Nobody likes my greying hair!

[Sidebeforeself]

Decided to embrace my natural grey ( for many reasons!) Im entering that really tricky stage where I have a big stripe so feeling self conscious but know I have to grin and bear it. But what’s not helping is how many negative comments Im getting from friends and family. Things like Im too young to do it (54) , it’s not professional for work etc. I know DH not keen .

I realise other opinions don’t matter but when I m feeling self conscious it would be nice to get a bit of support. Did anyone else experience this?

Yes… imo hang in there I’ve embraced since covid (which probably easier to do) no regrets in fact wish I’d done years ago I’m similar age btw.

top tip use a grey shampoo helps enhance silver tones.

This is the thing - do you like it . If so stuff everyone else.
I find the idea that having grey hair is 'unprofessional' troubling. Men don't worry about going grey, why should women? Utter bollocks to that 🙄
Most of my fantastic colleagues in their fifties have gone grey. They look fabulous. Like they would as attractive, intelligent older women. I am not grey yet, but I aspire to that not years of stressful hair dyeing - which past a certain age can look a bit odd anyway .
I am sure you will rock grey hair.

The ‘it’s not professional for work is utter rubbish.’ Having said that, I’ve yet to see anyone who looks better with their natural grey showing. It’s really aging.

Sort of know how you feel. Bit older than you, but was starting to feel that colouring my hair was aging, so took the Covid lockdowns as an opportunity to grow the colour out. Family were not impressed initially but it’s my hair. Now everyone likes it, had lots of compliments and I keep it silvery with purple shampoo once a week.
if I hadn’t decided to grow my hair out during lockdown, I would probably would have had a pixie cut but kept my bob as no real other option.

Read Hags by Victoria Smith.

some people might think it aging.. I prefer empowering🙌🏻

It is OK to age. It's what we do if we don't die young @Prawncow . Don't knock it. There is nothing wrong with being older, and no positive causation between ageing naturally and being unattractive.

There are people I have loved who didn't get the chance to go grey which may influence my thinking somewhat. But that aside older women can look lovely as they are 😊

The badger stripe phase is the worst!! I grew mine out at 42! It is a lovely silver / grey and has natural highlights, which are pure white! It was hard to grow it out and looked dodgy, but it looks great now.

Lots of folk tell me it suits me (without me asking!) and men surprisingly are very complimentary about it.

Admittedly, it looked awful until the last of the dye came out. Stick with it, it's definitely worth it.

It's none of their business what you do with your hair. Greying hair is fine.

All this "grey hair is always aging" makes me laugh, I started a new job last year with grey hair, and the general consensus amongst my colleagues was that they thought I was 8-10 years younger than I actually am (53, been going grey since my late 20s, ditched the dye totally when I was 40)
IME the "looking old" thing is a lot more to do with attitude and general health/good skincare, and very little to do with hair colour. Being grey hasn't hampered my post divorce dating in any way, amongst all ages of men😉

I know it should be empowering but my natural hair just makes me look washed out and ill. I’ve dyed it to cover the grey since my early 30s. I don’t have the colouring for white hair.

I think most of us cool dark brunettes look much better natural in the end. Dying it to it's natural colour looks too blocky and harsh and implausible, and blonde/caramel highlights are too warm. Which leaves blue-toned reds/plums, or ash blonde. Silvery clear white often suits us the best.

Aging happens - it's not a good look to pretend otherwise. Better to embrace it with a good cut, strong lip and fabulous clothes.

Currently, all of my female colleagues have naturally greying/white hair, and they are strong, capable, professional women who I am grateful to have as colleagues. Their hair colour is meaningless, other than the fact that I admire it and am proud to be counted among them.

Grey hair is ageing? The only alternative to growing older is dying young so what of it.

I was lucky that my greys came through in 'highlights' rather than a root growth line .
The worst bit is the texture , it is so wiry and likes to form a fuzzy little halo round my head.

I briefly think about going back to dye but I reckon it'll look false as well as time consuming and expensive.

And after not having periods, it's another privilege of getting older. No more faffing around with toxic chemicals every few weeks. Don't miss that one bit.

I’m blending mine in using highlights rather than going cold turkey. I’m actually really pleased with how it’s going.

The other thing is you can buy glazes that are true semis (not like all the demis that lift and distort your base colour). If you want to switch it up they'll put a transclucent wash of colour through, and make it shine and shine. If you are at the awkward stage they can be a helpful way of sticking it out, as they even everything out a bit without any sacrifice of progress.

I'm a couple of years younger and my hair is completely white/grey. I use a purple shampoo and as a pp said, lipstick. I don't think it ages me more than dyeing it did. Unprofessional

Ah, I stopped dying my hair when I was 39, I wanted to see what my natural hair was like. I have red heads in my family but although I have the rare strand I dyed it auburn. I've been natural now for years. Mine is v salt and pepper with the occasional red. I love it. I call then my natural highlights, and it's ever changing. Also my hair had never been so naturally healthy (with the right shampoo and conditioner)!

I'm growing mine out currently. I tried to do it during lockdown, but my now ex husband wasn't keen and convinced me to colour it. 🙄 I wish I'd never bloody listened TBH.

IMO there comes a point with grey hair where you are pissing into the wind. It needs done ridiculously frequently and the dye doesn't take as well to greys. So even with all that effort, it still looks shit. I will probably still colour mine after I've grown it out. It's coming through light enough that a semi permanent would take nicely to it. Can't do that just now after black box dying it.

I do think it is one of the exciting trends to have come out of the pandemic. Loads of older women are standing their ground and saying this is who I am and I don't have to cover it up, or apologise for my years on the planet because of misogynistic attitudes. Pharmacies and hairdressers must be gutted.

@Mrspepperpotsskirt It can be both. Part of the empowerment is saying 'I don't care' that it is ageing.

I get ash highlights every so often to make the grey blend in. Although I say it myself it looks better than the dark brunette I was before - given that I think skin etc changes as you age and so what suited you at 16 does not necessarily suit you at 60. I grew mine out as much as I could during pandemic and then had a big cut

Join 'Silver sisters' on Facebook. An uplifting community of women who raise each other up.

I am 36 and have been grey since 2020. I love it.

Aussie Purple shampoo is brilliant.

Those that mind don't matter, those that matter don't mind.

My mother probably does not like it (70 and blonde) but it is not her hair so she knows not to pass comment.

Personally I intend to be like Liz Taylor, sitting in my wheelchair at 75 with a glass of wine, smudged eyeliner, red lippy and hair dyed jet black 😂

However, some women pull off the grey fantastically well. Think Andy Mcdowell.

My hairdreser said that was a very short lived trend and most of her clients are colouring their hair again. Given how difficult it is to get an appointment with her, she's clearly very busy.