Taking the plunge - going grey ..

[Parka]

I started going grey in my 20s and have dyed my hair ever since, first to my natural colour (mid brown) and more recently to dark blonde. I'm 50 this year and I've (almost!) decided to take the plunge and stop with the dye.

Partly because I've never found one that really works on me colour-wise (they always go too reddy whereas I need something very ash), partly because of the faff every 6 weeks or so, and partly because I'm increasingly uncomfortable lathering permanent dye on my head so often.

There have been some great threads on this in the past, like this one:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/1371720-Going-grey-no-more-dye-anyone-transitioning-etc

But wondering if anyone currently in the same boat and care to share?! Any tips?

It's not so bad at the moment, just a few inches of roots (and not the worst contrast between those and my dyed hair). But I'm not looking forward to it when it's half and half - I've a chin length bob, and really don't want to cut it short.

I bought some Aveda Blue Malva which is supposed to be great at bringing out grey/white and reducing brassiness, but having used it once suspect all that is going to do is increase the difference between my natural and not so natural colour, so perhaps that will go back in the cupboard for a while.

OP, I've gone back to grey twice now.

And I love it, but you do need to take care of it.

I had mine bleached then coloured with silver dye, and it blended perfectly. But, as you've said, you really do need to use a shampoo for grey hair, or it does turn a very strange yellow/brassy colour, and condition very well.

I've been using Fudge Clean Blonde Violet shampoo & conditioner & can highly recommend. But, I leave my shampoo on for about 15 minutes, so it has got lovely lilac highlights.

My natural grey is between my chin & the bottom of my ears, but I find it hard to see the "join".

This is my second go at going grey now. I've stripped the old brown colour out of my hair and put a medium blonde colour on it. My hair is very short and I intend to let the colour grow out.

Thanks all, that sounds very encouraging. Love your hair biscuitkumquat, don't think I've got the nerve for lilac hightlights (yet ..?).

Isthatwhatdemonsdo - when you say you stripped the old colour out, what colour did you end up with? Presume you'd not be able to do that without having to put another colour on top.

I was commenting on another thread here and remembered that I've got a shampoo I quite like but stopped using because it did tend to take the colour out my hair - maybe I'll start using that again to speed all of this up!

When you strip the colour depending on your base colour I ended up a bright orangey blonde I stripped it again and put the blonde on. You can recolour with a stripper on the same day.

Oh this is so unfair. I thought if we finally just relaxed and let ourselves go grey, that we could... well... relax and let ourselves go grey. Now you're saying we still need to colour it and so on???

What colour is your hair now? Obviously the darker it is the worse it will look.
I went from dark to blonde to go grey buy I have very short hair so it was relatively painless.

I haven't dyed my hair since July. After struggling with the roots looking crap, I had it cut into a pixie in December. I've had loads of compliments. The dye is nearly all gone now, and what's left blends quite well, looks a bit like low lights. I don't miss the six weekly colouring. There's a group on Facebook called going grey gorgeously which is supportive.

Mine is shoulder length and dark brown. I met another woman recently that very happily had some grey streaks in her brown hair, and it didn't seem awful at all. It was obvious, but her hair was neat and pulled back, and my brain just did a "hmmm, she's going grey - wish mine looked that smooth."

Yes, the hair dye is such a hassle, such an expense, and frankly I resent it.

You can get root spray that might help the transition.

This is mine bleached, the sides are shaved so are natural

This is with the bleach grown out.

Ginger, no, its just in the stage of growing out your dye - you can just bite the bullet and do nothing, strip the colour, put very light highlights, do pixie cut, or whatever you are most comfortable with.

My hair hasn't seen dye for 5 years now

For some odd reason, most of my grey hair is UNDER the main hair. So if I pull my hair back, it shows on the sides in a huge way.

Thanks all.
Cocolepew, my hair is what I'd call light brown (but seems to be what hair colour folk call dark blonde). So it isn't the biggest contrast with the roots, but it is obvious. Can totally see the appeal of getting my hair cut short, but really don't think it suits me. Shall try to hang in there.