Growing out grey hair from a fashion colour

[Bellatrixurstrange69]

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

Bellatrix that should have said I've been dyeing mine red/brown not dark brown. This is better pic of how copper/red it is. This is it faded after three months of not putting any further red through hair.

Going cold turkey here from dark brown to 80% grey

I went from coloring mine a darkish brown to nothing by

1. waiting till it was winter and wearing a beanie
2. pinning up the ends in a bun
3. going to a hairdresser and having three inches taken off

My next hair trim will remove all traces of hair colour and I’m delighted, as is my DH. He’s a silver fox and now we match! I’m a silver vixen! It’s taken a year as my hair is long.

My soft curly hair has come out with lovely shiny bright silver highlights, and all my old highlights of blond and red have come througs as well, so it’s interesting looking. I also have a mallern streak which is fab.

My skin looks brighter, my eyes brighter and I suit my own colour much better than the box brown dye.

I’m really owning it, and those few months with a beanie last winter, and putting the ends up in a bun have really paid off.

I’m growing it long again as it’s just collar bone length. I’ve got layers in for the curls. The condition is fantastic.

Thanks for the posts everyone! I'm a bit bowled over by how many of you have posted! So yesterday I went from a very unnatural red to an ash brown. Not my natural colour but suits my skin and I've dyed my eyebrows to match so that's it! I'm officially done with the box dyes.i couldn't live with the greywhite I have sitting next to pillar box red. It would have been a constant reminder of what I was giving up, IYSWIM.

My plan is to leave it - let my natural ashy brown hair grown in white wires n all and see what percentage of grey I am now. Last time my roots grew in I was about 40-45% grey. It actually blends very well with my natural ash brown so I'm going to work with what I've got.

I'm planning on using the root cover up at Wilko's to hide for as long as I can. Autumn/Winter is a good time for hat - wearing too!!

Also just watched an amazing video on YouTube of how you can keep one main section dyed whilst you grow out the remainder of your hair but still look polished. Will post the link if I can (technologically incompetent)!

How to Grow out Your Gray Hair Secretly Part 2--The Process - YouTube
m.youtube.com › watch

Suzanne Barnes How to Grow Your Grey Out Secretly is the video, anyway.

I had coloured my hair for 33yrs, took the plunge to go from bob to short cut as was growing out colour. Happy to not colour hair again, now growing hair back to a bob.

Congratulations to those who grew your colour out.

Letsdolunch321 your hair is absolutely beautiful!!! Thanks for sharing your photo and journey x

Areleta66 your hair looks really long. Are you going to keep it long for your growing out process or cut it shorter? I think that's a tough decision for some people especially if there hair is longer than shoulder-length and it's taken an age to grow it.

My hair never grows at all so I could cut it into a bob (thinking that's a good idea) and it would stay that way for quite awhile unfortunately!

Bella** - Thank you much appreciated. Be happier once it is in a bob style.

Bellatrix I've just had over 2 inches cut few weeks ago and going next week to get bit more done. My hair was very long for years but got bit thinner since menopause so gone shorter. I've not got the face for short hair and my hair is one of few things I like about myself. when I was 13 sent pic of myself with short bobbed hair to my Indian pen pal who said I had boyish good looks (I'm sure she meant it as a compliment! ) so short hair just not for me! My hair is totally straight and flat and low maintenance as far as styling goes I just brush it and leave it. Whereas when it was short I had to use a ton of product otherwise it just looked flat. I might have it in shoulder length bob. Total respect to the ladies who have gone really short. Did you dye it ash brown yourself or hairdresser job ? I'm worried about mine going too dark if I put anything on it again as think it must be quite porous. It goes almost black very easily.

Well got my hair dyed today, looks nice. Was foils and an all over colour but cost £58! I’m up north, not London. Is that usual?

Hairdresser did say next couple of appts I will just need roots doing and then on the 4th appt have a full head thing again.

That didn’t inc a cut, was £75 with a cut/trim.

Nicoandtheniners I'm down in South West and £40 to £45 just to do root tint! Friend just paid £130 for highlights and cut and blow dry. £58 sounds pretty good to me

Nicoandtheniners I'm down in South West and £40 to £45 just to do root tint! Friend just paid £130 for highlights and cut and blow dry. £58 sounds pretty good to me

I'm off to the hairdressers this weekend to ask them about adding highlights.

I'm mousy with a fair amount of grey on the top - loads of it, but not that much grey on the under layers I don't think.

I have always box dyed it. But I react to the dye on most brands. So I was using the age defy brand as it didn't bother me, but the last time I used it I itched. So although I have 2 more boxes of that, I'm not sure I dare risk it.

So.... it's chat to the hairdresser and go for highlights, or emrace it and just grow it out.

I'm nervous though. I teach and although my boss and other male colleagues who are exactly my age are naturally grey, it just feels different for me to do the same.

I have shoulder length, light brown/blonde hair. I used to dye it deep red, then went to brown, then gradually lighter and lighter. I like the lightness around my face that the grey gives, but don't know if I've got the nerve to stop dying - although I'm not sure I can risk it.

So it's chat to the hairdresser and get a quote for highlights if they think I can use their products.

araleta66. Blimey, I will stop moaning about £58 then.

It's not in hairdressers' interests for clients to stop colouring their hair, so lots of them will say you need to have highlights or go lighter to blend, but all that means is it's even longer until you are dye free.

I already loved my hairdresser, but her support and enthusiasm about my silvers growing through just made me appreciate her even more.

DrMadeline I wouldn't use any darker or box dye again as you could get a really serious reaction. I have read that it's usually something called PPDs that people react to. I know there's more of it in brown and darker dyes. Thing with highlights is its not all over but make sure they do a skin test which I'm sure they will. If your hairs light then it won't be as noticeable to grow out. When it's grown out a bit you could wear it up for work if it's long enough. Pizza has a good point though about hairdressers talking you in to colouring. If everyone went natural they wouldn't make any money!

I’ve just had a chat with my hairdresser about having some highlights put in to break up the solid line of grey roots as my hair grows out. She did a strand test but the layers of reddish brown dye on my hair were very resistant and my hair too fragile to go down that route. She’s suggested some low lights - just on my parting to soften the hard grey line. Am booked in Tuesday for a cut and colour - will let you know how it goes.....

This is the colour I’ve got after yesterday’s hairdresser trip. It’s one overall colour and highlights but the highlights aren’t very obvious.

Nicoandtheniners I love that colour looks really good you can see the highlights very slightly. Jeffingandeffing, think that's what I'll have to do as well as my red brown hair has had so much colour on it. Tried a few years ago getting highlights and I looked like a bloody tiger they were orange! My hair was really long and took ages to get condition back as well.

Thankyou.

I think highlights look amazing on some people when the hairdresser gets the right shade and it's weaved in beautifully. Sadly the last time I had highlights I thought I looked straight out of a 90's sitcom and promptly dyed straight back over them again! It cost me £75!!!! What a disaster. So I'm sticking to my semi-perms which wash out quite fast on my hair. I'm also going to use the Root Cover Up spray for a bit until I'm more roots than ends. I'm chopping it into a more styled bob rather than me + kitchen scissors = crooked mess.

The hardest thing for me to do is not dye it again really......

Crop it. Honestly I spent years fannying about with long bobs, layers etc looking ridiculous. Crop it, grow it back out.