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Original poster

What age did you start “going grey” & what did you do about it?

50 replies

Ladyks3 · 16/02/2021 11:25

As in finding more and more grey strands of hair? It’s a different texture to my majority dark brown hair and it stands out !

I am early 30’s. Not sure about using box dying as I’ve heard it’s bad for your hair? (Also pregnant at the moment so will probably wait to do anything until baby gets here, but would love some suggestions please!)

OP posts:

Cyw2018 · 16/02/2021 13:20

Mid 30s I noticed the first few, but even with very dark brown hair they weren't noticeable to anyone else. Now 40 and have a cluster of grey on one temple bit not enough to justify hair dye yet.

My parents and DB all started going grey in their 20s with significantly grey hair at 40. My hairdresser God mother always said my hair was different to all theirs despite being the same colour and would likely go grey at a different rate. She was right.

ClinkyMonkey · 16/02/2021 13:26

I started finding grey hairs in my teens and would pluck them out. The grey really became noticeable in my mid to late twenties, so I started dyeing it at home. My hair was naturally a slight shade away from black, so I always used Darkest Brown or Brown Black (apart from the odd foray into Black which tended to look a bit too Hammer Horror with my pale skin).

I gradually went for lighter browns as I got older, but now (at 53) have about 4 inches of grey roots as I try to grow it out. Every single day I am tempted to cover it over and every day I talk myself out of it as I think I need to let it get to the point where it's all grey before I decide I hate it. I can't bear the thought of short hair as I have never suited it, so am persevering until the hairdressers reopen and I can get it styled. I have cut the odd inch or two off myself over lockdown though!

It has been weirdly fascinating waiting to see just what type of grey hair I have. It's not a lovely, striking silver though, which is disappointing.

missrm · 16/02/2021 13:39

36 - coming in thick and fast now! I'm gonna go blonde balayage with an ash root fade to hopefully minimise having to constantly have my roots done. Hair is currently light brown!

missrm · 16/02/2021 13:43

This is the vogue editors hair - natural! I've always hoped I could have hair like her in my 50's, a bit shorter though. She's stunning!

What age did you start “going grey” & what did you do about it?

BallsToYouSue · 16/02/2021 13:46

@missrm

This is the vogue editors hair - natural! I've always hoped I could have hair like her in my 50's, a bit shorter though. She's stunning!

Wow. She looks amazing! She does not look as of she is in ber 50s? Is she?? She looks so amazing.

Excuse the gushing 😂

PLAYJAJADINGDONG · 16/02/2021 14:21

Sue Sarah Harris (in photo) is 40. And I suspect that given her level of genetic blessedness she could pull off any hair style imaginable.

With hair like hers I'd wager I'd look more like.........

PolarnOPirate · 16/02/2021 14:22

About 30, I’m 31 now, not done anything about it and probably won’t. Noticed my first greys after having my first child at 25.

PolarnOPirate · 16/02/2021 14:23

I realise I contradicted myself - I mean it’s seemed to have sped up and am ‘going grey’ now I’ve hit 30. Just a few stray greys before that, thanks to the kids.

PolarnOPirate · 16/02/2021 14:24

I’d be happy to look like any of these!

Original poster

Ladyks3 · 16/02/2021 14:33

Thanks all for the suggestions! I have very thin, fine, straight hair (I blame it on my worthless thyroid but it could just be genetics!) so my hair is my least favourite feature anyway. I was considering going a bit lighter colour to blend them in or highlighting, but with 2 small kiddos soon I can’t see myself having the time or money to make it to the salon often (plus with the lockdowns I can’t go anyway!)

Vogue editor looks fab! Somehow don’t think that will be me haha! But maybe I’ll try & hold out on the dying for a bit until it’s super noticeable

OP posts:

Branleuse · 16/02/2021 14:33

that vogue editor looks great, but I think that hair is still well styled, in which case if youre already spending a lot of time styling yourself and your hair, it defeats the point of purposely not colouring it to be more natural

ThenCatoJumpedOut · 16/02/2021 14:47

I am 49 and have fine brown hair that is starting to show a few greys around my temples (and a few random ones in the middle of my head.

Bit late to the grey party (smug smug hurray ) . I am allergic to hair dye...

I sometimes use cassia, it’s like a herbal hair (mud!) treatment which makes my greys look blonde, so they blend in a bit more.

May move to brown henna when the grey gets more prominent

I buy “It’s Pure” in blonde and leave it on for 2 hrs with cling film wrapped around it.

