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Original poster

At what age should you go grey gracefully?

151 replies

Saker · 21/05/2023 20:26

I'm 53 and started going grey in my 20s. I would be pretty much entirely grey now but get my hair coloured regularly. Last week at the hairdresser, she was hinting I should be thinking about starting to lighten the colour with the aim of letting my grey grow out over the next few years. When I was younger I would have thought that 53 was definitely old enough to be grey! However now I'm that age it seems a bit young. What do other people think?

OP posts:
morelippy · 21/05/2023 20:29

I think you can dye your hair for however long you want to tbh, however i do this it starts to look very odd when obviously elderly ladies have dark brown hair!

I have a friend whose mother is 84 and has dark brown hair. It just looks v odd.

morelippy · 21/05/2023 20:29
  • think
IncompleteSenten · 21/05/2023 20:30

There's nothing wrong with grey hair (I'm 49 and no longer dye my hair, can't be arsed. Bring on the grey 😁) but equally I don't think there's an age you have to go grey. If you don't want to then carry on dying it.

whyarentiskinnyet · 21/05/2023 20:32

I'm 50 and I'm not dying my hair anymore, I follow so many amazing 'silver sisters' on instagram and their hair looks incredible, I want that so I'm leaving mine to see how it turns out, it's very cool now to have grey hair so I say go for it!

Dotcheck · 21/05/2023 20:32

Is your hair grey or white?
I’d go white if I could

Thighdentitycrisis · 21/05/2023 20:32

I stopped when the grey bits grew out and were really obvious on the parting and front within 2 weeks of colouring it. Surprisingly I get loads of compliments on my natural hair colour now!

Retire50 · 21/05/2023 20:33

I’ve decided to grow mine out as every colour on men or women over 50 just looks orange or yellow to me. I’ve had to stop using as much conditioner and I can’t say I’m thrilled with my own colour either I’m just glad I’m not handing over £150.00 a time to look like a scarecrow anymore though.

Rampantukulele · 21/05/2023 20:35

I'm in my 40s and have never dyed my hair, it's been going grey for a while. I honestly don't see anything wrong with going grey, I see plenty of people who look fantastic with grey hair. It does weirdly amuse me that I have grey hair while both my mum and my MIL don't.

Meredusoleil · 21/05/2023 20:37

I'll be 48 this year and I'm thinking I will give it to 50 and then maybe stop dying my hair.

Like you OP, I had grey hairs in my 20s and have dark brown hair, so it's ready obvious.

Unfortunately, I find it really ages me leaving the hair grey, so I'm not ready to stop dying it quite yet!

Appalonia · 21/05/2023 20:37

Never! I was a natural brunette but now I'm blonde. I went blonde slowly, but it's mush easier as the regrowth is much less noticeable. It's an individual chouce, but my mum always dyed her hair and personally I find it keeps me looking much younger.

AnnaMagnani · 21/05/2023 20:38

Am mid 40s and gave up dyeing my hair as I couldn't be arsed around 40.

I find people are so confused to see a woman with her natural hair that I get asked if I have highlights - er, no, some of it is in whiter curls than others.

Agree dark brown hair in your 70s just looks odd.

Luredbyapomegranate · 21/05/2023 20:38

It’s up to you not your hairdresser. If you feel it’s too early don’t do it.

Personally I am not keen on grey, so planning to hold off till I’m 75 and appear with dramatically white dresses. Probably in an Edwardian style puffy bun.

Luredbyapomegranate · 21/05/2023 20:39

TRESSES not dresses, although maybe that too.

tracylamont13 · 21/05/2023 20:40

I'm 43 and been going grey for at least 5 years. Never coloured my hair. It depends what you're comfortable with.

shelbabab · 21/05/2023 20:42

53 is not old I would not be happy to go grey then. 63 I'm still not sure lol. If I still looked younger I'd still want it coloured.

I have really dark hair so when the greys do set in I'll probably have to start going lighter eventually.

blahblahblah1654 · 21/05/2023 20:43

I'm 38 and starting to go grey. I have fine mousy hair so I don't get wiry greys, it's like my hair is just losing pigment and have it highlighted a couple of times a year. I won't ever want to go grey and the blonde blends in quite well. Whatever you're comfortable with.

TooOldForThisNonsense · 21/05/2023 20:43

I’m about to turn 50 and been going grey since my 30s. Naturally dark brown. I have loads of grey now. The brown became too hard to maintain from about 43 so I have gone blonde. Getting it dyed again tomorrow for my upcoming birthday celebrations. I have pink through it too now. I have no intention of going grey gracefully, disgracefully or otherwise for the foreseeable future. I don’t find it a hassle as the roots are well disguised by the blonde. I haven’t had it done since Christmas and it looks OK still, but ready to be done again.

CharlotteStreetW1 · 21/05/2023 20:43

At what age should you go grey gracefully?

When you develop an allergy to hair dye 😂

36 in my case.

ShandaLear · 21/05/2023 20:44

I’m 54 and started to grow out my dye when I was about 48. I’m still about 70% brown so it’s really just at the front and sides and to be honest, I really like it. It very much depends on you - it’s much more common now that it was before COVID, possibly because of the ‘women don’t owe you pretty’ shift (the same reason high heels have largely died a death) or because people stopped going to their salon during lockdown and the world didn’t fall in. Some people will dye their hair until their dying day, and that’s also great. When I first started, my mum, a committed hair dyer, told me I was letting myself go, and I replied, ‘No, I’m letting myself be’. My hair is thick and shiny, I still wear make up and take care of my skin, I eat well and exercise, and I try to drink water and get plenty of sleep, but I’ve stopped trying to fight nature and pretend I’m still 25. It’s generally better to work with what you have, rather than keep fighting against it.

bunnybunnybunnybunny · 21/05/2023 20:44

Been going grey since my late teens but have always had it professionally coloured. Last colour was a few days before the first lockdown. Haven't dyed it since. Am now pretty much totally grey/white. Am 47.

The condition of my hair has never been so good. Wish I'd have stopped dyeing it years ago, particularly given how much money I spent on colour.

Roundandnour · 21/05/2023 20:45

Never. That’s what alternative colours are for.

I found when I died my hair in my natural colour, grey roots either didn’t fully cover or would need redoing after a week or so.

During lock down experimented with alternative colours and for some reason colour the greys for longer.

Over 50’s back in the 80’s had the right idea with their blue/pink/purple tinted hair 😂

ElinoristhenewEnid · 21/05/2023 20:46

Still waiting for the grey hairs at age 63!!

Fairislefandango · 21/05/2023 20:48

I'm 51 and only have a few grey hairs so far. I have dark blonde/mousy hair and have a few highlights put in twice a year, which probably makes the few greys even less visible, though that's not why I have them - I have really fine, poker-straight hair and the highlights make it look less flat. I don't know if I'll try and cover the grey when it becomes more visible, or just embrace it!

oldestmumaintheworld · 21/05/2023 20:50

I think the answer is when you can cope with how it makes you feel. I've just gone grey after having dyed my hair for 30 years because I was finally ready to embrace getting older and how that looks with grey hair.

TeaCosyApplePie · 21/05/2023 20:55

I'm late 30s and haven't dyed my hair in about 4 years. I've got lots of grey but im sticking with it- men don't have this dilemma so why should I?! Screw misogynistic beauty standards!