I took 135 hours of my time back" If I had been having my hair dyed professionally, this break would have saved me around £1800 on salon trips! Since you’re at the 10 month mark, things should be getting a bit smoother for you and you should have a much better sense of what the finished product will look like. I am so desperately tired of coloring my hair. You’re welcome, Sue. My grey was coming in and I loved it. All that happened was that it faded from brown to red to orange to gold. Upon second inspection my reaction was oh my gawdd, 2 of those boys are mine!!!! i’m not sure what to do. I think you looked just fine—great even!-the whole time. It is a bit messy – I spray it outside – and you do get a fine bit of silver on your hands if you touch your hair. The skunk line is getting old tho. Thank you. Good luck to you, too, Marcia! I was planning on getting some highlights to blend into my ‘skunk stripe’ (a very white stripe, yikes!) About a year later, I decided to go cold turkey, and had my stylist cut it to an extremely short pixie. During the first stage of growing your beard you’ll start looking fairly stubbly pretty quickly, but you simply need to let it grow out. My hair just couldn’t handle any more bleaching at that point. There ARE talented stylists who can help women transition using color (check out Jack Martin on Instagram – he did Jane Fonda’s hair for the Oscars and has a lot of other examples in his feed), but even then, the maintenance can be challenging and expensive (not to mention the expense of the initial process, which can take 7-10 hours or more!). We think they will know what to do and I don’t think they acted maliciously or wanted to leave us with a brassy mess, but it’s wrong for them to do a process that wasn’t requested, as it sounds like happened to you. Gray Hair Transition - Don't Do What I Did! Grey Hair Don't Care Long Gray Hair Silver Grey Hair Gray Hair Growing Out Grow Hair Charcoal Hair Grey Hair Inspiration Amazing Grays Transition To Gray Hair Going grey with (grohm)(bray) on Instagram: “I love the way this wonderful girl talks about her hair, "it's natural and wickedly cool looking. Warning – this is a very long post that I considered breaking into two parts, but I think it works better as a single long essay. This doesn’t happen to everyone and it happens in degrees, but it just adds more complexity to the transition process. See more ideas about Grey hair, Hair, Silver hair. I’ve been dying my hair since I began going grey at age 20 – I am now 40 and am sick of keeping up with the dye and having my hair chemically treated. I think you’re making the right decision to just continue growing out your hair and get regular haircuts. What to do now, when your hair gets to that awkward stage and you feel like you can’t go on looking ”like that”, and almost give in to cutting it all again? But as is often said, hindsight is 20/20. If you’re blonde with not a lot of gray, it will be easier and there won’t be much of a line of demarcation. The first step was a white streak. That allows you to see progress and celebrate more dyed hair being cut off without the type of huge adjustment that Naomi mentioned. Learn how your comment data is processed. BTW – I think you look so beautiful with your silver hair. I wanted to post this in case it was useful to anyone. tell yourself that you can color again in a month (or a few weeks or whatever you decide) if you still feel the same way. Then if I like it I’ll leave it. Go all in and let your hair do its thing. I think you’ll find that your hair is a lot healthier – and possibly thicker, too – after all of the dye is gone. See more ideas about Grey hair, Hair, Beautiful gray hair. All the social gatherings I was invited to have been cancelled – so I don’t have to worry about how I look. I never expected that my hair would turn orange and it was difficult to deal with. Stage 2: June 2017 I transitioned lighter to a more honey blonde with streaks in but still letting the grey start to come through which is what you can see in the picture with my hair braided. Only time will tell. If you can embrace a shorter, layered style, you’ll be done a lot quicker. I allowed the entire underneath to grow out, then I flipped my part to the other side and allowed the rest of the colored hair on top to grow out. I’m still thinking about doing very chunky highlights to go an overall salt and pepper look, but I’m going to consult with several stylists before making a final decision. I usually mix up a teaspoon of color and accelerator from a Natural Instincts box 6g and paint just my front part where most of the grey is because I start to look tired when it comes in. You can see that I have a lot of nice outgrowth on the top of my head and underneath. I know that many women don’t have the types of issues I experienced when they used color to help them transition, but it’s important to know what CAN happen. Jun 13, 2020 - Are you considering ditching the dye and embracing your grey hair? Congrats on taking the plunge, Patti! Pretend like this is the way you've always wanted it to look. It is supposed to wash out completely after 28 washes. Thanks to all who have commented and been so helpful. Like you, I started to view going to the hairdressers as a chore once I had to do it on a monthly basis (it got old – and expensive!). Cutting a bit more of the dye off every 6-8 weeks will help you to see the progress (obviously, after salons re-open and you feel safe going there). Why do we all have to go through this? Too frizzy— I have supportive friends and another friend who just says it looks terrible, she’s just extremely honest at times! In retrospect, that would