Grey hair or colour it?

I have short hair that grows very fast. I would love to see what my natural grey is like now (got my first grey hairs at 21, apparently my biological father was completely grey by 30) but just can't face the growing out stage.

I did once try having it dyed platinum blond (took 2 sessions in the salon, one after the other as the first one came out a sort of pale apricot). Mr P didn't like it. Even worse, when he woke up the next morning and looked across at me he let out a shriek, as in his first moments of waking he'd forgotten about the change of colour and thought that he had brought a strange woman home!

I finally gave in to my natural silver just over a year ago, and feel totally comfortable with it. I never wanted to look like Dot Cotton, and hopefully I have pre-empted that occurring!
I discovered my first grey hair aged 11, and was about 50% grey by the age of 35 (I blame my youngest daughter who was born then )
I then spent 25 years colouring it varying shades of chestnut, or copper, or mahogany before going a bit lighter in my late fifties but right back to the chestnut for my 60th birthday!
I spent the following eleven months lightening it again, and last November had a short crop to get rid of the last of the artificial colour.
Since then I have been growing it, and plan to keep on growing it for the first time since my 20's! Long and silver, with perhaps a flash of pink, turquoise or purple whenever the mood takes me
I actually think it suits me better than dark hair. The only 'negative' is that I was always thought to be significantly younger than my biological years with dark hair, whereas now that no longer happens. Grey still seems to say 'old' to a lot of people. I do believe that is changing slowly, but I occasionally miss those gasps of disbelief!

baubles Your hair is gorgeous.

baubles . You have the most amazing hair, it's lovely!

'we were at school' even

Baubles Rinsing was the favoured euphemism when we at school.
I remember sitting in assembly on a Monday morning speculating with my friend about who had spent the weekend with a bottle of 'Hint of a Tint' and whether it would have been 'Hint of Chestnut' or 'Hint of Burgundy'

jane my SIL 'puts a wee rinse' through her hair she wouldn't admit to hair dye!

I have mine coloured otherwise my head would look like a giant used Brillo pad.

Ooh 'eck! Big trouble now!

Bags! I keep telling you and you don't take any notice!
No-one dyes their hair in 2013.
They colour it.

And here's me thinking that, for once, we were managing to agree that to dye or not to dye was up to the individual. I cannot see where anyone has taken the moral high ground on this thread. Perhaps Flick means some people out in the big bad world.

Ah well. Someone will have to tutor me in hair dying morality. I didn't know morals came into it .

That is not how this thread reads to me.

I don't think there is any moral high ground on this issue or on this thread, flick. Each to her own seems to be the order of the day.

Depends on how you go grey. One of my friends is going elegantly iron grey with the grey hair spread evenly throughout. Unfortunately in my family we develop a thin halo of white hair round our faces and then stay our original colour for decades. I find it an unattractive look on other people and do not like it on myself so every three months or so I colour my hair, I use a colour a shade or two lighter than my original colour and it looks fine.

Why is it that we are so accepting of women who are not going grey colouring or bleaching their hair,look at the number of bottle blondes in the media and entertainment industry yet when an older woman decides not to go grey all her non-dying peers take the moral high ground?

Before I started to go grey I never coloured my hair because I liked my natural colour so much and because I always liked my natural colour so much I have no intention of giving it up until it is completely untenable. I think then I will dye it bright pink or green and purple. Why should the young 'uns have all the fun?

After a few weeks in France this summer where I saw soo many chic grey ladies I decided to come true and spend the money I save at the hairdessers on glamorous accessories. First stop was for new specs -yes, I went for bold and red! Next new ankle boots and all the while the last artificial colour is fading and growing out. Sofar feeling good and confident and would recommend go for it!

I used to have blond and silver highlights (or are they low lights) because my grey/white was in uneven sploges in my original dark mouse colour which looked at bit weird. Now however it's gone all salt and peppery all over so I don't bother anymore - except towards the end of winter when I feel a bit down and fancy a change.
I think a lot depends on your hair, the style and how your skin tone has changed. A good hairdresser can advise and help your hair change gradually so it won't be obvious.

Gally you certainly do have beautiful hair. Mine is greying and I have no intention of colouring it. Just saying...

Like Marelli's my hair is white. I had very dark, almost black, thick hair which went streaky grey at the front in my late twenties and gradually over the years it became whiter and whiter. I think dyeing it would make me look quite ridiculous; I am used to it now and in fact am often complimented on the 'colour'! At first I hated it - the thought of looking older than I was, but you soon get used to it

I have my hair cut every five weeks but I have never coloured my hair which is now not grey but silver. If women wish to colour their hair it's up to them but I think people should be careful that they don't use too dark a shade for their skin colour, which is usually paler than when they were young. Summer tans apart that is.

I agree each to their own! And grey hair is not 'in fashion' everywhere! I am very much the 'odd woman out' when I go on holidays - the blondes in the US blondes, those Italian women with their flame coloured hair, and in SA too, everyone helps nature along.

I too had hi-lighted hair for years and then I decided to stop.. never regretted it for a minute saves me money and time and people are always commenting on what a lovely colour it is. Various shades of silver and white. Its just wonderful to just wash and go never have to think about dyeing again EVER!! Of course hair dressers will advice you to continue dyeing its their livelihood after all but just do whats right for you.

At age 14 I took my mother to task for dying her hair - why not grow old gracefully, I sniffed. Wise woman that she was, her response was for me to wait and see what I decided to do when I reached my 40's. Well, I was a henna queen for a while. As the grey came in, henna meant I had bright orange streaks, which I didn't like. I began to have my hair coloured every 6 weeks when it's cut. The same person has done my hair for 27 years, we continue to discuss when I'll stop having colour on it, and let the grey come through. He says now isn't quite the right time - so there we are then! I love the trend towards older women letting their silver/grey come through, and will no doubt join the clan at some point. Mum continued to colour her hair until her death. As infirmity began to set in, I was designated to wash and roller her hair every Sunday, and every 4 - 6 weeks I'd put a colour on it. Two days before she went into the nursing home where she died 3 weeks later, she insisted I do her hair. When I said maybe it wasn't top of the agenda that day, she told me firmly it was top of her agenda, and if I wouldn't do it, she'd do it herself. So, I did it. We're all different thankfully

The expensive and boring part is part of what puts me off but mainly it's CBA.

i used to have blond highlights. Then i got a little patch of dermatitis - really itchy patch on my scalp that took months to settle. Vowed no more expensive and boring hair colouring sessions.

Mine is white now and long'ish. I stopped lightening it when I realised I could no longer see the new growth when it was due to be dyed again. My own hair colour had been dark brown, turning grey, then to white in my 50's. It's very healthy and not at all dry.