When do you decide to go grey?

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Is it when you cannot keep up with the dye/re-growth race? When you peer at your roots and think " I only did these two weeks ago and look, I'm silver"

Or when you think "Hmm, it doesn't actually suit me now, dye looks fake". I don't think my hair remembers its real colour, it'll be interesting at least to see what happens......

Or (which I'm hoping is the right reason) you get your haircut with the intention (honest) of dyeing it but think "Actually, I look quite good"

My hair is short (think Long Pixie) cropped at the back/sides and maybe 2" on the top. Had it cut 4 weeks ago and I was going to henna before we went on holiday but I just CBA.

So, I'm planning to have another crop in a couple of weeks, and see how it looks. If it all looks dreadful, I have some Emergency Henna (but I don't want the risk of orange highlights so that'll be if I really don't like my natural hues)

I'm 44 and went grey a couple of weeks ago
Had the rest of the colour stripped out at the hairdressers
It's a pain - took 4 hours and tbh it's not as silvery as I would like but once I go again and have the ends cut off next month it should look better

I used to dye my hair regularly as a teen but I got so fed up with it. I grew it out and I haven't dyed my hair since. I'm 29 now and have a fair few grey hairs, though they're through the mid-section of my hair so not noticeable. I give it a few years before they're really noticeable. I'm not going back to dyeing though. I just don't see the point in doing something regularly that I absolutely hate. I'm not ashamed of my greys.

I decided after reading another thread on here last May , my original colour was dark brown but the dye looked harsh and dry ,the middle greys popped through in 2 weeks , tried going lighter but my hairline and sides went orange ! So back to dark again !! I started growing it out and realised that although the middle was white the sides and underneath were still dark hence the orange tones ! I grew it out an inch or 2 then cut all the dye out . I've been growing it back since January this year and personally I love it ! It suits my skin tone and I don't think I look older ( 50 gone sept ) here's a before and after .

Dramarama, you look great.

I'm torn about what to do next - the hair dye's in the bathroom but I'm putting it off. It's a real performance, I can't be arsed and I can't even think about the chemicals. I've read the henna threads, but I can't dedicate a day to colouring my hair. I've spent a year growing my hair and it's now past my shoulders. I really like the length. But, I've got a good inch of grey/mousey brown roots and a lot of faded browny/auburn/ginger hair. It looks awful. The only way forward I can see would be to get it cut in a shortish bob and then grow the colour out, with 6 weekly cuts.

Any ideas how I could do it without the drastic cut other than hibernation/sabbatical?

Thank you :) I just went cold turkey but I know some people have had the dyed parts heavily highlighted and then used purple shampoo or silver toner to help with the demarcation line but tbh some results are better than others as it can be damaging. I hadn't had short hair for over 20 years but it was worth it as it can only grow back healthier! If you are on face book check out gray and proud and ggg hair and Beauty guide , both are closed groups and have great advice and support :) step away from the dye ;) you can do this

Two words: Emmylou Harris

I am mid 40s. I last dyed mine in July and have had it cut REALLY short pixie and am now all natural. It is mostly salt and pepper and a bit darker at the back but I am not dyeing it again. I have ill health and just cannot be bothered with it anymore. I had it shaved at the back, and very short all over to get all the nasty browney ends cut off. I am going to try and grow it a bit now.

Dramarama your hair looks great. Emmylou Harris is gorgeous.

Never. I think it is inevitably ageing except on the very young who could have hair any colour and look good.

One of my most stylish friends is 80 and her once dark brown hair is now a lovely shade of blonde , slightly ashy / golden without looking like D Trump and that's how I want mine when I'm 80.

I suddenly couldn't be arsed.

I never dyed my hair. I had a French crop for years and after having DC1 grew it out as I could never get to the hairdressers. I love my grey hair, it suits my skin tone and I just make sure it in good condition and try and get it cut every 8 weeks. I'm 46 and get compliments a lot despite being a makeup and hair dye free zone.

I'm very late 40s and stopped dying mine about 2 years ago.

It got to the stage where the grey hair just wasn't really taking or holding the dye for long. Also, because my natural colour is very dark brown, when I dyed it (home dye) it would look too harsh, a block of dark brown like Lego hair! When it faded it would look really orangey too.

I debated having the overall colour lightened and highlights/lowlights put it but couldn't have found the time or money to maintain it TBH.

I've had loads of compliments about how it looks now!

I know what people mean when all of a sudden you can't be arsed.
Because I keep mine so short it looks, patchy, its much darker towards the back so when Im bleaching I have to do different parts for different times. its such a faff.
I've just taken a photo to see what the top is like . Im going to grow my top layers longer so it's not so patchy.

