Chiming in with support! Your natural color is beautiful, and your cut is super flattering. No personal experience, as my brown hair is graying naturally. So many YLFers have fabulous gray hair, and that definitely has encouraged me not to dye my own. Good luck!

I stopped coloring and it was pretty painless----but my natural color wasn't TOO far off from the "boost" I was giving it.... And, I did shorten my hair at one point to be done with the dyed ends once and for all.

I had this idea, since the "wind blowing" photos gave you pause,.. what if you wore a small headband or scarf and wore your hair off your face and back? The part would disappear, and the front section might JUST show your natural color. I'd experiment with a headband or narrow tied scarf and see what that looks like! It's that PART which drove me crazy, and I tried to avoid having a part as much as possible during the grow out.

I actually love the ombré effect and I would be tempted to continue it, maybe even intensify it, by dyeing the tips darker. Your silver grey hair is a wonderful colour. But it will look great even if you go silver all the way.

And, I must say, you have lovely skin and a young looking face. You look great in the photos!

There is so much great advice and encouragement on this thread! I stopped coloring my hair about 7 years ago when I was 46 and will add a few variations on the theme:
1. The transition is the hardest, when it is not clear if what your are doing is intentional or not. You are lucky that your dyed hair is light so the difference is not that harsh, but it will take patience.
2. I went for the big chop to hasten the transition, but the real transition was in the next couple of years where I had to get used to seeing myself in the mirror.
3. I have never received a rude comment such as Anchie did (and I would be fuming if I had). But I have noticed that certain older than me women, with dyed hair, are the most resentful and tend to say things to indicate I am older than I am (ie as old or older than they are). Younger women have been incredibly encouraging, wishing their hair would be my color (haha) or their mother would do the same, or asking if it is natural, and definitely indicating that they plan to go grey when the time comes. (Of course only time will tell and fashions change.)
4. I do not go along with the idea that not dying is more authentic. Not at all! I wear more makeup not less now, does that mitigate my authenticity? We are born with our hair color and greying pattern but what we do with it is authentic whether it involves changing it or not.
5. On the other hand, my hair grows VERY fast and not having roots (very apparent against my very dark original color) makes me feel much better about myself. And I hated dying my hair either myself or in the salon.
Too long! Anyway good luck! You look terrific in your pictures!

If my hair looked like yours, I would definitely let it grow out. It's a beautiful shade of silver.

Wow, your silver roots are so fab!!!!-but can so relate to your fears. Otherwise than putting in more highlights, or cutting it shorter, you could for ex. wear a pony tail for posing in picties -or use a hat-or a hair band on top of your head -then the longer brown hair will not show from a front view. But frankly you have such a gorgeous hair, lots of texture!! Beautiful family picties, too!:-)

Wow thank you all so much! I knew I was coming to the right place for support!

Molly Mac - thank you for the pictures, great to see someone making it work!

Janet - I also had short hair for many years but it doesn't work on me any more. I think that is my mom's fear about her own gray, that it is patchy and not pretty. I actually may be grayer than she is (hard to tell of course since she's always colored it) which is ironic since her mom had beautiful white hair and is probably where I get mine.

Jenava - I agree that I should just leave it, faster grow out is a big plus!

Sal - you made me laugh - I don't have a lot of cellulite so maybe it's a trade-off!

Runcarla - Moms are funny aren't they? I wonder if I do that to my daughter...

The Cat - thank you so much for the detailed response! Good advice re:colors and this would be a good time for me to start on it. Those are all colors I wear and like but I'll have to pay closer attention to the golds and beige's that I wear. My eyes are gray but look blue sometimes so I think the colors will be good.

JAileen - thanks! Maybe it will look like yours!

juli - interesting that you get more compliments now, that's always nice

Vix - you mention a toner, any recommendations? I'm interested in that idea

Pil - I said the same thing a year ago, I think I'm ready now but it took me a while

Suz - I think your comments are very helpful, keep 'em coming!

Kathie - I wish i hadn't colored all these years then maybe it would be easier

Laurel - good ideas, I'll have to experiment with some scarves or clips

Brooklyn - I love the way you think - I am intrigued by the idea of darker tips, hmmm

Shevia - thank you so much! I am a bit worried that it will never look like me in the mirror - I told myself I have to give it enough time even when grown out to know if I actually like it. The authenticity issue is tricky because I feel pretty authentic as a brunette!

Bonnie - thanks! I do think it's pretty but it's just a big change

Nancy - I agree a good cut helps it look intentional. And younger

Lyn67 - thanks for the wonderful compliments! It was fun to all be together, doesn't happen too often these days.

Robin, growing out hair can be a challenge, you look lovely. I do like Brooklyn’s suggestion to go even more ombré and extreme in dying the ends of your hair.

