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Original poster

Who wants to go grey with me?

162 replies

Flangeofmingetown · 16/01/2014 13:56

I have had enough with the faff of dyeing my hair. Bleach.dye.bleach.dye every two weeks.

Dye is not enough on it's own. It just washes straight off. I have tried every brand there is and I just am so bored with the whole malarky.

I have short hair so could be done by May. I have inherited the silver gene from both my parents who both went gray prematurely (in their twenties) and have had grey hairs since my teens. Now I have a pure white halo around 3/4's of my hairline and is is noticeable even days after double processing.

I really like salt and pepper hair -have no problem with it and think it looks better than a dye job any day but it's the growing out phase that is excruciating.

Anyone care to join/have a good old moan/support/offer some tips etc?

OP posts:
auntpetunia · 17/01/2014 20:05

come on nerf you started last year I know you can do it.

Original poster
Flangeofmingetown · 17/01/2014 20:25

I will post photos too when transitioned x

OP posts:
Gluezilla · 17/01/2014 20:43

I went white after an accident age 30.
The rest of the hair on my body is not grey Wink
When Im 70 I might consider it but until then I will get my hair dyed each month-a couple of hours reading shitmags and I feel really good and my hair looks lovely so shoot me

Nerfmother · 17/01/2014 21:57

Haha auntie you're on!

DrNick · 17/01/2014 22:41

past my prime

TalkinPeace · 17/01/2014 22:51

when is your prime?
I thought mine was years ago
I'm now heading towards mine with glee

gobbin · 18/01/2014 00:01

I'd be interested to know - if your hair is undyed (mid to dark brown) as it's turning grey do you get grey roots like when people grow out a hair dye or do grey hairs just turn up mixed in with your normal hairs so it looks like highlights?

I've been very lucky in that I'm a few months shy of 47 and haven't got any grey hair (dunno how, my mum was going grey in her 20s and dad in his 30s, just lucky I guess) but am fairly determined to go grey naturally and just wondered 'how it happens' if you seen what I mean.

I have worked with three colleagues who were totally grey in their 30s and their hair always looked amazing and have always been determined to go grey whenever nature intended.

TheFarSide · 18/01/2014 00:40

Nerfy I was on your original thread. One year down the line I'm nearly there - the grey is just about down to chin level - one more cut and the remnants of faded colour will be gone.

My skin looks younger and I have so much more time now I'm not topping up my roots every two weeks.

Following the Going Grey Looking Great Facebook group has been helpful because it features lots of normal looking women (rather than beautiful celebs).

mixedpeel · 18/01/2014 01:25

Interesting thread. Gobbin, I too want to know how the grey hairs appear. I've got long brown hair, and have started noticing the odd long, grey hair over the past year or so. They seem a little wirier than the brown, which is quite fine. Did that particular hair 'go grey', or has it been sneakily growing for, what, three or four years?

Dunno.

I'm early 40s, btw, and would prefer to never bother dying if at all possible. However, fully aware of how long it took my mum to get to her current attractive steel (she never dyed), and shamefully aware too of how awful I thought she looked at points along the way.

Hm.

AdoraBell · 18/01/2014 01:34

Me! I have never died my hair, I like the colours I have naturally,
plus a hairdresser told me, when I was 33, "Seniora, your hair is so beautiful, even the grey" and I thought if it's good enough for William {hairdresser} then it's good enough.

I intend to grow old disgracefully Grin

TheFarSide · 18/01/2014 12:35

Mixedpeel and Gobbin - grey just filters in as you have described. At first a few hairs grow out grey, then more and more join them.

If I could go back, I wouldn't have started dyeing my hair because when you eventually decide to give up the dye you end up with grey regrowth which looks terrible.

Highlights might have been a compromise if it looked bad at the 50/50 stage, say.

Solo · 19/01/2014 01:34

Anyone going/gone natural that has natural curls? does it go wiry? or do you have to straighten your silver locks?

PavlovtheCat · 19/01/2014 07:23

solo I wanted to come on and say I have a colleague who has very curly hair, thick and curly. she is completely grey, has sort of grey lighter grey highlights and it looks awesome. I am not sure what she needs to do to keep it looking shiney and conditioned, but it looks healthy. My mum used to use Touch of Silver I think it's called to keep her hair looking bright.

