Blonde highlights but my roots are hideous, what shall I do?

[MissSmiley]

I normally have full head highlights every 4-5 weeks, my hair grows really quickly, my natural colour is dark brown but I'm now really grey, white even at the front, what shall I do? I'm so fed up of the roots, I feel like all my secrets are revealed :-(
I missed my last two hair appointments because of having to isolate and now I've no idea when I will be able to have it coloured again. Do I ...

A. wait patiently for my next appointment and live with the fact my roots might be five inches by the time I get it done again
B. dye with a semi permanent dark ish colour at home and hope the white roots blend into my natural colour as it fades

I'm desperate I hate it at the moment and I'm still going into the office every day so ignoring it doesn't feel like an option
(The pic with the orange face is kind of what it normally looks like, the other two are what it looks like now)

I can't really suggests anything. But wanted to say, when I start to go grey, I hope mine goes a pretty grey, like yours.

@cantkeepgoing @Nearlytherenext
You're both really kind, the front is very white, which blends with the blonde, it feels so much nicer when it isn't bleached too, in a weird way the grey makes my skin look brighter compared to the yellow of the bleach, maybe I'll do the toner and get it cut to jaw length when I get the chance

Lots of good advice - just adding this fwiw.
My hair looks similar to yours - highlighted blonde, but the grey roots are a problem, and I didn’t really want to go grey yet. My solution in lockdown has been Josh Wood semi-permanent colour - shade shot gloss in Champagne Blonde, mixed with Icy Blonde 2:1. I used Champagne Blonde to start with, but it was a little too golden, and Icy Blonde tones it down. A tube (£19) lasts for around three applications on shoulder length hair. I haven’t had a colour appointment since last March and the gloss has kept it blonde, and covered the roots pretty well. The Josh Wood website is worth a browse, and there are lots of YouTube videos too, including Trinny using JW products. Not the cheapest, but easy to use, and effective.

Another vote for growing out the dye - your natural silver is gorgeous. Use a purple shampoo or hair masque to balance it out a bit as it goes. Your hair will probably look much healthier and shinier than when it's bleached

@mrssmiling that's good advice thank you
I love our similar user names :-)

@Tenpintonpin thank you, you're very kind, I'm so tempted, might get it cut shorter first and see how much blonde is left at my next appointment whenever that might be

I had my hair highlighted for years but once the greys got too much and I just didnt really have the time I now block colour at home and now I just do the roots when they need doing.

It's much easier and actually looks more natural.

I use Nice and Easy and you would be in the 9's I'm an 8 as I'm a medium blonde.

I did let my roots grow out quite a lot this last lockdown to see how it looked and I hated it as it really aged me so I'm back to dying the roots and looked 10 years younger after recovering my 3 inch roots.

your natural colour is gorgeous. please don't be tempted to use a brown semi - as a pp has said, semi won't take on grey hair, and in addition brown over the top of lightened hair can go greenish, worst case scenario both things would happen

one of my very favourite toners that would look the bees knees over your hair is pulp riot high speed toner in icy, it's out of stock on salons direct atm though :( but I would recommend getting hold of some of that and some 7 or 10 vol developer and going through your hair applying it really quickly to your blonde (and I mean really quickly, this stuff works in 5 minutes) then when the blonde is covered i'd emulsify it over the roots, leave for literally a couple of minutes and wash off.

be careful with purple shampoos, they can be very drying, make sure you're using a boss conditioner/hair mask if you go with them. a lower impact way of toning when you wash is to stick a blob of silver, purple or lilac crazy colour or similar direct dye in some white conditioner and leave that on a few minutes.

I think your hair is fucking stunning btw. absolutely beautiful colour.

You should grow it out. Perfect opportunity and you have a fabulous natural silver.

I grew mine out at the same age as you, a few years ago now, never looked back. Mine is also quite white at the front.

PP is correct about some of the purple shampoos being drying. I like the White Hot Hair range (shampoos and conditioners) which seems very silky to use and not drying. I use their purple shampoo to keep my natural silver bright.

@MadameButterface I'm really quite moved by the support on this thread, I felt so depressed about my hair last night, thank you for your really helpful comments

@MissSmiley you are so welcome, I'm really missing doing hair atm, so it's honestly a pleasure to nosy at people's barnets and stick my tuppence worth in

(I should say that I love silver/grey hair so much I have a fake mallen streak bleached into my hair at the front and the pulp riot icy is my toner of choice for the authentic white hair look, I'm going grey but not quick enough for my liking, and helping it along makes it visually clear that this is a deliberate aesthetic/lifestyle choice on my part rather than me just not being arsed, although I also am not arsed )

Btw my hair is much darker than yours, dirty blonde, with the greys whereas yours OP is a lovely all over silver colour which if you wanted to you could easily cover yourself from now on instead of getting highlights.

I actually think it looks nice so for now I’d let it grow out and as others have said try tone the rest of your hair down a little so it blends

Presuming you wish to keep getting your hair highlighted once you can I would NOT recommend putting a brown box dye over it . You will have issues with going blonde again in my experience anyway

Your silver hair is gorgeous! I'd absolutely grow it out! 🥰

Nadine Baggott does a great you tube tutorial on how to dye your roots if highlighted.
I managed to do it a couple of times during the 24 weeks between hairdressers last year.
Not perfect but looked ok covered my grey/white/black regrowth
I used an 8 or 8.2 in ash blond it covered the regrowth.
When I finally got an appointment at my new hairdresser (my old salon folded in lockdown) she complimented me on the colour and said it was a good job for home colour.

I would buy a mid to light blonde colour and just dye your roots - it will blend it in a bit. I just buy a full dye, mix what I need and use it again. However, I only do this if I absolutely can't get to the hairdressers. I have used e-salon online who specially mixes the product for you - they ask you a lot of questions and the results are very good. It's more pricey than a box dye but more professional. We are not getting near a hairdersser for a while!

From your pictures I think it looks ok but can understand in real life you may not feel it looks ok.
I had the hairsresser give me my natural colour highlights so I can grow out the blonde as I agree with pp the hairdressers won't be open for a while.