My DD is a hair stylist and she tells me with all my allergies, that trying to dye my hair would be a bad idea. So I'll get let nature take its course. When I was younger I was a strawberry blonde(mostly red), by the time I was 25 it had turned more brown. I'm 53 now and getting more grey on top.

I have found that using a temporary color in a lighter shade than my natural color also helps my gray 'blend' in with what natural hair color I still have. My mom and sister's gray hair was/is coarse but mine is baby fine and opaque.Since my 'younger' hair had auburn highlights I choose an 'ash' blond to de-emphasize the red as it makes my used-to-be cute freckles look more like age-spots (double yuck).
Some people don't realize that as a person ages their complexion tone changes and just because we color our hair it doesn't always complement our skin. A change in make-up color may be necessary whenever hair color is changed,either colored or naturally gray/white.
In the end, we have to do whatever makes us feel best about ourself. Sorry so long but I hope this is helpful.

If your roots are 6 inches long, consider having the color cut off, and talking to the beautician about what you can do? Treat yourself to a mani/ pedi at the same time. Enjoy the trip.

I was a natural redhead for years, then had to hit the bottle when the grey started coming in, then white started coming in and it got to be a real pain to keep up the roots so my hairdresser stripped out the red with a non peroxide product and colored it so the "grow out" wouldn't be so obvious. Kept it cut short and now, a year later, it's all natural and I love it!

I have salt & pepper hair in the crown darkest brown just below that and salt and pepper in my ponytail and the front. To make it all shine, I use a white vinegar rinse.

Worried about what color you will have? I don't have a choice. If I cut it shorter, looks like a bad dye job. Better to leave it long and work with it. It is a challenge but a good hairdresser can make it work beautifully.

When I decided to go 'natural' it scared me to death. I have colored my hair since my early 20s. I've had everything from 'party pink' to green. (No kidding!) I had no idea how much gray I had, which areas or all over. I just kept it cut short and used a temporary rinse to cover the gray till all the color grew out. Now I wear it a bit longer and I love it. I save a small fortune on coloring, as my hair grows fast and I was doing it every 4-5 weeks. That savings now goes into my 'stash' fund!!!

For a youthful fun grey try adding some blonde to it. It will give a softened blonde that is very youthful looking.

I am salt and pepper and NO dying for me! I figure we are all exposed to way too many chemicals as it is and I don't want to dump any unnecessary chemicals on my head and breathe in the fumes. I have asthma and have a hard enough time with other people's perfumes, cleaning chemicals, etc.

All natural all the way. Also no make up.

My thoughts exactly!

I let mine go grey when I was 50. I was originally auburn and *enhanced* it with color! I was hoping I inherited my dad's pure white hair, but alas, got my momma's salt and pepper. Took me years to get used to the grey haired woman in the mirror, but now I would never go back to coloring it. I finally like the person I am! Going grey, to me, is aging gracefully. :lol: