To just grow out grey hair?

[VintageDiamonds]

Hi

Been dying my hair blonde since I was about 16, more recently have returned to box dye all over tint as I stopped being about to afford foil highlights at the salon. My roots are coming through now with quite a few grey streaks. My hair is naturally mousey blonde and currently quite long and layered. Planning on having it cut into a shoulder length layered bob. But the main thing is that I’m so tired of colouring it at home and think it’s time to embrace the grey. I’m 52. I don’t think I can afford or be bothered to have foil highlights put it to soften the demarcation line so I guess it’s going to look odd and obvious that I’m growing out the colour for a while. I’ve tried growing it out before but always ended up giving in dying it. Any tips? Anyone else done this and been glad they did?

Similar age. I box dyed mine during lockdown and I hated it, and the smell. I just braved it and grew it out-and I’m a dark brunette! I kept it tied up a lot and just tried to ignore it. I’m happy it’s finally gone. I will stick with my silvery streaks.

I have been growing in my grey hair , natural colour is a mid/dark brown. Interestingly it came through like natural highlights rather than a root growth of grey so I was able to go with it.

The texture of grey hair drives me batty though. Wiry , cotton woolly, forms a fuzzy little halo , so the time and money saved from dye is spent on conditioner.

I did very very briefly think “oh I should have it cut short and coloured “ but that lasted a nanosecond while I remembered what an utter pain it is

I grew mine out because my scalp started itching with dye on it which is warning of future allergic attack.
I went shorter so the change was quicker. If I was braver I would have had a buzz cut.
Nobody commented and it didn't take long. I really enjoy being able to relax about my hair. Lots of women admire my roughly 60% grey now and say they wish they had the confidence to do the same but they feel socially pressured to keep their colour.
I hated the cost of lowlights amd the way darker box dye colours tend to fade to a dull orange so it works for me.

I grew mine out through lockdown, I'm really lucky to have soft white hair no frizzy greys some get, I use a toner or purple shampoo now and again to ring the changes

I would say go short and grow fro there, don't mess about with highlights, bleach and tone to grey etc because it always ends up yellow and looks weird.
The freedom now is amazing. Mine is more white than grey and I love it.

Yeah I grew mine out, I actually really enjoyed watching it change. Don’t forget the colour will fade over time anyway so the line doesn’t look quite as shocking as you might think. It didn’t for me anyway. Thoroughly recommend it!

Nearly at the end of growing mine out, about an inch and a half left of dyed blonde hair on the ends, I have shoulder length hair.
I love my grey streaks and it's so much less hassle not sitting in the salon for 3 hours every 6 weeks!!

I box dyed mine a really light shade of blonde. There was no harsh demarcation as it grew out as my hair was pretty much white underneath and as the dye faded it all kind of blended.

I'm letting mine go its way without dye now. It's fairly curly and the natural colour is a sort of mouse brown that can look a bit coppery in the sunlight. And the grey is quite silvery, so the overall colour looks OK. I do use purple shampoo and conditioner twice a week, plus conditioning curl cream. Few people have commented either way on it.

My stylist uses toner on my light brown hair, in places all over like highlights, which just lightens my natural hair a bit like the sun would. My grays blend into it really well - you can still see them, but they're much less noticeable, and there's no sharp line like there is with color as it's my own shade. Think I went nearly 6 months in between appointments.

I'm 36 with very dark brown hair and I've been getting greys since I was in mid 20s. I've never bothered dyeing it as I don't care what people think. As long as your happy to have them then that's what matters

I vote to go for the grey, but also to get a short pixie cut if you fancy one 🙂.

Go grey! It's really liberating, and actually looks great. Like a pp says, it can look like highlights rather than a grey block

I am 68. It took two years to grow the grey in and I wish I had done it years ago. My hair is in the best condition it has ever been in since my thirties when I started dyeing it. It is now an amazing colour and people stop me and ask how I achieved it !

