To chop or not? Honest opinions please.

[ChopOrNot]

Please give me your honest opinions on my hair. I simply cannot decide if it is a bit "meh" or OK. Or am I just not seeing it in it's true wondrous beauty - it is actually stunning and I cannot see it ? Is it aging? Naff? A bit dry looking? Please please give me you first thoughts.

I have an appointment booked for Friday and I am going to give the (new to be but v experienced and highly recommended) stylist free reign. I kind of suit short hair (OK face shape/cheekbones/skin) Happy to go cropped. I just want something a bit...edgier? Less mumsy? Funky? Wild? Exciting?

My main motivator at the moment is to stop the constant dying - the colour you see it fake - am about 70% grey/white at the front/parting and about 30% the rest. Roots not showing that much in the pic as I have painted them with a grey-cover-sticky-things - but there is about 3/4 of an inch there. I would love to say greyed prematurely..) - but am 42. So there is a strong temptation to just buzz cut it and then grow it out.

I was, at the end of last year, planning on growing longer - but I think I would be better off doing that once the dye has gone. Also the reason I was going to grow it longer was to be able to put it up...as it suits me better....er...so....maybe I should just cut it off.

Arggghhh.... I have spent hours on pinterest. I am bored of trying to decide.

What do I dooooooooo Help me. me? midlife crisis...not me

I love your hair style Chop but I would definitely go lighter with light blond highlights, your grey will blend in then.

Sorry to hijack but can anyone help me with products?
Have just had a lot chopped off and need something to define the curls(hair is wavy but not tight curls)
I want defined waves/curls not a frizzy mop!

I used to die my hair with semi permanent die to hide a prominent white streak but stopped when I got more white running through my hair as it has just turned it blonder/whiter.

The thing about semi permanent die is that roots don't come through obviously as the die fades as your hair grows. At one stage I decided to use to use chamomile tea as a last rinse for my hair which also made the white streak less obvious. My mother who has darker hair than me used to use a shampoo with a bit of henna in - or I suppose you could rinse with normal tea. With semi permanent die what I didn't like was that it seemed to dull my hair a bit. It is naturally very streaky anyway, which I like.

Now I don't use anything on in. There is enough white hair to blend in. I suppose my point is you could try wash in home dyes for the in-betweeny root showing stage if you don't want a dramatic crop.

^Dye! (just realised my mistake!)

Rita it is a bit of trial and error I am afraid - as it can depend on how fine/thick your hair is/how much curl is there.

I have over the years tried mouse (works for fine hair as quite light) and gels. Lots of people rave about Boots Curl cream - cheap, pink pot. You may need something "stronger". I sometimes reinvigorate hair that has gone a bit frizzy with some wax/putty.

A lot of it is how you put it in/how much/when.

Curly hair tends to be drier than straight hair. Curly girl websites have lots of tips. Here is how I do mine to start you off:

1. In the shower be careful not to overrinse your conditioner out - power shower/hardwater can be very drying. So almost aim to leave a slight coating (leave-in conditioner if you like).
2. With very wet hair I just blot with a microfibe (travel) towel - not too much, just to take the drips out
3. Take a reasonable blob of what you are using. No namby-pampy 1p size bits - a big grape size blob and, with your hair upside down, scrunch the product through from end to root. Scrunch/squelch it through - 5 or 6 times per handful - you should get a gross squelchy sound. This is good.
4. Head back up the right way you can then "style". FOr me this means I grab small sections and twist them into ringlets so I get chunkier/clumpier curls iyswim. Or I could just scrunch again to get messier/finer curls.
5. Let dry naturally (is what I do) or you could then very gently dry with a difusser. Some people at this point also re-wrap their hair in microfibre towel using the "plop" method (google).

Not sure if I have helped much re product though. But as above - it is just as important how applied as what applied in my experience

Thanks
I have just been over to Curly Girl and OMG its brilliant!
I have been fighting my natural waves for years and always felt like my hair wasn't really me!

Just watched some brilliant tutorials by Chupie (sp?) and her hair is just like mine except the colour.
Off out shopping to get some clips,a diffuser and some products.
I think I need a firm hold gel and some leave in conditioner.
Will report back !!