have been a better way to go, but instead I opted to get a second full head of highlights in December 2016. ( Log Out /  Gray Hair Transition – Don’t Do What I Did! The color change was enough! While it isn’t obvious in my photos, I have very difficult and unruly hair. I have no doubt that if I was able to go to a salon right now, it would be dyed. How to grow out your grey hair gradually. My mother had gorgeous silver hair. I think that going “old school” is the best approach and the scarves and hats will definitely help. Sara . Best wishes to you with this process. I was planning on getting some highlights to blend into my ‘skunk stripe’ (a very white stripe, yikes!) Hair dye does tend to become brassy with time, but highlights add another wrinkle to the issue, as you’ll then have three-toned hair rather than just two-toned hair. I think you are stunning in all your pictures, no matter what level of hell your hair has taken you to. At this time, I returned to my favorite hairdresser who is also a dear friend, even though it meant traveling farther from my home. If you are 2c-3a (like me) I’d recommend leaving at least 6 inches of length all over. Moisture definitely helps with all types of hair. Stage 3: September 2017 – May 2018 My hair grew quite long and I experimented with some temporary colours and plaited my hair alot to give it more volume. She actually just did a video today on looking youthful with grey hair. You’re an inspiration! Probably you are hearing some of these terms at the moment, as all around the world women are giving up dying their hair and embracing their natural silver strands #silversisters #grombre. I switched to “dark beige blonde” about 5 years ago. Naomi, Of course it’s okay to suggest other sites! I want to thank you so much for your honesty and vulnerability. The stylist who did my highlights used Olaplex, which helped to prevent damage to my hair, but the brassiness still happened. Yes, you willingly sat in the chair, but it’s natural to trust a stylist, especially if we have gone to them for years. I decided to go for it because I’m curious about what my real hair and the real me looks like. Even with just a light coat, it eases the look of the gray versus the brown. Sometimes we think we’re ready and we’re really not. Finally in May 2018 it had reached a length where I could cut off most of the brassy blonde. The exogen phase is essentially an extension or a part of the telogen stage of hair growth. I should have known that was a bad idea from the start. You seem to have a wonderful attitude, which will serve you well in going through what can be a difficult process (but isn’t for everyone, especially if you have the right attitude going in). I will check out your Instagram from time to time to see how you’re doing. But Katie of Katie Goes Platinum has featured a lot of transition stories from women of various ages. But what about my flash, my panache, my je ne sais quoi??? Last week the Telegraph commissioned me to write about my ’embracing grey hair’ experience and I had way too much information to include in the piece, so I thought I’d share some here:. I investigated this product further and asked my hairstylist if she thought it might be a good option for me. I started out with dyed dark auburn hair and the highlights left me with brassy, orange-ish hair that clashed with my cool complexion and cool-toned clothing. I’m 52 and with an olive complexion.Have 4 grown adults kids and 3 grand kids. It’s probably not as bad as you think it is (lookswise) but it’s that anger you feel at having been pushed into something you knew you didn’t want. Growing out grey transition hair with highlights takes patience, sometimes it can feel like you just wake up and see it, maybe because someone may point it out. Just hoping that a pastel color from overtone will make it more attractive, as when I finally gave into coloring, my hair was so completely white I looked like I had a halo on my head. You WILL get through it, even though it will take a while. You can check out those stories here: https://katiegoesplatinum.com/category/silver-hair-transition-stories/ Best wishes to you! You’re well on your way, Deborah. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. It behaves better with some length and weight to it. For the last 10 years I’ve been wanting to go gray. I loved being grey, and had grey hair for about 3 years. If I pull back the top section of my hair, it looks pretty good, as the staining was mostly confined to that layer (probably because that’s the most porous part). Sadly, I can’t use those because I do Curly Girl Method – for nearly a year now, so my hair is in pristine condition (no SLS, no silicones, no heat, ditched the hairbrush etc) and one of the things keeping me going is the knowledge that I might be able to get through 2020 without the need for any trims – so hopefully I can grow the full 6 inches (12 months) – although it won’t look that long – curls = shrinkage! I wish you strength along the way. It is not for the impatient. Because I’m not done yet and I have many regrets, this is still a very painful thing for me to write about. I wasn’t, although I believed I was at the time. but my hair is dry, frizzy and fragile. I know the grow-out process is long and it’s natural to want to try shortcuts. I find myself researching ways to soften the transition but the more I learn the more I’m beginning to think that cold turkey is the best way to go. I know that some women have used highlights successfully during their transition process, but I’ve learned that it’s both risky and challenging to highlight dark dyed hair, especially hair that’s as porous as mine. I wish you