Going grey from darkish brown - not sure what to do

I had chestnutty hair and am now almost completely white. Grey started to appear in my 20s and was the majority by the mid thirties. ( At kindergarten the other children would call out to my youngest "Your Nan's here to fetch you!")

Once back at work and with money of my own, on the suggestion of my hairdresser, I started having streaks put back in in my original colour (chestnut on grey, so no bleaching required). I have had that done for nearly 30 years now and it still looks very natural. The colour in the streaks fade and the grey starts to predominate after about six weeks, which is how long I can leave it between trims.

Just leaving the grey to grow out will be the next step, especially now I am retiring, but this will give a very anaemic and colourless look, which I may have to combat with strategic use of make-up, holidays in the sun to get more colour in my face, or a more striking pair of glasses.

Maybe your hairdresser also knows the technique of colouring - mine uses a paintbrush to apply the streaks of colour. No hood or foils - it is just left loose for 35 mins to dye the hair and then washed. The colours used these days are not aggressive. It used to be that if any flecks of colour had got onto my face they had to vigorously rub it off with a special solution, but these days it doesn't seem to need more than a dab with soap or baby oil or something. Also it doesn't make my eyes water like it used to in the 80s and 90s.

...oh and forgot to say, I'm 65 and still working full time. I have sometimes heard my younger colleagues refer to me as the lady with the lovely white hair lol!

Well I'm grey and proud! Mind you, I did start to go when I was mid-twenties, so having 10 years or so of dying, I was totally fed up and decided to just go with it. Being originally dark-haired (pretty much black) it has now gone a pleasant silvery colour. I think as long as you keep a youngish style, in keeping with how you feel, it doesn't matter what colour it is and its better than having no hair at all I'm not a fan of people who were originally dark going blond to cover up; and trying to stay dark as you get older doesn't work either - the shade of your skin is pretty much determined by your original hair colour, so try to keep it real I think

It really doesn't suit me short sadly.

I might ask hairdressers how much to strip or bleach it all. Is stripping different process to bleaching? Then I could have an ash semi on if needed? Wish I knew roughly what colour it would be.

Let it grow out and have regular haircuts as short as you feel you can get away with. You'll soon be your natural colour and your hair will be in better condition.

I've used semi permanent at home for years and I've gradually gone from medium/dark brown to very light brown. There is no root regrowth and the colour just fades and mixes with the grey leaving a soft greyish light brown. My hairdressers says she could not do better. I tried leaving it but did not like the salt and pepper colour which is my natural colour now.

I used to have blond highlights until my hairdresser recommended that I stop colouring my hair. He told me my natural colours were far prettier. I haven’t died my hair for years now and it looks as if I have lots of different highlights from blond, brown ,grey and white. I love it.
I would go natural.

Phoenix, I did what you did in one four hour session, over the course of several visits. I had very dark brown hair but started going grey in my 30's. I had it coloured for years and did the gradual highlights to blond thing by my 60's. I'm now grey and silver, lot it. It's so easy, just a quick snip with the scissors every six weeks or so - I'd recommend it strongly.

Wow Phoenix, sounds like a real transformation. I can imagine the remarks when you went back to work.
Glad you are happy with it now, can understand how liberating to not keep having to do the roots.
I am scared of such a drastic step, but right now my hair is too dark for my complexion. Still pondering.

I went from a dark red to "grey" in one salon session! Mind you, it did take 4 hours!

Step 1: Have colour stripped

Step 2: Oh dear, it seems to be a pale apricot colour, let's dry it and re bleach it.

Step 3: That's better, now we will apply an ash blonde dye, and it should look ok as it grows out.

So, I am now totally natural silver grey and love it!

It has been liberating, no more "roots" (my hair grows like a weed, I would have regrowth showing after 2 to 3 weeks) I have found that I can wear colours that would have been off limits when I was red.

Yes, it is a big step, and if you do it the way I did, you will have to invest in treatments and intensive conditioners, (my hair was very dry after 2 bleachings in one session!) but I left work one day with dark red hair, went back on my next working day as a "blonde".

