Anyone decided to go fully grey from brunette

I had my hair cut very short to speed up the process once I'd taken the decision to go grey in my late 60s. My natural colour was very dark brown, almost black and I started having low lights in my early 50s when I spotted my first grey hairs multiplying.
What encouraged me to take the plunge was seeing a photo of myself at a wedding. I noticed how harsh the colour looked against my pale skin. I'm naturally very pale even when wearing make up and always have been so I thought me having very dark hair in my 60s would still be ok. I was wrong.

I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge. I had a lot of compliments on my new hairstyle and hair colour, which was nice. During lockdown I let my hair grow again but plan to go short again at some point, mainly due to me losing a lot of hair after the sudden death of my husband. Its growing back but is pretty unmanageable.
I know grey hair is considered ageing but in my view, sagging jaw lines and wrinkles are ageing. At 71, I have those as well. I can't kid myself that raven locks will make me look younger!

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I don’t think grey hair is ageing but I think hair dyed dark shades of brown when older looks unnatural and ageing and obviously dyed. I still dye mine occasionally but use Wella True Grey which is great, there are lots of different shades. A good cut is the most important thing.

My hairdresser advised me to stop dying my hair a few years ago as there were so many shades of grey in my natural colour.

I then had chemo and lost my hair and it has come back blond!

I decided to stop having my hair coloured some years ago now. It’s a mix of grey and brown, so not fully grey yet, though more grey than brown (not sure if it ever will become fully grey), but I’m happy with it. I have it cut every 5 or 6 weeks in a shortish bob style. I wouldn’t go back to colouring it.

I still have thick waist length hair. Years ago I decided to stop dying it and fortunately it had become a wonderful silvery grey. I mostly wear my hair up but I have been tempted to shave it all off and wear a wig.

Yes went grey about 5 years ago... from a dark brown with highlights look... it's great not having highlights done anymore, with hours spent at the hairdressers and expensive too. It always looked great when first done, but gradually went dull. A pixie cut with lots of light silver round the fringe - much healthier and less dry now.

I think Ann Widdecombe looks much better with natural greys than her all over dark brown look. Personally I believe that dyeing your hair when the rest of your face is old doesn't really fool anyone!

It's a good time of year to transition, as you can easily cover the regrowth with hats etc. Otherwise go with highlights as suggested above.

Hetty58

HeavenLeigh, I didn't 'decide' - but my hair decided to go silver (mostly) from blonde. I dyed it blonde, then realised that I'd be much better off if I just dyed it silver! The remaining roots don't show as they're similar colours.

You can get dye stripping treatments so maybe don't even have to wait for it to grow out.

I think that I might follow your example Hetty, have it stripped and dyed something closer to my natural grey.
I’ve currently got long dark auburn hair which I dye myself.
I’d be worried about ruining the condition though…

I don’t want to go short as I had short hair for decades and it’s taken me a good four or five yesterday to grow it.
I wouldn’t suit short hair now.

I always had blonde hair and was usually in a bob. I joined a friend to go cold turkey during the lockdown.
I have gradually gone shorter as time has gone on and have the back which turned very dark cut very short. Now I have a long Pixie. It has lots of grey and quite a few natural streaks.
I'm glad I did it saved lots of money and a two-hour stint in the hairdresser my hair is also in better condition.
Your natural hair will gradually suit your complexion I've even been told by a SIL my grey eyes now look blue.
I would say go for it so many people are.

I have very fine hair, not a lot of it, not much grey, but I love colour in all aspects of my life! My hairdresser sourced me hair colour with out chemicals, she is wonderful, I am cherry red at the moment, I love it, just cannot contemplate going grey, while I still have hair it’s colour all the way😀

My ‘MallenStreak’ began in my early 40s, but against the advice of family and friends who rather liked it, I had it tinted when I had my highlights ‘done’.

One hot summer I became really fed up when my highlights started fading quite quickly in the sun, so I stopped having them and gave in to the grey. I had a short period when my hair looked dusty, then it all went grey except a slightly darker streak at the back, rather like a badger in reverse. I decided to live with it and it soon turned light silver. Now and again I use a ‘purple’ shampoo to stop it yellowing, which, incidentally, doesn’t commit me to the blue rinse brigade.

I think ladies who prefer not to allow grey into their life (or rather their hair) always look better if they go slighter lighter than their normal colour, because the skin certainly lightens as you get older.

Oh Nannylovesshopping! What a refreshing post!
After I posted about going grey, I started to fret a bit.
I’m very pale and have colouring which suits autumnal colours. I also have quite a youthful face (due to genetics and extra stones pounds).
I think that I’d look pretty grim with grey hair.
My dad has beautiful pure white hair, but unlike me, has a tendency to tan and has blue eyes.
I’ll carry on with the dye!

