Anyone given up the dye & gone for grey?

I'm almost 68 and I haven't used colour on my hair for around 4yrs - last time was for my son's wedding.

My hair had been showing very small streaks of grey but I was actually waiting for MORE of it to come through before making the decision to stop the colour altogether - I wanted the grey in my hair to work with my change in 'skin tone' - if you know what I mean.

Now I'm delighted with my 'natural silver highlights' - showing signs of a sparkling 'Mallen Streak' on the left-hand side where my parting is ;-).

I'm 62, with long dyed brown hair. Lots of soul searching going on here too. Don't want to lose the length but don't want a tidemark either. My hairdresser is putting highlights in but I'm not sure it's going to be a good enough solution. I've stockpiled a load of temporary (6 wash) dye, which seems to have stopped being made now; think I have enough for about 2 years so I may just use that and then chop off the dyed ends when I run out. But I wish I could wave a magic wand and have it all go natural overnight.

Decided to go grey a couple of years ago and love it, suits me so much better and looks much more natural but still have to visit hairdresser every 6 weeks to keep it a nice shade of grey so in some ways defeated the point.

I've noticed a lot more older ladies now with beautiful white hair. Stopping the dye seems to improve hair health too.
I'm 83 and stopped colouring my hair 2 years ago, it still has a little bit of natural colour.
I used to use a light auburn colour, it wasn't a harsh dye..

I started to go grey in my 20s and coloured it myself at home for over 30 years. My natural colour is almost black and I used a black dye. Unfortunately my roots became visible after just 1 week so I used to colour the roots in to make them less noticeable. It became unbearable - I had to run my life around my hair colour. If I had coloured my roots in as opposed to dying them I couldn’t go out in the rain as the colour would run down my face!
Anyway, about 4 yrs ago I took the plunge. A friend of mine who is a colourist specialist took several strands of hair after cutting it and mixed up several colours to use which would lighten it as much as possible. She showed me the results - some worked, some didn’t! She used this and 3 lowlights and over a couple of years and about 6 months ago I decided to stop the colour altogether. My life is so much more simple now!! Just a trim every couple of months. Not to mention saving money. It’s a win win for me. I actually like the colour too and don’t feel that it ages me either.

I hadn’t dyed my hair for years. Allowing the grey to show as it gradually took over. The trouble is, it’s a lovely white at the front, fading to a steel wool look and then my natural brown at the back. Feeling I needed something to lift my mood, i had blonde highlights (foils) put in and I love the result.

At 60 I still only have the same amount of greying round the temples that I had at 40, I love the silver vixen look, last summer I bleached my brown hair to white, I liked it but my children kept nagging me that it made me look older, the upkeep was difficult, dark brown roots, and so I went back to brown, with greying temples

I got my first grey at 23 and began colouring in my late 30s. Now 56, I still feel my skin looks too young for grey hair but have changed to semi-permanent mid/light brown dyes with fewer chemicals. I plan to follow J52's example. My brother is white at the front and dark at the back and it just looks unattractive to me!

I have fair colouring, very pale skin, (used to have freckles) blue eyes and blonde eyebrows and virtually invisible blonde hairs on my arms/ legs (although I do shave my legs)
Grey hair would make me invisible as I don't wear make-up so I have roots done in a chestnut tone every 6 weeks and flashes of copper in between.
As others have said, a good cut is everything and I always do my own hair masque treatment at home before swaddling my head in a towel wrung out in very hot water - so soothing.
Been dying my hair every shade since I was 16...that's 58 years ago. My hair is still thick and glossy but I don't use laquer or products on it, only wash it every 2 weeks and brush it vigorously 4-5 times daily with a Mason Pearson boar bristle brush.

On the positve side - it's clearly growing well!

jenni your hair looks amazing! Natural and beautiful. For several reasons I stopped having mine tinted pale blonde/light brown, which had been my natural colour. It is now white rather than grey and I like it! I tried this a few years ago and it was then a dirty grey, so I hastily resumed having it coloured. Now, however, it is great! Why not give it a try? You can always revert to colouring, as I did, if you don't like the natural look, but white hair seems to give the skin a lift, and I am so pleased not to have to spend a fortune as my hair grows like grass.