I have had the odd dalliance with temporary, wash out colours in pink and blue, but on the whole love my hair, and do not for a minute ever think of going back down the permanent colour route.

Seacliff I have very thick wavy hair that I keep very short. It is dark brown with some grey. I used to have it coloured but it became too expensive so I just let it grow out and it still looks fine. Probably 70% brown 30% grey. I have it cut every six weeks or so at £40 a time, a lot cheaper than the £80 it cost to have it coloured.

I have dark eyebrows and lashes too- not quite as dark as when I was younger. They look good with my white hair. I think my skin looks brighter now. The secret is to have a good cut, I think, and to use a blue shampoo once a week. I have my hair cut every couple of months, and it costs £30. It’s such a relief not to have to sit for ages with horrible smelling chemicals on my hair! On the other hand, my knowledge of celebrities, previously gleaned from hairdressers’ magazines, has diminished.

Dora Marr - that was a brave action to take! A good idea to save a year of growing out. I am not sure if blonde would suit me, I have dark eyebrows and eyes, not an olive complexion, but I do tan quite easily.

I have wondered about using one of those colour strippers (colour B4), but I understand it's a gamble what your hair colour is after that. I suppose I could then colour a really light brown, so grey would not be so noticeable.

Shysal, yours sounds great - a nice surprise for you.

The contrast at my parting is very obvious, dark brown and silver.

I looked up the red Colorista, and I then also found Clairol Conditioning Colour Booster Copper. It's just a conditioner with temporary colour. I may try that as it may pep my whole hair up a bit and blend the roots.

I will not do any permanent colours any more. I hadn't thought of red highlights, I'll ask my hairdresser about them.

I think I'd accept grey hair now if I could only wave a wand and it was done. It would make my hair in better condition.

I had very dark brown hair going grey fast. I used to have it dyed a lighter brown with caramel highlights. I got fed up with having to go to the hairdresser every four weeks. On a whim, I asked a hairdresser to bleach my hair. It was a bit yellow to start with, which I toned down with a blue shampoo. Once the bleached hair grew out I was left with almost pure white hair, but still with some fine strands of dark hair which gives it a bit of “movement.” No more sitting for hours with foil in my hair, I’m saving the £70+ it was costing me every month, and my hair is in really good condition. I love my hair colour, and get lots of compliments on it- people ask me if it is natural or dyed! If you have a holiday coming up, you could have your hair bleached at the beginning and that will give you time to get used to it.

You need to be quite dedicated to go down the "dye" road. Whey don't you have a little try on of some wigs in grey or highlight tones? You might look nice grey?

Thanks. I do have a root spray. I could just keep using that until the grey is long enough. But I don't think a very short crop will suit my fat face. Also the rest of my hair looks a bit dull. If I use a semi, I presume that will grow out within a few weeks.

I cannot afford to spend a lot regularly. I could manage £500 per annum at a push. However, highlights and a colour would be about £80 I think at my hairdressers. And the roots would need doing every 6 weeks, which is about £40. Also I really don't enjoy spending a lot of time in the hairdressers.

Try reddish highlights. They don't last as long as blonde ones but they do last quite a while.

My hair type was naturally just as you describe yours. For a while I had highlights and touched up the roots but they showed after only a week or two. I eventually let it grow out and was surprised to find that at 72 I am basically still brown haired so the transition was hardly noticeable. It may be the same for you. Even if you think the grow-out will be ugly, pretend you are going for the ombre look which is fashionable. The only hair colour I occasionally use these days is a pillar box red wash-out (L'Oreal Colorista) for a few streaks which are quite bright and take a month or two to fade.

Ask your hairdresser to put in some highlights and dye the roots a medium brown. this will look more natural than a block all-over colour. This is quite high maintenance because your roots will need re-touching every 6 weeks with highlights about three times a year. You need to budget £500 p.a.for all this so take the decision to go down this path or slowly go grey. Don't do this at home. Good luck!