Dyeing hair after a year of no dye

[PumpkinSpicedTea]

Has anyone done the same? My hair is dark grey with some lighter hits at the side. I am 38 and have decided I want to dye it again. I used to be dark brunette but don't want to go as dark again as it'll be so obvious. I'm not sure what colour to choose and it'll have to be box dye (which I'm not 100% happy about either)

I've attached a photo of my current colour. I am very aware I'm having a wobble due to seeing photos of me at a recent wedding. I did so well leaving it but decided it's not really for me now.

If you’re not happy with the idea of ‘box dye’ you could try henna?

I used

It’s Pure

Organic henna for a few years, and found it much more pleasant to use. Though obviously time consuming. (Ordered mine on repeat from Amazon but you can get it elsewhere.)

Read all the advice and reviews to decide on the best colour.

I wouldn't use Henna on grey hair! Results are ...unpredictable!
I was a huge henna fan and used it for many years, loved my red hair. But it doesn't colour greys predictably... risk of the grey going orange!

I'm similarly grey and have wobbles when I want to colour it again, but then remember the hassle, and cost, and upkeep and I usually find the urge passes if I hang on a few days.

Before committing to colour, how about a fresh cut and a week mulling it over? Just incase you regret colouring again!

If you do take the plunge go for a semi/demi permanent rather than a fully permanent colour. Then you'll probably get a lovely highlighted effect from the translucent greys, and it'll fade over time.

Keep us posted with what you decide.

Nooooo …

The orange thing can happen but it fades after a couple of days as the colour takes hold. I found it (think it was a dark brown) coloured my grey hair well.

Don't do it. This would be the resulting colour.

I like what I can see of it - do you feel it is ageing you? If anything I would get the grey more steely!

@sausawyee It’s unlikely I would have used it for several years if I hadn’t been more than satisfied.

Obviously I can’t speak for other people’s experience with that or any other henna product.

I had the grey wobble and went back to being a brunette for a few years and tbh I hated it. But I think I had to do it as I really wasnt ready to be grey

Now Im back to being grey and Im really embracing it. Now the fight is keeping it bright and Im now experimenting with different toners , mixed with conditioner and left on for 5 mins, nothing too drastic, just giving a bit of a hue when the light hits it

I was in town at the weekend and it seems the local population of youngish grey hairers are opting for vibrant purple and one customer today was in with the brightest pink streaks through her grey bob, looked really lovely . Im talking Barbie Pink, not a hint, full on barbie pink streaks

Thanks for opinions on Henna. I'll take a look.

@sausawyee yes the main thing I'm thinking is it is ageing me. I feel if I grow it longer I'll be happy as for now it's shoulder length with a life of its own really.

@suki1964 that's what I'm thinking, I still won't like it but feel I'm not ready to be grey. I've had nice comments on it but I dunno I just feel conflicted.

I feel proud that I've lasted this long as I just wanted my hair to have a break from dyeing and the condition is so much better.

Thank you. I'll look at those options. Are they less damaging?

Having lived in certain areas I know this look well as it is used by older men with grey hair as part of their religion.

I wouldn't go back from grey, what a hassle.

What's your hair like otherwise? Maybe a good cut would lift you, or some hair straighteners or something like that.

Red tones in the dye will be much brighter on grey hair and can take on a fake, orangey look. Not quite as extreme as the henna. My advice would be to go for a slightly cooler colour than you have done. If it’s not warm enough, you can adjust it next time. But semi permanent is definitely your friend while you work out what works on your new hair.

Despite what everyone on Mumsnet appears to say, grey is very very ageing, especially if you are only 38. I hardly ever see any females with totally grey hair, even whitesh haired ladies look as if they have a light tint in their hair. You clearly don't feel comfortable with it so go with your gut feeling and embrace the box dye. I loved henna when I was younger but now I'm totally grey I go with L'Oreal Excellence Natural Ice Brown. This isn't an advert, I find it a good mid brown colour with slight reddish highlights, dark brown is too dark so a medium brown or dark blonde shade is good for moving from grey to a colour.
I don't find that my hair is particularly damaged after years of dye and I'd rather have a hair colour I'm happy with than soft undamaged grey hair.
I usually buy from Superdrug or Tesco.
Good luck.

