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Original poster

For those of us going grey

730 replies

SilveryFoxyMe · 12/07/2015 14:09

Forgive the name change, but I reckon this post makes me fairly recognisable.

Anyway, last year I posted my dilemma as to whether to continue dyeing my hair or let nature take over and see what was really lurking under there

I bit the bullet after yet another hair dye ending up brassier than I had hoped and not lasting at all, and decided to grow it out.

Eight months on (I do have short hair) it's all gone, and I am almost completely silver, with a few smattering of darker.

At just 47 I appreciate this is not the societal norm, and in some people's eyes has aged me. One friend pretty much commiserated with me and my hairdresser is horrified.

But in the past month I have been for two job interviews, been offered both jobs, and been invited out in a date (long story, I am happily married and he mistakenly thought I was single).

Several people have told me it looks fab, a neighbour came up to me to say I had inspired her to go for it.

My face still looks fairly youthful, I think, but at first glance people might think I am much older. Yet I still got the job offers and the date! More attention that I have had in years! Grin

So if you are swithering, I would heartily recommend it.

OP posts:
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SlipperyJack · 05/08/2015 20:15

I don't know if any of you have seen the thread in AIBU about being an older mum and mistaken for your child's granny? I'm struck by how many of the posters have got colouring their grey hair as an absolute article of faith. I have DC aged 5 and 3 (I'm almost 42) and have on occasion worried that they'll be embarrassed by having a geriatric mother. But oddly, the colour of my hair hasn't been a parameter of that worry! Should it have been? Confused

I still don't want to dye...

Itsalldramarama · 05/08/2015 20:25

I don't hair colour is anything to do it really ? I'm 49 next month and have a 7 year old , never been mistaken for his gran to date ! Don't think il look any older once my greys grown out tbh ? As long as still look reasonably groomed ! ( can't look worse than it does now ;)

Itsalldramarama · 05/08/2015 20:26
  • think hair colour ..
SlipperyJack · 05/08/2015 20:32

That's my feeling too dramarama. My mum was older (40 when I was born) and she embarrassed me horribly, but her hair was always dyed Grin

Anyway, I used to think of my mates' parents as old too. It took until my late teens before I realised they were 10-15 years younger than mine!

suzanneyeswecan · 05/08/2015 20:34

imo what makes you look old is being old

MeganChips · 06/08/2015 22:26

I am sitting here freshly stripped. I have gone from very dark brown to light copper. I expected the ginger tones but I didn't expect it to be as light as it is.

I'm going to give it a few days to settle down before I do anything else to it but I can already see a ton of grey. And no badger stripe Smile

MeganChips · 06/08/2015 22:27

Forgot to add, is seems to have done no damage at all to the condition. It's actually incredibly soft and shiny.

doctorboo · 07/08/2015 06:56

Megan would you mind posting a pics so I can see how light it's gone? V.curious over here Smile

suzanneyeswecan · 07/08/2015 08:18

?
Afaik it's not the hair stripper which has lightened the hair, it's the peroxide in the hair dye that has been used previously.
The stripper takes out the pigment from the dying and you're left with the hair colour which results from lifted with 20 volume peroxide ?

MeganChips · 07/08/2015 09:53

I know Suzanne, it just goes to show the damage even dark dyes do to your hair.

Here are a couple of pics, one indoors, one in the sun. This is from almost black. What to do with it now? If I tone down the brassiness I could have a base for some silver highlights. If it works I've probably saved £100 from having a hairdresser strip it for me.

For those of us going grey
For those of us going grey
MeganChips · 07/08/2015 09:54

It's darker today than it was last night by the way, it must have re-oxidised a bit.

SandraMelandra · 07/08/2015 10:03

It looks great Megan.

I had some more highlights yesterday and, although it is too coppery for me and not what I was after, I like it.

I have bought some purple shampoo to tone it down, that would work on yours too?

I've always been dark, but have been getting steadily lighter/stripier in an attempt to disguise my badger stripe. I thought going this light would look really odd, but it makes my eyes stand out. I like it.

I think. It'll definitely be less noticeable than a salt and pepper parting in dark hair.

SandraMelandra · 07/08/2015 10:05

I did try and get the hairdresser to make me more ash/grey, but she said I suit warm colours so it would be a shock to change overnight.

IKnowRight · 07/08/2015 11:20

Here's my pics, these are after the second time I had it cut, there was still some colour left in it when I first had the crop but that's all gone now. I have more grey at the crown and a bit more of my old mousey brown at the front.

For those of us going grey
For those of us going grey
MeganChips · 07/08/2015 11:30

Looks good! The front especially is a lovely colour.

Itsalldramarama · 07/08/2015 11:53

That looks lovely :) I might go for the chop when I have another inch or 2 of growth .. So undecided !

suzanneyeswecan · 07/08/2015 14:38

I know Suzanne, it just goes to show the damage even dark dyes do to your hair
I had no idea Megan Blush I dyed mine dark for years just assuming that it was just a case of depositing colour rather than also stripping out the natural colour.
I think the colour in your photo looks good, certainly not too brassy and it looks even:)

Your natural colour looks great IknowRight, and so natural:o

I'm really into natural hair colour these days, cant think why I dyed mine for so longConfused

CherryBonBon · 07/08/2015 16:00

doctorboo I just wanted to say thank you for that tip! I did it this morning and my hair is much much more smooth and manageable!

Will be doing it every time from now on Thanks .

AlisonBlunderland · 07/08/2015 16:27

I'm very happy with my silver foxy hair.

not happy with the rogue white interlopers in my still dark brown eyebrows

doctorboo · 07/08/2015 17:27

Megan that's pretty snazzy from a home remover kit! I like how sleek your hair looks too, is that just from blowdrying??

I know Your hair is my goal! (Along with everyone else who is back to 100% natural.)

Cherry That's great! The first time I did it was to deep condition it over night and I realised I liked how it looked once it'd dried. Oh how I wish I'd had a go in my teens when my coworkers were so crappy about my unmanageable hair.

Right, I'm off to show my son pics of Ant's. He's 4 and is obsessed with the red ant nest he found in the garden. I'll be Raiding it when he goes to bed...

SlipperyJack · 08/08/2015 07:49

alison, I have a single rogue white eyelash on my right-side upper lid. Appeared about a month ago.

itsaldramarama · 08/08/2015 10:53

Oooo I'm having a wobble moment :( just found a loreal dark blonde I must of got on a 3 for 2 offer !!! Got a leaving do tonight ! Someone talk me out of it :0 roots are looking like that "oh my god she's letting herself go " stage !!!!

itsaldramarama · 08/08/2015 11:12

Can't disguise them in a messy up do !

For those of us going grey
suzanneyeswecan · 08/08/2015 11:15

bite the bullet and ride it out
dark blond will go brassy in a while and you'll be back to square one

Only1scoop · 08/08/2015 11:20

I've bought this wow powder gubbins which I can brush on the the fibre optic pubey like hairs which have all of a sudden appeared around my hairline Confused

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