Great timing, this post!
My hair sounds exactly like yours - shoulder length reddish brown dye with about an inch of dark brown and grey roots... I decided this week enough is enough. Can't be arsed to keep colouring it! Looks good for two weeks then the blessed roots start showing... booked a good hairdresser for tomorrow and will see what they suggest... I'm determined no more dye! I'm 54 btw so plently old enough to embrace au naturel I think! 😉 Will be a pain to grow out I'm sure, but the time and money savings will be a bonus
Good luck to us!👍

I'm 51 & stopped dyeing mine its original dark brown 2.5 years ago - I like my grey - very silvery, mainly around my face & some underneath at the back.

The silver should keep coming through with each cut, badders Mine is fairly short and is markedly more sparkly each time I have it cut.

Dramarama your silver streaks are absolutely stunning, particularly with your waves.

I'm 36 and stopped bleaching mine (which is naturally dark) about three months ago. I'm white around my ears and have white streaks in my fringe but the rest is more of a mix of dark brown and grey.

I'm getting it chopped off on Saturday to get rid of the really bad ends. It seems to be really greasy now that natural hair is there instead of bleach but the ends are crispy.

Mine's been much less greasy now it's greying Brian

The dried-out faded-out dyed ends are awful - mine took nearly 2 years as I kept it shoulder-length - the shorter cut above was done after growing it all out!

I stopped May 20th last year, I had just turned 40. Oddly enough it had nothing to do with my age and everything to do with I-can't-be-arsedness. I have a short inverted bob, jaw-length around the front, however I still have the last tinges of 'brahn' at the very front tips.

It is a streaky mishmash of everything and I love it! Can't attach pic I'm afraid, so you'll have to take my word for it

Best thing I ever did. My hair is healthy and so so soft.

Im a mid brown with really quite long hair. Havrnt dyed since Halloween 2014, (always jet black, such fun) but only ever do wash in wash out. But rather than leave the stated max of 20 mins, i leave it for two hours. It fades, rather than regrows. No roots.

Lots of silver now, and in the harsh office loo lights , i might pluck a sticky outer or two.

But mostly i dont gaf. Im 43...found my first silver at 24. 24?! I look awesome regardless. Am old enough not to care, and that's quietly liberating. wont stop me going black or blue or something

Friends my age, 40's, who still colour their hair look odd to me unless they are fair haired to begin with. Those trying to maintain darker colours aren't as successful. Having said that, I'm sure they don't envy my steel or anthracite hair. I love it!

I grew mine out about five years ago. I was inspired by beautiful women on various websites who'd done the same. Unfortunately, I wasn't going to be one of them. I looked dreadful - tired, washed out, and at least ten years older than I was (38 at the time). I had to wear loads of make up to prevent my face from disappearing and had to spend money on having my eyelashes/brows dyed because my eyes were invisible - apart from the cost, it meant I was still using chemical dyes which is one of the reasons I'd stopped dyeing my hair in the first place. After six months I caved and re-dyed it. I'm back to wearing minimal make up and looking more like myself.

I do often miss the freedom of not dyeing, but I think if you're naturally pale you have to be very careful when considering growing out grey. I get roots through fortnightly but they no longer bother me - temporary root fixes have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years so I just cover them up between dyes. They also mean I can go longer between dye jobs, so my hair is in much better condition. I use a powder touch up by W7 which is only about £3 and a palette lasts for months - it's brilliant.

Natural grey hair looks beautiful on lots of women - sadly I'm not one of them!

One of the reasons I grew my grey out is because I am naturally very pale - with very dark hair. As mentioned above, maintaining dark doesn't work as skin gets paler and just looks harsh. I can't go lighter in my hair because that does make me look really ill. When I had an uneven sprinkling of silver, I went red for a few years, but found that very limiting in terms of the colours I could wear - red was out, for example, as it looked all wrong, while a good pillar box red looks fabulous with my natural colour. I also found that it started to look really harsh as the percentage of silver hairs increased, so I stopped in the end.

It took a full year to get rid of, even with really short hair. It's surprising how slowly the hair around my temples grows!

Odd as it sounds I've never, not even once, dyed my hair! I'm in my mid 60s now and lucky to only have a few hints of grey but I won't be fighting it.

wow, pasadena, there is nothing ageing about your hair!

I won't go grey til 65. Although I don't know yet in what way my hair will be grey. Silver, stripes? or just blah. So it depends.