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Original poster

grey hair - what do we think...

83 replies

MaryAnnSingleton · 08/09/2007 17:05

I'm a bit fed up with high lights every few months - I was wondering whether to let the grey bits just blend in gradually - I haven't much,just the odd bits around hair line at front -my natural colour is mousey/fair ... would this be giving into middle age or could it look quite stylish (with a good hair cut) ?

OP posts:
Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 08/09/2007 17:06

this was inspired by an article in Wednesday's Times 2, btw

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 08/09/2007 17:08

i hate my grey. i'm over 50% grey and have dark hair.

i will keep highlighting until i'm 60 and then let it go.

lou33 · 08/09/2007 17:09

hate my grey

got to do it tonight

southeastastra · 08/09/2007 17:10

what did the article say? your grey hair is meant to compliment your skin colour apparently. but i'm going to keep highlighting mine. the grey ones stick up.

Spidermama · 08/09/2007 17:11

I'm fed up dyeing my hair. Mine's salt and pepper now but I hate the fact I have to dye it every month or so and it's so bad for the condition. I've been wondering whether to let it, erm, shine through, but every time I do I chicken out because it ages me so much.

I go round in circles. I think I just need to be brave enough to let it come through and stop being so vain.

I feel for my sister in law. She has more grey than I and she's half my age. Mind you at least she has gorgeous young skin.

I really HATE this ageing thing. It's been bugging me loads lately. So bad for ones confidence.

expatinscotland · 08/09/2007 17:11

i couldn't live without my Ghds because they smooth those wiry greys out.

policywonk · 08/09/2007 17:12

If the rest of your hair is dark then I think the grey ages you quite badly, but with fair hair this might not be the case? I have a lot of grey mixed in with dark hair, and I dye it OFTEN. I did try aging gracefully for a while (I started to go grey in my early twenties), but it started to make me depressed. Curiously, my female friends/relatives all wanted me to dye the grey, but my partner and a lot of my male friends were a a bit upset when I started dying it.

expatinscotland · 08/09/2007 17:13

My skin looks like hell. It's never been even, always blotchy. Now I had adult acne, too.

No wrinkles.

But I'd happily go without food to keep the highlights topped up.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 08/09/2007 17:20

southeastastra - it was about an American woman (a writer I think) who saw a picture of herself with her dyed dark brown hair and was horrified by her appearance and decided to let the natural grey come through - she did look better being grey - obviously you have to have the right kind of grey ! They had doctored pictures of celebs with grey hair and some looked better in my opionion - Judy Finnegan, Anne Robinson for example.

OP posts:
southeastastra · 08/09/2007 17:33

i do think alot of women really suit grey hair. it's the going for it initially and letting it grow that's scary

deaconblue · 08/09/2007 19:07

I think it depends on how old you are. I'm 34 and my hair is about 30% grey so I keep highlighting it as it makes me feel really old IYKWIM. Also it's not yet all shiny grey and sleek like my mum's, still those horrible wiry greys that look better when coloured.

JackieNo · 08/09/2007 19:11

I think it's the difference between wiry salt and pepper and sleek silver, which can look fab. I'm going to keep on dyeing mine for the foreseeable future.

fishie · 08/09/2007 19:17

all dp's brown hair went grey, his blonder bits haven't so it looks good.

i'd love to leave mine uncoloured but it is too dark and only grey in some places, looks awful. i bravely let it alone for a whole year and it wasn't good.

fruitful · 08/09/2007 19:17

My hair was black and is now at least 50% grey if not more. I'm 35. I dyed it for a while and it did look better but it felt awful. Constantly itching scalp, dry hair. And the "6 week" dye didn't wash out either! Had to grow it out.

Now I'm pg and not 100% sure that its ok to dye it, and anyway I know I won't get time when the baby is here. I'd rather be grey all over than have roots showing!

Plus I have a very young-looking face and until recently I found the aging effect of grey hair was actually a bonus. Being asked for ID in a pub at 28 is not as nice as it sounds. Now I have 2.5 kids and a haggard expression, obv I could do with looking a bit younger!

jbabe · 08/09/2007 19:38

Have decided I will let the grey shine thro' when I'm fifty. I don't think it's the low maintenance option necessarily. I think you need a plan to let the colour grow out, particularly if it's dark, and have a great well maintained haircut. I haven't dicussed this with any hairdressers but might you have to have some sort of "rinse" (not the dreaded blue!) to keep the colour pure?

Despite this have decided will let the grey shine thro on my 50th to celebrate the wisdom and experience of age and to counter the ageist society in which we live

woodenchair · 08/09/2007 20:34

Got my first grey hair at 16 so spent my 20's dyeing it, but stopped at 30.

I think it depends on your hair style and where it's coming in. Mine was mainly a streak at the front, so when my hair was one length it looked like highlights.

Have you thought about putting a pale semi permanent in? that way only the grey gets coloured and it's not as obvious when it grows out as only the grey has roots

BecauseImWorthIt · 08/09/2007 20:36

I've gone for the Ann Widdecombe school of hair colouring - have lighter streaks put in so that it disguises all the white!

Mercy · 08/09/2007 20:44

I've just started dyeing my hair about 6 months ago) with a semi-permanent thing. Am now 44.

I wouldn't mind a few obvious streaks but I have grey hairs sprinkled pretty much all over (except at the back). I have (had?!) brown/ black hair and v light brown skin which can look sallow which combined with grey hair is not good look!

Don't know what to do really. I'm sure it will be worse in a year's time

Donk · 08/09/2007 20:47

Hey, I earned those grey hairs the hard way! No way I'm hiding them.......

currantbunmum · 08/09/2007 21:15

I NEED to have mine dyed every 3-4 weeks as it grows so quickly. I used to have, now artificially have dark brown hair, it started going grey when I was 16. My hairdresser reckons I am now 90% grey/ white and I'm not yet 40 I do often think it would be easier and indeed cheaper to let it go, but I'm affraid of the way it would age me, I'll wait until I'm 50'ish and see how I feel then.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 08/09/2007 21:31

I wonder if you can have streaks of good grey put in,like high lights ?

OP posts:
woodenchair · 08/09/2007 23:17

my mum did that in the 80's she had a full on grey highlights in a bob.

Original poster
MaryAnnSingleton · 09/09/2007 10:41

did it look good,Woodenchair ?

OP posts:
forsale · 09/09/2007 10:48

I am now developing silver hairs on my otherwise brunette head but they appear to be sprouting from my parting so am booked in to have "foils" in a couple of weeks. They are still snippable though. Im 39. My sister has had loads of grey for years but she now lets it come through.

teasle · 09/09/2007 10:54

My dh has a few grey hairs on his chest! I found them the other day and he was a bit upset when he heard me tell my friends. oops

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