Gransnet forums

Style & beauty

Advice needed to help with grey roots!

(22 Posts)
DanniRae Wed 23-Feb-22 09:13:14

I have been colouring my hair for many years and now have decided to stop. The problem is dealing with grey roots. My hair is medium brown and I wear it in a bob and this means with a central parting and no lift at all in my floppy hair the root regrowth is very obvious. The grey is now long enough for a short, pixie type cut but I really don't want to go down that route as I know it would look awful on me (although I like that style on other people) Ideally I would love to be able to colour the routes with a semi-permanent dye but can't find any advice on what dye to use.
Does any one have any advice?

tanith Wed 23-Feb-22 09:28:36

Both my daughters have gone down the stop dying my hair root in the last year. They both have long brown hair and although early 50s have both been amazed at how white/grey their hair really is but are thrilled with the colour it will be. Now they are almost a year in they both wear their hair up plaited, twisted or in a fancy bun with 6inches of grey but have gotten past the ‘oh my god it looks awful’ stage and are starting to have some trimmed from the ends.
It’s going to take ages but some of their friends are envious they’ve been brave and gone for it not worry how it looks anymore because the dying every 4/5 weeks palaver is no more. Maybe the bullet and go for the short cut as that won’t take long to grow and journey fully grey journey will be shorter.
Good luck.

tanith Wed 23-Feb-22 09:29:18

That’s should say hair route

Maudi Wed 23-Feb-22 09:51:07

When I was growing my colour out because I was fed up with the grey roots I put a permanent Metallic Grey dye I got from Superdrug I can't remember the brand and it blended in (not fully) the grey and lightened the brown, I kept doing thus until it grew out.

Esspee Wed 23-Feb-22 10:29:24

Colour effects is a wash in colour conditioner which I have bought from Superdrug. It is very reasonably priced and conditions your hair beautifully gradually washing out.

Sago Wed 23-Feb-22 10:35:47

A good friend had her hairdresser colour her hair to match the roots.
It grew out without perfectly.

Redhead56 Wed 23-Feb-22 10:50:33

My friend was going to the hairdressers to have her hair coloured for over thirty years, Start of Covid she panicked about her roots she used a well known spray on root cover but wasn’t happy with the result. She bought a pick and mix silver spray from Superdrug just to try it. Her hair is now a lovely soft grey grown out no more dying and it suites her.

PinkCosmos Wed 23-Feb-22 10:57:17

There is a page on Facebook called The Gray Book. It is for women who are tired of dyeing their hair. There is lots of good advice about demarcation lines etc.

I am trying to summon up the courage stop stop dyeing my hair. I am just worried that I will be salt and pepper rather than the lovely gunmetal colour that I aspire to.

Hithere Wed 23-Feb-22 12:42:42

I am too young to have increasingly salt and pepper hair but I embraced it years ago.
The worst part was while it was still growing and it was super visible.

maddyone Wed 23-Feb-22 12:47:31

My mother in law died her hair all her life. She lived to 94 and only stopped dying her hair in the last year of her life. Even at 92/93 not having grey hair made her look younger and also more smart. She died in November last year.

Blossoming Wed 23-Feb-22 13:00:32

Lockdown solved that problem for me. My hair is now a lovely pale silver and is in great condition. My hair is also in a bob DanniRae but it’s a side parting. A centre parting really did me no favours. It also has some choppy layers cut into it to take out some of the weight and give it a bit of bounce. I wash it with a Co wash called One Hit Wonder. A couple of squirts of Small Talk onto my palms and rubbed through my hair, 10 minutes with the blow dryer and I’m ready to go.

Essentiallyjane Wed 23-Feb-22 13:03:54

I have very long hair and started letting my natural grey/white come through. It has been so worth while. My hair is in such good condition and so much thicker. Also it looks better against my skin tone. I was dying my hair blonde so the growing out wasn’t as bad as it would have been if my hair my natural dark brown.

Willow73 Wed 23-Feb-22 13:15:39

I stopped dying my hair cause of all the wasted tin foil! Does it go in landfill? Should someone tell the young ones if it does.

Hithere Wed 23-Feb-22 13:44:31

Blossoming
Looks wonderful!

Elizabeth27 Wed 23-Feb-22 14:11:28

Use a toner that washes out after several weeks, keep using until the dyed hair has grown out.

Blossoming Wed 23-Feb-22 18:58:26

Thank you Hithere, this is why I’m loyal to my hairdresser smile

DanniRae Sat 26-Feb-22 10:44:38

Thank you all for your posts.
Elizabeth27 can you tell me what toner you used as I don't have any experience of them? Thank you smile

Jane43 Sat 26-Feb-22 10:52:25

I believe you can get a powder that you brush on your roots, a permanent dye seems rather drastic, I’m sure your hairdresser can advise you. After many years of having my hair tinted blonde I reverted to my natural colour during lock down and my hair is now a similar colour to Blossoming’s and a similar style but with a fringe so I didn't really have an obvious problem with roots.

Elizabeth27 Sat 26-Feb-22 17:29:28

DanniRae I used any semi-permanent on offer in Superdrug. L'Oréal casting is a nice one,washes out in 28 washes or toners from Amazon that wash out in 6 washes.

Humbertbear Sat 26-Feb-22 21:43:53

L’Oréal make a spray that goes on your roots. I use it in between having my hair coloured. It really colours the grey.

GagaJo Sat 26-Feb-22 21:44:52

I bought a powder to brush ?️ onto my roots when they were not so extreme. It work d well. I got bored with it after a whil though and have 8 inch roots now.

Jaxjacky Sat 26-Feb-22 22:43:33

This may help DanniRae
www.goodhousekeeping.com/uk/beauty/hair/a567224/best-shampoo-for-grey-hair/

I’ve got a blonde (coloured)/grey mix and use Fanola, advised by my hairdresser.