After my last post I was full of resolve to crack this “going grey” business, as the supportive comments and readers grey hair stories were positive affirmations that this was the right thing to do. My family however were not so convinced, with teen daughter warning me that my husband would leave me (let him I say, if he’s that shallow!) or that I would look like one of those women with a much younger husband (and again I say – bring it on, I can handle that!!).
I was however beginning to feel just a little bit drab and more than a little bit impatient. What I want (doesn’t everyone) is instant all over white hair, or streaked grey like the wonderful images of Linda Rodin in Grey Magazine (don’t get excited it’s not as I hoped a magazine for stylish women with grey hair!). So I decided to see if there was any way I could speed things up and I didn’t figure this was cheating as I wouldn’t be dying my hair exactly, more accentuating the grey and accelerating the process.
Starting my own business has meant not only do I not have time to sit in the hairdressers for days, I also don’t have as much diposable cash as I used to, so making a visit to the hairdressers for advice wasn’t an option as I knew I would be persuaded into some kind of treatment I didn’t want and couldn’t afford, so I did the thing that young people do when they want beauty advice and went onto You Tube.
There are hundreds of Vloggers (average age 18) advising on the best way to get grey hair, so always one to embrace a trend (age appropriate or not) I thought I’d give it a go. I enlisted the help of teen daughter who loves a beauty project and off we went to stock up on products at our favourite Dalston hang out Paks.
Paks as you know has every hair product from every corner of the world and of course being situated in the centre of hipster grey hair has all the bleach and lilac tints a woman could want.
The key to the going grey the fake way, is to bleach the hell out of your hair until there is no natural colour left, which despite my many previous (punk) hair styles I have never actually done before. This dear readers for the uninitiated is scary – very scary – and who knew it hurts? Certainly not me and there was much screaming “are you sure you read the measurements right” and hideous thoughts of burnt scalps and baldness. We toyed with the idea of making a You Tube video but there was too much swearing!!
We decided to start with just the front section as all over seemed a step too far and despite bleaching it twice, it still remained yellowy blonde. The next stage is to add a lilac/grey colour and wash with a lilac shampoo – both of which I tried, but it seems the only way to get it to go grey rather than blond is more bleach.
The glamour of a blogger!!!
The end result wasn’t too bad as the already white bits had gone whiter but overall there was little change apart from more blonde. So I’m giving my poor hair a rest for a few days and we are going to try again – maybe this time I can curb my language enough to make a video. Watch this space – eat your heart out Zoella!!
Thank God for red lipstick!
Thanks for taking one for the team!
I have been agonizing about what to do with my own greyish head. I am determined to keep my natural colour although women around me are going blonde, not grey. Lately I’ve been thinking of trying a blue rinse to counteract the mousy colour, so thank you for sharing.
I’m loving these posts .
Drab is the perfect description for my journey into grey- I was a very dark brunette but my hair colour seems to have faded to a bleughh sort of mouse. I’m not grey enough to go the whole hog, but I’ve not liked the results at any attempts at colouring (not to mention the hours and spendiness) and I’m really feeling at a bit of a loss as to how to move forward. I’m not mad keen on the ‘highlights’ approach and just can’t picture myself anywhere on the blonde spectrum. However at a time when I’m starting to feel a teeny bit invisible, having ‘meh’ hair feels like the last straw! You are leading the way- can’t wait to read what comes next.
LOVE your red lippy by the way- what colour is it?
Thanks Wendy and Ruthie. Its a tough one, especially the ‘meh” phase!! And I agree on the highlights – all feels a bit “rock chic” of which I am not and will never be!
My lipstick is Lipstick Queen in Sinner.
J x
Hi Jane,
I think you are a bit faded redhead like me and my solution has been to go the highlights route mainly because I have white streaks either side which blend in quite well. Most redheads go white not grey.
I was overdying them but it washed out too quick and never looked perfect so now I just leave them white and streak the top so it all blends in. A bit Thin White Duke era Bowie but with curls :/ I will eventually be white all over and I can’t wait!
My hair was pretty short when I decided to stop having it coloured, so when my grey/white roots were showing I just had it cut, then cut again a few weeks later. I love Linda Rodin’s look, but my hair has always been too thick and strong to just casually pin it up, but I do wonder if going short to grow out the colour is quicker and easier, and then growing it long once it’s all grey? I love being grey and feel younger and prettier at 63 than I have for years.
I have it on good authority, that redheads don’t actually go grey like the rest of us but INSTEAD go more of a blond as in a faded strawberry blond. Which is nice. X
Ooh mr DRG used to have copper ringlets in his youth and now (45) has strawberry blonde hair so there could be truth in that Steffi. So Jane, WHERE IS THE UPDATE??? (And the Youtube vid please…)