Help me decide - Shall I go for the drastic chop?!

[Chocrock]

I am 52 years old, I'm told I look younger

I currently have my hair in a short bob with a short fringe. I am going grey but I dye it brown.

I have always been experimental with my hair and have had it extremely short in the past and every colour available! However the past couple of years I have had the same hairstyle - a very tame (for me!) bob, apart cutting my fringe very short and uneven it is quite ordinary. I have very thick, coarse slightly frizzy hair which is only tamed by very expensive Brazilian blowdrys.

So here (at last!) is my dilemma, shall I cut it all off, stop dyeing and Brazilian blowdrying it? So it will be super short and whatever shade of grey my hair is naturally a la Jamie Lee Curtis, Judi Dench etc

What do you think?!!

Do it if you want to age 10 years overnight

Oh dear! Do you think shorter is ageing? Or do you mean being grey - or both?

Can we have a pic, OP? With your face blurred out if you'd rather? Will be much easier to give accurate opinions then!
But my gut instinct is to agree with trucking - sorry.

I wouldn't. I just wouldn't.
Instead of dyeing your hair brown why not have blonde highlights threaded through.
This is what I do.

Grey hair does make you look older. I know a pair of identical twins - one keeps dying her hair and one has gone grey. The grey one looks a lot older, despite the fact they are both funky dressing people with lots of eyeliner etc.

That said, people who have gone grey always talk about how liberating it is. It's not for me, but I can see the "fuck it" appeal.

If you feel ready for it then go for it. I did so a couple of years ago and love it. And despite what PP say I do not look older or haggard.

A couple of threads to show the more positive views:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/2423639-For-those-of-us-going-grey

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/style_and_beauty/2316020-To-chop-or-not-Honest-opinions-please

There are a few others - I'l see if I can find them.

But a pic would definitely make it easier to advise.

Oh, and in my honest opinion, past your mid-30s it is not the colour of your hair which ages you. Artificially keeping your hair "not-grey" can be more aging than embracing the silvers. Stylish funky silver pixie looks better than a fake, blorange look. Your clothes, cut, style will age you. Grey hair less so.

Jamie Lee Curtis looks ageless. And fab.

Totally agree Spartacus. Tell your hairdresser you do not want old lady hair and it'll be fine.

Thanks for all your replies and especially for the links to other threads, they were really helpful. I think I definitely will have it all chopped off and review the colour when its short........

Coarse hair and a pixie might just work though.

Sorry!! I meant to say might not work.

Do it - it's only hair , it'll grow back if you don't like it.

I love my short hair (I'm in my mid-30s), and I'll never have long hair again.

coarse hair doesn't work with any hair style in my experience!

Do it - it's only hair smile, it'll grow back if you don't like it.

^^ The answer I have been looking for!

Frankly, Jamie Lee Curtis could have any hair and still look great. Us lesser mortals need to work a bit harder at it...

Maybe either cut it short or change the colour, not do both at once? You can always do the other one if you like the new look

Well then, that's your answer then Choc . I'd definitely go for it if I were you, using it as a very quick going from dyed to naturally greying solution. If you then find it a bit boring / dull, you could dye it an interesting colour to make it more interesting.