strength and fortitude for the journey. I love the feeling of healthy and free hair! I’m publishing this post on the two-year anniversary of the last time I colored my roots. I know it’s often said that gray hair tends to be drier and more wiry, but I haven’t found that to be the case. The next day I looked like I had a yellow hay bale on my head. Since I was using hendigo, I saved around £300. Thank you for sharing your journey. Thanks for your kind words about my hair. Yes, I had a rough road, but I’m very happy not to have to “chase roots” anymore, plus my hair is much healthier as a result. A lot of stylists will recommend highlights, but that often results in THREE-toned hair rather than just TWO-toned hair, and the highlights will often turn brassy. But I really wanted to be done coloring, and to go gray. However, after thinking about it and now reading your blog, I’m not sure I want to continue doing that. At first, I wasn’t going to write about this at all and I even considered deleting my previous gray hair transition posts. If not I’ll return to the bottle My hair sounds like yours (as does my husband), so it’s a big change. There is no easy and painless way to transition to gray hair. Drop the monthly chemical bath on my head! Grombre means Grey Ombre and it took me 2 years of this until the glittery bits transitioned into sensational silver. I would do many things differently if I had this to do over again. Best wishes! I always assumed I would start weaving grey/silver into my hair until it all grew out.. but are you saying even with blonds it doesn’t work that way?? He’s in Southern California (where I live) and if I knew about him a few years back, I would have gone to him for help with my hair. ( Log Out /  Such methods can work out well for some people, but I just wanted to make sure that women going on this journey know about potential pitfalls. Make sure to have your follow up haircut scheduled for 8 weeks. I couldn’t take it, and I caved. I think I will just use your blog as my inspiration to hold the course. Biddy, thanks for your comment and congratulations on making the choice to let your natural hair shine! Hi! What I realized is that this could be a good tool for easing the transition. – and most hairdressers are only aware of henna with compounds, not body-art completely-natural henna, which folks have been using for thousands of years) – but I feel so bad for you. I am so mad at myself for ignoring my instincts and for allowing this person to cross the line when my instinct against it was so very strong. about the going full on grey dilemma. Naomi gave you some excellent advice on going gray with curly hair. I’ve read that the darker dyes are the most toxic (as you can see, I also dyed my hair quite dark). The other option was to cut it right back to the shortest crop but I am a Leo and I quite like having a mane. It’s not curly enough to look good worn “natural” and I have a lot of frizz, so it works best to wash it infrequently and flat-iron it straight. If you wait to transition for many more years, your transition may be more difficult, which is one thing to consider (but is only one piece of the puzzle). They can be tricky and if your dyed hair is dark, there is more potential for them to turn brassy because the color often isn’t lifted enough in one go. this may be the best thing to come of our home confinement, I had been considering for quite awhile but my natural hair is nearly black and I like to jazz it up as well… I add panels of deep reds to it! I started dating Pistol when I was in stage 3 and I could have sworn that on our first night meeting he was staring at my roots and wondering to himself why I hadn’t made the effort to colour my hair. I sprayed a light coat all over my hair to see what I might look like after going gray. I’m so glad you found this post helpful, Gigi. I went back in for more toner, but it never lasted more than one or two shampoos, so I gave up on both toning the highlights and that particular hairstylist. If you’re able to part with length, that will speed up the process. Thank you for offering this resource. Well today I stepped into the same disaster. I am on month 4 in my journey to silver. This is what my hair looked like in July 2017 – pulled back and wearing a hat. It can be difficult to swim against the tide in all areas of life, and embracing natural hair when most women use hair dye is no exception. It wasn’t little strands of grey but a full regrowth of white/silvery hair. I have had several friends tell me that I’m going to look much older if I don’t dye my hair. If you’re not interested in the topic of gray hair transition, feel free to skip this one, as I will be back next week with a different topic. Highlights lowlights silver or just play it safe? I agree with what you wrote. Of course, my hair should look a lot different than it did eight months ago, so I have to make up for quite a bit of time. Toner helped to eliminate the brassy, orange color of my hair. I know I also need to forgive the hairstylists who I still harbor anger and resentment towards. So here we are – taking the plunge . I was concerned because it looked like the toner wasn’t completely washing out or fading between my appointments (as you can see in the August side view above). If you have blonde dyed hair and not a lot of gray, Libby, your transition should be relatively easy (as these things go). I still wish I would have known better, which is why I shared my experience here. I read and read so many stories of how you can do this and how you can do that to transition to gray/silver – I going old school – I’m gonna find some cute scarves and hats ( thank goodness