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Style & beauty

Long grey hair

(65 Posts)
oldcelt Sun 01-Nov-15 08:39:58

My hair is grey and short. Toying with the idea of growing it again so I can wear it up or down. I'm 62 and 5'2". Any thought? I have been told that my hair is a good shade! ??

Alea Sun 01-Nov-15 08:47:45

It can look lovely, especially up, but getting there (long enough) could be slow and tiresome. I think a "sharp" cut is more youthful, but my late MIL grew hers long enough to put in a French twist/plait and looked like a duchess!!!
Go for it!

thatbags Sun 01-Nov-15 08:53:44

Yep. Go for it. Grey hair can look just as great as any other shade.

glammanana Sun 01-Nov-15 09:09:24

Just make sure you keep it neat with a good trim every so often whilst you grow it,it will soon grow down and be able to twist up into an updo.I have think wearing your hair up looks good whatever your age.

Gagagran Sun 01-Nov-15 09:12:14

I grew my grey/silver hair long so I could wear it up. Took me 2 years and I had it like that for 2 years then decided to go for a short, choppy cut. I have had so many comments - all positive - including "You look 10 years younger" So I am staying short if that is the case!

The downside is the cost of regular visits to the hairdresser but it is easy to do and dry etc. I think you need to consider the shape of your face too and pick a style that suits you and that you can replicate away from the salon!

J52 Sun 01-Nov-15 09:30:12

How about letting it grow to shoulder length, with a sharp cut, then you might be able to put it up as well.

I put my shoulder length hair up on days when the damp air has curled it!

x

Luckygirl Sun 01-Nov-15 09:34:44

I grew my hair long over the last couple of years specifically because I wanted to be able to put it up when it went grey. So far it has not obliged: it has grown but is still dark brown.

I like it better long as I have lots of choices as to what I do with it. Having short hair I found a pain, as I always hated what a hairdresser would do to it. And my hair is very fine and difficult to style when short - it just flies about and sticks up! Or else static takes over and it glues itself to my head!

The only disadvantage I find with updos is that the hardware required to achieve this can be cumbersome and needs taking out if I go for a lie down.

When it finally goes grey I am planning on some pink streaks!

Teetime Sun 01-Nov-15 10:25:00

I think long grey hair can be stunning if it is well kept i.e. trimmed regularly, well conditioned and possibly a rinse to brighten it and add shine. I think this could be very stylish. Sadly my own hair resembles a bottle brush/brillo pad in a dull shade of badger if left to grow so its short and coloured.

Marmight Sun 01-Nov-15 10:46:16

I grew my white hair long some years ago having had it long for years when it was dark, and used to wear it up for swimming and special 'dos' but after some time decided to go shorter. It has now found its right level, which is just about on the chin. Long hair didn't do much for me (after looking at photosblush) and very short hair made me look fat, so I am quite happy as I am now. I think it depends on the shape of face, age of face, height of person and colouring. Everyone is different..... If it feels right, go for it!

rosesarered Sun 01-Nov-15 12:49:34

My own feeling is that long grey hair looks very ageing, looks dreadful worn long and fuddy duddy worn up.A shorter well cut hair do takes years off people.

stillhere Sun 01-Nov-15 16:29:32

I have been studying people with grey hair for ages, as I am starting to get more grey, and I think chin length suits most people and is softer around the face, especially if it is curly or wavy. People with small neat heads and no chins look good with very short hair, but actually long straight hair at shoulder length looks really good on quite a few people I know, as long as it isn't frizzy and is well cut.

Ladies with long hair who put it up seem to look best with a bit of height on top, just drawing it back can be aging. Luckygirl you need those huge metal clips, probably a couple. I can't remember what they are called, but I have lots of them for when I am gardening. I shall try to find some.

These

www.amazon.co.uk/Plain-Silver-Concorde-Accessories-Mytoptrendz/dp/B0114FHXYA/ref=sr_1_10?s=beauty&ie=UTF8&qid=1446395284&sr=1-10&keywords=large+metal+hair+clips

I can put my hair up without even looking, with these.