Go for it

I’m 7 months in, just over half way, I was dark brown box dye when I decided, I’m clueless about hair ie undertone and thought I could get gradually lighter box dye to get my hair lighter before starting but doing my roots just one shade lighter just turned the grey roots mid orange brown so that was a mistake

at 7 weeks in I got a full head of highlights

keeping my hair curly, the highlights and even the daft inch of mistake colour have all played their part in softening the demarcation line and meant for the first 5 month people just thought I’d gone a bit blonder

now it’s obvious with my 4” roots that im very silver but my hair is fine textured and soft. I no longer care what people think as I can see the light at the end of the tunnel my scalps less of a bother, I’m getting a lot of new growth and I’m excited to have hair like a teenager again and not be tied to root touch up every few weeks

im 49 and been covering my greys for nearly 25 years more than long enough for me

I’m 52 and grew the dye out 2.5 years ago. I had shoulder length brunette hair at the start of the process.

It’s THE best thing I have ever done. I can’t tell you how freeing it is not to be a slave to the dye.

When regrowth got to my ears I had my hair cut into a trendy pixie cut. I’m fortunate - my colour is very naturally highlighted.

I’ve been on the tube & other women have approached yo yo say how great my hair looks and other friend’s husbands tell me they wish their wives had the confidence to do it.

I love my hair and would never dye it again. When I see other ‘silver sisters’ I applaud their confidence.

Do it - you won’t look back and ignore all the bollocks that it makes you look older. Nothing looks older than an older women with flat box dyed hair.

My advice would be to follow ‘silver sisters’ on IG - it’s a slog when you start but it does get easier.

Invest in a good salon shampoo & conditioner to keep your hair in tip top condition (I use Aveda Blue Malva) which stops any brassiness.

Good luck 🤞 You won’t regret it.

I have to say I agree with @NorthernSpirit when she says it does not* *make you look older. My colour is lovely and I wish I had always had it. Since going silver my green eye colour stands out more.

I am going against previous comments: grey hair will almost always immediately age you.

Most women look better with colour in their hair.

My hair started to go white (and I men pure white, not grey) when I was 14. I dye it ash blond and I love my colour.

I am very pale and if I let my hair go pure white (I tried it once out of curiosity) I look like a ghost/full on albino and much, much older.

Put rosehip oil on for about 3 mins before you wash it. It works for me.

I'm with you! I shall be defiantly dyeing for the foreseeable.

I'm 60 and don't have any greys yet 😀

I'm 42 and currently doing this. My grey hair is mostly around my hairline but I've been growing it for about 7 months. My hair is shoulder length and when I get it cut my hair stylist just puts a toner on the ends/back to take the brassyness out of the coloured hair. My grey is very blonde ash colour so blends in well and overall I really love it.

I tried went for 8 months and hated it - definitely made me look older - I look back at photos and think Wtah was I thinking! I don't box dye though I have highlights plus full head. I'm 54.

I do wonder if women look 'older' with grey hair purely because it's become the norm for them to dye until they are quite elderly. I love to see women embracing the grey, although totally believe it's each to their own.
Personally I just love the freedom of doing my own thing. I still wear make up, nice clothes and have a short sharp cut and I don't feel old, just free and happy 😊

I'm 45 and started growing mine out 18 months ago. The natural bit is around chin length now. I got fed up of not being happy with the highlights I was getting as I could still see the grey and since I'm allergic to permanent dye highlights was all I could have. Plus the costs were crazy to keep on top of all the time. Mine is only about 25% grey (mostly at the front) but I quite like it. I actually wish it would turn grey faster as it turns out I don't like my natural hair colour which it mostly still is at the back. I use a rinse on it every now and then which tones it a funky shade but only lasts 2 or 3 washes.

I'm sure some people think it is aging but I disagree and don't give a fuck what they think anyway.

Stopped dying my hair four years ago - used the L'Oréal Spray on my roots during the first few months as I found this phase hard but after that it became much easier.

It's so freeing and I love the fact that my hair condition has improved. I've received lots of compliments from both men and women.