Red hair - how to cover the white

[Colchestergal]

I have red hair. Im 36 and have never coloured it or had highlights etc.

Sadly, I am finding more and more white hairs which i pluck out with tweezers and think it is soon time to do something about it.

My budget is small in terms of using the hair dresser regularly. Should I have highlights? Colour it? Or allow nature to turn me into a white haired lady?

I know that once I start doing treatments on it then I can't stop and am anxious about covering the white sensitively.

If you can't afford to get it done professionally (and I know it costs a packet) then personally, I would leave it alone. I know a lot of people will disagree but, in my opinion there is nothing worse than a DIY cover-up-the-grey job. It never suits your skin tone and, even worse, it looks desperate.

I'm a 41 year old redhead and I'm starting to think about this.

The only thing i would say is that if I don't tweeze them, the white hairs actually don't look too bad (the couple that I've allowed to grow to the same length as the rest of my hair (bra-strap length) mainly, it has to be said, because they escaped my evil grasp...) do you know anyone who was red and is now going grey? The couple I know actually look really lovely - their hair has gone a sort of strawberry blonde due to the mix of red hairs and white hairs. So that's my hope....

my back up plan is to try out some 'blonde henna' in the hope that it turns the white hairs a sort of blonde and leaves the red alone! I have no idea if this will work... but I'm saving hairbrush hair to practice on (only problem being I tend to use a wide-toothed comb only and so have nowhere near enough hair to experiment with!!)

Keep us redheads posted!

It's the Cassia obovata leaf that I've bought

I would have subtle hi and low lights. I have mine done twice a year and the greys just merge into the lighter colour hair.

I'm a nearly 41 yr old redhead and I'm also starting to find white hairs (fortunately they aren't very visible yet). My hairdresser actually advised me against colouring, and said that redheads often fade nicely to a sandy colour, so I'm going to cross my fingers and hope for the best. And, like knitknack have a go with henna if I get desperate!

Good point, my Dad's hair turned the most beautiful sandy colour. Think Charles Dance!

Shame my hair is just mousy brown

I am a 51 year old redhead. I would advise holding out as long as possible - nothing compares with natural red colouring.

Having said that....my natural hair colour was quite a dark copper red and when the first smattering of white hairs appeared, I managed to keep on top of them with nice & easy warm auburn colour.

As the white hair escalated, however, that hair dye looked too unnatural & too solid a colour. That's when I started going to my local hairdressers and having low lights (red) and highlights (blonde). As I get older mature, I am increasing the blonde and reducing the red. That way I won't end up looking like Ronald MacDonald when I am a pensioner

I am a 50 year old redhead, and like Bo I have also been using Nice & Easy Warm Auburn. I quite like it but feel I would have to be colouring it about every 4-5 weeks to keep the greys away.

I might have to bite the bullet and get it coloured at the hairdresser but am putting it off as long as possible as it will be so costly.

Leave it alone. You won't be able to replicate the beautiful tones found in red hair from home/salon dyes.

I'm almost 50 and had orangey red hair as a child. I started getting white hairs about ten years ago and started dyeing it. The texture was awful. Dry, frizzy and splitting so I stopped dyeing. I bought a colour remover and just let it grow out. (Took about 18 months in total)
I now get many compliments about my "highlights" and my hair is glossy and smooth. I'd go au naturel if I was you. HTH

I'm also hoping to get a few natural highlights from the sun this summer. Something you never get with dyed hair :)

Thanks for all the advise! I shall leave it and see how it goes.

I hate getting old (wink)