Grey hair boredom

[SouthWestmom]

So I have given up the dye and I love:

No roots
Some lovely white

I am bored though and it's still got some dark grey/brown wedges through it

I've done highlights and they always end up yellow or warm blonde

Silver shampoo or conditioner is a con or at best keeps it from going yellow

What can I do to stop giving him and chucking a box dye on it?

cocolaphew gorgeous colour. I’m growing a pixie cut out and as mine grows I feel more myself even tho it’s white instead of black!
lexiepuppy how do you get the bleach London shampoos to work? They never show on my greys.
Noeuf

I got fed up with dying my hair, but couldn't bear growing it out, so spent a LONG time in my *trusted) hairdressers. She bleached out all the colour, so we were going back to a blank canvas, then dyed it silver, with some lilac bits put through. I also had it cut short (but I'm used to short hair - I've had it lots as an adult, and never had longer than shoulder length as an adult).

I love it. I use a colour deposit shampoo called Viral - I have a platinum silver one for the bits I want to keep silver, and a purple one to touch up the lilac colour. I work in a young, creative industry, and it's gone down really well with the kids .

My roots are now about 1.5cm grown in, and I'm almost 100% silver, so it's faded in brilliantly. I might not need to dye it again, other than to lift a few of the browner bits, but I'm going to ocntinue with my colour depositing shampoos, they're amazing (I do it once or twice a week, and wash normally in between).

I think it's important to keep young if you've embraced the grey - ensure your clothes don't age you and your skin looks good (whether that's with make-up or not is up to you). And consider mixing it up a little - just because you've gone grey doesn't mean you can't still experiment with your hair.

I think using a mask conditioner once a week really helps as it stops it looking frizzy and keeps it soft. I’m the only one of my friends to have gone natural, I have lots of piercings in my ears & wear ‘young’ clothes, it just looks much softer.

OP, think yours is a nice soft looking sort of grey. I am debating whether to embrace the grey, but with a short style I wonder if it will make me look too old as I've lost alot of weight. A dark colour like my natural is probably too harsh. A box blonde starts off ok then gets a bit frizzy and gingery. I'm not keen on the reds. So, not much hope! Also, dark colours and the red will make a heck of a mess of the bath! I can't afford to pay at the hairdresser. I'm thinking a light brown is the best option. Anyway I envy women with flattering grey! Especially if it's dark, thick and wavy or that really light grey (forgotten what it's called now) almost white.

I'm 64 and my originally really dark hair is now very grey! I have never been brave enough to have it high-lighted or low-lighted or whatever. I have had genuine compliments about it - one even saying it looked lovely, just like Virginia Wade!!!

Platinum! Good ideas from Pp's about considering the whole look to avoid frumpyness 🙄

Here you go Noeuf

Mine is a bit like @redwoodmazza colour wise, but short and not as thick. In fact the sort I envy!

Your hair colour looks lovely.

Rather than hair colour have you tried a make up change? I started to feel really drab and just couldn't get on with my make up any longer either, so I booked into a posh makeup counter thingy and they did my colours etc for me. What a difference. I feel like me again. Made me feel a lot less drab.

@Cocolapew you have dream hair. Dream, I tell you.

Thank you 😘 I love Linwood Barclay so that's interesting - a book of his I haven't read.

Maybe it's makeup. I think generally I feel dowdy. I've gone blobby although I'm a size ten, just flabby tummy big thighs all that.

It's a bit like the last straw really. I thought it would be white: I might try the colour recommended first silver though.

Top of my head, feels like giving in to dye it too much. It's taken about four years of false starts, chops, temp dyes, highlights etc to now have nothing in my hair.

I think your hair colour is lovely, I've gone grey and I love it, however if you think it's not working for you and it's making you feel rubbish, just dye it, there's no law that says you can't change your mind about things.

I think much of the 'grey-positive' movement is about saying it's ok to be grey and it can be a really powerful choice for some women, equally if it's not for you, that's ok too!

I do think if you're not feeling great about the way you look as a whole it may be worth paying some attention to clothes/skincare to see if that makes you feel more favorable towards the grey. I tend to be pretty well put together so I think my hair looks more like a statement than a default iyswim.

Anyway, do what makes you feel good, thankfully we live in a time and place where looking a certain way is not compulsory!

That's mine for reference!

Oh, and hair masks are great for getting rid of some of the wiry texture it can be prone to.

Ilikeyourhairyhands your hair is lovely, which hair masks are good?
Noeuf some lovely shades in there. I have had to change my wardrobe as I was blending into my predominantly grey clothes. Now love wearing strong colours with red lippy.

I really like (genuinely) the hair linked here as it reminds me why I did this - natural, skin tones work better, no roots all that.

Maybe I need a bit of tlc. It's generally been a rough year (2019) and I've lost a lot of confidence.

I have a little list of things to try.

Philip Kingsley - I have elasticiser sitting untouched so will give that a go

I've looked up clear gloss in a local salon

Looking up make up counters that aren't my beloved Clarins

Am sitting on my scissor hands and aiming to be shoulder length by Christmas

Will maybe chuck out the comfy crap that's crept back in to my wardrobe after a huge overhaul a few years ago

This is mine. It looks much whiter in real life and has been like this since I was about 40. When I am bored with it I do stripes with brightly coloured hair chalk.

Oh, yes and as Golden says, I used to wear a lot of grey when my hair was dark. I don't any more. I've re-embraced black and navy, they look so much better.

Hair masks, I alternate the L'oreal series professional in the gold pot and elasticiser. I also use Wow Dreamcoat when I blow-dry it.

Make-up and skincare-wise, I'd go to a Space NK if you have one near. The consultants aren't tied to a particular brand so are very good at advising what's best. I was wearing Laura Mercier foundation until recently but it started to feel to heavy and ageing. I'm now wearing Chantecaille tinted moisturiser, concealer and gel blush, and it feels so much fresher and more youthful.

And get a good skin-care and body-care regimen going. I bathe every day anyway but I now make sure I do a little personal maintenance with each bath, so either a deep-cleansing or moisturising face mask. Body scrub or oil in the bath and always use body oil after. Keep your feet and hands in good nick with a small bit of care each day. It's only small quick things, but it's all self-care and love and does make you feel as though you're investing a bit in yourself.

There's nothing at all wrong with wanting to feel pretty and feminine. It is possible to do that and be intellectually stimulated by larger philosophies.

I don't like the idea that self care is frivolous or unnecessary. We're all quite complex beings who can take joy in our physical and metaphysical selves.

Ok I feel a bit more upbeat about it thank you, and especially because lots of you have felt the same. A pp mentioned the online groups being really positive and pro grey - I left two FB groups because of that.

So, putting the imaginary box dye down, heading to rescue the rest of me first

Sharron Osborne has embraced the grey

You're the same age as me Noeuf, I think it's about embracing who you are, and that gives you the confidence. Self-knowledge, self-care and a little bit of self-love.

Wow, Sharon Osborne looks good. I try not to be a silver evangelist as I know it's not for everyone. but I really do think that with the right haircut and colour choices around clothes and make up, Grey hair looks incredibly chic

Oh, and as an addendum, I've rather nicely had a couple of 20ish year-olds approach me recently and tell me they love my look. One was on a MAC counter when I was waiting round for DD and the other was a hairdresser when I was waiting for a friend in a bar. Just embracing who you are, with confidence, is really powerful and I think a powerful message to younger women too.