Fake or Natural?

I was a bottle blonde for about 30 years but I got sick of having to tint it every few months. I am afraid it takes a couple of years to let the grey grow out completely - I kept cutting it very short to get rid of the blonde ends. I am now completely white and I love it, but then I am retired and live an isolated life, so it was easier for me.

I would love to have silver or white hair, but mine is boring mousey with a few grey hairs, so I have it highlighted blonde. It's been this sort of colour for fifty years now. Why should you feel a fake for colouring your hair? You can do as you like. It's your hair! Also, if the hairdresser is too expensive, there are lots of home colouring kits that work very well.

I would stick with the colouring Nonna, I have mine done every six weeks and yes it is very expensive but it is worth every penny.

I'm white and like it!

I do my own and have done for years. It is very easy as long as you do it over a tiled floor! Mine is grey in just one small area with the odd one or two all over. I dye it a lighter colour than my natural hair and when it grows through it looks very dark so as long as this continues I will dye as I think it would look most odd with just one lump of grey!

I have a friend of nearly 90 who still dies her hair, what does it matter? I have another friend who is grey but does something to blonde it and she was never blonde but it looks nice so why not? I don't see it as any different from buying clothes that suit you, its your choice.

I agree that if your hair colour is patchy, it makes sense to colour it until it all goes grey. As for feeling a fake - I certainly don't feel a fake for wearing mascara. Without it my eyelashes are virtually invisible!

Am not giving in to it...will carry on highlighting to blend in dark back and silver front and sides...I am not a badger

I've lightened mine at home for years. I buy a couple of shades lighter, and find that it hides the grey longer, as when it needs doing it actually looks more natural with the grey mixed with the dark blonde.

I've considered letting it go grey, but my hair is very fine and thin. Consequently I'd look bald !

Nonna I have exactly your problem and I do what Harri does.
So it's fake, who cares?
I realised there was a problem when I bought a lovely fascinator at our local 2nd hand dress shop for my son's wedding in 2005. It was made of vintage feathers , a lovely chestnut brown shade and beautifully complemented the brown silk outfit I had chosen.
I went home with it, and put it on to show DH. His comment (he's an engineer so you have to make allowances) was 'Yes it's very nice, but it does make your hair look rather drab.'
I sought my lovely hairdresser's advice and have no regrets about the vast amounts of money I have spent between then and now.
I also realised that I was the only person at work who didn't dye their hair, and the people I worked with were all at least 20 years younger than me

I stopped dying mine 6yrs ago and found it very liberating, it did take ages to grow out as I'd been hi-lighting it for many years. Now I just wash and go its a hotch potch of white and grey but who cares I certainly don't, the fact that I don't have to have the pain every 6wks of redoing it is wonderful.. I have curly hair naturally so it really is a case of wash and go.. unless I fancy a change and bother with the straighteners which happens less and less often.
If you are happier with some colour then go ahead but you could be just as comfortable with some grey/white just keep it short while its growing out.. think Dame Judy Dench.. hers is beautiful.

I am the same as you tanith stopped having my mid length extremely thick hair dyed about two years ago. I had to have the roots done every 4-6 weeks and I just found it a bore and expensive. Now it is salt and pepper with silver streaks in the front. I don't mind looking like a badger Littlenellie

I have recently found a picture of a hairstyle which I think will be flattering for me and easy to maintain. The model although probably about 10 years younger than me also has greying hair. I hate hairdressers big time so will shop around to find a sympathetic one who doesn't want to force me to part with exhorbitant amounts of cash which I don't have.

If my hair was ever going to go an interesting shade of grey or even white, I would stop having highlights done but, like when, my hair is mousy and the grey just makes it look dull. I intend to keep having highlights until I drop - it makes me feel better and, consequently, I look better.

Nonna - My hair sounds just like yours and I, too, highlight it. I absolutely wouldn't stop doing it either. It's worthy every penny to me. Keep on with the bottle!

My sister, who is 75, had hair half way down her back, but she finds it easy to put it up in various styles. She is still dying it blonde but she does it at home. Her hair is thin and dead straight, so short cuts look very plain. I inherited my mother's thick, naturally wavy hair, so it is so easy to wash it, push it into waves with my hands and let it dry naturally. Granjura is the same, so when we were on holiday in Egypt, we just got under the shower when we came out of the pool or the sea, and let it dry in the sun.
It was a great relief, after nearly 50 years of hanging around waiting for my sister to use her heated rollers, straighteners, curling wand, etc.

I hate the hair dressers but go every 5/6 weeks and have a shade or two lighter than my natural, but my roots are very grey and if I thought it looked a nice grey I might consider going a shade lighter each time until the grey just blends but my natural colour is very dark and I couldnt stand the badger stage.

Blonds are so lucky they seem to go grey very naturally.

I had very dark hair and gradually went white at the sides and then all over by the time I was in my late 40's; at first I had low lights or were they up lights or down lights, but one day I thought, this is ridiculous and just went natural so now I am silvery white and strangely, I do have quite a few compliments on the 'colour'. Life's a bummer, I really loved having dark hair but you just have to get on with it and accept

I really think it depends on what stage of grey you are and whether it is evenly spread. Some people have beautiful grey or white hair and some look dreadful! Each to her own I say.

I have 'flying colours' put in once a year. I have 3 colours that are similar to my own but in varying shades and noone yet seems to have twigged as they look natural and just gradually grow out with no obvious roots showing. They just brighten up my hair - and make me feel better. And yes I have greying hair around the sides at the front. And although I'd like long hair again I keep mine short which minimises the effect of the grey when the colours have gently faded away.

I'm a bottle blonde (I also wear eye make up & may not have an 'intelligent' face - oh sorry, wrong thread). My hair is longish, so I can't revert to grey without having it cut short which I won't do. I've often admired beautiful steel grey or white hair on other women, however mine would look like a well used Brillo pad both in texture and colour so I'll stick with the blonde but will probably try to go paler as I get older.

Totally silver (or platinum if I want to be fancy). Love it.

Thank you for sharing your experiences of dealing with what will henceforth be known as the badger look. I've made another appointment with the hairdresser

Ask your hairdresser for advice, Nonna. I had highlights for years as my hair was gradually getting greyer and greyer. Like greatnan I also kept it short and layered. The grey gradually took over and it was my hairdresser who said the time had come to stop the highlights. What a saving!!!

I'm in the process of letting the 'natural' silver shine through.
I've been dyeing my hair for 25 years, and the expense and hassle had finally hit the 'enough!' stage.
Last Christmas (my 60th) I was chestnut brown, and now I'm one more haircut from totally silver. My solution to not feeling aged by it is to keep the haircut funky. I still don't know if I will be able to live with the silver, but I definitely won't go back to dark. If 'natural' makes me feel that I look old, I will add highlights or a tint.
It's all about experimentation and doing what feels right
I'll add a current pic to my profile to show the contrast from last December to now. Opinions welcome!

Who's gonna look at you NannaAnna when there's that so sweet little baby to look at.