Gransnet forums

Style & beauty

Grey longer hair

(81 Posts)
Luckylegs9 Sun 07-Jan-18 08:23:34

Is there anyone lose who has longer greying hair? It is thick and fine. Like the length but if I am not feeling 100 per cent think it ages me. Don't want to start colouring it as it grows overnight and don't want the bother of sitting in a salon for hours every month, wondered about having it blunt cut into layers, ideas. really after best styles for my type of hair, at present it is just a longish straight Bob!

glammanana Sun 07-Jan-18 12:01:12

I have had long hair for many years and find it easy to manage,I use the same home hair colourant every 3 mths to keep the pale blonde colour you cannot notice the regrowth when it comes through now as it must be all going grey.
I can pile it up on top with a large bulldog clip or plait it down my back or ponytail it when being lazy I have always kept my hair waist length having a couple of good trims during the year .

Funnygran Sun 07-Jan-18 11:59:38

grandtanteJE65 Like you I used to have really thick hair which I could wear long. I am 69 now and it’s much thinner and straggly so needs to be kept fairly short. One hairdresser refused to do this insisting, on cutting it into a bob - which lasted a couple of weeks of having to style it every day before I went to a different hairdresser and had layers put in. Sadly hair does change as you get older and I think you have to decide what best suits your hair and your face and colouring. I still have some highlights put in but am considering letting myself go grey naturally.

MissAdventure Sun 07-Jan-18 11:58:20

I think the key is in the condition and thickness of grey hair. I love the thick plaits, they look beautiful.
Mine looks like catweasel!

Elrel Sun 07-Jan-18 11:54:26

If my short cut gets overgrown I look unkempt and possibly a bit crazy imho. My always more beautiful and elegant cousin however has long grey hair and always looks great. Whether casually pulled back or loosely put up it just suits her perfectly.
In short - it depends upon the hair, the person and their personality. Try it and see what you think!

chrishoops Sun 07-Jan-18 11:51:17

I have long grey hair now, but if I wear it loose I look like a witch, so I wear it up twisted with a variety of fancy clips. I used to always have short hair but I was forever washing it and having to deal with it during the day, I find long hair easier, I can just whizz it up and forget about it.
It really only needs washing once or twice a week which I am sure is better for me and better for the environment.
I get the ends trimmed occasionally so it is not a financial drain on my money either.

OldMeg Sun 07-Jan-18 11:49:36

I agree Grannyado, especially with your last sentence. I don’t have the feature to wear mine long (wish I did) but my hairdresser is cooperating in helping me go white gradually.
I don’t usally wear make up unless I’m going somewhere special, but a tinted moisturiser helps take away winter pallor.

I’ve been noticing a few older women lately who, frankly, look like grandad in Mrs Brown’s Boys.

Grannyado Sun 07-Jan-18 11:38:39

I am just beginning to grow out my curly red hair. Had it red for about 20 years and feel it's time to move on as nearly 59 now. Had to change hairdressers though as was horrified at how negative mine of 12 years was! She refused to soften it, let alone help me change it. I had a chat with a new hairdresser yesterday, and he was fab and incredibly positive about the white and silver growing through. I left feeling I was supported and doing what I wanted to do. Find a different hairdresser if necessary as I was shocked by the previous reaction. Long or short silver, grey or white can look tremendous. It's the clothes and accessories that help keep us edgy and interesting!

sarahellenwhitney Sun 07-Jan-18 11:36:10

grandmamoira
Agree and it doesn't have to be the fact it is grey that can add on the years..Features change as we age, skin loses its elasticity and unless you have and want to spend your money on cosmetic surgery , to lift it all up or plump it all outgrin.then nothing shows a woman's age more so than hair hanging on the shoulders. even lower, on the fifty plus .

travelsafar Sun 07-Jan-18 11:34:49

I find this post interesting.I am booked to go to the hairdresser on tuesday and i am thinking of having my long hair cut. There are so many ideas on here about what suits older prople and what doesn't. I agree left loose i look a bit 'witchy' but it is easy to deal with just tie up in a band for ponytail or clasp and your done. I think i might go halfway and have it cut so it just sits on my shoulders but still long enough to tie up or put up in a clasp. Maybe when the spring comes i might go a bit shorter i think going from long to short in one go may be a bit of a shock!!!

Niobe Sun 07-Jan-18 11:33:31

I have salt and pepper grey hair that I usually keep in a shortish Bob . I get it cut every month or so but missed my last cut due to the holidays etc so it is slightly longer at the moment, just touching shoulder length and I am liking it so I will hold off from another cut for a few weeks. I doubt very much if I will go much longer than shoulder length as I hate tying it back as it no longer has the volume it once had.

grandtanteJE65 Sun 07-Jan-18 11:33:17

I envy you. I have always had long thick hair, but now it has become very thin, which I cannot help feeling sad about. Feel it makes me look old too, older than the 66 I am.

