Has anyone embraced the salt and pepper look for your hair?

[Bluewavescrashing]

My hair is naturally mousy brown and I have blonde highlights, grown out by a couple of inches due to lockdown. I'm thinking of stopping dying it. Mid 30s, the roots are about half mousy brown and half silvery white. I'm tired of having to cover up the grey. Would it look awful to have salt and pepper hair at my age? Has anyone done this? I'm using purple shampoo which has helped a lot to lift the brassiness but I might just stop colouring now.

I did start going grey mid 20s but there's so much of it now!

yep - although didn't stop dying till mid-40s so had big transition to get through...

Mine v similar colour to yours - I'd actually thought that I was much more white than I actually am, and the mix of colours is fine now that it's (pretty much) grown out. My hair is in SO MUCH better condition now - have natural curls and was using mountains of conditioner/masks before I stopped dying (was having base colour on roots and highlights done).

Ooh that's encouraging. I think I've gone grey prematurely as most of my friends only have a few grey hairs.

I like these!

If you have Instagram search grombre. I think it can be beautiful

I'm going to invest in some headbands for now and wait for it to grow out. I'll keep up the purple shampoo too. What happens if you use too much?

I'm not beautiful and a bit chubby, all the gorgeous people on insta are slim and youthful! Ha

your white sections could end up going purple... one of the things to watch with purple shampoo is that it can be quite harsh - I only use once every 2 or 3 weeks as it's definitely quite drying on my hair.

Ah OK. I'll space it out more with normal shampoo washes in between. Thanks

I don't colour my hair though I'm 52, I stopped dyeing in my 40's.

I grew mine out 2 years ago. I'm 38, but been going grey since I was 18! The freedom it brings is great I used to get really anxious over my grey showing and needing to do my roots all the time.

Tried to add a pic

@Cocolapew beautiful colour! If I’d know back in March that we’d be home based for a year then I would have considered growing my highlights out - I’m 38 naturally very dark but 50%ish grey , will probs give it a couple more years then do it

I'm thinking about it @Bluewavescrashing. My natural hair colour is a dull dark brown which I've been colouring a more rich shade (well, my hairdresser has!) but the greys which in fact are almost white have been coming thick & fast for the last few years. (Am mid 50's)

In an attempt to lessen the line between grey & colour I've been having lighter highlights put through as recommended by my hairdresser but really don't like how messy it all looks.

Due to all the lockdowns I've not had my hair cut or coloured since last June & have a good 2" of 'salt & pepper' now showing and think perhaps I should just go with it. I was meant to be seeing a new hairdresser early Jan who had some ideas of how best to go gracefully grey-no idea when this will happen now! I love the shorter bob picture you posted & think that would eventually work for me.

@Cocolapew your hair looks amazing.

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@Cocolapew I absolutely love your hair. Wish I could fast forward to that shade all over!

My DCs are distinctly unimpressed with my plan. They moaned and moaned! But, tough poops!

Thanks

I stopped colouring mine 2015 encouraged by a thread on here .
I grew an inch out then cut all the dye out , so much easier not chasing roots every 4 weeks

It can be beautiful, but also can be undeniably aging., give it a go

I hate mine. It's mousy brown and my grey is steely grey rather than white so my hair looks drab as does my face. Not enough contrast.

I do have a streak which I like but that's it.

But I can't bring myself to get back on the colouring treadmill. Occasionally I shove through one of those Superdrug colour shampoos which brings out a bit of warmth and fades evenly rather than roots. Gives me highlights as the colour is different on the grey than the brown.

My mother hates it and says it ages me. She's probably right tbh.

Perfect time to do it. Once things open back up, cut out the coloured part - you’ll feel much better about it then too.

Fortunately it’s very popular now with very young women having their hair dyed grey and silver too.

Go for it.

Im also mid thirties and have been growing out my greys for less than 2 years.

I'm happy about it for me, personally, it's freeing because I hated colouring it.... so much hassle.... (did at home because of sensitive scalp issues)

Family complains (don't really care!), DH likes it (he also liked it coloured, he got used to it). It's a bit of a shock to the system seeing the photos, not going to lie, you're too sucked up into what society expects of you. But do check some photos onlone of ladies going grey early.

Oh and people say it's aging. No, I don't look to be in my 20s anymore! So what?!

As long as you take of yourself you'll look your age, embrace it!

You can check colour theory (the seasons). Your season will lokely change with the white hair so you may start looking better wearing different colours. Hair with lota of greys pushes everyone to winter and bright jewel colour

I grew all my hair out at 49 from black to silver . It's categorically the best thing I ever did for myself. No more monotone block colour instead I have natural high and low lights and am complimented on it always. It may age you at a superficial first glance but when you really look you'll find it matches your skin tone so much better than any colour ever will except your childhood colour. It's so liberating.

@Cocolapew and @whitehot wow...totally inspiring...your hair looks great.

I’ve mid to dark brown hair with say 20% greys. My skin tone however is naturally very pale with (freckles in the sun)...the slightest hint of grey root appearing and my whole face looks grey. It’s hard to explain but i just look really ill. Then when I colour it again and my skin tone looks much better, but I think my hair just always (to me anyway) “looks” dyed and a bit unnatural (I’ve tried lots of different highlights, professional dyes, shop bought dyes etc) and while it looks nice, it just feels unnatural.

So I’m stuck in the infernal loop of dis-satisfaction with my appearance 😂 I’d love to have them balls to just leave it (I don’t yet!) so watching with interest!

I really want to cut all my hair off now ✂️😳😂 I have to go to work all week, teaching, though so can't hide away!

I last dyed my hair in mid Feb 2020. I decided to let the colour grow out in lockdown as I wouldn’t be seeing people during the horrendous roots phases. I would pin my hair up/ wear Alice bands for zoom meetings for work. I also cut my shoulder length hair to chin length myself in first lockdown, then had it tidied up in July when hairdressers first opened again. Had it cut a bit shorter (professionally!) in October, and then again in December.

As I have a long on top pixie now, the only dye is the last 1/2-1 inch on the longest bits, so next hair cut will have it all off.

I have white streaks that look like highlights, with salt and pepper everywhere else. I am definitely much greyer than I thought I would be but I love it.

Agree with pp that my (limited) make up is changing - better use of blusher to bring colour to my face.

So glad I did it!