Atqui Sun 01-Nov-15 17:16:59

It's very difficult to generalise isn't it? IMO Mary Beard, the historian and Caroline Wyatt the bbc journalist would both look much more attractive with shorter hair, but I expect there are some women with long grey hair that look good. Your hairdresser would probably advise you if he is any good!!

stillhere Sun 01-Nov-15 18:01:36

I would definitely like to give her a good trim, at the very least!

Marelli Sun 01-Nov-15 19:32:26

I use those clips, stillhere. I bought them from a small chain store (C's Accessories - not advertising!)
My hair is white and reaches the middle of my back, now. I usually have it in a plait or use the clips to pile it up. Like you, I can do this without looking! Sometimes I wear my hair loose, if I'm going out for the evening (though that doesn't happen very often these days.... hmm) !

thatbags Sun 01-Nov-15 19:44:56

Your hair is a lovely colour, marelli.

numberplease Sun 01-Nov-15 22:44:55

I remember my Grandma having long, grey hair down past her waist, she used to let me brush and comb it when I visited, a great treat for me, but she didn`t aim for glamour or smartness, she was just an ordinary old lady with lovely hair, that went up into a tight bun when I`d finished with it.

Nelliemoser Sun 01-Nov-15 23:34:18

I think long grey hair can look ageing and a shorter modern cut is better.
It is good put up but not long hanging around your face.
My hair is impossible to a manage at more than 2.5 inches. It just starts sticking up, as that is when the natural curl kink in it starts to develop and it just stands up in tufts.

thatbags Mon 02-Nov-15 06:05:21

I have long hair some of which is whitish/greyish, getting paler and paler from mousey brown. I wear it in what some people have graced with the name of chignon. I find long hair much easier to cope with than short hair as it doesn't need styling. I cut it myself when it needs a few inches off its length.

I think all these comments about certain styles being ageing are ageist. From the front my hairstyle (style?! Ha!) looks the same as it did when I was nine and wore it in a pony tail. Obviously my face doesn't look the same age. I don't care how old other people think I look and I never think about how old I look. I occasionally think about how old I am, for various reasons.

Marelli Mon 02-Nov-15 07:36:34

Thank you, that bags! I manage my long hair more easily, than I did when it was short. I used to wear it really short and spiky, but hated having to use so much 'product' on it, to stop it falling flat. I've cut it once myself, over the last 2 years or so, and the condition is good. smile

Lona Mon 02-Nov-15 09:46:33

I remember your spiky cut Marelli, on your original profile picture! I think your hair is lovely now though, I can't wear mine long because it is ridiculously thick and heavy and won't behave.

Luckygirl Mon 02-Nov-15 10:06:42

How the heck do you create a chignon bags? I am hopeless at these things.

Thank you still for the links to the clips. One problem I have is that my hair is so fine that it gets ripped apart by the hinges on some sorts of clips. Are these more kindly?

Luckygirl Mon 02-Nov-15 10:07:17

The chances of me ever looking elegant are zilch!

Marelli Mon 02-Nov-15 11:12:36

Lona, that's kind of you! Luckygirl, get a hold of your hair in your hand and just twist it round and round with your finger. Fold it down on itself, and tuck the bits in (you can deduct from this that I'm not very well-groomed wink), then put the clip over the top of it all. bags showed me how to do it with hairgrips, but I couldn't manage it that way.

Luckygirl Mon 02-Nov-15 12:08:10

Thanks Marelli - I have just tried that and my hair is so fine that the resultant rat's tail after twisting finishes up looking like a baby snail!

However....I looked at some YouTube vids and have tried a "Gibson roll" which has worked, but is of course rather diminutive! I am waiting to see how long it stays there!

thatbags Mon 02-Nov-15 12:32:46

My hair is fine too. The grips I have aren't just any old kerbigrips. I've been using the same four for several years.

Photo attached with an ordinary kerbi.