Loosing its colour too in the most annoying way, fading from chestnut brown to an uninteresting dirty colour.

So I would be happy if it would hurry up and turn one colour all over! Either grey or white!

Does anyone know if any of the remedies for thinning hair actually work?

Silverlining47 Sun 07-Jan-18 11:27:39

I'm like pollyperkins and have very straight hair which I had cut in a bob for years and received compliments as the white/grey colour is quite striking. But last year I found it looked very aging unless I had it cut really well every month (it grows very quickly) and seemed to hang lankly and suddenly need more care. I had it cut short and it looked great and lifted my face........but now have the same problem of needing to be cut into shape regularly.
Long hair that you can tie back or up is defintely easier to care for.......but not hanging loose unless it is very thick and wavy IMO.

anneey Sun 07-Jan-18 11:24:58

I have gone DARING.....I have grey hair and have applied a purple streak in the front, I easily do it myself.
I tie it back into a bunch, then double it over with a band, looks a little like a bun.

Pittcity Sun 07-Jan-18 11:20:28

This is what I hope to get. I have the style and wear it with a fringe, just need the colour....salt and pepper now!
I don't have it coloured and just need a trim every now and again. My hairdresser trims the fringe free.
Like Marelli I like the choice of styles that longer hair affords.
I don't think there's a rule for older hair, it's whatever you are happy with.

Mollyb49 Sun 07-Jan-18 11:19:55

I enjoy having long grey hair although I will admit it looks better in the summer months with a bit of colour on my face and the hair brightens up. I don't wear it down much when I'm out preferring to wear it in a ponytail. I think maybe I could look a bit younger with a different style but I'm happy preferring to concentrate on my health and fitness. Incidentally, my hairdresser won't let me cut mine, she describes it as 'beautiful virgin hair'. Not sure about that but nice to have the compliment!

pollyperkins Sun 07-Jan-18 11:13:02

To answer OP I'm not keen on the look of very long sraight grey hair - too witch like. Sorry.

loopylou Sun 07-Jan-18 11:12:29

I've recently had my shoulder length hair cut into a sharp, chin-length bob and I love it! My hair's silver and fine; it's so well cut it takes only a few minutes to blow dry and if left to dry naturally it still holds its shape.
Longer hair was more flyaway and a faff to style.

pollyperkins Sun 07-Jan-18 11:11:59

I prefer not to dye my hair either - mine is nearly white now. I have had it very short in layers for years but I'm now growing it into a short bob but finding it much more difficult to manage- harder to dry and to keep tidy) so may have it all cut off again! It's very straight and I don't like the way it just hangs at the side of my face - spend ages with blow drying and hairspray to make it slightly more wavy so I can brush it back a bit.

IngeJones Sun 07-Jan-18 10:59:21

I just leave my hair alone until it's so long it gets caught under my elbow and tugs when I move. Then I chop the end off a bit. Tie it back in a loose ponytail to keep it out of the way. Doesn't look good or suit me at all, but I don't care - it's convenient.

Anniebach Sun 07-Jan-18 10:51:11

I have long grey hair, have done for years, manage it the same as Marelli

Marelli Sun 07-Jan-18 10:18:53

My (now white) hair is very long, coming to beneath my shoulder-blades. If I wear it loose, I gather the sides and clip it at the back so that it’s not hanging round the sides of my face. Always when it gets this long, I start thinking ‘will I get some cut off’, but then I remember that I find it easier to manage when it’s long. Sometimes I have a plait, sometimes twisted up with a beak type clip holding it.

GrandmaMoira Sun 07-Jan-18 09:53:03

Personally I think long grey hair is ageing for most people. I use a semi-permanent colourant at home which is cheap and just fades, no noticeable regrowth. A short bob is low maintenance.

Humbertbear Sun 07-Jan-18 09:52:12

My sister has olive skin and wears her hair cut in a long bob. The trick is to have it cut well. Also, go to a department store and have a make over so your make up compliments your hair colour.

NannyTee Sun 07-Jan-18 09:43:18

Yes I agree. My mil has olive to dark skin and pearly white hair. It really looks sophisticated in the French Twist.

BlueBelle Sun 07-Jan-18 09:40:11

Don’t take this wrong it’s a personal opinion only I don’t like to see long grey hair loose a French plait, ponytail, plait etc can look good on the right face but usually more aging if loose I think, Short and choppy for me I m lucky in as much as I was blondish so I ve just gone a lighter shade of pale as opposed to steely grey