What does everyone think of grey hair?

[SilverDoublet]

Over the last 2 years I grew out my hair, it's quite grey but I just couldn't handle the regrowth reappearing every 3 weeks and didn't have time or money to deal with it. My hair was quite dark so I had been dying it dark brown. But now it's pure white in places, salt and pepper on top and still dark underneath. I asked a hair dresser if I should go blonde to hide regrowth but she said Im too dark. And I can't stand the regrowth with brunette. What do people think of grey? Or what does everyone else with hair like this do? I'm 45, don't like looking so old...

I think it depends what stage of grey you're at and your age. For many, many years I've had my hair coloured because my greys were wiry and what I'd call a "dirty" grey colour and not at all (in my eyes) a nice shade. I'm now early 60s and my grey hair is now white, it's soft and I like it so much I'm growing it out. Also, my face has changed which sadly happens in your 60s and I no longer look younger than I am. I've got to a point where I feel dyed hair - regardless of colour - makes me look older and much worse makes me look like someone trying to look younger than they are and not succeeding! I've asked people around me for their opinion and all have agreed with me. So I'm now embracing my white hair and growing it out. I will probably have some ash blonde highlights added as I go along just to jazz it up a bit and add some depth. In your shoes I'd maybe try growing out and see how you feel, you can always go back to coloured hair if you dislike it.

It looks ridiculous when someone who, let's face it, we all know is grey, dyes their hair. Looks unnatural and a bit desperate housewives. Unless dying it purple or pink or some other garish colour, that looks awesome!

I'm 44 and embracing my greys. A lady at my work is a tad older than me and fully grey and she looks fantastic! Her hair was black and its amazing how much its brightened her up. Im jealous!

55 and growing mine out. I look at my mother who is 80 and still dyes hers and it just doesn’t suit her skin tone at all.

People who say it’s aging - I don’t have Botox either so I have wrinkles just the same as most 55 year olds. I also have a sore knee, reading glasses and slight hearing loss. I’m 55 and embracing it!

If more people accept their natural greying most people wouldn't view it as ageing. People view it as ageing now as usually women dye their hair until 60ish, making people believe only old people are grey. Plenty of people go grey in their 20s & 30s, the more we see it on younger people the less we'll assume only old people have grey hair.

Thank God for this thread, and lots of posters not wanting to 'embrace the grey!' I get so sick of seeing 'embrace the grey' on here, as I think most women don't look great with grey hair (not under 60 anyway.) Yes, women. Men can carry it off much better. I know that won't sit well with some, but IMO men can carry off grey hair much better than women... (As I said, under 60 moreso!)

I am fortunate to be late 50s and only be about 15% grey - the rest is mousy blonde.. (It's hereditary in my family to go grey late, even my dad and uncles were only 25% grey in their 80s.) But if I had started going grey in my 30s, no WAY would I have let it stay grey.

I know that dying your hair isn't going to make you look 10 years younger than your age, and I'm not trying to 'fool anyone.' 🙄 But NOT dying it will definitely make you look older than your age. I have seen some people who 'embraced the grey' in their 40s and they looked a decade older.

I had a young female collague say to me several years ago, that I was 'letting the side down' (whatever that is supposed to mean!) by covering the grey with a light brown hair dye, and I should 'embrace the grey.' I said 'come back to me in 30 years when you're in your mid 50s and as grey as a badger's arse, and see if you still feel the same.' Sorry, but a 25 year old is NOT entitled to tell a 55 year old that she MUST embrace the fucking grey! 🙄

No I won't. I am late 50s now, and whilst I am quite happy to look my age (and I do like most people,) I do not want to look a decade older. My hair isn't very grey (as I said,) but the greying does make me look older, and makes me look like I don't care about how I look. Grey streaks in hair - particularly longer hair - looks a mess.

❤️
A cousin of mine went from natural blonde to white in her 40s. She has great skin, a good cut and whilst it's unusual to see a woman in her 40s with white hair, personally I don't think it aged her at all. I really liked it. I'm now in my 60s, my roots are now white and I'm growing it out because I think colours on me are now more ageing than just embracing white. Age, as they say, is a privilege denied to many. I don't feel women should apologise for embracing their age. Solidarity!

I'm 61 and not sure I'll ever go completely grey. My hair has some silvery threads through the temples and the top, but is still mostly reddish brown. I'd love to fully embrace the grey though. It's 30 years since my hair was last coloured and even then it was only henna. But I'm kind of a hippy, I don't wear make up any more either. It's very freeing.

