Quitting hair dye and embracing the grey

[ittakestwo]

I've decided to quit the hair dye. I'm sick of the whole routine and damage it's doing to my hair.

At the moment I've got about 1inch of grey roots and have noticed that I'm salt and pepper through most of my hair but I will have a clear white stripe at the front.

I've mentioned my intentions to some colleagues and friends as they have felt the need to comment on my roots!! They have responded with shock and horror (I'm 45 btw).
I'm not really bothered by what other people think but would love to hear about other peoples experiences who have chosen to dump the dye.

I did it about 4 years ago (I’m 46 now) and tbh most people haven’t mentioned it at all

I do occasionally get mistaken for my children’s grandmother but this happened a couple of times before I stopped the dye too (my children are 7 and 21 months)

I am doing this. I stopped having my hair highlighted in September and i think i am almost there. I am 55 and my hair is a lovely grey/blonde colour. Absolutely no-one has noticed unless i have mentioned it and they look more closely. It is very liberating.

I made the decision to stop dyeing about 2 years ago when I was 36. If you are on Instagram, check out @grombre which is a very supportive and inspiring community of people going grey naturally, all in different ways, at different stages. I found it really spurred me on at the mid way point where my roots were driving me mad and I was wondering whether to change my mind! Now I love my natural grey colour and have been surprised to receive compliments on the colour quite frequently - people often ask where I have my highlights done 😂

My children are a lot older so that won't probably happen it might stop people thinking my eldest son is my partner though when we go out.

Did you cut your hair short or just cope with the regrowth and regular trims?

Thanks just looked at the @grombre Instagram page.

It has strengthened my resolve to quit the dye.

I'm doing this too - I've gone lighter over the past couple of years to make the regrowth less obvious, but I've had enough now of the time it takes to have it coloured and the expense. Last time I had my hair done I had no base colour done and a sprinkling of highlights in two colours through the top. I have short hair so I'm hoping it won't take too long. I don't care what anybody else thinks. If I don't like it myself then I can always have it coloured again. It's down to personal choice.

I did it at 44. Best thing I ever did. Chopped it all off, grew it long. My greys are very silver which I love!

Not suggesting you shave your head but there was a really inspirational thread on style and beauty last year 'shave head and go grey' (sorry can't seem to link) - lots of ideas, experiences, product recommendations. Took me a while to get used to my grey hair - had to think more carefully about make - up but I wouldn't go back to colouring.

I was thinking of that thread too! It was fabulous and actually made me wish my hair was more grey

Glad I found this thread! I've been grey and dyed my hair since I was 16. I have a mallen streak that's pure white. I'm 39 and feel I'm just a bit too young yet!
My friend is 36 and been growing out her grey in her black hair for a year, but she looks great! I'll be far more white tho, so not quite convinced!!
Will look at Instagram page, thanks x

Link to the thread mentioned up thread ... Head shave to go grey thread from S&B Oct 17

About three years ago I got fed up of the expense and grew my dye out. I had long hair so I cut it to a bob and slowly it grew out. The grey is at the temples, not noticeable really, unless I tie it back. I'm 40 now, had it cut short a few months back and regretted it, so I am going to grow it long again. When I am completely grey I might you with the idea of rainbow hair but we'll see.

I did it about 4 years ago (I’m 40 now). I won’t lie. The first 6 months were horrible. But it got better pretty fast after that. I went from patchy / blocky / built up dark brown to pretty much 50/50 white / dark with white streaks at the temples. I’ll try to find some pics as I did keep a photographic diary.

I quit the dye 18 months ago, thankfully I have a short pixie so it only took 10-11 months to grow long enough to cut off all the previous dyed hair and so now I'm into the grow out phase. I'm 33 with 80% grey and love the silver look. My hair wouldn't grow much past my ears before splitting with damage from the due but Im hoping to grow it as long as possible now it's in much better condition.

My top tip for grey hair is to add a tsp of directions violet semi dye (it's veg based) to any white conditioner of your choice to use as a toner. Much cheaper and better to choose your own shampoos/conditioners suited to your hair type.

