Going grey - or rather stop colouring your hair - best way to do it?

Tresco I have red in my hair, so the ash works really well, as it takes away the redness and makes it more beige. I am currently using a golden blonde on my greying parting and seriously regretting it, as it looks very red. I may try mixing my own colours and using it as streaks.

I hate this stage, I have watch friends go through it. Only my parting is greying currently and it glows at me under electric light. the colour fades from it so fast that it could do with colouring every week, but like *hondagirl I can't afford to have high and low lights put through it on a regular basis, and am not yet ready to go short. I like my hair, which is shoulderlength at the front, but longer at the back, very curly and straightened on top so that I can put it up if I want to.

So I end up using hair mascara to put a darker streak through my parting. There is only one that seems to work for me, some are more like pink paste if you are blonde.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001AXWFYK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3U0Q3EJ740N0C

Some of them are awful and a complete waste of money, but this is quite good, I think. It gets rid of that awful light centre parting. I would say that this one is more of a mid brown, so I thought it would be too dark for me, but it's fine.

It's difficult to answer this question if the costs of hairdressing are so expensive in Oz. Perhaps you could go with the one good cut (maybe just once or twice a year) and get someone to pay for it for you as a Christmas or birthday present.

My mother would never touch our hair. She would make all our clothes, but she never used her scissors on our hair. We always went to the hairdressers. So, since leaving home, I have always gone to the hairdressers. I had my third (and last) child at 34, and was already pretty grey. The worst was when I went to fetch him from kindergarten and another kid shouted "Your grandmother's here!".

As soon as I went back to work and could afford it, I had my hair streaked in my original dark colour. I keep asking them to reduce the number of streaks each time so I can gradually go grey, but we get so carried away chatting that the streaks are usually the same intensity each time!

My hair is for the main part, now completely white (snowy white, not silver) with the battleship grey colour at the back. (But it doesn't look it because of the streaks)

What worried me is, having had dark hair all my life, I didn't fancy the idea of having hair a lighter colour than my face, which I am sure makes me look anaemic. This side of 60, I am not going to start tanning or wearing darker foundation, so I am wondering how not to fade into the background once I stop earning and can't afford the streaks.

Oh yes - and hair (and nails) definitely grow faster in hotter weather.

The best thing I ever did was let my hair grow out and let it be it's natural colour. The relief of not having to keep going to the hairdresser, let alone the expense - is wonderful.
I have grey sideburns like Stuart Granger and it looks great. No regrets - ever!

It helps to have a trendy haircut. Which I do have and I use gel to make it stick up.

I think skin pales with age. I find using a brightening balm helps give my face a fresh glow rather than a blusher. Clarins make one, so do Benefit. I'm sure they have a proper name in the beauty world!

Having gone from dark to light, I now wear warm pastels and navy, rather than the stronger colours and black that I used to favour. x

Having just been to the hairdressers my hair is about 1.5". It was once very intensely black and wiry.

It's quite thick, very dark still at the back greying more to the front, The black and grey is fairly well mixed. Under the influence of a friend I had it coloured for a while and did not really like it. So I have left it as it is.

I feel much better about how it is now. Yes I am greying but I am 67 what can I suspect.
The only way of doing anything else colour wise witth my hair would be to strip out the original black and add a different colour.
I am quite happy as long as I keep it short it looks neat. Too long and its unmanageably tufty. I don't think it looks too ageing.

I CBA to mess about with mine at weekly hairdressing sessions.

So much of this depends on the luck of your genes. Your original colour and how thick or strong or curly your hair is.

I think that sounds very striking Nelliemoser, good for you!

I'm new to the forum and reading all threads with relish. I did the same as loopylou - as my hair was dyed black (my natural colour was close to black), it would have cost me a fortune at the hairdressers.
I let the roots grow in to 2" then had all the black chopped off. God it was so liberating lol - I loved it. Since then it has got gradually whiter at the front - I'm 65 - so now I use that Touch of Silver shampoo twice a week, it's cheap and it works to give your hair that nice sparkle.

Hi fumanchu and,welcome to GN. Your comment about reading the threads "with relish" made me . It's a whole new virtual world on here.

I also use Touch of Silver shampoo on my grey hair, it's fab.

