Why I decided to go grey in my 30's

Deciding to go grey is a big decision. Going grey in your 30's feels even bigger. I share how I made the decision to stop dyeing my hair and let my natural salt & pepper hair grow in.

[@KG-eu8im]

I just turned 30 I've been graying the last couple of years. To be honest it's scary to go full on gray but I want to keep my hair the healthiest possible. Constant coloring it can cause so much damage. Breaking, brittleness, dryness, thinning, etc. I would much rather have healthy luscious gray hair than the alternative. Gray hair is beautiful! Don't let society brainwash you to believe any different!!🤍

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Yes! Grey hair is beautiful-I just wish I had trusted myself sooner! But we are only ready when we are ready and no sooner 😉

[@tammydowell3723]

I'm 41 I just started growing my grey out. I haven't seen my natural hair since I was 27.

[@dr.diorcardiologist]

I decided going gray too and I am 30 !!! My natural is black the top is covered with grays and whites and I cut the length of my hair in order to blend nicely

[@sherryw.1466]

I wanted to do this when I turned 40, but I let myself get talked out of it. So I told myself I would do it when I turned 50. Well last year on my birthday I decided I was done. 50 was five years away, and I couldn’t stand it anymore. My last dye was in February of this year, and I have no regrets. I had no idea quarantine was coming, so that was a bonus, but honestly I quit because I hated the process. I hated root touch up sprays. I hated the one dimension hair color on my head that no longer looked good with my complexion. I can honestly say that there is not anything that I will miss about coloring my hair. It was nothing but a chore to me that stopped be satisfying years ago. I so look forward to having a head full of gray, white, or silver hair!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Congrats on listening to your gut and going for it! You describe it really well-a chore that is not satisfying. The only thing I will miss about colouring my hair is my hair stylist, but he will still be cutting my hair 😉

[@dianneporter3350]

After considering to grow out my greys for the last 2 years, I finally decided that I didn't want to be a slave to hair dye anymore. I had my last colour at the salon on 20th March. This has been the most challenging thing I have ever done. In the beginning I hated the demarcation line but as time went on and it became obvious that my growing out my grey hair was intentional and not that I had let myself go, I began to really like my new colour. I became a member of the Silver Foxy support group on Face book. These ladies of all ages from 20's to 70's have either fully transitioned or are still in the process of growing out their grey hair. What an amazing supportive group who I referred to during my times of doubt. After colouring my hair for 35+ years I will never go back to putting those chemicals on my head ever again. I feel so free after 5 1/2 months of no dye. Good luck with your journey! 🙂

[@CatMulvihill]

Thank you for sharing, Dianne! You capture the journey so well-the deliberation, the decision & the rocky emotional road. One of the best surprises for me was finding the amazingly supportive communities online. Aren't they amazing??

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Dianne, I just realized I replied to your post from my other account, so the comment from My Happy Insides is actually me and my reply to you. Oops!

[@dianneporter3350]

Ditching Diets & Dye No worries, thank you!

[@marleythepuggle8059]

Hi, I bought 3 boxes of dye back in March when our lockdown began but I never used them they’re still in the cupboard. I’m a cancer survivor & as we were in lockdown I thought well I’m done with all those chemicals & 6 months on my hair looks pretty good. I was so surprised by the number of women especially younger ones doing the grey journey. ❤️

[@griselolivares8379]

About to turn 37 and I have decided to just let my hair gray. I'm am also sick of dyeing my hair every 6 weeks. Haven't dyed hair since beginning of July but you are right......it feels like I'm free now that I'm not fighting my body.

[@Satsusss]

How's the process going ? I'm 35 and 5 months in.

[@shannon_d_r]

I feel so sad that many women, including me, feel afraid to let our natural hair show because society has made us believe that grey hair means we are old. And this is obviously not true because most of us start getting grey hairs in our 20s. I wish I was brave enough to go natural, but I'm just not. I have stopped straightening my hair though, which was a BIG deal because we all know the pressure of being told that straight hair is more beautiful and more professional than curly or wavy hair. So at least I'm one step ahead on the natural hair path!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

I agree, Shannon! And, I encourage you to shift your story. It's not that you are not brave enough, it's just not right for you right now ❤️ If/when the right time comes, it will be when you're ready and no sooner.

[@estellebrunt1106]

I stopped dying my hair in my mid 20s. I’ll be 34 and embrace my natural grey highlights. Never going back to dying it.