I grew mine out when I was about 40. Mid-40s now. The worst phase was the bit that you are at now, where there are clearly grey roots. By the time it got to ear length on me, mine blended well in with the whole (I had light brown hair originally which helped).

I like mine grey now. It isn´t all one colour, so it has natural highlights in grey tones, the condition is much better and it suits me. I won't be dyeing it again.

Grew mine out and took 2 years, first 3 months were the worst. No-one mentioned it but everyone stared at my head (looked like I was wearing a white hat!). I think they thought I'd given up and decided to 'let myself go' whatever the frick that means. Now got a few inches left of brown left in mostly white hair. Young women often comment positively. Feels freeing and am quite attached of my reverse ombré as a sign of doing it cold turkey!! As a bonus my hair is thicker and soft and shiny for first time in years. Feels like my hair when I was a teenager. Check out Facebook group Grey and Proud. Loads of clever tricks and encouragement.

I'm just starting - I have a pixie crop so won't take long. it was brown with very silver roots so I had it totally bleached and toned to silver which I LOVED! I keep it silver with purple shampoo and conditioner.

It's been 10 weeks since it was last coloured and the back is def going to be darker than the front, which is very silver/grey. Looking forward to seeing what lies beneath

I think the next cut will take most or all the bleach from the very short hair at the back, which is good as it's starting to look a bit odd.

Not just me then! Got an appointment to have my roots done next week and I think that might be the last time. I'm totally white on top, wondering about using one of those sprays to keep me going through the initial pain. Anyone else tried these? I usually use them between root retouches.

I'm 47 and have been dyeing my hair for nearly 20 years. I hate the hairdressers, and last time I went, it cost me £95. I'm sick of it. So I am also embracing the grey.

To be fair, my hairdresser has taken the overall colour much lighter and I've got lots of 2 colour highlights to hide the grey coming through but if anything, I've now just got more colour in my hair. So I think I'm going to be brave, grow it out for 6 months then have it cropped.

I'm doing this too. Started just over a year ago at 36. Became allergic to my hair dye and also fed up of being embarrassed by my grey roots which appeared within a couple of weeks of colouring. I've had a couple of comments and a few funny looks from people I hadn't seen for a while.

My hair is currently in a long bob and is about halfway to being grown out. The most difficult period was around 3 months in, when it probably looked like I had forgotten to do my roots. Now it looks more intentional and I'm broadly happy with the colour. I use purple shampoo to try to counteract the orangey tone in my dyed ends. My main complaint about the grey hair in my case is that the texture is much more wirey than the rest of my hair and this can make it look unkempt - not a good combo with grey hair! I've tried a few different products but still looking out for something to improve the wirey-ness...any suggestions would be gratefully received!

I did it in my early 40s. Now 48. I have very short hair. Sometimes I look in the mirror and feel a bit fed up about the greyness, but most of the time I couldn’t care less. I make sure I wear colourful clothes -grey and black look awful on me.

I stopped box dyeing my hair 6 months ago. I have a bob and have had a pixie cut in the past so know it doesn't suit me at all! My old natural colour was light brown and I'm trying to grow it out subtly (in my probably misguided opinion) by just dyeing the very top roots blonde. All of the underside of my hair at the front is white and the back is going to be salt and pepper. About half my head will be white. It's very slow growing though, in six months I only have less than 2 inches growth.

I've had mostly supportive comments, but mostly from friends who have never dyed their greys. I'm 53 and one 41yo friend was completely horrified.

I stopped about 10 years mid thirties I just embraced the stripy badger look and had it cut into a really short bob as soon as I could to shed the coloured ends, I don't really think much about it now, I am pleased I don't have to worry about regrowth and spending a fortune at the hairdressers or getting home dye all over the bathroom/clothes/towels any more.

I'm 55, and never really embraced hair dye in the first place so have slowly, and naturally, gone from brunette (or dull brown!) to an ash blond/grey mix. A little bit of me would love to be 'blonde' but I really can't be bothered with the faff and cost of trying to maintain a false hair colour - life's too short and all that . As I didn't have DS (now 15) until I was 40 I have no doubt I might be mistaken for Grandma occasionally!

Meant to add that I have a short bob.