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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:
Thread gallery
119
KinkyDorito · 14/07/2015 07:58

Thanks again for this thread. It has strengthened my resolve.

I suspect I will be stuck at the in-between stage for many years. My dad is 66 and has only just gone properly silver now. I take after him. Slowly greying from being a teenager.

TheRobbingBastards · 14/07/2015 08:04

DH has been silver/grey since his early twenties. Now he's a complete silver fox and it's amazing

Myself, I have dirty blonde hair and yearn for the "grey as a badger" look :o

FindoGask · 14/07/2015 08:25

iisme, I don't wear make-up and I don't think I look washed out with my salt-and-pepper hair. That said, I am lucky to have dark eyebrows which I think helps.

BadgerCain · 14/07/2015 08:35

DanceLike and Canada you both look fabulous! Thank you for sharing your photos; Greyspriration.

Yeah I already have a few white pubes and even worse, eyebrow hairs! Gutted. I've always had bold dark eyebrows and now they are going to fade to white!

Baddz · 14/07/2015 08:38

I really want to do this.
Dh against though as i am only 42 .
Costs £60 every 6 weeks to keep it coloured
I went grey at 17 and my hair is mostly white and grey now.
I have dark eyes, eyebrows though. I don't want to look like AlistAir darling! ????

TawnyPippit · 14/07/2015 09:01

But it's the eyebrows that worry me. I started going grey at 17 and now at 50-odd I assume I'm pretty much white. But my eyebrows are still very dark, so if I let my hair go I'd look like Alistair Darling (or even worse, Norman Lamont).

I do spend a lot on having my hair cut and coloured - it's pretty much my only spending vice. But actually I had a junior colourist last week who seems to have done something a bit darker and I'm pretty sure I'm looking like "Elvis - the Vegas Years" at the moment...

Am just going off on hols. Will ponder and canvass opinions from the family (arf- like that will go well). Interestingly my youngest has just left primary so I suspect subconsciously I won't be so fussed about looking like such an older mum - because every child will be at least 11 and because of the general school demographics I don't think there will be any 30-something mothers at the secondary.

TawnyPippit · 14/07/2015 09:02

Lol Baddz - you are my twin!

BadgerCain · 14/07/2015 09:37

I've been doing a bit of good old googling to see if I can fade some of this orangeness in my hair... Has anyone tried anything like lemon juice, baking soda, laundry detergent Shock or coconut oil?
I'm wary of damaging my hair but willing to try something if it makes a difference!

RandomFriend · 14/07/2015 10:13

Please don't use laundry detergent on your head, BadgerCain.

The other three shouldn't do any harm. DH uses lemon juice every day.

Tobeemoree · 14/07/2015 10:49

Thanks for posting photo's, it's really helping my resolve too. Once I can figure out how to post, I'll add my pre and post stripe.

That's interesting Tawny, what you say about children moving school. My DD is only moving up to Junior, but I was a bit older when I had her. Stuff it. I'll at least look mature, even if I don't act it.

morethanpotatoprints · 14/07/2015 10:51

I am making an appointment to have some of the orange cut out and will go again in about 8 weeks time.
If you have regular cuts for a while it shouldn't take too long before it is out.
Mine is about 50/50 with natural colour and dye now, so hopefully not too long now.
The orangey bits have some lovely streaks of almost blond though, so even though it's obvious I'm letting it grow out the blond bits aren't that bad.
I suppose you could get inventive with up do or scarves, if it's long enough.

I'm going to buy some of the silver range today can anybody recommend a cheapish fool proof conditioner that gives shine.

HesterShaw · 14/07/2015 11:02

Sorry, I have a funny story to tell. Well I think it's funny.

