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

I had dark brown hair but didn't see my natural hair colour for years, as I'd gone to a light brown, almost a blonde, via regular salon colouring About a year ago I decided to "go grey" and (on stylist advice) I'm doing this by only having highlights, rather than "full head" colour. Looking much better now, and I've even grown it longer. Still a way to go, but have had some kind compliments! I go to the hairdressing salon at the local FE college - where they train students. It's brilliant! Not only is it very much cheaper than a salon, but the tutors monitor everything and are truly concerned with the health of your hair and how it looks. It was a tutor who came up with the highlights idea. (Only drawback is they are closed in school holidays!)

I remember colouring my blonde hair what was then known as "Ash blonde" when I was much younger and looking back it was greyish! A few years ago I got fed up of meeting old friends who had always had dark hair and who had suddenly changed to various shades of blonde, so I went red. I gave up because it was high maintenance and I'm not. I'm now back to blonding the grey occasionally when I think it looks too bad or I'm feeling old. I did pay a hairdresser to streak it when I was working. It was very expensive and I'm not certain it looked like it cost as much as it did.

My 33 year old naturally pale blonde daughter has tinted her long hair a beautiful grey today. All her friends are now saying on Facebook that they, too, want to go grey.

Hi KatyK, what is a hair replacement system?
I am 66, have always had very fine mousy coloured hair dyed darkish blond (a friend of mine used to say "come here while I plait those three hairs on the top for you) lovely friend haha.
As I've got older my hair is soooo thin, specially on the top, my scalp really shows through. I have bought two hair pieces, they have four grips, 1 at the back, front & each side, kind of like a gents toupee'. I LOVE these pieces. Is this what you have? They are great and wonderful confidence boosters. Another plus the piece hides the regrowth of grey hair therefore I only go to my hairdresser every three months.
I would love to go silver but its so fine it's barley noticeable. I guess I could always buy a silver hair piece, no that's a thought.

My hair is naturally 'wavy' and in humid weather goes quite curly. It has always had a mind of its own, regardless of what a hairdresser does to it. However, silver does seem to go with its naturally unruly tendencies. My granny had soft, curly silver hair and she loved to have her grandddaughters comb it gently. We loved doing it. Times have changed and just before I went on holiday with the family last year, my two GDs gave me a bright pink streak at the front. It looked terrible but washed out after a few days.

My, and many others on here, problem too! I just wash it daily, never use conditioner (not for at least 25 years), use a volumising product for blow drying - all done in 10 minutes. Then use hairspray and forget about it. You need a really good cut so it looks good even if it's flopped in an hour like mine.
Nothing I can do about it, am just thankful I have my own hair unlike my mum and so many GNs on here.
I do take a good multivitamin 'just in case'

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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'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

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

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 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.

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 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!

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'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.

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

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.