Hairdresser help needed - how to transition from constantly retouching roots to letting greys come though without looking like you just don't care

[SimplyDarling]

Hello, am desperately in need of advice please! I have mid- to dark-brown hair with a fair smattering of greys now (mid-thirties). Am currently in a horrid cycle of having to retouch roots every couple of weeks or the regrowth looks terrible. Would dearly love to transition to just letting the greys come through naturally, but need to look fairly polished for work, so can't have a period where it looks like I just forgot to do my roots.

Does anyone have any words of wisdom for me? I need a way to go from block-dyeing to having my greys without it looking uncared for and I am clueless :)

Has anyone done this successfully or do any hairdressers have any ways to do this that don't involve a buzz cut?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Touching up your roots every couple off weeks does not sound right. Even with loads of grey you shouldn't have to retouch more than every 4 weeks (sometimes 5 weeks). Is you current hair dye covering your roots 100% with absolutely no grey visible? If not, then the colour is not doing its job. Loreal Majirel at the hairdressers and Loreal Excellence at home both cover really well and last 5-6 weeks on me.
The alternative is highlights which will blend in with the grey. You may look washed out if you are used to dark hair, won't be able to do a home job to cover the roots and you will need to get then done every 2 months professionally to cover the growth.

I was going to suggest low lights and gradually the greys will come through until you don't need to do it so much until not at all.

I know what you mean, if you are quite grey then you get a hard parting line very quickly.

I would suggest a couple of shades of high/low lights but I also wonder if your colour is taking? What texture is your hair?

I have to re-touch mine every two to three weeks!

Very grey underneath and very dark brown colour plus fast growing hair is starting to get to me so watching this with interest...

Balayage.

I'm anticipating this problem quite soon, looking at my older sister. I just put a semi on my hair for the first time a couple of weeks ago. My hair grows really fast. It sounds like yours does too, so you are dealing with what, a half inch regrowth in 2 weeks - that's what mine will do.

I can make a couple of suggestions - one is to google "hair colour stick" - if you only have a few that's one way of managing in between phases. I haven't used one, but sis has.

The other thing is to maybe use a semi and do it every 2 weeks?

but if you want to gradually keep your grey, there will be an awkward inbetween stage, for which I'd suggest getting highlights around the grey streaks. My sis did end up just putting up with the awkward stage though. Unless you really want to do your hair every 2 weeks - normal for fast growing hair in my family for sure - there is no way round it. I am 39 and feel like it's far too early to have visible grey so I sympathise. I'll be interested to know what you decide.

My roots are showing after 2wks it's just my hair grows fast+very grey lowlights for me next time no wah I am I leaving grey to show I feel it ages you +can make you look invisible it's a pain!

Hi, thanks for the replies! Yes, perhaps should have mentioned my hair grows like absolute wildfire, which is great, except the greys show soooo quickly.

I will take a look at hair colour sticks and have indeed quite recently switched to semi as the regrowth comes so quickly I concluded there is no point uneccessarily wrecking the condition with permanent when it has to be done so frequently anyway...

Was hoping someone would have a magic solution as I can't go through a 'sod it' phase due to work and clients' potential horror... I feel like I'm too young for this shite, but clearly not. Hey ho.

;)

I have blonde highlights and still a lot of brown growing through so ' am still getting away with it' at 63!

Hopefully for a long time yet as I only need them doing every 6 -8 weeks at the moment.

My dad had black hair when he was 70 so I'm hoping I'm going to take him after him.

SimplyDarling, will clients really be that horrified or do you think we imagine this sort of thing? (I do too, so trying to figure this one out for myself as well).

I have had highlights put through, a couple of colours, sort of caramel/beige-y tones as well as a base colour. The greys don't take the highlighter so in those areas there are some scattered greys, highlights and the rest is a slightly lighter brown than my natural shade. It makes it look like the greys you see are the only ones and the lighter hair is better with regrowth (well, that's the aim anyway!)

Following as I'm in exactly the same boat. Must be at least 50% white haired if not more! I have to do my roots every 4 weeks, and even then sometimes I don't get all of the buggers or it doesn't take. My hair is medium brown. What kind of highlights would work?

I'm growing my greys through, too. I have had a few highlights round the front (where all the greys are) and it all seems to blend in well. My hair is mousy brown.

Charles worthington do a spray colour to cover roots, my sis just told me, but my tablet is playing up and I can't seem to give the link....hope this post posts....

Watching with interest - another one with fast-growing wiry grey.

Throw regular swimming into the mix as well, and my hair is just a mare at the moment.

Would those bronde (yes that is the spelling - rolls eyes) high lights work? Loreal do a home kit. Kinda like midtone high/low lights? They'd let the grey sneak in while still having the tones to mix it up?

Bronde, indeed

I spoke to a hairdresser who said she will give me a mix of lowlights to disguise grey but I am still, erm...conflicted, I'm not a highlight kind of person (if there is such a thing) :)

Yes for my job it really wouldn't fly to have 'un-done' hair, sadly... Lots of different client contact, even a high-end fashion house (weak laughter) so I have to take action:(