort of a natural blonde anyway and you would have killed the auburn tint off with the ash.

Does that make any sense?

You can then basically be a ashy silvery blonde which will gradually become more and more silver as you age and will be quite elegant.

I'm growing my dye job out atm. I'm 47, not hugely grey but I'm totally sick of roots, the expense etc etc. I have a one length chin length bob and I'm about six months in so the colour looks a bit crap. But i'm very excited about the whole thing, hope it looks okay when its finished.

My mum recently went grey. She is 66. She was choccie brown base with highlights, and a short funky style so it didn't take too long.

They started by bringing her base colour up a shade or two and doing more highlights.

2nd time they did no base colour but did more highlights and some lowlights to "break it up" a bit. At this point they did quite a severe cut so got rid of a lot of the original combo (easy if you have a short funky do)

3rd time round she just had highlights to kill off some of the darker ends. By this time she was looking like a nicotine stained grey or grey stained blonde (but not as bad as it sounds! - its just the yellow tones didn't really suit her)

After 6 weeks of living with that she simply had her hair cut to reveal a mostly natural look with a bit of yellow still left at the ends. One more cut and it was gone and she was totally natural.

She was black haired in her youth and she now has the most delightful shade of silver - sort of bluey grey. She doesn't need to use any purple shampoos or anything, it would be too much blue. She has lovely colouring, its for this reason I think the blondy bit didn't suit her.

I am growing out my grey too

Inspired by a colleague actually - she has very short grey hair. I think the secret is grooming tbh. She has very regular cuts and her hair always looks immaculate. She always wears a bit of make up and often has a very neat looking manicure. She wears very 'together' clothes

I am aiming to take a bit more care of myself alongside the bit less expense on the hair dye....

Theres an interesting website here about going grey, quite interesting.

But not doubly interesting though, I should really check my posts first!

my mum is totally grey and has been since late 30s. Hers is a beautiful colour and looks fantastic, but like other posters have said, she is incredibly well-groomed.

Fear I would have to change my entire clothing style to go with it.

is there any hope for a non-groomed, not very stylish person to go grey and still look OK?
I am in exactly the position mentioned earlier, that my 'grey' may look wishy washy mouse rather than interesting steel or silver grey

I love my grey. I grew it out about five years ago and have never regretted it. I was dark to start off with and now I'm sort of dark steel at the back and more steel grey towards the front with silver streaks. It looks much better than highlights (and less expensive). I do use special shampoo Touch of Silver has a whole range and it makes the palest bits very silver indeed. Grey hair can go a bit frizzy so it's worth taking care of it -- mind you it's nothing to the products you have to put on dyed hair.

I have my hair cut regularly but I'm not particularly well groomed. I just think that it's much more stylish to be comfortable with who you are not in a let it all hang out kind of a way, more being confident in your own skin than to pretend that you're still youthful when you're not. Mind you, it helps that I'm married to a man who has only ever been interested in older women.

I've got loads of grey/silver in with my brown, but am not 40 yet so not ready to let it show. Have gone down the whole highlights/semi permanent route and couldnt' afford to maintain it so it used to look worse. Plus the condition was terrible and it used to fade to a gingery colour after a couple of weeks. Nasty.

Then my boss recommended Lush Henna. I got their brown version. It's a bit of a faff to apply till you've had a few goes at it, but I think it's great for women who have a fair bit of grey which is very obvious but are still mostly naturally dark as it makes the grey hairs a kind of coppery colour which just look like highlights and glint nicely in the sun. Leaves your hair in nice condition too.

Downside is you have to do it once a month to for it to look good, but if you can be bothered with the faff then I think it's worth it.

I think you have to pay attention to your face and make sure you don't look washed out when you take the plunge and embrace the grey, and make sure you're not wearing clothes that look great on a brunette...

Really interesting thread. I think that to go grey and be under pensionable age you need to really have a decent cut - no straggly ends etc, and to look like you care (if you do). Also, avoid an 'old lady' cut. So not Super model stuff, just filed nails, moisturiser, make up, no fluffy/ sticky clothes.

Amazing how many people have said they are looking forward to going grey. I am.

i am going Au Natural at the momeny.I am 47 and have been dying my hair for donkeys years but the upkeep was making it unffordable for me with trips to the haitdresser evry 3 weeks .This time last year hair was long and Bown now it is in a pixie crop and one more cut will see it all Gtey AND I LOVE IT I never thought in a million years it would but it is so different from most other peoples and i think i suit it better.My Brown hair was too dark for my complexion and was getting darker and darker with dying it . I feel liberated!!

shame i can`t type though