I used to have long, straight, dark brown hair. It was always in such good condition, very shiny and I determined to keep the grey at bay with trips to the hairdresser. As I got older, and my skin tone faded, I gradually went lighter brown (my hair, not my skin tone ).
Then I developed psoriasis on my scalp, and had to stop using hair dye . By now my hair was quite light brown which was a good thing because I had to go 'cold turkey' and just let the colour grow out. Thankfully my hair grows quite quickly and before too long I had it cut into a chin length bob. It probably took the best part of a year to completely grow out, but because I still had some of my natural brown in a 'salt and pepper' way, it wasn't as unsightly as I'd feared.
Now I'm silver all over and so pleased I've left the tyranny of the hair dye well behind me!

I have a shoulder length bob which I have had bleached for 8 years now because blonde hair with dark 'salt n pepper' roots looked better and was more fashionable than the mahogany I had been using. It also meant colouring every two months instead of every two weeks.
This thread has encouraged me to perhaps start to lay off the bleach, maybe just a few highlights to blend in regrowth, and go for a natural colour.
Watch this space.

I used to use the Touch of Silver product but found it messy and there was a bit of a purple build up. I've moved onto to an Aveda product - I do prefer fewer chemicals anyway. Its called Blue Malva, there is a conditioner I use once a week and it really keeps all trace of brassiness at bay...leaving me a clear sparkly silver/grey.

Your hair's lovely Pittcity

I'm using L'Occitane shampoo, rather expensive but you only need a tiny bit so lasts ages. It's for fine hair and effectively removes any brassiness and product buildup.

I'm a very happy silver fox ( but not brave enough to post a photo!)

i gave up on colouring my own hair years ago (once henna turned orange). I was dark brown but I'm no a kind of grey blond. I like it, it suits my skin better than trying to hang on to being brunette - I keep it short as I c b a

I've just had my hair cut by a new girl who has given me a lovely choppy/spikey look. DD's first comment was "It really is time to do your roots again!" So no graceful greying for me yet

If my either of my DDs said such a thing to me (and I doubt they would)they would get a proper scowl. Its your hair, your life.....yes I know you were probably being light-hearted about it but honestly if you want to go down the silver route...then you choose. There is often a bit of a messy in-between stage but being totally natural is very liberating both psychologically and in practical terms.

I went blonde when I retired, but got fed up with having to have my roots frequently re-touched so decided to go naturally silver. If that's what nature wants me to be, so be it! I don't think it makes me look any older and when the sun shines on it, the silver really sparkles. I've just spent a week with my sister who has a lovely head of natural silver curls.

I'm using l'Occitane shampoo too loopylou I love the smell and you use such a tiny amount it lasts for ages.

I'm sure that totally natural is very liberating HildaW but I find that a box of Virtual Violet hair colour is even more liberating

I had my hair coloured about three or four times, and then thought why bother. I always kept it short and it needed redoing every time I went to the hairdresser. My current hairdresser thinks my hair is lovely. It still has some colour on the top, but is very silver around the back and sides. I just use a very mild baby shampoo as I have very sensitive skin around my neck and chest and any other shampoo irritates it.I also use gel or gum when I want some texture and funk.

What drives me insane is that my regrowth is not getting any lighter but the dyed hair gets lighter because the sun lightens the dye.

My mother was white by the time she retired, I still have dark hair at 70 with grey just coming thru.

I have dark regrowth and light hair so don't know anyway round this.

The problem with dying hair is you will always see the re growth.

jeanie99...if you are still more dark than light then highlights and lowlights might be better than full-on colour....much less regrowth in evidence then.

Went into hairdressers with the photo used of Jamie Lee Curtis. "I want that Please" and for the first time they did not laugh. They made a very good job. Tweaked a bit since but its the best style I have had! Used to have low lights- now don't bother. everyone compliments my colour like its not natural! when wet however it looks like I smoke 100 fags a day a really dirty yellow. Never smoked a fag in my life!

Going grey St the front, but I absolutely love it. I alwSys wNted to be a blonde, not a coppery brunette, so this is the next best thing, just waitin to see if I have more fun, or is that just blondes.

I too have stopped colouring my hair and it is now pure white and I hate it. This is not because of the colour, but the texture. My once thick hair is now very fine and has no body whatsoever so it has now become very high maintenance. I have a good layered cut, but I wake each morning with it flat to my head. This, what appears to be hair loss may be another problem, but it has coincided with letting the colour grow out. I am spending a fortune on hair supplements which have made no difference. Anyone else had this problem? I would love to hear.