Anyone given up the dye & gone for grey?

Hmm, I have been wondering the exact same thing having just got back from the hairdressers. Very expensive business having foils and base colour, and as I had left it longer than usual due to family issues I had quite a wide grey streak. I love well cut grey hair on others, but I am worried I will end up with the 'vicar's wife' look ( with apologies to any on here), all sensible and grey..........Maybe I should go away for 6 months, grow it out, have it cut and then return, transformed. It is the process which concerns me, but I would be saving myself an awful lot of money at the colourist.

Somebody on Gransnet recently suggested looking at a Facebook page called Going Gorgeously Grey. It's very supportive and there's plenty of photos of ordinary women and their grey locks. I visited it and got some ideas for my short hairdo.
www.facebook.com/groups/160203277333108/?ref=bookmarks

I switched to semi permanent colours, gradually going to those that washed out quicker and quicker Hooty - it worked okish. Obviously the less permanent ones don't fully cover the grey so it starts blending in more, but if you looked closely you could see root lines at times. But you can get hair chalks and coloured sprays to touch bits up temporarily if you're not happy with certain stages.

I had a disastrous haircut over 10 years ago, which got rid of the lowlights I used to have. I gew my hair back, which was and still is a nice silver colour, which I love. So it wasn't a bad thing in the long run. I changed hairdresser though....

I was wondering about doing this recently too. I use a home permanent dye and was wondering about changing to a semi permanent colour one whilst colour grows out to see what it’s like. Would that work?

I think my natural grey colour is not even, it’s very white at the front, around temples, but darker around the back. If I look like a badger I will be devastated!

I started going grey in my 30s. Stopped dying it at about 50 because the dye was constantly wrecking my hair and I hated the roots. Can't honestly say I love it, because it hasn't gone grey evenly, it's lighter at the front and still darker at the back. I keep it short and if I spike it up a bit and use texture to embrace the different colours it looks better. I actually like the parts that are the most light grey and it's all heading that way slowly, so can't wait to be all silver.

I wondered how you still managed to look 17 Grannyknot

A good friend who always looked marvellous ( and not her true age) allowed her hair to go grey a year ago......and immediatley looked ten years older!?
Needless to say, she went back to the hairdresser.
It’s a difficult call, but we each need to do what suits us best.
I have two shades of blonde colour put in (foils) two to three times a year, and that keeps some colour in, and never shows any roots, so it’s easy.

I don't have to worry about such things as I have alopecia. However, I have a friend who has beautiful hair and got sick of colouring it. She has let it go grey and it looks beautiful. She has it shoulder length and it's a lovely shade of grey and really glossy.

Like most of the women in my family, my hair was grey by the time I was 50. Like many of the other posters on here, I became fed up with having a "landing strip" of grey on my parting every three weeks (my hair grows really fast), I disliked the solid colour of dyed hair, I am way too impatient to sit in the hairdresser's chair for hours anyway. And OH used to complain that I reeked of chemicals! So I embraced the grey and I've never been sorry.

Again like many others have found, my hair is healthier and hardly a week goes by when I don't get compliments on my hair, often from complete strangers.

And SarahG mentions glitter - if you want to jazz up the grey there's lots that can be done - a friend has had fine single glitter strands added to her grey hair for a special occasion, and when I went to a wedding earlier this year, I had three beautiful feathers attached to my hair as per the attached pic (that's not me, that's what I took to the hairdresser to show her what I wanted). A whole lot of feathers cost £10 from a well-known online retailer and I have enough for many more occasions!

Thing is that if you don’t like it then just start colouring again.
I like my grey and I love not having to have it done. I was in a theatre last week- behind a lot of heads. The ‘needs doing again’look is not attractive.
Good cut and stylish clothes are important but I’d say that’s important whatever your colour.

We seem to go grey late in my family. I’m 79 and my hair is still mostly brown, with a very few grey/white streaks. It’s a lighter brown than it used to be, though. I don’t give a damn.

I have never dyed it, and wouldn’t at my age. However well it’s done, it’s not going to go with ageing skin. I see so many women with hair too ‘young’ for their faces. It’s ageing, though they don’t realise it. If you feel you lack colour in general, use it in your clothes. I find pink very flattering, but it depends on your colouring.

Grey hair is nothing to be ashamed of, just as age is nothing to be ashamed of.

I stopped colouring my hair about 7 years ago, and it's becoming more silver grey by the day, but to be honest it doesn't worry me and is saving me a fortune. I hated the greyish roots showing through, so decided to bite the bullet and let nature take its course. I'm not completely grey yet, and really quite dark underneath at the back. As others say, I think the cut is important.
Do whatever is best for you, I'd say. ?

Oh thank you all ( & Sarah, great link! )
It’s just deciding to take the plunge really. It’s a bit scary for some reason

I am 54,55 next month,i stopped colouring my hair 7 years ago,last week i noticed i have my very own mallen streak!

I'm embracing the greys! My hair is short and although I used to colour it to mask the grey something in the composition of pretty much all the dyes was irritating my scalp, not seriously but enough to cause concern. Even doing a skin patch test showed no reaction but overtime I developed a few sore patches in my scalp. You're probably thinking this was down to something else but since stopping using colours on my hair my scalp is 100% clear.

Apparently Gray is the new Blond.!
Young ladies are having their hair coloured Gray.
I have a sprinkling all over, hairdresser is trying to persuade me to have Gray streaks, I absolutely draw the line at paying to go Gray?

Silver hair here! I started going grey in my late 30s, so I gradually went lighter from dark brown until the re growth no long showed up.
I then stopped and let the natural silver shine through. My hairs now in much better condition. I use a silver shampoo once a week.

I stopped dying my hair a few years ago it was very liberating not having all that faffing around every few weeks I’d never go back.

Hi I’m new to this I would like to say hello and even though I’m 71 I’m not ready for the grey yet ?

I took the plunge just over a year ago, partly to save money and also because it didn't feel right being careful about what I ate and the household products I used but still pouring chemicals on to my head. I have totally silver hair and a short choppy cut which means I can play around with toners and colours. I can honestly say I haven't regretted it and friends say it makes me look younger.

I am 64 and gave up the dye 4 years ago, I was caring for my very poorly mum at the time and it just didn't feel important any more. My hair is short and I have it cut every 3 - 4 weeks and it looks fine, well I think so anyway

At the age of 67 I have decided to stop colouring my hair. I got fed up with the cost and the fact that I was slathering chemicals on my head every 6 weeks also played a part. I had my hair cut as short as I felt comfortable with and haven't dyed my hair for 14 weeks now.
My natural colour was very dark brown, I also have very pale skin so I was often accused of colouring my hair, even in the days when I didnt!
Much to my surprise I have lovely silver hair at the front, not the awful steel Brillo pad look I was expecting.
I'm getting quite excited as to the eventual outcome!
I have to add that several of my friends have joined the Silver Sisterhood and all of them without exception, look years younger now. ?

Funnily enough , I was wondering that myself today. I started going grey in my 30's and now it must be all grey. The thing is my hair ( although I go to a decent hairdresser) looks like dyed hair. Its expensive to maintain.

I think grey is aging though but I am aged!

same here lovebe - started with streaking in my mid 50s- and when I retired and moved to our rural area - I just stopped. Love my salt and pepper short hair.