"a wobble" sounds like you're dismissing your own feelings about wanting to colour your hair again. Please don't minimise how you feel. It's not "better" to have natural hair. Celebrate the fact that nowadays we can choose for ourselves, follow our own whims, just enjoy playing with our own appearance.
Practically - I second the advice to go for a semi - permanent. I used L'oréal Castings for years and it left my hair in amazing condition. No peroxide etc in there. Unfortunately I'm allergy - prone and became sensitised to the standard chemicals that are in nearly all dark dyes (PPD and PTD), so I go with very niche allergy - free stuff nowadays.
You can greatly reduce the risk of developing hair dye allergy by choosing one made with PTD rather than PPD, but once you're sensitised, you can react to both. If you're interested in this, look up dyes using toluenes ; there are a few you can get on the high street.
BTW, the gentle, natural specialist dyes I use nowadays don't leave my hair in as good condition as Castings used to!

Can you save to have it done by a hairdresser so you can discuss what colour would be more suitable and get it done properly?

Then once you have colour back in your hair you can switch to doing the roots at home after that.

That would be my advice.

I use Loreal's Excellence 'Universal Nudes' permanent colour and my hair is 100% white (I started getting white hair in my early teens...). It does not contain ammonia but gives good coverage. I use their dark blond shade.

I have a sensitive scalp that reacted to other products so I was quite pleased to see that this dye was perfectly fine and loving the result.

I like L'Oreal Excellence because of the allergy factor, used Nice and Easy for years but had to give it up as I became sensitive to it. I'm fine so far with L'OE.

Thank you for all your replies. Some of you have really hit nail on the head I think. Particularly @DivorcedAndDelighted and @AmadeustheAlpaca I no longer feel comfortable. I feel like I've went over a year and while I just went cold turkey, my aim was to give it a break rather than leaving it grey. I have no idea why I've kept going and embracing the grey, it was OK but now I feel I need to dye it again.

Now I've made my decision, (and hopefully stick with it!), I need to look at brands and the colour. I have used Castings in the past and got on well. I'll look at loreal excellence too.

It's just the shade. In the past I always found it looked so much darker than I'd want to begin with. The dark blond sounds like an option for me since I'm going from grey/white to a colour again.

Although what you've said @Startingagainandagain i would like to try and save and get to a hairdresser. Have been looking at "mushroom brown/blonde" that seem to have a cooler colour in them which might help for regrowth.

This is the mega thing about going back, the hassle and faff of dyeing! Especially when I can't t afford to go to the hairdressers. I'm not sure about a cut as I don't like it as short as it is already. Maybe straighteners will help.

If you feel like a change but are not sure, could you try a colour depositing conditioner?

I'm a lot older than you but grew out my permanent mid brown dyed hair (over 2 years) with the aid of Leganza light brown. It took very well with no orange. It fades gradually with each subsequent wash. Other colours are available.

Here is a link if you feel like investigating...
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00YTJKQAC/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I had bleached hair for a while, but the time and the expense and the chemicals started bothering me in the end.

So just over a month later and I had used John Frieda Defy Grey a good few times and like it. Have been proud of myself for not dyeing 😂 but yesterday a young boy I hadn't seen in ages said to me "you've gone grey!" and as much as his comment didn't bother me, I'm now back to looking at dye again. Ahhh 😂

Do go and really look at your face colouring now. Like I now need a fair foundation , before I was always a medium , skin tone has definitely changed in the last decade, maybe because I dont sit out and sun myself or what

My colleague in work whos 2 years older then me had been dying her hair, then saw that I grew out and it werent awful, so she went lighter and lighter on the dye, then did a me, got the pixie cut and hers has also come through a lovely grey and again, her face is so much brighter for it

But then we both have flirted with going grey in the past

All the years I used to dye I used Clairol nice and easy, Its pretty tonal but the last year or so I swapped to Schwarzkopf . But at that time I was playing with colour and wanted obviously dyed hair in your face

Im glad Ive gone grey now, now Im raging about the odd jet black hair that comes through . I do need to use brightening products, I cant use the shampoos so use leave in conditioners.

You will find your time, now isnt it, And Im still not saying I will stay grey , but this moment in time Im happy with the cut and condition of my hair