My DH recently lost his lovely old gran at the age of 101. She had been getting frailer in her last decade and by the time she was 97 or so, was starting to get dementia as well. She was always very cheerful though, and took great pride in her appearance. When she first moved into her home in her mid 90s, the carers were worrying about where she would put all her clothes. She even modelled in her 80s for an old lady shop (poss Viyella?). Anway she was always very keen to keep dying her hair this rich chestnut, apparently she colour she had had as a young woman. They stopped doing it when she started getting dementia, figuring that she wouldn't know, wouldn't care etc. When she passed and saw herself for the first time with white hair apparently she bellowed "WHO'S THAT WOMAN? SHE'S OLD! " :o :o

HesterShaw · 14/07/2015 11:03

Passed a mirror, that should have said.

IReallyAmHephzibah · 14/07/2015 11:49

I had a dream last night and in it I shaved my head in solidarity with my lovely friend who has breast cancer and will lose her hair to chemo.
At least it would do away with the grey stripe!!!!!

IReallyAmHephzibah · 14/07/2015 11:50

The grey stripe in my hair .
Not my lovely friends hair!

getdownshep · 14/07/2015 11:59

I've just cancelled my highlights appointment inspired by you lot
The top of my hair is nearly white with salt and pepper at the back which is currently a horrible orangey blonde.
I'm actually quite excited to see what it will turn out like and to have more money in my accountGrin
The FB group that has been mentioned,is it called Going grey gracefully?

NanTheWiser · 14/07/2015 12:07

Dance you're a beauty! That's a really sassy look, you carry it off well. I have sometimes noticed women with very short crops who probably have had chemo, that they look quite fabulous.

FanOfHermione · 14/07/2015 12:42

I know someone who used to dye her hair very regularly (and different colours too).
The one day, she actually shaved her hair for charity (!!!) and let it grow again, all grey.
She is just as nice as she was before tbh going grey looks like nothing compare to shaving your whole head!

aintnothinbutagstring · 14/07/2015 12:58

To the pictures posted, you look great, all of you... there's a great sense of confidence and bucking the hair dying covering-up trend.

Its almost like a two-fingers up 'this is me, got a problem?' attitude coming across, love it!

Listmaker · 14/07/2015 14:14

getdownshep the FB group is called Going Gorgeously Gray.

And OP I think moving this to Style and Beauty is a good idea and maybe even our own topic would be good.

Obviously lots of people are doing this or thinking of doing it. Hoping this the beginning of a new trend but maybe people were always doing it but with no social media or mumsnet we never knew!

ouryve · 14/07/2015 14:46

Cuff, I'm more aghast at it migrating down my legs and having a bald patch in the middle, than it going grey :o

The inch long white eyebrow hairs get culled, though!

ouryve · 14/07/2015 14:49

iisme I never wear make up. I hate the feeling of the stuff and I'm so pale that I look at pictures of me wearing it back when I did and I look almost doll-like. The alternative is having a face several shades darker than my neck, which looks truly crap.

My natural colouring all works together pretty well, really.

woodhill · 14/07/2015 14:51

why can't hairs on legs go white?

butterfly133 · 14/07/2015 15:03

This thread is so great, I really hope it inspires people. I honestly feel we don't know what people look like anymore so we think someone who does look forty looks older. Re make up, I don't really wear make up and I don't expect that to change.

Again, if we didn't wear make up I think less would be expected of what women should look like, so I wonder if going grey will lead to other things? I think it's quite bizarre how we have ageing as something that shouldn't happen.

I mentioned this re hair dye but my mum regrets it partly because she felt it would be too shocking to go grey after all those years of dye. But there's another point I've noticed. Mum retained very youthful looks till she was about sixty, then she fell ill and suddenly looked sixty instead of fifty. The suddenness of it was worse for her than if she'd aged slowly. I'm nearly forty and still considered baby faced so grey is odd, but a gradual transition, face and hair wise, must be better I reckon.

geekyoghurt · 14/07/2015 15:11

I have been dying my hair blonde for the last 10 years, to cover up my grey. My natural hair colour is brown.

This thread is inspiring. At 42 maybe it is time to give up the ghost and embrace the grey.

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