I don’t think grey hair is aging! I always have edgy cuts. So I think it depends on which hairstyles you choose, now more than ever there are loads of styles to choose from. And obviously there are different shades of greys, I actually think once you get a good cut it makes all the difference and you find the colour that suits you wether it be silver grey.salt and pepper or whichever, I have been told today that I’m being brave.I don’t consider it brave though, I’m feeling positive and thinking no more dying it every three weeks 👌🤪

Thank you fiorentina I will take a look

I’m sure if will be amazing Heavenleigh, I was just talking for myself. I don’t think it’s aging either - I just know it wouldn’t suit my colouring.
I can’t have a ‘good cut’ either, especially an edgy one as my hair is just weird and unruly, I have to let it do it’s own thing.
I just snip off the ends myself

I did it, I started by having it coloured with just a toner that washes out after about 6 weeks. That way there were no harsh roots showing, it just faded into grey. Now I sometimes use shades of grey toners, slate and silver for a change.

I had dark brown hair and have been dyeing it for about 25 years. I am 65.

I have my hair trimmed regularly at the hairdressers but colour it myself as I can't afford hairdresser prices every two weeks.

I have a shoulder length layered bob.

I have been toying with letting it go grey but don't think I could cope with the transition and the badger look.

I did try stripping the colour out using a product called Colour B Gone. My hair went a brassy orange colour. I started dyeing it again with Nice and Easy Dark Blonde (No. 7). I have to do my roots every two weeks

I was fortunate to go abroad earlier this year and the sun lightened my hair quite a bit. I thought I would try going a shade lighter than before to see how it looked.

The colour I used is Nice and Easy Medium Blonde (No. 8). It looks really blonde on the front of the box but my hair comes out a soft caramel brown. My roots are much less obvious now and the colour is much less harsh. It also has different tones in it which makes it look more natural and less like a helmet!

www.google.com/aclk?sa=l&ai=DChcSEwiUroSPx-z7AhVIh9UKHZvPDQYYABABGgJ3cw&sig=AOD64_2BAil6WI6cwuMw9CiZ_Ovg42Cs_Q&adurl&ctype=46&ved=2ahUKEwjl-vSOx-z7AhURaBoKHVoSAn4Qvhd6BAgBEF8

I have considered using the N&E soft silver dye to help with the transition if I am ever brave enough to go grey.

'You can get dye stripping treatments so maybe don't even have to wait for it to grow out.' Hetty.

Really, Hetty? Can you get this done at the salon, is it expensive and does it work? Presumably if you have brunette dye taken off you are left with the natural grey? Who knew?

Presumably if you have brunette dye taken off you are left with the natural grey? Who knew?

I did this and my hair ended up a brassy orange colour. I think the dye will stain your hair permanently to some extent.

If this happens, they advise putting an ash coloured rinse on to tone down the brassiness. I did this and my hair looked green to me.

I ended up re-dyeing it to my normal dye colour.

I use Nice'n'Easy but the semi-permanent, no ammonia version. Over the years I have gone gradually lighter.

Sometimes when I am with friends my age I realise that I am the only one left who is not grey or white-haired. My OH tells me when the roots are showing so I keep doing it.

I wonder whether it is OK to have coloured hair after a certain age? Joan Bakewell is 89 and I think she looks fine.

I use Nice'n'Easy but the semi-permanent, no ammonia version. Over the years I have gone gradually lighter.

This is what I use and what I have done. I find it gives a highlighted effect on my hair as I am about 50% grey

A friend of mine did the same as Varian and ended up very pale blonde. She left it to grow out and is now completely white. Because she had lightened her hair to such a pale shade the transition was hardly noticeable

* not lightened, she didn't use bleach. Just gradually went to lighter shades of dye

PinkCosmos I had mine stripped at the best salon locally to me - I wanted it to be done properly.
I definitely wouldn’t do it at home, and I’ve been dyeing my hair at home for 30 odd years

I’ve been colouring my hair at home since very young teenager, but I won’t use the colour be gone, knowing my luck I’d look horrendous, so I’m going to go cold turkey and wait I think, I’m actually getting quite excited thinking thank goodness no more hair colour ant piled on my head, I had read that some peoples hair seems to grow back thicker, I would have thought dyed hair would be thicker as the dye swells the hair shaft! Anyone found their hair came through thicker, nice thought as I have fine hair! 🤣

I got my hairdresser to put in some lighter streaks a few times and then just went for it - but mine is fairly short so didn’t take too long.