# Anyone Let Their Hair Go Grey And Then Dyed It Back?



## Lee (Mar 14, 2022)

It took more than a year of embarrassment over the two tone head of hair but I stuck it out. I would not mind so much if the result was that beautiful silver grey some have but mine is that dark grey.....brillo pad comes to mind.

I have thought about putting black streaks in to sort of liven things up. Would that work?

Not sure how it works. is grey really that hard to cover with a dye job? Best left to a professional or can you do it at home?


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## Knight (Mar 14, 2022)

Male point of view, my hair began the salt & pepper thing  kind of like your brillo pad analogy. Didn't care When my forehead began to increase to meet the pattern bald in the back my wife suggested that when I retire I shave my face & continue until my head looked clean & I looked younger since I would have no gray hair.  That worked  Yay!

Them my wife's hair began to do exactly what you describe. Her solution ask the beautician she had been going to for years to style her hair to take advantage of the differences. That worked.  Now it's completely gray & the beautician still styles her hair so well it always looks terrific.

Kind of hard to tell by your avatar what you describe but from what is shown your hair looks great.


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## Alligatorob (Mar 14, 2022)

Lee said:


> I would not mind so much if the result was that beautiful silver grey some have but mine is that dark grey.....brillo pad comes to mind.


I think your hair, or what I see of it in your picture, looks good.  Not much like a brillo pad. 

Do what makes you most comfortable, of course, but I think your hair looks fine.


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## RFW (Mar 14, 2022)

Knight said:


> Male point of view, my hair began the salt & pepper thing  kind of like your brillo pad analogy. Didn't care When my forehead began to increase to meet the pattern bald in the back my wife suggested that when I retire I shave my face & continue until my head looked clean & I looked younger since I would have no gray hair.  That worked  Yay!
> 
> Them my wife's hair began to do exactly what you describe. Her solution ask the beautician she had been going to for years to style her hair to take advantage of the differences. That worked.  Now it's completely gray & the beautician still styles her hair so well it always looks terrific.


My hairline started receding real bad in my late 30s. Didn't care either. Then it got all gray and here I am.


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## jujube (Mar 14, 2022)

The last time I tried that, I decided to give my hair some auburn highlights. So, I got some of that "colors-only-the-grey".  HA!  ALL of my hair turned a shade of burgundy never before seen in nature. I glowed in the dark...LOL.

That was the end of hair dying for me.  I put on a hat and let it grow out.  We were on the road for 5 months and I wasn't ever going to see those people again anyway.  When the salt 'n pepper grew out two inches, I stopped at a salon and said "cut off anything that looks funny".  

I learned my lesson.


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## Kika (Mar 14, 2022)

As someone who years back used to play with my own hair color, I would say to think it through.
It is almost impossible to lift black out of your hair.  Then, if you change your mind, you will go through the growing out phase again.  Is it possible to consult with a hairdresser and state your wishes?  A temporary color might be a choice until you decide what you like.  Maybe some highlights/lowlights?


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## Pinky (Mar 14, 2022)

I went through the growing-out phase. Did the highlight/lowlight thingy. It became fairly costly, and grew out quickly. 

In the end, was not content with the natural gray. It washed out my skin-tone. Back to colouring it once every 5 weeks or so. 

I no longer look like my driver's license photo that was taken when my hair was gray and Iooked older.

I've seen women in photos, and real-life, who look really good with white hair. It depends on skin-tone.


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## JimBob1952 (Mar 14, 2022)

My hair is a rich chestnut brown.  I just dye it gray to fit in.


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## Geezer Garage (Mar 14, 2022)

Just letting mine go from grey to white. Never cut it, trim the beard when it needs it. Zero maintenance works best for me.


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## Jeni (Mar 14, 2022)

It is a personal choice and have seen some ladies with lovely grey hair .....  
but have seen many many more that it did not look good on.  There are many shades of grey that do not seem flattering ...... 
i just covered some grey yesterday...... came out a bit darker then the picture on the box but it will be fine. 
If doing at home find a brand that works well for you and stick with it there are BIG differences between many brands.


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## Lee (Mar 14, 2022)

Thanks for the compliment Alligatorob, that pic was taken about six months ago in the growing out stage, hence the streak in front.

Jujube you made me laugh, nowadays you see a lot of heads with colour that nature never intended. Burgundy hmmm   

Kika, like your temporary colour idea.


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## Kika (Mar 14, 2022)

Pinky said:


> I went through the growing-out phase. Did the highlight/lowlight thingy. It became fairly costly, and grew out quickly.
> 
> In the end, was not content with the natural gray. It washed out my skin-tone. Back to colouring it once every 5 weeks or so.
> 
> ...


That is so true. So many people look great with white hair, and many others do not. I am one of the "do not" group.   I never thought of skin-tone.  Good observation!


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## RadishRose (Mar 14, 2022)

I let my hair go grey twice. This last time, I liked it. It had changed to light grey with some streaks of white.

Tues. I finally had it highlighted at the salon. I was bored with it. It's a nice, silvery light blonde; no yellow. I also had it cut shorter than usual and layered. I like the cut, too.


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## Jules (Mar 14, 2022)

@Lee, try washing your hair with a shampoo/baking soda mix and then a vinegar rinse. Do this at least once a week.  It brightens up your grey.  Avoid the purple shampoo, your greys can inadvertently pick up that tone.  

