Grey in my 30s advice needed!

[daydreamingnightowl]

Hello lovely people. I have blue eyes and a pale complexion (always get palest foundation) and have dark brown hair. I have been going grey since my late teens and am now at the point that I'm fed up of the regrowth and constantly trying to cover the greys as they come through.

I feel like they just stand out so obviously with dark hair and I can see them after 2 weeks of hacing professionally coloured.

I'm considering growing out the grey and then using that as a base to completely change my hair colour.

What I'm wondering is if there is a way to easily and cheaply keep my hair brown whilst I'm growing it out and also if anyone with similar colouring has changed their hair colour dramatically? I'm worried I'll look washed out with lighter hair.

Also would stripping the colour be an option?

Thanks!

I am blue eyed pale skin with dark hair. I decided to go blonde so it's less noticeable. I don't look washed out, I actually think it looks great! It took about four full heads of highlights over a year to get it completely changed so not cheap or easy and now I have two full heads and two half heads per year.

Sadly the only thing that really covers grey is permanent hair colour. Temporary box dye is not going to do it. I guess you could use that spray on stuff you get for roots until it grows out but you'll go through a lot and need to wash it fairly regularly?

@coviddy ooh that's exciting to hear that you've gone blonde and it's suited our colouring. Can I ask what sort of shade of blonde you've gone?

Yeh I was thinking that root spray might get expensive and a bit annoying. I also have a ton of hair so need two boxes of dye and it still doesn't do the job.

I'm more gold then ash which I did try a bit and thought looked awful on me (but I don't like it on most people tbh).

Have a read of this. Beauty blogger faced similar dilemma to you. But it took seven hours and will take great upkeep I imagine. www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/sali-hughes-grey-hair

Go and see a really good hairdresser for a proper consultation. If there was an easy quick and cheap way of doing This while still looking good I imagine we'd all know about it!

I also have pale skin and blue eyes. I went grey in my 30 s and embraced it. Always get lots of compliments and have been stopped in the street multiple times by people admiring my hair (sounds weird but it happens).
My tip is get a sharp cut and make sure your hair is shiny. Grey hair can look quite dull and picks up other colours easily so I use a filter on the shower (to remove chlorine from softened water), a weekly shampoo to strip out product build up on the hair, ‘blue’ shampoo to lose yellow tones and choose a conditioner that will add shine.
You say you have lots of hair. Mine is quite short but I’ve seen people with long white or grey hair and it can look amazing.

I'm another one who is late 30's and has gone blonde instead of grey. My lovely friend has let her grey hair grow out and it looks great, but she has tanned skin and her hair is salt and pepper. I'm super pale, and my hair has gone almost white in places, so I would look like a ghost.

The blonde makes regrowth is much easier to deal with, and having some nice warmth in the blonde helps with my pale complexion. In between hairdresser appointments for highlights (I only go a few times a year) I use a semi permanent in dark blonde colour to cover the roots, about once a month or so. I don't bother using a permanent, because it's too harsh.

You will have people come on and tell you to embrace the grey etc. but if you don't feel it will suit you then don't. I'm not ready yet.

I am the same colouring as you and also at my wits end! I tried being blonde but it didn't suit me and I couldn't get used to it. The last time I went to the hairdressers, I had a full head of highlights and a grey toner so the change wasn't immediate or sudden, there's still some brown in there but I've decided to just embrace it, albeit reluctantly. I feel like I'm out of options really. I am starting to like it so I'll see what happens at my next appt in 2 weeks time.

I’m in my 50s so maybe not the same, but I did grow out my dark brown bob to grey - completely cold turkey, no colour stripping or highlights etc.

Tbh it wasn’t as awful as I expected, I was thinking I’d have a silly demarcation line that would look awful. But remember your grey grows from underneath, not just at your parting. So I found my grey cane through from underneath/at the back of my head/temples/everywhere and made it look like some fancy grey lowlight ombré thing, I had people asking me if I’d had it dyed like that professionally.

And of course the remaining dye itself fades so again, it blends in imho.

This shows the process a bit.

Thanks all - I've booked in a colour consultation for this week so will see what they say. @bokky I'm so worried about doing it and not liking it but also at wits end and feel like I have to be bold and take the plunge.

@puppymonkey your hair really suits you - I can see how the change would be more gradual with some of the darker hair still coming through.

@daydreamingnightowl

Thanks all - I've booked in a colour consultation for this week so will see what they say. *@bokky* I'm so worried about doing it and not liking it but also at wits end and feel like I have to be bold and take the plunge.

@puppymonkey your hair really suits you - I can see how the change would be more gradual with some of the darker hair still coming through.

I felt exactly the same and now feel that the grey toner wasn't grey enough! I grew sick of having to colour in my roots just days after I'd paid for them to be covered up. My roots are more a silvery white and quite obvious but I think the grey tone and using a purple shampoo is really helping me with the transition. I'm actually looking forward to my next appt to see what she does with my colour!

I had dark hair, blue eyes, pale skin and got to the same point of frustration aged 40/41.

I chopped it all and grew out the grey - which was more salt and pepper.

Skin tone wise I 100% look better with my natural grey than the "blorange" I had ended up with whilst dyeing. I needed cool tones against my skin (which my pre-grey natural brown was...more ashy undertones than red). The warmth/red in the dye fought my natural colouring.

But you may need to think about changing your clothing/make up a bit as well. What suited me before does not suit me now - I need deeper colours. Which I sometimes forget.

I would imagine going blond will need the same adjustments as going grey. And try and keep the blond the same base - if your natural colour is cool keep the blond ash. If your base colour is warm have a warmer blond. That way you will avoid the "clash" .

I too started to go grey in my late teens & by mid twenties was completely white, not just grey. I have very pale skin, like you always get the palest foundation shade, & my eyes are a sort of deep turquoise.
Like a PP I too get asked a lot where I get my “ platinum “ hair coloured!!
Never regretted it when I see friends struggling to cover the grey with problem roots & touch ups every fortnight.
I never coloured it during the transition but I did use a lightening shampoo, think it was John Frieda Go Blonder, to help it along ( & even some Sun In )