At what age should you go grey gracefully?

[Saker]

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?

I had quite dark brown hair. In my 40s I believed the myth of skin tone fading as you start to go grey and went blonde. If I look back at photos taken then, 20 years ago, I look older than I do now with my hair coloured back to my natural brown. I’m not going grey. It’s my money, my time, my decision. I’m not a sheeple, it’s not sad that in my 60s I’m spending my hard earned money on the things that make me feel and look the way I want.

I'm 40 and love the increasing number of greys at the front of my hair. Haven't dyed my hair since my early 30s. I stopped because it was such a pain to keep doing it (my hair grows fast) and I started really thinking about the chemicals in dye and how it can't be good to put those on my scalp so often.

I have a young face and always get mistaken for much younger so I'm happy there's finally something that might make me look a little older!

Sheeple. 🤣😂I dye it myself.

Start getting white hairs age 11, had a salon dye age 13 horrible chemical smell one year long never again. More white hair over the years.When I had DD 2 months short of 40 about a third white silver hair. Now at 63 have 97% siver hair. People think is fancy salon dye job. No it is natural silver.

siver= silver

I am 53 and recently had it dyed again after growing it out through lockdown. When someone thought DH was my son I decided I wanted to colour it again.

My workmate just turned 50, has dyed her white hair to a neat blonde bob for years.... but over lockdown she let it grow out (colour and length) and now has long white hair...privately, I think it looks awful and has aged her at least 15 years.

Grey hair does age some people. I’m creeping quickly to 50 and have no facial aging thanks to fab genes. I tried embracing the grey several years ago. That changed when someone mentioned an oap discount. Others didn’t want to mention how aging it looked.

I’m embracing the wild choices of unnatural colours and looking forward to many more years of a colourful me

If the person is happy with their cut and colour entirely up to them.

Same.
Takes very little time. Pop on 10 - 15 minutes before having a shower. By the time body is washed, it’s time to rinse off whatever colour I’ve popped on.

And roughly 8 weeks later do it all again. Found the unnatural colours cover my hair better and last longer.

Never - although I've just gone much lighter as the regrowth was becoming too obvious. I have been colouring it since I was 14 and have no plans to stop.

My hair is the one thing that I wear everyday so I'm going to have a colour I like.

I'm 58 and just embraced the grey gif the first time.

Quite liking it 😬

Are you sure your natural hair is too dark for you now? Or does it just look too dark compared with the hair dye colour?

I'm 59 and have about 30 grey hairs, if that 😂 I've got warm honey blonde hair, so I'm not sure grey will suit me, but there's not enough of it to 'grow out' anyway.

I'm happy with my caramel and lighter honey highlights, and hair is in great condition, so I don't plan on stopping having them any time soon.

It's nice to hear from the people who have embraced their greyness and also to know that 53 isn't too old yet! One of the things I also like about the dye is that it improves the quality of my hair. The grey parts tend to be flyaway and dry and wispy and after it's been dyed it's softer and easier to manage. I think I wouldn't mind being grey as much if it wouldn't also look a bit unkempt.

I’m not sure this thread is for you 😂

I always said I would let it go at 60, but during lockdown in 2020 I started letting it go at 58. I'm really glad I did, and do get compliments on my colour which is a true cool grey.

But there's no mistaking me for a young woman! When I pass by a shop window and glance my reflection, it still sometimes throws me.

I grew mine out about age 50, it was awful patchy pepper and salt and didn't suit me. Only when I started colouring again people said it looked better. I've always thought I'd grow it in again when it's a cleaner white and have a sharp silver pixie cut. Everyone's different.

I’m 59 and have no idea because although I die my hair the grey is still only 20%
DM is 84 and still pepper n salt
DF was nearly 94 when he died n neither bald or totally grey!
I’m following the advice of my hairdresser and going slightly lighter but keeping the tones

Honestly? When I'm dead.

When/if you want to.
When colouring no longer works technically or financially or timewise or healthwise.
It doesn’t have to be graceful if you don’t want it to be - it can be outrageous, brave, subversive…
When the aesthetics, the emotions, the practicalities start to align.
You can try it but you don’t usually have to stick to it if you don’t like it.

When your arms ache too much to lift them long enough to apply the dye. Unless you can afford a hairdresser.

Re the unrealistically dark brown hair on older people: I go for greens and blues to avoid this.

My late grandma dyed her hair into her 90s. I too, will dye my hair.

I think unless you are naturally ash blonde, grey hair is really aging.

My red hair is getting darker and darker in my late 30s which I dislike, but I'm saving my money for the hairdressers when grey starts to creap in.

I've seen it and didn't like it..

I don’t think any age but in the same way I don’t think it suits everyone- I think some people look like the life has been taken out of them. I remember being relieved when ds dyed her hair as she looked so drained with it. When she dyed it she looked herself again and actually you could tell she felt it too.

I will colour my hair until the greys are more silvery. Harsh, steel greys look v, aging imo.
It is a faff though.