[@analives13]

I'm 34 and I am still fighting... but I'm following your path. Thanks for being an inspiration to me/us

[@julia_in_hamburg3809]

I absolutely love your positivity 😀

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Thank you 😊

[@Nailtheday]

So happy I found your channel, welcome to the world of greys!! I'm one month ahead of you and documenting it on KZbin, for me as well as for other ladies out there. I have become so liberated and confident since my greys have come through, its amazing! xx

[@DitchingDietsDye]

That's amazing to hear! And yes, so liberating!

[@cindywright3368]

Omg u put into words what I’ve bern through! I’m just now about 1 month since I decided not to dye my hair. I was losing my hair and now they has stopped. I was so glad my stylist was supportive and actually said that she tho is gray hair is beautiful.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

So glad to hear your stylist is supportive! And, that your hair loss has stopped. Wishing you the best as you start this transition!

[@theastewart6721]

I applaud you for trusting what’s right for you and acting on it. I am 63. I started going grey at 14 and started coloring my hair at 21. I honestly thought I’d never stop coloring it. My older sister had stopped coloring her hair about 10 years ago and my mom stopped at 46. Sadly she passed away in July of 2019, 19 months ago. At that time something in me just changed. It was like a switch was flipped and I decided to stop coloring my hair after 41 years. I was through. And it wasn’t out of a deep sadness, although that was and still is there. But I just felt that life was too short to spending $70 every 3 weeks to cover my roots! Too much time too! I decided I would do it 1 last time for her funeral and that was it! I was free! My hairdresser has been so supportive. She highlighted it for me as she had been doing but the last time it was a heavy highlight. Some of it turned orange, lol! It was an experience I can tell you but she worked diligently to get the light hair blonde and the roots, which are no longer just roots, are a beautiful silvery white! I love it! Like you the only thing I miss is seeing my hairdresser every 3 weeks! But I have her cut it regularly. I wish I had done this when I was your age. Live and learn. I guess it just wasn’t the right time then. I know my mom is smiling down on me as she was always trying to get me to stop coloring it. I look forward to sharing your journey!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Thank you for sharing your story! It sounds like you are really happy with your decision. And, I'm similar with my hairdresser-I miss the regular visits but will go back for cuts!

[@theastewart6721]

You’re very welcome! Yes, I’m thrilled with it!🤗🤗

[@EllaLeePaperDesigns]

i started my transition when i lost my job in March. By the time i got another job in late May, most of the salons were closing down so my roots just continued to grow whilst i have been stuck working from home. Funny how things work out, as i love my new job and i love my silver sparkles now. Who knew that there would be a massive silver lining in those dark clouds that visited me briefly.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

I love this! Definitely a beautiful silver lining (literally and figuratively!).

[@jenniferstewart87]

Wow so glad to have found you! I have ditched diets (for a couple of years) and I have ditched dye (for a couple of months!) my hair is almost exactly like yours in colour (the brown and grey) Feels like I have someone to go on this journey with 💪🏼

[@DitchingDietsDye]

I'm so glad you shared this with me! These are both big changes and take up a lot of mental bandwidth being new to them. I'm looking forward to a time when it's second nature ❤️

[@melindadelatorre4208]

You look great !! Thank you for encourages others !! I 'm starting my journey I have 3 months and yes sometimes feeling depressing but I know I want to feel the freedom for that urged to colored every month !! 👍

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Congrats on 3 months!!

[@ireneg.m.9365]

This is great! I think that you will look so beautiful and that your eyes will really pop up with your new look :). I have grays on the fringe area of my head. I plucked some of them at the beginning, then died my hair for 3 years or so. But I did it quite unconsistently, as I could dissimulate the grays by parting my hair on the left side of my head. I am sensitive to dying products and got fed up with the post-dying itchiness. I also realised that this was going to continue forever and it bothered me having to force myself to go through it every time. I recently heard about some people who had decided to go gray and changed my mind. I think that if I start letting them grow naturally from now, at 33, I will be able to welcome my new grays and enjoy growing older. I want to own the changes of my body with love and respect, instead of just covering them up. And of course, I am open to dye my hair again in the future if I really want to.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

I love so much of what you said!! And, you last point is so true. It's not a permanent decision if you decide to change your mind. You can do whatever you want!

