Hair colour to cover grey - go lighter or original colour?

[UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme]

Hi
I've been having my hair highlighted sporadically (roughly 3-4 times per year) for the last 5 years or so. I've been having highlights in a mix of sort of warm honey blonds, lighter than my natural winter hair colour.

I have/ had the sort of light to mid brown hair which goes quite blond ("honey blond" if it were a home hair dye pack not white blond) in the summer, so it's looked ok when it grows out a bit.

Over the 5 years or so my natural hair has been greying.

It's now probably 9 months since I've had it highlighted and the get has grown in properly. It's White-Grey and I actually don't mind it.. But on a whim yesterday I booked an appointment to get it cut and highlighted next week.

My daughter is convinced that I'd look "fresher" if I went darker to match her, I'm sure teenagers aren't supposed to want the same hair as their mums to my natural winter colour.

I'm sure the received wisdom is that colouring grey darker looks fake and is ageing. Have I made that up?

I'm generally happy in my skin and content to look the age I am, but I don't want to actually actively choose something which will look false and be ageing.

What advice would you give? Go lighter or darker?

Definitely lighter, but if you like your grey why not stick with it ?

Definitely lighter. Dyed dark hair can be really ageing, and the upkeep is also a nightmare. I’m mixed-race and have very dark hair and very pale skin, so I’m also winter. I’ll start the process of going lighter shortly. I would really recommend going to somebody who specialises in colour rather than just a local hairdresser because it’s important to get the shade right for your colouring. I went light once before and it looked hideous because it was too orange against my complexion.

Thanks both of you! You've confirmed what I thought, but I wasn't sure. I shall ignore my 15 year old's advice She's much more stylish than me but unsurprisingly not as clued up as she thinks about what's going to work best for a greying 45 year old

FippertyGibbett you're probably right about sticking with the grey. I'm in a bit of a restless phase having completed a recent 3 year course of study and embarked on a new healthy lifestyle a couple of months ago which obviously will take a while to make a proper noticeable difference, no travel or change or new starts on the horizon, and just wanted to do something!