KosherBacon · 19/01/2014 08:20

Me! I've made a decision to not dye my hair. I haven't done it for about 4-5 months. I'm less than 5% grey but was getting frustrated by my dark ash brown hair constantly having a red tone in sunlight due to all the dyes. I definitely think my natural look is far more flattering. I've also started to develop a white streak at my crown which I like as it reminds me of Dannii Minogue's hair circa 1990 in home and away.

I think the key to going grey and not looking like "you are letting yourself go" is it have a really good hair cut and the rest of you looking groomed. There is a lady in my weight watchers class who has the most awesome grey/ silver bob and she looks fab.

Solo · 19/01/2014 23:59

Thanks Pav :)

I don't have thick hair or lots of it, so the curls give it body I suppose. Just don't want to look old

PavlovtheCat · 20/01/2014 09:14

solo she doesn't look old. She is probably in her late thirties/early forties and doesn't look older than that. She does wear 'fashionable' clothing - knee high boots/jeans/fun tops and clearly spends time on her hair, she wears make-up and obviously understands what colours she needs to wear to suit her skin and hair colour. What I like about it, the curls mix up the different tones of grey and silver (and some brown still there, not much), like highlighted curly hair, just not blond highlights.

sublimecorpse · 20/01/2014 15:19

I'm in!

I've had enough of hair dye and root tints and hair which is in bad condition - I'm not wasting anymore time or money on it.

I've been using hair dye for over 20 years, first using henna, and have been many different colours.

I last had my hair done at the hairdressers in November and have about 1.5 - 2inches of grey roots. Most of my greys ate at the front/top.

Not worried now about going grey, but how to persevere without looking stupid while all my colour grows out!

Solo · 20/01/2014 19:24

I'm worried that grey just won't suit me. I don't look my age and have a light olive skin.

Will probably keep dying for a bit longer...

Nerfmother · 20/01/2014 19:34

In at the stage where I could have a grey crop, with all the hassle of growing it out, or the two tone thing with highlights as a bridge. Trouble is, every time you highlight you add more colour so end up with just lighter hair not grey hair.
Cold turkey.

spanishring · 20/01/2014 19:41

I've posted on other going grey threads but this time I've actually done it. It coincided with a bad hair dye job and short cut, so it was a case of just growing it whilst wearing lots of hats and scarves!

It's now past jaw length and just a tiny bit of blonde on the ends.

It doesn't age me. It's the best thing for my complexion. Nature is clever and hair colour changed to match your ageing features. It softens them.

It's like the scales have fallen from my eyes and all I ever see Is badly dyed hair or roots peeping through. Which is much more ageing.

Also I get lots of compliments or hilariously people asking if I've dyed my hair! Lots of people say 'oh, I couldn't do it as my hair is too grey / not grey enough / not a nice grey' ad Infinitum.

Rubbish I say. You have no idea what your hair is real like cos it's dyed and the grey you see is too contrasted with the dye for anyone to be able to judge.

spanishring · 20/01/2014 19:42

As for highlights to help the transition. Just go cold turkey I say. It's much more gratifying. You just have to wait 6 months!

CMOTDibbler · 20/01/2014 19:56

When I decided to go grey, I colour stripped my hair 3 times which didn't take all the colour out, but did tone it down hugely and then as I have a big white streak all round my face I bleached those sections so the biggest contrast was taken out.

People often tell me their hair 'isn't a nice grey', which is weird as they never see more than a couple of mm of it, so can't possibly see. A friend (who is allergic to hairdye so has never dyed) has gone perfectly evenly grey which has changed her overall look from brown to light blonde which looks amazing

CalmaLlamaDown · 20/01/2014 20:09

I am around 20% grey, dark brown poker straight hair naturally - the grey ones are wirey and coarse - I look like a scruffy badger but determined not to dye it, assume it will look ok sooner or later, hoping anyway. White hairs coming in my eyebrows too, not keen on that either!

mixedpeel · 21/01/2014 10:43

llama: the grey ones are wiry and coarse

This is what I've noticed in the few greys that have emerged so far. It is an odd contrast to my fine brown hair, though it's always tended to be flyaway so I never look exactly groomed. Will have to see how badgery I feel as more greys appear.

Solo · 21/01/2014 13:18

Spanish, to grow my shoulder length hair out through the dye, it will take around 2 years, not 6 months! my hair does not grow very fast at all!

Anyway! I have 4 boxes of hair dye to use up yet! Grin

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