How to go grey.

Lockdown got you thinking about your roots?

Fair enough. I get it. I do. The badger stripe can be brutal, right? It wasn't lockdown that got me thinking about going grey but being on the ocean for months. Being away from the dye bottle I got to see just how grey I was and so began my silver journey.

Once I got back on land I worried about not looking professional, hot etc. I didn’t want to shave all my hair off and grow it out from scratch, (I just don't have the bone structure for that). I fretted about how I would cope while growing out the dye, what would people think? All the things. But after lying on the floor with chemical poisoning after yet another root touch up I thought, 'What kind of patriarchal standard of beauty am I buying into? How much money have I spent in the 20 years I have been dying my hair? Why don't I just do it - go grey?"

I committed then and there and that was five years ago after umming and ahhing for about eight years.

Along the way, there were many moments when I almost reached for the dye bottle especially after 6 months when my hair was in the "what is going on here???" phase. Within a year I had transitioned and I can hand on heart say going grey is great and I wish I had done it sooner.

If you are thinking about letting those silver highlights shine here is a handy bullet-pointed list to help you through.

How to go grey in 7 steps.

1. Do it. Now.

Honestly, don’t wait any longer. The younger the better. The earlier you do it the more money you save and you can still get away with being prematurely grey.

2. Start by going lighter.

It is a big change to go from dark brown to grey, so for about a year, each time I dyed it I went a lighter shade. This meant the regrowth wasn’t so obvious and the time between dye jobs was longer.

3. Remove any warm highlights.

Grey hair is not blond hair. Once you have gone lighter start removing the honey tones and go towards ashy blond highlights. Stay away from yellow tones. This makes the sliver regrowth blend in way better.

4. Cut it a bit shorter.

I don’t have the bone structure to shave my head so, to help manage my regrowth and multicoloured hues, I cut it in a shorter style. If you are keen to shave it all off, go for it! You can skip to the end.

5. Leave it alone for about 6 - 8 months.

This is the hard part. Don’t give up at this point. It will be worth it. I promise. I found being honest about it and saying, “I am transitioning to grey” was always met with “Oh I wish I could do that”. YOU CAN!

6. Add a conditioning treatment to your routine.

Grey hair is thicker and I, for one, like a silky lock. Deep conditioning and purple shampoo, ladies.

7. Cut it into a great style.

Once you have transitioned (i.e. there is no dye left in your hair and your hair colour is completely natural) treat yourself to a style you love. For me, I like it longer with a touch of Farah Fawcett.

Go well, ace ladies. It’s great on the silver side!