Hairdressers….. how complex is this?

[ChannelyourinnerElsa]

First time in this section!

I have greying hair, and I want to embrace it. I’ve historically dyed my hair a reddish brunette, as that’s not far off my natural.

the last time I dyed it was December so it’s faded and grown out. I have found a hair style I love…. It’s this image. My hair is currently not far off the before photo either- but a bit more damaged and a bit longer, so I’d be happy to have it chopped to help the Health.

so questions

1. will this prematurely age me?!
2. how complex does it look to achieve? I don’t have a hairdresser currently- I’ve got some recommendations….. is it the done thing to message them that photo and ask if they could do it? or is that offensive?!

thanks all!

Oops photo didn’t attach!

It looks lovely but I think your just replacing one dye job with another aren't you? Not a hairdresser!

Is that a Jack Martin?

@Doggymummar yes, but the intention is to be able to let that grow out ultimately to my natural grey. I want to go to natural grey, but want a way of avoiding the “unintentional scruffy” look I think I currently have. Happy to take any suggestions!

I don’t know, @OneFrenchEgg …. What does that mean? It’s just a Google photo.

@OneFrenchEgg
wow, you’re good! I re checked the Google, and yes.

to be honest though, anything Like this or suggestions would be great. Appreciate it’s unlikely I’d get anything as majestic as that because I’m unlikely to get a hairdresser with the kudos Jack has

Oh glad you found it, yes he's really well known for super expensive grey transformations - after a while the style looks familiar!
I would say that unless you are up for upkeep you will end up brassy / yellow at the ends. From experience of trying to blend with highlights, and from other peoples shared experiences in groups on Facebook.

I'm in Curly Silvers and Silver Sisters on Facebook (dropped Growing Grey Gracefully), lots of styles, gritted teeth, dye jobs to see 'in real life' ?

I don’t think it will age you no, highlights would be more flattering than a block of dark dye, and as you say they’ll grow out more nicely too.

The challenge will be the dye already on your hair - is it permanent dye done yourself using a box kit? If so it will be tricky for a hairdresser to know what result they will get. They would need to either try to remove the dye or bleach the hair to a very pale shade then add some pigment back in with toners. Red tones are hard to get out, but if they’re not fully removed your hair will be a brassy pale brown.

It may well be possible but it depends on the dye you used and your hair’s condition. A strand test would probably be a good idea. Ask a hairdresser for a consultation.

You need an experienced colourist, not an over confident all rounder Hairdresser who's only done basic colour correction work.

It's also likely to be expensive and time consuming to remove your existing box dye colours and prep your hair before re-colouring.

Grey isn't an easy colour to replicate because it's not an actual hair colour but a percentage of white hair amongst your natural colour.

Take your time to find someone good and insist on seeing some of their work before you book in. Good luck!

Thanks for all the advice and recommendations. I really appreciate it.

the dye on my hair is a Demi permanent colour but my hair is pretty porous naturally.

I’ll do some digging for a colouring specialist. I can always wait until this box dye is largely grown out.

these styles and colours also appeal, like this

I don't think it will age you!

I sort of did this myself through lockdown, started putting a silver toner over my blonde highlights as it grew out.
My downfall has been that I'm not as grey as I thought I was so I'm now having some blonde highlights with a silver toner underneath the top layer of my hair so I don't have a root issue.