Has anyone else fully embraced the grey but then reneged on it? Or is it just me?!

[PLAYJAJADINGDONG]

I was even one of those irritating evangelical types on here about it 🤐 and for a while I did love it but then the colour and texture of my grey changed as it grew out and I started looking more and more like Roberta Sparrow from Donnie Darko when I didn't have a full face of makeup on.

It's the lack of contrast that was the problem I think. I'm pale with celtic cool colouring (dark natural hair, blue eyes) and there was just not enough contrast between my mush and my hair. I definitely looked older (was 36 when I went grey, 40 now).

Since going back to dyeing I've felt so much happier and more confident and my hair now reflects my personality/sense of style far more than the grey did. I do feel that I've let the side down a bit though esp from a feminist pov. Social conditioning is a bitch eh 😟.

Anyone else?

🙋‍♀️

I just looked tired and old with the grey.

Yeah I tried it but the white was patchy and it looked murky where my natural warm brown was still in evidence. It can look great but it looked shite on me.

Never once have I considered it. But I took passport photos yesterday and had to scrape my hair into a bony tail as “there was insufficient difference between my image and the background”. Ie my hair is indistinguishable from the wire wall behind me! I’m also pale with cool colouring.

A bony tail, bonzo77?

Think you should be on the "runners' face" thread!

"Bony tail" 😂🤣

I feel you though bonzo. I got my work ID pic taken at peak grey in awful lighting and it's pretty much grey hair, grey wall, greyish with the tiniest hint of pink face.

Well you shouldn’t feel guilty! You don’t know how it’s going to look when it’s all grey. It’s a feminist stance to do what the fuck you like, no apologies

I have a grey streak at the front growing from all the baby hairs, I’m 42, and growing out a very light blonde to my softer natural mousey dark blonde. I’ll see what it looks like, if shite it gets dyed

Same here, I had good intentions but the grey was patchy and messy with a lot of natural brown mixed in - was neither one thing or another. I'll try again in a few years when it's more clear silver. It's worth a try but some styles definitely suit it better than others.

Grew my grey out last year and to be honest it’s the first time I’ve had compliments off strangers about it I think, which was weird for me. However, that’s when I let it go curly. The rest of the time it’s scraped back with no makeup on and I have to admit it’s not a brilliant look. I’m not sure that’s the colour’s fault as much as, like you say, the lack of contrast. It’s dark grey so not too bad on zoom etc.

Ha! Bony tail.

All serious though. My hair is fucking gawjuss when I do something with it. I get lots of compliments and it’s zero maintenance. Had it cut once this year in about June I think.

Looks lovely bonzo 😍.

This was mine. I can objectively appreciate that it's a nice colour but it just didn't make me feel good about myself.

Another random thing that irritated me, my hair never looked shiny! Now that it's darker I'm loving that it looks shiny and healthy again!

I love both pics- such beautiful colours.

I’ve not had mine dyed since March, and I’m determined to carry on, until it’s all grown out. But I do miss my brown hair I just hated having to do to the hairdressers every 6 weeks.

I'm 38 and 10 months into the grow out... mines been going grey since I was 18 so the age thing doesn't bother me but I have days where I love it and days I where I just feel so unlike my real (old) self that it's untrue! I still can't make my mind up what to do as I when I was dying every 4 weeks it was falling out and breaking, terrible condition. It's so hard!!

I started growing mine out over the summer but after my working from home / skiving in the sun tan had faded I looked flipping ancient and too pale!

Back to colouring it again. Feel better.

See, I'm thinking both those grey pics on here look great! Mine wouldn't look like that. It's curly, and unless it's really long, I just look like a middle-aged old bat with a perm. The hairdresser, when i discussed the possibility of going grey, suggested silver highlights throughout the transition period, but I might as well just be colouring my hair, in that case. It is a PITA, and expensive, to get my roots done every 3 weeks, and I hate doing my own hair in lockdown. Fortunately I supply my own Holland & Barret colour due a sensitivity to other hair colours, and I've stocked up.

@PLAYJAJADINGDONG yes I grew my blonde dye out at 42, I was massively in support of the whole feminist thing about not conforming etc but when I started dating post divorce I decided to go blonde again, I looked about ten years older with grey/white hair, I'm 48 now and despite having my last two colour appointments cancelled I'm fairly convinced I'll stick with the blonde although I'd rather be my natural brunette :-(

I couldn't even if I wanted to. I started reacting to hair dye and still have a patch of contact dermatitis even though I haven't dyed it in years. It also took years to grow out so couldn't just start dying again after all that effort. However if it's not the right time then colour it and wait until you're ready before trying again.

It’s so personal. Mine’s been grey for 24 years now, it was unheard of to go grey in your early 40s then but I’d dyed it since I was 16 and I was sick to death of it. I look like shit without make up but I never leave the house without it anyway. It’s very much the colour of @PLAYJAJADINGDONG’s.

Me! I grew mine out 3 years ago and was fine with it until lockdown. My hair is curly and I depend on a decent cut every 8-10 weeks. I had 2 haircuts in 2020 due to Covid restrictions and just got so bored with my too long, wavy grey hair. I put a tint in that matched my remaining colour and straightened it. Loved it! Since washing it, the curls have reappeared, but I don’t regret colouring it (yet).

My friend did. Went grey after years of colouring. I was very impressed with her bravery. She looked great - but defo older. She lasted about a month before the dye came back out. Why I will keep colouring..

@PLAYJAJADINGDONG your photo looks lovely. And shiny. Very shiny. But if you long love it then you don’t love it.

I did and it was fine in the summer as it looked white blonde, but then I just looked grey as had dark patches so it looked uneven. I cracked a few weeks ago and had it dyed again with some highlights so it looks much better and I feel better in myself.

I envy people who have embraced it and gone that lovely even shade of white.

@LizzieSiddal

I love both pics- such beautiful colours.

I’ve not had mine dyed since March, and I’m determined to carry on, until it’s all grown out. But I do miss my brown hair I just hated having to do to the hairdressers every 6 weeks.

This is exactly what I wanted to say

I'm thinking about going back to dye when hairdressers are safe again, which is annoying as I've been growing it out nearly two years now and I think all the old dye is gone. But it just looks faded rather than beautiful silvery grey - I still have quite a lot of my dark brown and the overall effect is mousy blah. I still have black eyebrows so it looks a bit odd. And I have very dark hair with no greys at the front still, so if I tie my hair back the dark brown over the grey makes me look balding :-/

I might try silver highlights first, we'll see.

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm 50 with no grey and very dark, almost black, hair. The ageing thread the other day has named dark hair as one of the most ageing things you can do to yourself. I like the idea of silver hair and think the hair pictures posted look amazing, but I can see it is a big step.

@GloriaSass

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum. I'm 50 with no grey and very dark, almost black, hair. The ageing thread the other day has named dark hair as one of the most ageing things you can do to yourself. I like the idea of silver hair and think the hair pictures posted look amazing, but I can see it is a big step.

I think they meant dyed dark hair because it can look flat and may not complement your skin tone. I grew in my grey in my 40's but it was very patchy, I tried to bleach the darker bits and mucked it up and ended up bleaching the whole lot. I went back to dyeing it but have grew it out again in my 50's and love it, its much lighter. I grew it over the last year but I dont like hsving longer hair so its back to a pixie cut. Op your hair looks amazing in that photo but if you aren't happy theres no point in keeping it.