"Menopausal blonde" hair - why do women do it?

[ISeriouslyDoubtIt]

Just been to lunch with a group of friends aged late fifties to early sixties whom I've known for decades. Of course we're all looking older, but none of us are the type of people who have Botox/fillers/tweakments, but we all wear some make up and at various times most have dyed their hair.
I'm a natural redhead but started to go grey in my thirties and then dyed my hair for 25 years till COVID when I grew it out and stayed white/grey, it looks fine and better than dyed red hair with an older face.
Several of the group have dark hair, brown eyes and olivey skin. All of them, as they got into their fifties, started dyeing their hair a yellowy blonde. Without fail it looks awful, it just doesn't suit their skin tones at all. They would look better if they just let the grey come through, or have it dyed a lighter brown.
I see so many women of a certain age with this generic blonde, on people that aren't naturally blonde it invariably looks wrong, why do they do it?

I used to be very dark naturally but now have highlights and a lighter brown underneath. It's more flattering than being really dark and I'm not ready to go grey (doubt I ever will be). I get it done at the hairdressers and we play around with different shades of blonde to see what looks best. Do what makes you happy- nobody else's business.

I grew out my colour but I'm not certain I look like an old lady as my face is still youthful (I think😀)

'Menopausal blonde' is a bit gross and ageist tbh. Iv been going lighter since I was 26- I started going grey at 20 so it's not just middle-aged women who do it. It helps the greys blend in so much easier. They are coming in thick and fast now at 33, which is gutting because my natural medium brown colour was so lovely and rich, but many women just aren't ready to go grey yet.

Because us brunettes, if our hair grows at a phenomenal rate, can’t keep dying it dark. I’ve gone grey now, it’s a bright white, a lovely bright white but I get fucking bored of it - I’m going to be white haired for the rest of my life. So I throw a blonde rinse on now and then.
I mean, I could dye it dark…but 48 hours later I’d have a sparkly scintillating white line of regrowth, so blonde it is.

My ‘menopausal blonde’ costs me nearly £200 every 6-8 weeks.

Cor, mine costs €65 (inc tip).

I prefer dark roots in blonde hair to grey roots in salt & pepper hair. 🤷‍♀️ Cool blonde suits me. You do you OP and leave your judgement at home!

I did have to go to the salon for 6 months or so to get my hair to an even, lighter colour before I started doing it myself again, because my hair was a dark cherry red before and I didn't trust myself to lighten it successfully.

I use Schwarzkopf Live! Mango Twist colour at home now, which gives me a nice result.

You are describing me - so thanks for making me feel a bit rubbish. I am 57 and only really started to go grey about 4-5 years ago and have been having my hair professionally coloured ever since. I decided to go lighter this year, just because. Lots of people have said how much it suits me but perhaps they are just being polite.

This is why I went blonde from my natural very dark brown. I’ve been red too and people loved that (or told me they did 😳). The greys just come through so quick and it looks shite. I went for a blonde pixie.

I wouldn’t mind if it had all gone a nice silvery grey. But no, it’s the witchy, white streaks here and there and the texture is wiry and rough. I just had a toner on last time, too looks alright but I was horrified how much grey there is in my undercut. I’ll have a number 1 next time.

And I am sure you look beautiful so I hope I haven't offended you.

My comment was directed to @ISeriouslyDoubtIt to see how it feels to be judged! 😂

I appreciate that this is desperately immature of me but her whole post is so mean and misogynistic that I couldn't help myself.

Menopausal blonde? And these women have been your friends "for decades ".

No not at all😀

I still have high/low lights occasionally as it gets boring but I got so fed up with those dreaded roots and the upkeep

This. And lighter colour hair is kinder to aging skin.

Maybe they like it, and want to?

I'm naturally light brown in some areas, grey in some areas and white haired in other areas. If I grew out my colour I'd looked like a badger had mated with a zebra crossed with a snow leopard.

While that does sound rather lovely in the animal kingdom, I will stick to my blonde highlights and light brown tint I have about every 6-8 weeks. Or as OP prefers to call it, my 'menopausal blonde'.

I do agree that white hair dyed dark looks bonkers. My Nana used to do this until my cousin persuaded her to go a lilac light brown! She rocked that look until the day she died 🥰

Because of the grey but also because menopausal skin can react to hair dyes more so highlights are preferable to actual hair dye.

And these are your friends you're talking about? 😂

It’s not easy to go a ‘lighter brown’ from (also greying) dark brown. It often ends up too warm and orangey. At that point it can be easier to go blonde or eventually transition to that.

I personally do prefer to go grey naturally, but actually if you haven’t been doing that, then the cold turkey version from colouring is really hard and nearly impossible to find a hairdresser who can get you there without ruining your hair.

Also, with the best will in the world, it can be harder to not be judged as older in the workplace and we’re already facing enough sexist and ageist prejudice (menopausal blonde?) at this stage of our lives.

Which one do you use? I'm brunette and the greys really stand out!

Which one do you use? I'm brunette and the greys really stand out!

if you are a redhead your hair will go a beautiful white quite quickly. My mother is 91 (olive skin, originally dark hair) she’s still salt and pepper at the back. She has enough white for it to look really nice now but it was a 30 year wait!

The single dyes often look very flat , obviously dyed and ageing. At least the blonde has some joy to it, even if that looks artificial too.

The Magic touch up one is good if you spray it onto a make up brush and use it that way

Judgemental much? Maybe they just like it?

I wonder what the OP's friends say about her appearance? Or maybe they aren't as judgemental as her...