[@anttoronto3202]

Congratulations! Your hair looks beautiful. Love the salt and pepper. I too wanted to ditch the dye. Last dye, March 14. Then, end of June, salons opened up and there I was dying again. June, July, August, Sept, October 22, last dye. One day before my 58th birthday. We are locked down again. Toronto 🇨🇦, One inch of roots and this time, I’m going for it! Thanks for sharing, you are an inspiration.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Thank you 😊And, you are close by me-I'm in Waterloo. You've got this ❤️

[@RhondaWhiteBiz]

I used to spend such a long time coloring my hair with Henna on the first Thursday of every month. It was such a loooong process. Even though it was a natural alternative for coloring my hair, I think I still began to become sensitive to it because I started itching 2 to 3 days afterwards. July 2nd was my last coloring date. When the first week of August came around, I just couldn't do it anymore... and sadly, I had already ordered more Henna for the year. LOL I'm still questioning my sanity, but so glad that I don't have spend practically a whole day coloring my hair...and no more itching! I haven't had much support on this decision so far, which makes it even harder....but your video was very encouraging! I have dark brown hair to grow out... I think my hair looks sort of like yours growing out, but I have some white silver strands near the front.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Thanks for sharing 😊 That's great news about the no more itching! There are a lot of women right along side you, so if you are looking for support, it's out there! I'm rooting for you (no pun intended).

[@KKKKAAAARRRRYYYYNN]

I'm using the bleach method just around my face and toning to ash or silver. Why suffer with the look of the old dark dye when you can play with it and adjust while it grows.

[@LindaLights]

Loved your comment. i also use henna just around my hairline & one streak of white. Yes I understand it is a long process. It's lovely but it is very time consuming. I would need to either have a spare day to allow the colour to dye my hair or I would wake up super early so that I wouldn't need a full day. So I have also let go of dyeing last month and this month...exciting to dive into a freedom of not having to be tied down to plan when to dye my hair etc. You can always sell the henna....that's what I plan to do with mine!!

[@RhondaWhiteBiz]

@@LindaLights Great to hear you are seeking freedom from the dye as well. Today, I'm at 15 weeks...and loving the fact that I no longer have to schedule out an entire day or several hours for the process.

[@martaaldama6419]

Congratulations on your sane, brave decision to go gray.

[@jennyp6078]

Jonathan Van Ness was my inspiration. He said he wished there were more silver divas in the world. He loves it when women let their natural sparkles shine. He said he wished more women embraced their gray instead of hiding it. I'm using the highlighting method because I like the fancy pop of color....and it makes the transitioning a bit easier for me. 🙏🏾🧚🏽‍♀️

[@DitchingDietsDye]

I'm so glad you shared this ❤️ More silver divas would be amazing! How are you liking the highlighting method?

[@jennyp6078]

@@DitchingDietsDye Right now I really like it because I have brown hair and the highlights help me adjust to the lighter tone my hair will eventually be. Plus I teach and it not as obvious a demarcation line...so I'm not being peppered... excuse the pun, with questions by my students. I know highlighting isn't healthy for my hair, but I use very clean moisturizing products in my hair to help it to stay healthy. 🧘🏾‍♀️🙏🏾

[@lindaverkaart9971]

I have just recently decided to stop dying my hair, like four months or so ago. I have been dying my hair since I was 15 or so, now I'm 37. Every time I washed out the dye, half of my hair seemed to come off, and all the chemical junk down the drain. I'm so so happy I made the decision. It just came to me. There was not a lot of thought put into it, I just had the roots growing out grey, and thought, well, just let it go. It's only hair. And I'm happy I did, and am still growing out my hair. ❤ I like your channel, you are such a sympathetic person! 😊

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Thank you for the kind comment, Linda! I appreciate it 😊 I love that your decision came to you that way and you went for it. Best of luck!!

[@prestontowne9768]

Good for u, u will be beautiful

[@AmaraJordanMusic]

