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Grey Hair

(67 Posts)
Diane227 Mon 08-Jul-19 16:40:24

Im just wondering how many ladies have let their hair go grey. Im 65 and still have mine done blonde with highlights , but im starting to worry about how much longer I can keep this up. Not only is it an expense at the hairdressers but I dont want to look like mutton dressed as lamb.
My hair is thick and I wear it in a bob. I dont suit very short styles.
Any advise about growing out the colour would be helpful.

tanith Mon 08-Jul-19 16:46:20

I stopped hi-lights 10 years ago I was 60 and had my hair cut regularly till it grew out it did look grotty for a while but if your hairdresser is willing they could gradually do less and less hi-lights till it’s mostly grey as long as the grotty stage doesn’t bother you. I wasn’t bothered and was so glad I’d bitten the bullet. Now I love my hair colour.

Welshwife Mon 08-Jul-19 17:00:10

I was having both high and lowlights put in my hair and as I was getting more and more grey my hairdresser suggested I should let it all grow out - I could always have it done again he said. He gradually lessened the colouring and it hardly noticed.
Last year it was discovered I had a huge lymphoma in my abdomen and it was treated successfully with chemotherapy. Chemo is so very strong and I was advised to use shampoo and shower gel with as little chemical additives as possible. Here in France that was easy to buy at the pharmacy - I was pleased I was not still having chemicals on my hair! The chemo also made my skin very dry and I bought face and body cream free of chemicals.

J52 Mon 08-Jul-19 17:05:10

With a shoulder length bob, I gradually had a lighter colour until the regrowth was noticeable. Then I has a gloss wash applied every few weeks with my usual trim until I was mostly natural platinum grey.

Pittcity Mon 08-Jul-19 17:21:44

I was paying my hairdresser a fortune so I went cold turkey and now have natural highlights and money in my pocket....go for it.

Grannycool52 Mon 08-Jul-19 17:30:06

Me too, and I am delighted with it.

Septimia Mon 08-Jul-19 18:27:11

I knew I was likely to go grey early. I only ever half-heartedly tried to cover up grey hairs and then gave in. I've been grey/white for years, with darker hair still gradually disappearing underneath at the back. I've been complimented on my hair by strangers.

I've noticed people that I know gradually getting blonder as their complexions get paler and some are now giving in and going grey via more silvery blonde shades. Maybe that would work for you.

Diane227 Mon 08-Jul-19 18:35:50

Thankyou everyone. Im going to bote the bullet and go grey. Hairdressers on Wednesday so Will talk to the stylist about the best way to do it for me.
Welshwife. I hope your treatment was successful. All the best. X

jusnoneed Mon 08-Jul-19 18:51:03

I was always expecting to go grey earlier rather than later as both my grandmothers and my mum were grey then white in their 50's. I did follow the trend, have never dyed my hair. And I think your skin colouring changes too, so that dyed hair notices more and some people look really washed out.

cornergran Mon 08-Jul-19 18:54:41

My hair has always been short and slow to grow. The hairdresser adjusted the colour gradually and it was hardly noticeable when I stopped the process. I was delighted with the outcome, no more hair colouring is liberating and there have been lots of compliments about my silver almost white hair. .

MawBroonsback Mon 08-Jul-19 19:21:55

We have had various threads on people’s processes of going grey. You might be interested in one.
50 shades | Style & beauty | Grandparents forum - talk to other ...
www.gransnet.com/forums/style_and.../1218477-50-shades

fiorentina51 Mon 08-Jul-19 20:06:18

My hair was naturally dark brown and I have very pale skin so it wasn't an odd combination for me. I started going grey around the age of 50 so started having low lights put in. Later I went for a full head colour.
I decided to go grey this year as I no longer felt dark hair looked right. Bit the bullet and had my hair cut as short as I could stand.
The colour is almost fully grown out and I really like the end result.
I still have quite thick hair so am tempted to grow it......but then again, maybe not. ?

paddyann Mon 08-Jul-19 20:23:47

I only have grey hairs onone side of my head so i'll keep dying it blonde for now.My late mother and GM were the same just some grey on the right hand side and the rest was dark right up until their mid 80's .

