Has anyone grown out the grey and then gone back to dyeing?

[balzamico]

My hair is completely natural now, it's virtually white, but I have a suspicion it's really ageing me. I'm only 52, and I don't want to look like a well preserved pensioner!
I dyed it for years as the greys started early but the recent years ended up with some gingery/ brassy colours that were terrible.
I've been with my hair salon for 20 years and I love them but I wonder if I need to change. I've tried and failed to attach a photo, I'll try in a new comment box

I'm 47 and went from dark brown to grey.
It took ages to get the brown out and I had lots of highlights put it .
I use lee Stafford cool blonde toner once a week to knock the brass out and it actually works at blending the grey in with the blonde ends.
When I see myself in the mirror I feel I look completely different to how I was with dark hair.
I look brighter.
I won't ever colour it again.

Have any of you tried any of the toner type things for grey hair? I'm of the view that if it's grey it's grey but it would be nice to make the most of the grey and have a nice tone to it. My hair (where it's not grey) is too dark to have blonde highlights, I think and I don't want to add yellow tones.

This is mine by the way

I wouldn't tone that @tinkywinkyshandbag it's lovely. If you want it brighten use one of the shampoos mentioned

@tinkywinkyshandbag your hair is gorgeous . If I knew mine would look like that I’d give up dyeing tomorrow!

@tinkywinkyshandbag I don't think you need toner.

I use toner because I'm trying to get rid of all the yellow left in my hair. When I have a bun I probably look about 80, but I did get IDd the other day when wearing a mask!

Both looking utterly fab @tinkywinkyshandbag and @CrazyHorse - really inspires me to carry on.

I have grown mine in and will not dye it again. I actually really like it in the mirror but it scares me a bit when i see it in photos!
I wont go back to dying it.
I think you will regret it. Its such a long process.
I use purple shampoo. Many many people say that is lovely.

@balzamico

This pic was freshly washed in November, it's had a cut since then and I have another booked next week so the blonde ends are going

I've gone back, but quite honestly @balzamico, if my hair looked as good as yours I wouldn't be dying it.

@PuppyMonkey you don't look 55, so your grey hair definitely isn't ageing you! (There's nothing more ageing than a flat black or brown colour and it takes a lot of time and money to achieve a natural look (believe me, I used to have very nice dyed brown hair with highlights and it took up lots of time and coat a small fortune)

There are the most fabulous greys and white on this thread in the pictures.

Seriously I wish my hair was that colour, I'm badger brown grey and white and would love to have hair like lots of you on here

Thanks all - @CrazyHorse that's lovely hair you've got there

@Fortherosesjoni70

I have grown mine in and will not dye it again. I actually really like it in the mirror but it scares me a bit when i see it in photos! I wont go back to dying it. I think you will regret it. Its such a long process. I use purple shampoo. Many many people say that is lovely.

Yes I don't like mine in photos

You need a toner and some purple shampoo on it!

I’m 34 and in the process of growing mine out. My hair is down to my bum though so there’s a long, long way to go.

My mum mithers me about it constantly, can’t see why I’d want to go grey at my age, says I look untidy and it’s ageing, but I would love to have the freedom from dying my hair and societies expectations. Plus, I think it looks quite striking.

I've been using this toner, it's great!

You just need to leave it on for 2 mins so I've been using it like a conditioner a couple of times a week!

Makes the blonde I'm growing out a lovely silver grey and seems to make the silver in my salt & pepper roots stand out more!

Queenofpain I love your hair! It looks great!

I'm loving all the fabulous greys on here, am definitely not going back to dye but will try to pep up the cut and the tome and may give curly girl method a whirl although my hair has only got curlyish as I've got older.
Keep sharing the picture ladies, so much inspiration!

Oh I'm glad you're not going to dye it, it's too nice to cover

Grey hair probably won’t make anyone look younger but if it’s not a factor for choosing then go for it. It can look lovely, just not youthful. I wouldn’t ever tell anyone irl that they looked older or anyone who didn’t ask but this is style and beauty so we should be kind but honest. There are some people on this thread who really suit it. I think purple shampoo and a different hairstyle would suit you OP. Something sharper with texture rather than soft with body.

Im probably older than most on here but i dye my own hair always have.Luckily though im a dark brunette naturally and most people of my age are white or silver,ive only a sprinkling of grey.So i only need to use a mahogany semi permanent,always use Nice and Easy.Ive a great hairdresser for a trim but i just dont need a professional dye.

The only reason anyone thinks of grey hair as "ageing" is because it has been the norm to only see grey/white hair on pensioners.

The whole concept is frankly ridiculous, when we know full well that plenty of women start getting grey hairs from their 30s and onwards.

Why are we trying to argue with biology, and why is it only women who are under this much pressure to pretend they look like teenagers?

There have been a lot of beautiful photos posted on this thread

So I've just had the last of my colour cut out this evening. It's still wet at the moment...

I'm 41 and I've not had my hair dyed or cut since July, I think, unintentionally. It's at that annoying stage where I have a grey tide mark on my scalp after two weeks of dying it, and it's thick and I'm inept at dying so it involves lots of expensive trips to the hair dresser that I just can't be bothered with. However, it's also not proper grey, it's a right dirty mix. I don't know what to do with it?

It's quite long at the moment, I'm going to have a layered bob at my next appointment in May, which will help unify it a bit.

I work in a customer facing professional role and this is the first time in decades I've not had to get out meeting people around the world every couple of weeks so it's an ideal time to grow it out, as it wont be until next year that my trips resume.

Anyone been in a similar boat? Should I go lighter? Should I just suck up dying it brown for another ten years until it's more grey? I'm not sure what to do!

@79andnotout

I have half head highlights (low lights really) put in mine twice a year just to give it some colour. Mine would be that dirty mixed grey if I grew it out and I'm not keen on it.

I still have greys, and I don't have that uniform dyed colour that looks like you're wearing a hairy hat. I think it works fairly well, I have two colours put in but very subtle. And you can't really see the regrowth.