Years ago, when I was in my mid-40's, my hairdresser remarked that the 'grey' was winning. He then very calmly suggested I grow out my roots as much as I could, and over a period of weeks, took my hair lighter and lighter. Then the big day came and he gave me a short cut - from a very long bob. People were so amazed at the cut that they quite forgot the change of colour and it gave me time to adjust. Go for it - liberate yourself from the constant worry and enjoy all the extra time you will now have. I have to say that you will also use less conditioner, your hair will be healthier - and you will be happy.

Hello everyone, I have been reading posts for some time but thought would add my grey experience here.

Hairdresser cut my hair far to short. Fuming at the time but she did me a really big favor. The new growth was silvery grey so decided to stop coloring. I love it. Saves me money too.

I started with a light grey/white streak in the front of hair in my forties. Tried gradual 3 shades of blonde but streak was always back within 2 weeks. Bit the bullet and haven't dyed hair for years( now 61) .
People ask me all the time who does my hair and what lovely shades of grey / silver I have.
A good short cut is the answer.
Enjoy au natural

After years of colouring with browns, my hair has decided for me! It won’t hold any colour for more than a couple of weeks, even permanent dyes at the hair dresser. I had some of it lightened and some dyed a darker grey, then the bleached bits were toned grey. I loved it for as long as it lasted and now I am toning it silver while the natural colour fully comes through. As someone else said, the cut is important.

I found my first grey hair when I was 12 and I've been fighting the grey since my early 20's. I used to dye my hair religiously and then eventually, I gave up and let the grey take over. I didn't mind it at first because my hair started to turn white and I used purple shampoo to brighten it but then I noticed a lot of what I call 'cigarette ash' grey creeping in and then I had two tone hair, white-ish at the top and cigarette ash grey at the back and sides. It made me feel old! So I did something drastic and dyed it bright pink! It's been this colour for a year now and I love it!

Stopped dying my hair six months ago just to see what kind of grey it was . Turns out it’s a gorgeous silver ...no dark bits or yellow bits ... it’s great and I have had a good shortish cut and left it be what it is. If it’s good enough for Judi Dench ...it’s good enough for me...and I feel fantastic.

I stopped bleaching my hair about 5 years ago, the reason was the same as some of the previous posters with regards to restricting chemicals and it was for health reasons. My natural colour which I hadn't seen for decades is not too bad, a kind of grey blonde but the texture has changed and it's not as manageable as it used to be. Mind you that could just be getting older!!

Also.....saves me £70 every six weeks. Win-win.

I have bleached/coloured my hair since I was 15 (Left school on the Friday Mouseybrown, started work on the Monday as a blonde) Now can't do it myself due to arthritis and can't afford the hairdressers. A couple of years ago I had a dying 'accident' (Was interrupted and mixture left on far too long) so I tried a colour remover which left my hair a very shiny baby blonde, and to my surprise, so it remains. I do use a special conditioner for blondes but nothing else. Lucky Me

I stopped 3 years ago , I was really dark originally and still coloured it dark brown , needed to do the roots every 4 weeks , I tried to go lighter but it just looked brassy and didn’t suit my cool colouring . I just grew 2 inches out and cut all the dye out . I love the freedom of not chasing my roots every month . I’m 52 and wil never colour again

I am with CrazyH. I would look awful with grey hair. I am older than you too. Not giving up colour anytime soon.

What ever colour your hair is , cut and condition are what matters . I naturally had very dark brown hair and a couple of years ago decided on a complete change . It is now a platinum blonde . It shines and lifts my pale skin . I often get compliments on it . I’m 59 , but not ready to be grey yet . Maybe , I never will be !!!

I stopped colouring my hair three years ago, I was advised that chemotherapy and hair dye do not go together.
My scalp still gets sore so decided to let the grey take over, I have my hair cut every seven weeks and it is very short but I am quite happy with it.

Go for it, I was around the same age as you when I got so fed up of dyeing nearly every week, chemicals, expense etc.
As more grey comes in it takes on different tones, so you actually are getting a different look for free ! Just make sure you get a good cut, and you'll be fine.It is difficult taking the first step, but so so easy once you're used to it ! Good Luck !