To dye or not to dye

I dye mine but it's hardly yellow, it's dark brown and it suits me. I don't want to go grey mostly it has nothing to do with it making me look old especially as currently it's very fashionable for 20 year olds to have grey hair. I don't want it any more than I want an old ladies hair cut/style. I don't dress like an old lady either. I want what suits me. I started colouring my hair when I was 14, not because I was going grey I just wanted a different colour. It clearly had nothing to do with wanting to look younger back then anymore than it does today. I don't work so that doesn't influence it either.

I love to see people with hair, clothes, style all their own.
Yellow hair, pink, grey..
I think its great!

I dye mine, it is white otherwise. I do it to please myself, I began at the salt/pepper stage in my thirties and I felt too young to look so old! I shall carry on until I don't want to do it anymore.

I put my foot in it big time once. I met a (white haired) acquaintance, she was with a dark haired man. He looked much younger so I assumed it was her son. No, it was her husband of course. I don't relish the thought of others making the same mistake with me and my H. I'm not massively vain but I don't want to be thought of as my OH's mother.

Well I'm one of those "bottle blondes" and I'm still dyeing my hair because I'm not ready to embrace the grey yet and if it makes me feel good about myself, I'm going to keep doing it.

I agree MissA people who dare to colour their hair bright blue make me smile, it says "I don't care what you all think, I'm me and still young at heart"

What is the effect on the water of ‘all those chemicals’ Grammaretto?
In the big picture, how does dyeing your hair once every two months compare with using harsh chemicals to clean your toilet every day, or having your washing machine on every day?
What exactly are the harmful substances released into the foul water drains by hair dye?
Another committed hair-dyer here

I love my original hair colour and never experimented with colour when I was younger. I am loathe to lose it.

Fortunately I come from a family who go grey very late so, even though I am now in my mid-70s, my hair has very little grey in it (I check with my hairdresser regularly and her estimate is 25-30%) so I colour to match.

What I will do if I go completely grey/white I am not sure but something bright (ginger) red and striking appeals.

I've been dying my hair since I was 14 ,its been every colour of the rainbow and I love experimenting with colour .Currently its dark blonde with highlights so quite ordinary ,but it has been purple and burgundy and white blonde amongst other brighter colours.The only colour it hasn't been is jet black and that just because my skin is so fair I'd look like Morticia Addams.No intention of leaving it to nature ,mainly becasue its been so long since its "natural" colour I have no idea what it is

Keep dyeing Paddyann (and I mean that in the nicest possible way )

Seems most of you dye your hair. I had mine dyed once but the chemicals stung my head and the colour took ages to grow out so I looked like a badger.
I just couldn't be bothered but as for chemicals polluting the water: it may not be hugely damaging in the great scheme of things but unnecessary.
I try to avoid strong toilet cleaners , bleach etc and use gentle cleaners whenever I can.

I haven't dyed my hair, and like M0nica, my family's hair stays a good colour. But I do have white bits at the side, sort of underneath. I have been OK with this, but in a very recent photo, I definitely looked more pepper and salt. Although looking straight on, into a mirror I seem not to have altered much. Hmmm. I really can't see me doing all the dyeing business, unless I get so bad, I can't stand myself.
Sorry if I'm not making much sense, I am very woozy after yesterday.

I dye my hair and have done ever since I started turning grey. I also intend to carry on doing it until I am too old to care how I look

It's also expensive! I would like to see what people look like naturally. This applies to my Dil and DD too. My DSs don't use hair dye afaik

So should we all stop wearing make up and no more plucking eyebrows so we can look natural? I started dyeing mine because the sun would bleach it and when it grew I'd have a tide mark around my head. The bottom would be golden brown and full of high lights and the newer growth at the top would be very dark brown. A bit like the ombre fashion which I'm not a fan of. So I dyed it all one colour. These days my hair is short and I dye it back to my natural colour, so I do look natural and I'm certainly not going to stop plucking my eyebrows or wearing make up. What a thought!

Since I stopped dying my hair I seem to have noticed many more older women with healthy looking white hair, and well styled.
Perhaps hairdye damages the hair after a while, and it can eventually recover its 'bounce'?

Stopped dying my hair about 3 years ago and haven’t looked back. I wear make up every day and the colours have changed as my skin tone has . My silvery hair compliments my skin tone now and it saves money and those boring hours sat in the hairdressers. I think the mos important thing is a good cut rather than the colour.

Who uses the words 'bottle blondes' in the 21st century .
Btw, there's nothing different or odd about your Dil. She's just doing what ( I don't know how many) young and old women have done all around the world since time immemorial.

I’ve dyed my hair for 52 years now, not blonde though, more a coppery colour, now I have a bit more blonde threaded through it, my original hair colour was and still is ( mostly) black, I always hated it and still do.
Maybe when I’m grey I’ll go blonde..... my dad was still black haired, almost no grey when he died aged 72.

Grammaretto dying your hair is not necessarily expensive. I do mine myself with a pack of hair dye from Superdrug. I use a shade lighter than my real colour so that I have colour variation in my hair as if it was natural.

I think it costs about £7 every three or four months. I have no problem with roots as my grey hair is limited to round my face and the under layer of hair at the back.

I am not bothered about looking younger or competing at work. I am just loathe to lose a hair colour I have always loved, until it is absolutely necessary.

Bottle blonds sounds rather disparaging. Each to their own. I think most posters on here are not dyeing to keep a job or stay young looking. Just that they like their hair a certain colour.

Not only is hair dye inexpensive about a fiver a month, it involves no time in the hairdressers because I do it at home. I have my hair cut every four weeeks which costs around 40 quid a month. M y hair is in excellent condition, really healthy and shiny. I have no problem with root regrowth as my hair is spiky with no parting. It grows fast so I couldn't leave it longer than 6 weeks max. between colouring.

I'm 69, been colouring at least 40 years and have been just about every shade except black.
By having meshes/streaks/foils the problem of roots is pretty much avoided.
It is such FUN... especially now when it is so easy to have a pink or purple or green slice or two.

My two dgc, dgd is 10 and dgc is 7, are allowed to have fun colours in their hair for school holidays. Dgd has waist length hazel hair and there are pink, purple, green and turquoise colours, it is beautiful. Dgs has green at the top and front, the rest is short, and we call him Kermit.

It's all fun.

Many of the beautiful silver haired older ladies are actually having their hair coloured these gorgeous silver shades, as confirmed by my friend who does this, and by my hairdresser.

I did have a period of having a semi permanent colour to cover my greying hair, but as it grows really quickly, I decided it was too expensive to continue. I’ve also come to the conclusion that if people don’t like my greying hair, that’s their problem, not mine.

Just the same as its others' problems if they don't like dyed hair.
There is room for everyone, whatever their tastes.