Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Style and beauty

Looking for style advice? Chat all about it here. For the latest discounts on fashion and beauty, sign up for Mumsnet Moneysaver emails.

Original poster

Growing out grey hair from a fashion colour

62 replies

Bellatrixurstrange69 · 14/08/2018 18:31

Can anyone advise the best way to grow out mousey brown grey hair from vibrant red. Have finally decided I need to embrace my natural colour but don't have £100's to go to professional. TiA

OP posts:
Thread gallery
11
Whitney168 · 14/08/2018 18:36

I am just doing the same (well, from red/coppery brown). I have to say, I reckon it will be hard to do it tidily without professional help, and I say that as someone who has just paid for a salon hair dye for the first time in my 50 years. Have always done it at home.

I have had a T-section of highlights, which break up the line and hide the grey growing out underneath. I think it will work well, and was obviously cheaper as they've only done a small part of my head.

It is difficult! I have no issue with being grey, it's just the getting there without looking a mess. At one point I was threatening to shave it off and get a wig LOL.

DontCallMeCharlotte · 14/08/2018 18:44

I went cold turkey with a fairly short bob and regular trims. It took about 18 months and wasn't pretty but was worth it.

PatMustardsHairyBaby · 14/08/2018 18:56

I shaved my head.

Not for everyone of course but I couldn't stand the idea of having two tone hair as it grew out.

Original poster
Bellatrixurstrange69 · 14/08/2018 20:01

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think it's a tough one because there's pros and cons in all ways. Logically the shorter it is the quicker the process will be but I can't bring myself to spirt a pixie cut at the moment.

I too have considered a wig. Seriously. I think the more redder you are the more it contrasts against the grey so I may be better off dying it black then letting it grow in. Just call me Cruella.

OP posts:
Original poster
Bellatrixurstrange69 · 14/08/2018 20:09

Spirt a pixie!!
Sport a pixie!

OP posts:
superram · 14/08/2018 20:20

My hairdresser has told me the best way to do it is to go very light ash blond-but only if done professionally and it will be harsh so mainly on shorter hair.

Hockneypool · 14/08/2018 20:21

I grew my hair out a few years ago. It was highlighted reddish brown. I had extra grey highlights added to match it/ cover it to the new grey coming in. Also used silver shampoo to take the brassyness out.

It took about 18 months for it all to go. Definitely worth it. My hair is and in very good condition, the colour suits me ( better than the darker red brown) and it’s so much cheaper and easy to maintain. Also head space created because I don’t spend time thinking are my roots showing.

BlindedByYourGrey · 14/08/2018 20:22

That’s what I’ve done superram. It’s made the regrowth much less noticeable. Cost a lot but worth it.

EraOfTheGrey · 14/08/2018 20:33

My original route was professional bleaching and ash toning. It was ok for a while but it got bothersome. So, I decided to shave my hair off, that was 11 months ago and I now have a short bob. It was a hideous journey and not for the faint-hearted. My hair is now in excellent condition and so very soft. I think the great condition is down to the lack of heat products and harsh chemicals.

fridgepants · 15/08/2018 00:00

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the user's request.

Jeffingandeffing · 15/08/2018 09:01

I’m watching this thread with interest. I’m also so fed up with dying my hair every few weeks to cover up the roots that I’ve decided to embrace my grey! Not sure how I’ll go about it yet though so am reading all your suggestions with interest....

Knowivedonewrong · 15/08/2018 11:07

I removed the colour from my dyed purple hair. Put the lightest ash blonde I could find on it, had it cut short beforehand and have now being growing it out for 9 months.

NicoAndTheNiners · 15/08/2018 11:17

Oh god am reading this with a bit of dread.

Currently home dye my hair with permanent dark reddish brown colour. But the grey is going bonkers, it’s like the colour falls out the grey hairs before it’s grown out. I can’t keep up.

So am booked into the hairdressers tomorrow for kind of purple all over with red highlights. Sounds awful but we looked at some nice photos. But now I’m worried I’m doing the wrong thing if red shows up the grey hairs even more.

I had originally wanted something like in one of the photos here with dark hair with silver bits in but when I went to show the hairdresser the photos last week she wasn’t very enthusiastic saying it would be hard to get my naturally dark hair silver. So now going for something more like in the other photo.

Growing out grey hair from a fashion colour
Growing out grey hair from a fashion colour
SuburbanRhonda · 15/08/2018 11:20

I’m booked in next week for highlights as a first step to growing out my grey hair but it’s going to cost £99 and I’m on the verge of cancelling as I’ve always had dark hair and I think it’ll look weird.

Has anyone done it by switching to semi-permanent hair colours?

