Have you had to let your hair grow grey? Support please

[tobee]

I'm looking at having to let my grey roots grow out and feeling fed up.

I've had irritation to patch tests having dyed my hair for years with no problems. I carried on dyeing my during lockdown and patched test every time because I didn't fancy having to go to a&e (and dh vulnerable)

The two bad things will be the interim period and the fact that my hair is thin and colouring my roots look better after.

I'm also annoyed with myself for feeling down about it 🙄 If I'd known I'd have to go cold turkey rather than when I chose, carefully changing my colour, I'd have stopped dyeing yonks ago.

Please tell me your tales of support, and maybe gently kick me up the arse!! 😁

I’ve found it easy. Just got some pale blonde highlights weaved through. As the grey grew it blended into the highlight and I’m now a couple of cuts away from fully grey.!

Blond highlight really help it to grow out.

You could dye the whole lot silver/grey.
I am strawberry blonde so am just going lighter and lighter naturally (which I realise is easier than being brunette).
Have a badger tail of red at the back which looks "interesting" so I tie it up.
I do, however, need a bloody good hair cut

I went grey quite early and stubbornly dyed it until covid, I couldn't get it done at a hairdressers for ages so had quite a lot of grey roots by the time I did. I just went for it and had it all chopped off into a pixie cut.

I have it now in a chin length bob and I get lots of compliments on it. Does it age me, yes maybe but it feels a lot healthier now and my wallet appreciates the fewer visits to the hairdressers!

I used to get my hair coloured at the salon but because I get psoriasis on my scalp intermittently I couldn’t always dye it when I wanted to. This was 2014 age 43, then I saw a woman on the bus with about an inch grey roots and I thought, I don’t want to be that woman. So although my roots did show there was still quite a high percentage of brown hair. Decided there and then to grow out the dye whilst the difference wasn’t too stark to embrace the greys. It took two years to grow out and it took me probably another three years before I grew to like it. Two colleagues told me that they decided to grow in their greys because of me which was quite flattering. I can’t believe it has been 10 years.

Colour block wardrobe, please explain

Go through a few months of pain and it will be the best thing you ever do and you will wish you had done it sooner.

I had shoulder length brunette (bottle) hair.

December 2020 was the last time I had my hair dyed. By April 2021 I had a clear demarcation line (this was the most difficult time). In the July (7 months in) I had my hair chopped into a choppey pixie cut. By then there was hardly any dye left. It was literally a few months of pain.

My advice would be - don’t get it dyed to grow it out. You are just adding more dye. Follow some ‘silver sisters’ type accounts on Instagram (they are a great source of inspiration). Go through a few months of pain - it is a so worth it.

I absolutely love my hair (I’m fortunate it’s still dark underneath with pepper highlights). Since embracing my natural colour numerous women have complimented me on the tube (I’ve never had that before). Once you break free of being a slave to the dye it’s so liberating and my hair is in fabulous condition. As we get older our complexion changed and on most women our natural hair colour is the best match tie that complexion.

Once you go natural - you notice so many older women with dyed hair (usually very dark coloured hair) which doesn’t look great. We all know it’s dyed, personally I think this is more aging.

Good luck 🤞

I'm really glad I started this thread! Lots of useful tips and support and I'm already beginning to feel better!

I think I'm probably going to keep my brows dark which I think will suit me better.

My adult dc seem quite sad about it and one of them said "it's just I've never seen you grey mum!" Err, I've never seen me grey either!!

Just reminded me my dear old Nana never went grey; she was 82 when she died! Sadly, I did not get that gene 🥲😄

I agree with you @NorthernSpirit

I found my natural colour wasn't as light as I had thought once the dye was grown out.

@tobee

It was really hard for me to go grey. I had a great hairdresser that eased the pain. Ash highlights bit by bit. Until it all grew out. And now I am totally grey. And I am not just saying this... but most people think I have highlights because I am a pretty highlighted grey colour. I get complimented about my hair lots.

I do use purple shampoo, I don't want to see that yellow colour.
Just go for it.

I think it took about a year to grow mine fully out. As others say, the first few months aren’t great. After that the dyed part fades and your real hair colour is more noticeable (you might find it is less grey than you think when it has grown out a bit), and hair doesn’t grow at exactly the same rate so the cut off line isn’t so obvious. I also had a short bob hairstyle for a while as each time it was cut, more dye disappears. You can do it!

I have been dying my hair purple for years!! I get greys at the roots now, full in greys.

I don't know how to make it look less obvious as I still have purple lengths (albeit faded), I'm naturally a mousy brown and soooooooo would not suit a short hair cut.

It does take a long time doesn't it? Think I'm only about 8 weeks since last had roots done.

I think it depends what your hairstyle is.

I have a choppy style. A bob is hard to cope with I think

I just think dyed brown looks so unnatural

Yeah I've got a bob ☹️

I let the roots grow out to about 2cm and then shaved the rest off. Would never go back to dye. I kept is short for about two years and now it’s about shoulder length.

I went pixie cut. Was about 8/9 years ago now. I have not regretted it a single day.

Please just do it... remember, it's not the roots that are the problem, it's the colour!!

If you want to still 'do stuff to look good' then make sure you eyebrows are on point, get great haircuts as often as you can manage, and tweak your makeup if you wear it, away from dusky colours to clearer/brighter colours. Get smart new glasses if you wear them, and smile!!

I wish my DM would do this, the beige hair colour she's had for the last 40 years just drains her and I'm sure she has some stunning steel and white under there... but she's having none of it sadly!

I previously was brown haired and I had blonde babylights put through which didn’t particularly suit me as I’m not a ‘blonde’ person. That said, it wasn’t too bad and was ok until it grew out properly.

It took me about 2 years all told and my last dye was Jan 2019 - I gave it up for the same reasons as you. I get so many compliments on my silver hair nowadays too. I recognise I’m lucky though because my hair is soft and shiny, whereas I know for a lot of people it can go coarse and dry. I’ve posted my after pic many times before but happy to again if needed.

I'm 18 weeks in and have had 6/7 inches cut off my brunette mop. My hairdresser said just go with it, any highlights or lowlights will just need to be grown out. I was previously having semi permanent dye and that's faded to a grim orangy brown but my roots are dark with silver streaks so im persevering. I'm putting it up in a short ponytail and gazing enviously at those who did it in lockdown.

I've never dyed my hair and I'm 70

I stopped dyeing my hair 18 months ago - I have a chin length bob. All my previous colour is now gone except for about 1-2 inches.

My hair is naturally pretty frizzy and wavy so I went for a keratin straightening treatment and honestly it’s the best thing I could have done. Since doing that I have had several people compliment my hair (never happened before!) and I feel so much more “put together” and comfortable with my style. I could never be bothered to dry/straighten it before so this has really helped.

I wish I could think of a way to rock the in between look!!

It's ridiculous because it's perfectly natural to go grey but it's the old fetishising of youth .

Half of my wider family didn't dye their hair @Notaflippinclue and half did. My dm did, her dm and my aunt never did. Because my dm did it just seemed the thing to do.

I did the same. It took me almost three years to grow all the paint out (just below the chin).

Again thanks for all the suggestions; they're very useful.