M0nica Mon 08-Jul-19 20:43:30

Another one like paddyann and family. I am in my mid 70s, going grey round the edges but most of hair is still dark brown. Looking at other family members, the last part of my hair to go grey will be the crown, which is ideal because it means no roots problem.

I will certainly dye my hair while my natural hair colour remains dominant, so will probably be dying my hair dark brown until my mid -80s.

blossom14 Mon 08-Jul-19 20:58:58

Decided a 74 to stop colouring as overall effect was that artificial ginger tinge, especially in the summer. It took me 2 years of pixie cuts to completely transfom into about 100 shades of silver grey. I am very pleased as it suits my complexion now

fairisle Mon 08-Jul-19 21:32:21

I stopped dyeing my hair 7 years ago,my natural colour is dark brown with coppery bits,i`m 55,i`ve got quite a few natural grey lowlights.

Flossieturner Mon 08-Jul-19 21:34:58

I stoped dyeing my hair and having it cut when I was 70. It does give me a nice feeling of freedom, but I feel very drab. It is an even grey all over but not particularly nice grey

fiorentina51 Mon 08-Jul-19 21:37:07

I've now got more grey hair than my 89yr old aunt. ?? My mother and grandmother had hardly any grey. Wish I'd inherited their genes!

fiorentina51 Mon 08-Jul-19 21:37:46

Still, I'm very happy with what I've got.

gransal Mon 08-Jul-19 21:52:19

I stopped dyeing about 2 year ago .Am now a silvery grey. I use silver/purple shampoo once a week Pleased to say I get some nice comments about my colour. Go for it !!!!

Luckylegs Mon 08-Jul-19 23:21:23

This thread is very apt for me (isn’t it odd when that happens?). I have had streaks then highlights for 50 odd years, lately being dark/bleach stripes almost. I decided to stop it all when my hairdresser pointed out the bad state of my hair. Due to chemo, age, low thyroid, menopause etc etc, my hair was thin and breaking off and not keeping the colour in. I kept having colour done but gentler shades of just semi permanent. My hairdresser always used to say if I stopped colouring it, I’d age 10 years immediately but then he would, wouldn’t he?

I’ve now decided to just go for it and have a more ashy colour put in which we plan to get more and more ashy and perhaps put a violet tint on next time. My hair is certainly stronger and a bit shinier already from stopping the bleach. I spend a lot of time in the sun with hats and colour protect product on so I hopefully will be free of all that soon! I do miss my lovely dark bits but it probably will suit my skin colour better.

gransal Tue 09-Jul-19 00:19:36

lucky I had the same problem with hair loss, I thought due to medication. When I stopped colouring my hair the hair loss stopped. Took about a year but so pleased with the outcome

crazyH Tue 09-Jul-19 00:45:28

My hair looks better after a colour (dark) and a conditioner well soaked in. Grey doesn't me, if I had a lovely face, with even ski.n tones, I would go grey. But the state of my skin is not the best, but looks brighter after I've had it coloured and dabbed a bit of lippy

harrigran Tue 09-Jul-19 08:35:39

I stopped colouring my hair when I was seventy, three years ago. I was having chemotherapy and was advised against hair dye. After the treatment my scalp remained very tender so decided to just wait and see how the grey developed. I was not too worried about how it looked as I was not going out much at the time, just had hair cropped very short and let it happen.

Davida1968 Tue 09-Jul-19 08:44:07

In my late 60s and I've a long bob hairstyle; last had it coloured (highlights) in Nov 2017. (I had given up "full colour" some years prior to that.) I'm happy with my greying locks which I feel sure are helped now by using Lush's "Daddy O" shampoo.