This is something I planned on talking to my Mom about, because of the role genetics plays. I know she was pretty gray by the time she was probably 45, I think 80%, but I don’t know when it started. She had been naturally auburn haired, but wore it blonde since before I was born. She’s in her last weeks with cancer and I keep thinking of these things I’d meant to talk to her about, and trying to sort of suss them out so I have a good handle on how I feel about them before I talk with her with whatever time we have left; it could be any day. If I was following her example, I’d dye it. I dyed my hair when I was in my teens, but I’ve lost people to cancer and wanted to honor them by growing my hair out and donating it for wigs, since I can grow it successfully and healthily to, well, my thighs. I just did a cut a few weeks ago, and my hair is shorter than ever (I gain confidence having it shorter each time, since I didn’t explode into flames and hate it at the previous short length. I have four ponytails of between 16-20 inches each to donate. But I’m getting married next year and hope to be a mom after that, so I don’t know that I’ll do another long grow, and by the time I can, I may have enough gray that the place will have to supersort it. I told my Mom that since I wanted to keep my hair Virgin for the wigs, since I felt more steward of it than owner, the upside was that I saved on so much money in terms of upkeep, years and years of appointments I didn’t have to go to. Now I have the option to dye, but I don’t want to. But when the grey comes... I dunno. I think it depends on how old I am and where I am. I think it may be relative to any kids, partially, and the kind of grey I’d have. My Dad has beautiful silvery grey, but my grandmother had a sort of bluish grey. I think my mom’s was a sort of steel, what they got glimmers of anyway. Even after her diagnosis, she kept going to appointments as long as she could. During the years that I may dye, I think I’ll go red, because my fiancé loves red hair, lol. If I’m doing it anyway I might as well give him a perk! But when to do it, how it feels, that kind of thing, it’s something I kind of wish I could talk to my Mom about. But, there’s a lot of stuff in this category, years of stuff, and I’m not sure it’ll make the cut. People say, “This is stuff in the future. Don’t worry about it!” But... I won’t have the option to consider talking with my Mom later, so that’s a bit of a luxury. I know her heart, and she’d think I’m beautiful no matter what and I should do what makes me feel as beautiful as I am, or close enough. But how she feels about it, her experience, what she’d do in various situations, that’s harder to suss out. I’m glad a silver (no pun intended) lining to the lockdowns was that you had a real chance to see how your hair would evolve, get a glimpse of what it would look like and what you’d be stepping into. I never thought about it impacting the silver transition specifically. I do know a few people who’ve gone their natural colors and looked a lot... well, themselves, healthier somehow, right. I suppose because the tones generally flatter their skin tone. Since I’m neutral to cool toned, I’m probably okay with whatever I get, but that transition point could get muddy and tricky. One of my Mom’s friends kept doing her hair until it was about 80% grey, then dyed it grey, then let it grow out naturally, and that is an option, I suppose. Congrats on beginning your journey, and being a place people in a similar situation, or considering it, can go to. Somewhat niche stuff like this (gone through by many, discussed by significantly less) can be tricky to find in depth experiential info about. I can’t wait to see how your journey progresses, and following your perspective. Be safe and shine on.

[@stevermacsoucher1625]

my mom has this and i always thought I'm going to be good. now that I'm 30 i recently shaved my head and most of my hair is growing back gray and i have a bunch of grey hairs in my mustache. i think i will be dying it if my greys hairs get worse as im a dude that has always had long hair.

[@mariambah5349]

Wow Thx girl

[@LindaLights]

Thank you for your empowerment. I loved your wisdom of 'not wanting to fight your hair'. I love this so much. It's given me a different perspective on my hair. I am brunette with a streak of white on one side and a few around my hairline. I've been using henna only on those areas which blends in fine. But...I've been researching online about grey hair, and women's opinions on how it makes them feel etc, as I've been resenting (like you mentioned) the fact that I have to be tied down to colouring my hair, whether with henna or normal dye's. I feel I am getting more power in my soul to continue 'letting my hair' do what it naturally wants to do. I'm so excited about this. Thank you for your video.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Oh, I love how you put that: "getting more power in my soul". I have to say even on the days when I'm 'meh' about my transition, I still feel empowered.

[@Germania72]

Your story is very similar to mine. I started going grey at 18-19 and decided to dye it at 34 due to peer pressure. Now I'm 49 and I just gave up. I don't want to go through this. People tell me I don't look my age and all that jazz, I don't have wrinkles (it must be because I'm South American). I'm afraid, but I just don't want to do this anymore.

[@maryoconnor3095]

I happened upon this channel tonight as I was cringing that my appt in a couple days had to be canceled. I go every 6 weeks and I get anxious when the ‘sparkles’ come out!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Sparkles... I like that term!

[@getnshape]

I loved this video and it really hit home for me. My situation is very similar to yours. I am 42 but look very young for my age (like you). I tried to grow out my grey in my 30's. However, I was told by a family member in a very mean way that I needed to dye my hair because I was going grey (and it looked very bad) and it didn't go with my very young looking face. I was shunned by that family member. It hurt very much. So I dyed my hair, not because it was what I wanted to do but to please and to be accepted by others. I have very fine/damage prone hair. I also have severe reactions to a lot of dyes (very sore/tender scalp that lasts for multiple weeks after getting it dyed). So, I had to spend a lot of money on organic dyes that didn't make my scalp feel bruised. Therefore, I had to tip my stylist even more money. It was a constant worry, "how am I going to continue to be able to afford this?" I felt tremendous guilt spending so much money on my hair when I didn't even like it. My last dye/highlight was on February 20, 2020. I want to have healthier/fuller hair and I think ditching the dye has helped already. I am so glad to have found you. Sometimes I feel so alone. Quarantine has made the transition easier because I don't see people much. Now that we are coming out of quarantine more and more, I had a nightmare that I had to dye my hair to be accepted somewhere. I need to stay strong because no telling what kind of comments I will get from people. Seeing others like you, reassures me that I am not alone and it is okay. It encourages me to keep going.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

You are not alone ❤️It sounds like you are honouring yourself and what you really want. I think that's so important! Sometimes I like to remind myself that other people's reactions are actually about themselves, and not me.