The “blonde” has no bleach, it colours white hair yellow/blonde and just conditions the hair really.

May be too subtle a result for the amount of faff ?!

Londontown12 · 16/02/2021 14:49

I’m 45 and for the last 5 months been growing out colour and cut , and I’m just noticing some single strands of sparkling silver and to begin with I was mortified 😂 but the longer I’m leaving them there not that noticeable ( I’m a hairdresser) and at the moment don’t want to colour hair because I want to see how it looks without colour so I have just been using Bastist dry shampoo for brunette and that seems to cover them .
I would advise a semi or toner if u want to cover it won’t cover 100% but will blend them out and no harsh regrowth line x

Muskox · 16/02/2021 14:51

I was 40 when I started going grey (just a few odd hairs before then). Now I get it dyed once every 10-12 weeks (in non covid times).

cyclingtowardsbethlehem · 16/02/2021 15:00

Early 20s but much more noticeable by late 20s. I'm 40 and stopped dying it a few years ago, and it's totally grown out. Its now a sort of mix of ashy grey and light brown. I keep getting asked who does the colour...

I do 'need' more make up if I don't want to look washed out and wear more brights now. But it was so grey all the dyes gave it a sort of orange undertone and the condition was crap. Much better now.

ElinoristhenewEnid · 16/02/2021 15:51

Still waiting at 61 - a few straggly greys but not noticeable enough to colour for pull

Mulletsaremisunderstood · 16/02/2021 16:15

@Woebegonad

Throughout my teens and twenties I experimented with all kinds of hair colour, but as soon as I had appreciable amounts of grey hair in my late 30s, I stopped dyeing it.

Dyeing hair for fun is one thing. Dyeing hair (or plucking it out ) to try to disguise your age is tragic. The only stylish thing to do is embrace it and realise that grey is your natural colour now.

Why is it tragic? women do lots of things to disguise their age - makeup, botox, fillers, face creams. Hair dye is just another tool in the box.

I do think there is a different perspective from those who go grey at a more 'normal' or expected age - 40's or so.
I was one of the unlucky ones who went grey in my early twenties, no way in hell I was going to embrace it back then!

So I use a semi permanent every month or so and feel much better for it, I look totally washed out with grey as I have pale skin.

mustbebetter · 16/02/2021 16:17

i found my first grey hair at 40 on my birthday! still got just the one hopefully (not looked closely) 2 years later.... and one white eyebrow hair!

missrm · 16/02/2021 17:14

@PLAYJAJADINGDONG

Sue Sarah Harris (in photo) is 40. And I suspect that given her level of genetic blessedness she could pull off any hair style imaginable.

With hair like hers I'd wager I'd look more like.........

Yeah sorry! She's absolutely not 50 😂 I think the rate my hair is going it will be fully grey by the time I am 50 though, that's what I meant.

Agree I'd look like your snap too! 😂

BottegaBish · 16/02/2021 17:33

@PolarnOPirate my phone just autocorrected grombre to grim reaper see, the 1st and last lady are the things of my nightmares!

BallsToYouSue · 16/02/2021 17:34

@PLAYJAJADINGDONG

Sue Sarah Harris (in photo) is 40. And I suspect that given her level of genetic blessedness she could pull off any hair style imaginable.

With hair like hers I'd wager I'd look more like.........

🤣🤣🤣🤣 yes, ok. I would also look like that. Worse!

TheScurrilousFunge · 16/02/2021 18:10

I use a semi permanent dye every six weeks or so because I can't be grey at 32.

Shineonyoucrazy · 16/02/2021 18:10

28 and I've done nothing now in my 50s ! I'd rather get a good cut rather than colour, not much chance of that at the mo though. Love my soft comfy hair, in fantastic condition, salt and pepper with white streaks at the front.

VinylDetective · 16/02/2021 18:37

My first grey hair appeared when I was 16. It widened to a Mallen streak by my early 20s and I dyed it - natural and silly colours - until I was 43. I’ve been happily silver grey for more than a third of my life now. A really good cut is essential so it hasn’t looked particularly good for the last year.

DietrichandDiMaggio · 16/02/2021 18:56

@Branleuse

I don't think that just because someone doesn't want to dye their hair to colour the grey, it's defeating the purpose if they have a good cut and look after their hair. Surely you don't expect everyone who has their natural hair colour not to style their hair?

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