Fluckle · 15/08/2018 11:23

I did this a few years back. I had a chin length bob at the time and it was RED. My natural colour is dark ashy blonde. Colourist neutralized the red and the went for all over brown colour, then grew it out from there, and every time in needed colouring I just went a little bit fairer or added a few highlights.

Aveda make a fab brown conditioner with pigment in it. It's brilliant at helping the transitional colour stay towards brown and keeps it in great condition.

For anyone keeping the red for now, their madder root conditioner for red hair is brilliant too.

TaighNamGastaOrt · 15/08/2018 11:43

Yikes, I'm nearly 40 and growing out my greys-about 5 months into it. Except I'm white! been grey/had mallen streak since 15 and dyed it ever since! The top of my head is white! the rest of my hair at the front is light brown, where as the length of my hair is dark brown! Its a clusterfuck!
I'm also trying to grow my hair a bit, my hairdresser tho is desperate to colour it to 'blend' it. I'm just a bit meh as I'm really enjoying the no chemicals on my hair!
Tempted by head shave-could do it for charity! But likely I'll just have it chopped shorter until the grey white is through.
Is anyone else getting negative reactions to it? Apparently I'm too young to go grey. It looks a mess. And so on.....

Fluckle · 15/08/2018 11:55

Have a look at @grombre on Instagram Taigh - plenty of inspiration over there for women who are prematurely grey and embracing it.

AllPizzasGreatAndSmall · 15/08/2018 14:07

Has anyone done it by switching to semi-permanent hair colours?

Maybe the old style semis that only last about 8 washes (can you even still get them?) wash out fully, but most don't.
I had only used the Casting type of semi-permanent dye for years before deciding to stop colouring - it still took two years to grow out the colour fully.

TaighNamGastaOrt · 15/08/2018 14:17

Thanks Fluckle, I already follow grombre, certainly encouraging! Also, my younger friend has started growing her greys and it really suits her! I just look like a giant bird has shat on me! Grin

MaMisled · 15/08/2018 14:26

I also went cold turkey. Short, regularly cut bobs and hats during the colder months! Nows the time to start! I went from shoulder length thick cyber purple to classy salt and pepper bob in 18 months. So glad I did! Such a relief to not worry about grey roots and faded colour! The initial course springiness of the grey soon softens by the way! Do it!

SuburbanRhonda · 15/08/2018 15:03

Thanks, pizza.

I use Superdrug colours because they are cruelty free and have always used the permanent ones. They do a semi-permanent in the same range of colours and I always thought there would be no point having two products that were practically identical, but I clearly haven’t read the packaging properly!

arleta66 · 16/08/2018 08:28

Hi Bellatrix I'm doing the same as I have mousy very ash toned hair with about 10 percent grey and had a dark /mid brown on it for years now. Like another lady mentioned on this thread my greys aren't covering anymore. I've used Sassoon magic off to get some of the colour out which is £25 via Amazon you can't get on UK amazon so I buy from Germany. It's vitamin C and castor oil so you could try your own mixture but I didn't have much success with this myself as only had vitamin C tablets and it was a right faff. Powder vitamin c probably better! The draw back with magic off is that it's left lighter but very coppery orange toned so not really sure if it's helped grow out less noticeable. Mine had just gone too dark because of repeated colouring to cover resistant greys! I've left mine over 2 months now and am going to hairdresser next week to see what can be done to help with transition. I've dyed my hair since I was 13 and am 52 now! I wish mine was a lovely silver grey but just boring mouse and horrible feeling it doesn't suit me. Just sick of dyeing it though. I would not advise going darker brown as more permanent colour on top is going to go much darker and make contrast worse I think. Nice pics of my saucepans Smile

Growing out grey hair from a fashion colour
arleta66 · 16/08/2018 08:38

TaighNamGastaOrt don't take any notice of other people's negative opinions, go for it. If you don't like it you can always dye it again but so many ladies have said they've loved their grey hair. I think at your age you haven't got to worry about it making you look old as you're still young and won't have that many wrinkles! Smile it's going to look a bit of a mess while you're growing it out what do people expect who are telling you it looks a mess. It's what you want that counts. I think we are all so pressured into thinking grey hair is unattractive and ageing for women (but ok for men !) I think slowly that is changing as more women stop colouring and go grey.

TaighNamGastaOrt · 16/08/2018 13:38

Thanks @arleta66, I tend to ignore the negative comments, my husband doesnt seem to mind it! It does look odd just now, but its getting there slowly! I do get the urge to dye it sometimes!!
I've attached a pic I took in June to show just how white it is!

Growing out grey hair from a fashion colour
arleta66 · 16/08/2018 14:01

It will look fab when you've grown it out it looks like a really lovely snowy white. Plus the colour on your ends will fade in time. My partner doesn't care either way he really doesn't notice if I've dyed my hair waxed my legs etc !