[@clairewillow6475]

Your family member isn’t the boss of you hun! 🤍

[@suzannestone5050]

I never thought I would transition. I was going to fight it to the very end. However I wasn’t happy with the color I was getting and I was going every 4 weeks. The time and money we’re getting to me. So the last time I had my hair colored was March 10th and then everything closed. I wasn’t too unhappy since I was working from home and nobody was seeing me. Then a few months in and the line of demarcation was killing me, so in July I had my hairdresser give me a pixie. I think growing out the pixie has been much harder that getting used to the color. Lol I wouldn’t change a thing, I just love the freedom and the color is actually more in line of what I really wanted anyway!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

That's amazing that your natural hair colour is what you really wanted!!

[@suzannestone5050]

I know, but my hair has never let me down.

[@shirleytreumuth1692]

I last colored my hair one year ago when I was 64. I am retired so I don't have the pressure to have perfectly covered gray hair every day. Also, my hair had started to be quite white in front so roots would really pop out. I was just tired of the time and expense and it was just not worth it any more. I want to keep long hair so it will be a long process but I am willing to wait it out.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

One year in! That's great 😊

[@domefamily9721]

I have decided to grow out my gray this year as well. I am 47 and have dyed my roots for about 3 years now. I've noticed within the last year, my hair has been so unhealthy; dry, breaking, and literally falling out. I'm experimenting with this grow out to see if my unhealthy hair is from the dye. I'm at 11 weeks now and am surprised to see that I'm not as gray as I thought I'd be. I am, however still nervous about the entire process. I hope I can stay focused on letting it grow out and not caving in to dying it again. Wish me luck!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Good luck!! You've got this. Stay focused on why you made the decision. But also remember there is no right answer, so if you decide to change your mind later, that's okay 😊 Not sure if you saw my What I Wish I Knew Before Going Grey video, but I share about the dye strip method, which could be a back-up option! kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJO5ZGWXhJKdn7s

[@domefamily9721]

@@DitchingDietsDye Thank you for your reply. I'll watch that video right now. 💕

[@darcandelaria]

I just turned 38 and for the first time in my life I've noticed a few white hairs I thought those would come around my late 40's 😭 I don't think I was prepared, so suddenly from no grays to maybe 7 or 8 gray hairs now seems like overnight.

[@clairewillow6475]

I’m 30 and I don’t have greys yet but I plan to never dye my hair. I’ll just use those purple shampoos that tone the hair. Hoping to have white hair like my great grandmother (she was a red head like me and I’m wondering if that has something to do with the white hair instead of grey)

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Sounds like a good plan!

[@melissavieira3280]

What does someone do if they grow it out and just don’t like it? I started growing my hair out in 2020 so it’s been 3 years. It’s not growing on me at all. My already thin hair looks even thinner. I don’t care what people think of me with grey hair but I wish it actually looked good. I have curly hair so it just looks straggly all the time. 😢

[@melissavieira3280]

BTW I’m 35

[@chrysy2k]

I'm 33 and I have *SO MANY* gray hairs!! I kept my hair short (pixied) for over 15 years, and just started growing it out once the gray was noticable. I dyed it off and on through my twenties, but it's been my natural hair color for a few years now. You look amazing, btw! I may be biased; I'm PRETTY gray at 33 here, but I don't think it makes you look older. I had no idea you were 39 until you said it! I'd love to see a video delving into a journey learning to care for gray or graying hair!

[@DitchingDietsDye]

Thanks for sharing your experience, and for the kind comments 😊 There are many days I wish I had the guts to cut my hair into a pixie. .

[@nttb4880]

even grey i thought you have 25 years max

[@jenniferhenderson8012]

You are not 39. Okay. What potion are you drinking?! You look 22.

[@DitchingDietsDye]

😂 Well, I do have a good quality camera, so I'm sure that helps, but I have been told I look young most of my adult life.

[@jenniferhenderson8012]

@@DitchingDietsDye omgosh girl you could've fooled me. Can you please share your skin care regimen? Like what moisturizer you use? Any serums?

[@globaljobs1855]

@@jenniferhenderson8012 she has a young spirit thats why she looks young!

[@prestontowne9768]

Expensive, time consuming, bad for your hair and scalp