spring/summer are coming up) . It was supposed to wash out in 8-9 weeks, but never did. A lot of things went wrong with the Lubricity process. I really needed your story and I’m so glad I found it. My gray hair transition process was set back by many months and there was nothing I could do about it except cry, which I did many times. I was sorry to hear people had been unpleasant to you and hurt your feelings, good luck with the rest of your going natural journey, I’m glad you found my essay inspiring, Sue. I’m so glad I read this! Hopefully it works as advertised. It’s good that you found Katie’s site, as she has a lot of wonderful resources. When it’s long it is just more controllable. I’m using the Covid-19 lockdown to let my gray roots grow out. In almost all instances, I feel that the “after” look is more attractive and often more youthful as well. You don’t need to cut it short. I turned 60 last month and I always thought my age would determine when to gray. I’m glad you liked my blog. After going shorter and shorter, I had a pixie-cut today (and still lots of red – it’s taking ages to grow out) but feel like I’m over the hump now (5 months since last henna application) – hopefully by March I can start the regrowing phase. It sounds like you have a good attitude, Monica. Of course, I really need a haircut! Of course, at the moment, most of us aren’t able to get hair appointments (I desperately need a trim myself), so this is a good time to investigate options and decide what you want. I’m going to follow your advice and do an one of two low-lights in the beginning and chop off hair from shoulder to chin length. I’m still deciding if I want to go grey, my current 1 inch outgrowth is mostly white and I’m going to let it keep growing until my company’s work from home order is lifted. If your outgrowth is shiny white, I’m sure it will look beautiful! We have classes and new cir lines to make this process simpler and cir removers and e excellent 5 minute toners and color shampoo. There is no one right way to “go gray,” but I think I’ve taken just about every wrong step a person can take along this path. This may be fun. I told her about the problems I was experiencing with my brassy highlights and she offered to help me. We’re here to help! If you’re willing to do a pixie cut, that will make your transition a lot easier. You are a beautiful woman and I hope you’re getting more comfortable with your hair now. I will be doing another update soon (there were a few after this one – linked at the top of the post). I think the milestone birthdays can help us to better evaluate what we do and don’t want in our lives. The died portion of my hair is getting more brassy as the brown seems to be disappearing. Sadly, it still looked very warm-toned, especially after the short-lived toner applied after the highlights washed out. it’s been about 2 years and I am done with the hassle and fake look of dye. It took me a very, very long time. “Going gray” is a big commitment no matter what and one needs to be in the right frame of mind before starting the process. You find out things about yourself that you would never know. I love the gray that is coming in! I barely even noticed a grow out stage. When I decided to let my hair go grey I was 49, now the otherside of 50 I have no regrets and absolutely love how my hair looks now, it has given me more confidence than ever before, and I would recommend anyone who is thinking about the transition to wholeheartedly go for it. I am upset beyond belief. Even though she used a breakthrough product called Olaplex to dramatically reduce damage from bleaching, it was still risky to use as many foils (close to 100!) My haircuts are few and far between, because as Naomi said somehow we lose all our power when we get in the chair. I am currently in the process of going gray. I’m about 3 centimetres out, and I quite like the grey colour, I’m a bit worried about how it will look once it’s framing my face. There is peace on the other side of a gray hair transition. Growing out my grey hair naturally took me 15 months in total, and I had to trim about eight inches of length on top of that. Blow it out, curl it, or wear it natural - own the hair on your head, no matter how it looks. Although I think anyone who goes with that is very brave. The growing out phase is tough – and is the bit that you’ll feel ‘ages’ you because it kind of feels like you’re not ‘taking care of yourself’ – when actually, by being natural you’re probably taking better care of yourself! My husband turned 60 last year. I hope you’ll be very happy with your natural hair! It’s below my shoulders. I wish you all the best with your decision and with the process if you decide to “go gray.”, Thank you for your personal account of your struggles, I’m am starting the process, I’ve been dyeing my hair monthly for years now and occasionally considered letting it just grow out. Good luck. Best wishes with your hair and your grand transformation! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. I figure I’m a few months in to growing out already, so why not give it a try? This is not helpful or even kind. Many thanks for sharing your experience as it offers me a guide on what to do. A vast majority of men across the globe value hair growth for various reasons. Good luck with your silver journey. You validated my gut feel for putting up with the demarcation Skunk line (my hair is pretty dark brown). I’m glad that reading about my journey (and many mistakes…) was helpful for you. I don’t hate my hair anymore – this post was over two years ago! Please show OLDER women in this process. 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