Why does anyone need to 'embrace' anything because others tell them to. Such ridiculous nonsense.

Thank God for this thread, and lots of posters not wanting to 'embrace the grey!' I get so sick of seeing 'embrace the grey' on here, as I think most women don't look great with grey hair (not under 60 anyway.) Yes, women. Men can carry it off much better. I know that won't sit well with some, but IMO men can carry off grey hair much better than women... (As I said, under 60 moreso!)
I
This is bollocks. And is caused by something called the Mere Exposure effect. Basically marketing has worked a treat on a lot of the population.

It always makes me laugh on threads about grey hair that some people will categorically state that everyone looks better/younger if they dye their hair, and everybody that chooses to not change something that happens naturally looks worse/much older than their actual age.

Can you imagine people saying things like 'everyone who doesn't have botox or some sort of treatments looks awful/older than their age', 'I can't imagine letting my face be natural until I'm at least 70'.

My once brunette friend now has grey/bright light blond hair and has never looked better. Pastel colours and cream look
so nice on her with her hair colour.

Natural and beautiful — nothing wrong with it

Depends on the person and skin tone, some suit grey and some don't. Personally I think a trendy haircut and clothes to match look great.

I love my grey hair. It is singularly the best choice I have ever made for my hair. Last colored August 2019 not knowing COVID pandemic was coming and by July 2020 was completely grown out. I do have great skin I’m slender and I like clothes so I feel good about myself irregardless of my hair color. It’s healthier and longer than ever. I work in a public facing role and am complimented weekly on my hair mainly by older or younger than I women. I have natural highlights but it’s straight and finely textured so no fancy styles or layering.
I have posted this before and am echoing a PP…hair color cannot be good for our scalp. Alzheimer’s is more prevalent in women and I do wonder if there is a link
It’s very polarizing….the few friends who tell me they don’t prefer it have very unnatural hair color and very committed to keeping it that way.

Looks like I'm breaking every rule here. Over 60, grey streaks, hair down to my bum. But my hair gets me compliments all the time because of its condition. I'm just letting it be as it is; it gets washed, left to dry naturally, then combed. No heat, ever. I'm not being pressured to change.

Never done this before, but with a wee name change I’ll be brave.

i started going grey at 14.

what age do you think I am, and what age does my hair make me look?

This time with the photo

I’m not sure how old you may be but can I just say your skin looks absolutely incredible! Tell me your secrets 😂

Thank you x

I hate it on me , mine is a dull drab mouse shade with patches of grey and the texture makes it difficult to style if i leave it too long without colour, just some blonde highlights to blend it all and make it feel smoother.
I look younger than my age at the moment ! and i have no plans of giving in to grey.
On the other hand when i see a woman with sleek white or silvery grey hair cut stylishly i admire it but i think most grey haired woman just look a bit washed out and haggard.
I do like a silver fox though 😊

57 here... gave up colouring it (I was brunette) when the dye started to make me itch, so probably 8 years ago when I had a smattering of grey hairs.
Now white at the front, streaked throughout and still dark underneath. Yes I look 57... but that's not just my hair (which is just below shoulders and I'm growing it long again) ..my face tells me I'm in my 50s, as does the rest of my body.

I did ask my hairdresser if I should 'go blonde' and she reckoned it was better left natural. I'm slim, fit, healthy and I like watching my hair change! I also don't miss the cost and hassle!

@GreyMaresTail 58-59? Give or take a year - based on that photograph.

We'd need to see a photograph of you looking roughly the same with your hair dyed brown to see if you looked younger with the hair dyed brown/older with it grey.

Pretty close - so it doesn’t age me massively, I just am what I am.

Well, as has been said, (and as I said,) grey hair is fine at around 60 or older. As people expect older people to have grey hair.

It's not so fine in your 30s. Or 40s. And it does age people then... (IMO.)

People are entitled to their opinions. And my opinion is that someone under 50 is too young to be grey haired.

Another thing is, it looks like you have used a filter on that photograph, a subtle one, but a filter nevertheless, so that is giving a bit of a false impression of what you look like ... I imagine you look a bit different in the flesh (like many people do compared to their (filtered) photographs.

I think it looks fab on some, good on some and then others it makes them look not older but more tired