Grey hair. What should/can I do?

[nkf]

I'm going grey. A few strands but I don't like it and obviously it's going to accelerate. What are my options? I cannot afford salons so that's out. It needs to be as easy as possible because I am fairly low maintenance. But low maintenance and grey hair is not a good look.

I'm in a similar boat. Looking forward to reading your responses!

Henna

Highlights and lowlights. Expensive and time consuming though.

Save up for a good cut. Don't dye it: it's a total fucking treadmill.

Okay. Henna. How often? How easy? Were you chestnutty before?

Expensive and time consuming won't work for me.

Seriously, I am not kidding.

I have had my hair dyed/high-lighted expensively in posh salons for years.
Got fed up with how long it took. And the money .

I have been using Lush Henna since August, do it every 8 weeks or so. Condition of my hair has never been better, the colour is gorgeous, I don't look like a gypsy fortune teller (well, I don't think I do...) and it's cost me about a tenner to date.

My midlife crisis does not involve a red Porsche, but harking back to the hair-dye method of my student days .

Embrace the grey. I love mine now. Oh and spend the money on a good cut.

Wear it with pride like me!
Seriously.
Get a decent cut (under £20 at a local salon..get some recommendations) and hold your head up high.
Failing that, wear one of these

I was kind of a warm brown, not really reddish.
I don't have much grey, but it really bugged me (more than things going South IYKWIM).

It is a faff to do, but I am still enjoying it.
DSs call it my 'mud' or 'pond scum' .

As an added bonus, my very porous hair now drip-dries really quickly, honestly like water of a duck's back! 'Tis great.

Lush's Caca brun is just brown, not red. No, they don't pay me .

If I was totally grey/when I am totally grey, I will have it all hacked off and wear it with pride. It's the inbetweeny/salt'n'pepper look that I don't like btw.

I won't spend the money on a good cut. I don't have the money and even when I did, I still didn't go to the hairdresser much. I hate salons. And £20 a cut. No way. Not where I live.

I have just looked at the Lush website. Caca Brun would be the way I'd go. Not sure I could wear red. How much of a faff?

Henna seems your best option then.

Is it as much of a faff as those colour things> L'Oreal etc.

I go to a home salon (someone I know works as a hairdresser from home). £35 for cut and lowlights every two or three months.

I use a DIY colour (l'oreal) and its not a huge gaff. Takes about 40 mins every 6 weeks or so. Costs about £6 a time.

Well, this is what I do:

Grate 2 or 3 squares of the stuff - I use my metal cheese grater.
Pour hot/just boiled water over it.
Stir until it is a soft muddy consistency.

I put a bit of Vaseline around my hairline/ears.
Slop henna mix on - I don't use a brush, just gloved hands, devide dry hair in strands and bung it on (I have chinlength bob, so not too much hair to contend with).
Wrap head in cling film or fetching polybag, wrap (warmed) towel around that.
Look glamorous NOT for 1 to 4 hours (recently left it on over night).

Wash out with lots of water, you really need a shower head for that, then wash in usual manner until water runs clear.

Tada!!

It didn't bother me at first. My hair is naturally very dark and the white hairs came in like silver sparkles which looked good with my short crop. It hit a point last year where the balance of white to dark was wrong, though, so I started to dye it at home with a lovely plummy permanent dye. It's short enough to be a bit brave and short enough to grow it all out again within months. And I've never had a catsbumface off a hairdresser for doing it, either.

When there's enough white for it to no longer look that dirty dark grey colour, I'll either let it return to its natural colour or use some bright semi permanents on it.

It is more faff than most home colourant, but I like the actual colour better AND I love the condition of my hair. Apparently henna covers every single hair, rather than forcing colour into the hair shaft.

If you do go for henna, you cannot bleach or highlight (it goes orange? Or green? Or summat??). There are a number of henna users on here.
Or have a look at the Henna Boy website - I think there is a forum there too.

I have a white stripe. Love it. People think its a highlight! Grey is good.
DO NOT complain about ageism if you dye your hair

Seriously OP. Save up the money you'd spend on dye, and spend it on a cut. Properly cut, undyed hair us fine. Dyed, uncut hair is vile.

Ive been going grey since I was 27, funny that it was when I met DH!

I get a mobile hairdresser to cut my hair when I need it and I colour it myself with shop bought stuff, not done it for a month or 2 and burgundy hair with white roots is not good!

Sorry, meant to ask can you get the henna in bright red?

I do understand the appeal of the sleek grey, well cut crop. The thing is I'm not sleek or well cut in any other way. I can't carry that look off.