You look nice in your avatar photo.  If you ask your hairdresser her opinion, it’ll be for colouring - they like that extra money.  

There are facebook groups that specialize in discussing letting your hair go grey, if you want some pro advice.


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## Lee (Mar 14, 2022)

Jules said:


> @Lee, try washing your hair with a shampoo/baking soda mix and then a vinegar rinse. Do this at least once a week.  It brightens up your grey.  Avoid the purple shampoo, your greys can inadvertently pick up that tone.


Purple Shampoo ?????

You're right Jules, the bigger the bill, the bigger the tip they expect.


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## Jules (Mar 14, 2022)

There are many brands.  Purple shampoo is a type that is sold as something that can brighten your grey hair.


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## Ceege (Mar 14, 2022)

No matter what color your hair is, it looks better if it is well conditioned and has a bit of a shine to it.  I let mine grow out into a light grey with white mixed in.  Looks good, so I probably won't go back to coloring it.


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## tortiecat (Mar 14, 2022)

My hair has gone from light brunette to silver gray over the last 20 years; I like the
colour it is and  have it washed and set every week.


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## Medusa (Mar 14, 2022)

Lee said:


> Purple Shampoo ?????
> 
> You're right Jules, the bigger the bill, the bigger the tip they expect.


Purple shampoos can do a lot for toning and brightening grey, (I'm given to understand from by own research when wanting to try going grey), but they are tricky and have to be used sparingly.  
A trip to the salon for some advice and even a one-time dye or toning might be your best bet. Then you can probably take it from there with OTC products.
Ugh. Hair. It never ends.


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## oldpop (Mar 14, 2022)

I always go the way of low maintenance. Your mileage may very


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## mrstime (Mar 14, 2022)

I like my gray.....it shines more than it did before I went gray.


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## debodun (Mar 14, 2022)

Nope - too much work to keep it that way and I'm not that vain. People have to like me for what I am.


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## IrisSenior (Mar 14, 2022)

I stopped colouring and highlighting my hair after I retired. I don't mind the grey colour but because my hair is very fine I will need to be brave and cut it short for summer months. I am so sick of it flying into my face when it is windy out and because I usually wear a hat when I am outside; it looks even worst when I take the hat off. Sigh...


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## Colleen (Mar 31, 2022)

I had my hair coloured for over 30 years and then about 10 years ago, I developed an allergy to the PPD in the dye. My allergy was a rash on my scalp and a hair loss right at the front of my hairline where my bangs are. My scalp was itchy all the time. I quit dyeing and it took about a year for my hair to be au naturale. I kept getting trims to get it out as quickly as possible.

That allergic reaction was not quite as serious as some I've read about. Women have actually died (not dyed) from it. It was my wake up call to just be myself.


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## oldaunt (Mar 31, 2022)

Never bothered coloring my hair. At almost 75, I have 2 wide grey streaks ala bride of Frankenstein style. And since its usually about 2 inches long, kind of looks like a skunk..... Hey, its all mine!


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## oldaunt (Mar 31, 2022)

IrisSenior said:


> I stopped colouring and highlighting my hair after I retired. I don't mind the grey colour but because my hair is very fine I will need to be brave and cut it short for summer months. I am so sick of it flying into my face when it is windy out and because I usually wear a hat when I am outside; it looks even worst when I take the hat off. Sigh...


I have been wearing a 2 inch haircut for 10 years. Its fun! No hat hair either.


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## Colleen (Mar 31, 2022)

Someone mentioned "purple shampoo" and I wanted to comment on that and tell you my experience with it. When I was letting my natural hair color return, I tried the purple shampoo hoping it would brighten what grey I had and cover some of the faded old colored hair that was looking kind of funky. It turned my hair a muddy color instead of brightening the grey. I think it was because my hair was always so "porous" and took color easily that it just made it more muddy and purple-ish  looking. I never used it again.


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## Medusa (Apr 1, 2022)

Colleen said:


> Someone mentioned "purple shampoo" and I wanted to comment on that and tell you my experience with it. When I was letting my natural hair color return, I tried the purple shampoo hoping it would brighten what grey I had and cover some of the faded old colored hair that was looking kind of funky. It turned my hair a muddy color instead of brightening the grey. I think it was because my hair was always so "porous" and took color easily that it just made it more muddy and purple-ish  looking. I never used it again.


I've noticed a similar phenomenon with the medium brown hair, demi-perm hair color I use in that it turns nearly black on the lower parts of my hair.  I've heard that everyone's hair "pulls" color differently.


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## StarSong (Apr 9, 2022)

My husband started going grey in his early 20s - as did my sons.  Unlike many of their friends, they all have full heads of hair so they don't stress about the grey.  DH's hair is now pure white.  He combines regular and purple shampoo to keep his hair from yellowing, especially when we're using the pool a lot.        

I colored my hair for a very long time.  At least ten years ago I was ready to try going natural but didn't want to deal with the ugly growing out period or looking older because of the grey.  When the March 2020 safer-at-home period began, I stopped coloring my hair.  It didn't take too long to grow out, and after about four months the contrast between natural and dyed wasn't nearly as noticeable as I'd expected.  

Since then I've had a bit of blonde highlighting added now and then when I get a haircut, but am not a slave to it. I greatly prefer my hair this way and am delighted to not be dealing with the constant upkeep.


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