Oops it was BritishCurlies !

Chopornot join me and go grey in style! I have the same greys as you, and back in september a really severe allergic reaction to hair dye (after twenty odd years - who knew?) meant that I can no longer colour my hair so decision was forced on me. I promptly chopped the lot off (like you, good cheekbones helped) and had a pixie cut - going even shorter on Saturday to remove the last of the colour. When that is done, will consider some very white highlights. Cut is very very textured and shaggy, so also has advantage of minimal daily work, although I have it cut every five weeks. Best bit is that - it did take me about three months to adjust to seeing greys - but I dealt with that by paying more attention to a decent tinted moisturiser - but everyone without exception has said I look younger, because I think the grey hair with good unlined skin is quite striking. I have to remember to smile a lot though . Now I have done it and taken the plunge I wouldn't go back - my salon sourced a water based hypoallergenic product for me but I decided there was no point in going back to the tyranny of roots - so glad I stopped. You are young and gorgeous, so now might be the time. Follow your instincts - if you really make a mistake it will grow.

Oh Jinglebells sorry I missed your thread - I would have posted! My threads get missed too, if that helps.

I soooo want to buzz mine and go grey but its taken me years to grow it to a all one length bob at just past shoulder level so can't bring myself to do it. go for it.

Step- it would probably grow incredibly fast without the repeated use of chemicals from dye.

For anyone who wants some grey photo inspiration- I like Going gray beauty guide on Facebook. People post their before/during transition/after photos.

I have thought about going grey - but I just cant face it.
My hair texture is awful without colour ,its like fluff.
I have a brilliant hairdresser and she works with my skin tone.

I also think if you go grey you have to be quite made up or you just look washed out.

I have Boots Curl Crème ,mousse for curly hair, clips etc and a diffuser.

My hairdresser is ordering me some curl defining cream and I have ordered some of the Shea Moisture Curl Enhancing Smoothie from Amazon.
Am going to try the "2nd day" style from BritishCurlies .

Wish me luck. Appointment this afternoon.

Have decided absolutely going down the grey route (though this may mean transitional highlights or something). Am also fairly set on a crop of some kind too.

Will post an update/photo later. Unless it is truly hideous and I am sobbing into my .

Yay! Can't wait to see your update. You are going to look fabulous :)

Well done, bet you'll look amazing. Look forward to the update!

Exciting!

I can report that the Boots mousse made me look like an extra from Flash Dance so will ditch that and try again with the other stuff !

I think it's really pretty. Don't have it chopped but take some advice from a proper colourist and embrace your grey? Helen Mirren does something brightening with her hair which makes her face glow. I LOVE that steel/silvery grey and it'd look very feminine with your soft curls.

Ooh, exciting!

Come on OP

Update,update,update

Umm...update, OP?

I am here. Feeling very naked and a bit vulnerable (weirdly) but I love it. It was amazing as he chopped thinking "Oh wow - there are my cheekbones. Oh look - my eyes."

The cut took aaagggessss....before he even started he checked my hairline (back and front) how my hair grew, what the top canopy of curls did. He made sure I knew I would be losing the curls as - well they would be on the floor. And then he cut it dry as "curly hair is a totally different thing and you need to see how it falls as sits - you cannot do that wet".

It has absolutely, totally ticked all the boxes I wanted. I have had some really subtle highlights put in - and extra focussed around my hairline. The colourist also started the highlights from the old colour upwards iyswim. It may be that the next cut will actually cut off all the old colour. And because she has put in the highlights in grey/white, they have blended in the regrowth, the old solid dye job and it looks like I will be free of the dye sooner than I thought. Amazing.

I probably will not keep it this short once the dye has gone - but I am soooo glad I did it. DH thinks I look younger - but a bit more severe - in a schoolmarmish kind of way. The DCs had no idea what to make of it "I still love you Mummy, even without your curls." I may let them off as they are only 8 and 6

So not as honest this time please opinions. Oh no, go on, be honest.

You look absolutely beautiful. You really do have lovely features.

Wow. You are properly beautiful. So jealous of your hair (& your face)

Chop, the transformation is amazing! You look great!