I know my Mum would have had a similar reaction to your Mum. You need to wear your hair in a way that makes you happy. Silver hair is beautiful, as many forum members prove. So great that DH is supportive.

It looks pretty darn good I’d say. At the half & half mark it may get a bit awkward?

When I got ready to let mine go, I was dying my hair a pretty intense, dark red/auburn (sort of black cherry, maybe?) I had to do mine in stages, because the "skunk stripe" effect was just so jarring. I had a friend who had made the transition from jet black to growing out her white hair by having her stylist do a sort of ombre effect, so that's what I did but gradually because I'm not an expert. I started doing my roots a mid-brown-red sort of thing, and I did that for a few months. Then I went with a dark strawberry blonde for a couple of months, then a lighter strawberry blonde for a short while, then I quit doing anything to the roots. I

Ultimately, it was worth the pain in the arse because now "marshmallow hair" and "toasted coconut" hair are all the rage and people are spending a fortune to get their hair white and I don't have to do anything but a purple conditioner to keep the brassy notes away.

Good luck with your journey, I hope you find it to be as 'worth it' as I have

Jules, you’re probably right that the halfway will be awkward. I’ll have to keep an open mind for ways to help the transition.

Cindy, thanks telling me how you did it, I think yours is gorgeous! I have considered doing an all-over lighter shade but kind of want to get it over with. That could be a great solution though if I get to where I can’t stand it.

Very late to the thread, but chiming in with more encouragement. I think you are going to be very pleased w the final result. I love the idea of darkening the ends so you have a full ombré while growing out, or maybe doing some light lights on the crown to smooth the transition?

I have to say I’m envious of those who can make the transition and have a gorgeous head of silver or white hair. Can’t wait to see your new do!

Your natural color is SO beautiful! It will be well worth the effort to grow it out. However, it can become awkward when you hair is half-and-half, and highlights or even simply dying the rest to match your natural color might be worthwhile. I have grey coming in, and I have not colored it away. My hair is longer, and I would rather keep the grey than color and eventually have to deal with the stripe.

My mum colored her hair for years, and at first she just highlighted to disguise the grey. But then her entire head was eventually a light to medium brown that she never was even close to naturally. I encouraged her to grow out her natural color (her hair is quite short and always has been), and it is stunning. A truly salt and pepper, steely sort of color.

I think you will be very pleased with your hair when it completely grows out. The in-progress stage can be tough, but it will be worth it!

Hi RobinF! I haven’t been on the boards much lately, but am very glad I didn’t miss your post. I have only read a few of the comments, because I wanted to reply. Suz, I did see your comment. Thank you for the compliment to my silver whisperer stylist and your kind comments.
RobinF. Yay for you! It sounds like you are really ready for this change and I think that is the most important part. I love your pics! Your natural hair color is coming in beautifully! You have a radiant smile and that is what I think people will notice first.
IMO you don’t need to do anything other than maintain your healthy hair. If I had thought my transition would have been as lovely as yours, I would have given it a try. I was not at all confident and relied heavily on my stylist to help me. That is what worked for me. Your journey is your own and you should do what you feel is best for you.
Please continue to post updates!

I went natural about 2 years ago (around 40) after coloring for 10 years. I had absolutely no comments when growing it out (probably because people didn't know what to say!) But once I grew it out, I got lots of compliments and still do (particularly since I cut it into an edgier style.) Or took me a while to find my groove (thicker eyebrows, stronger makeup, edgier style) but once I did, I feel more like me then ever. I say go for it!

I have to applaud you because I just cannot do it, yet. I use a demi permanent dye and at this point just going a tad bit lighter each year. Right now I am using a dark natural blonde and will soon be doing a half/half mixture of dark and medium natural blonde. Eventually I will get there.

Hi again Robin --

re the toner, I'm not much help...my stylist used something pretty standard to take down the brassiness. [I had semi-perm dark brown which had always started getting red as it faded, then I had started doing 2/year highlights to help "blend the grey" and THAT'S what really did me in when I started transitioning, ugh, as I'd had my last highlight 2 months before.

My stylist only did a toner on me twice (IIRC 6 weeks apart) and then I just used a conditioner for blondes (!) the rest of the time.

If I could give another few tips -- coloring monthly meant I got a monthly clarifying shampoo plus deep condition. When I stopped that was only happening at cuts (~ 8-10 weeks) and man -- my hair got into a lot of trouble! I don't even use a lot of product but there was build-up, and then inefficient conditioning, etc.

Grey hair tends to dehydrate very easily from sun / environment, and can look coarse due to that. Like most, my grey is actually finer than my dark hair parts -- google Philip Kingsley for more on that if interested. So I rec experimenting with the type and frequency of conditioning your "new" hair needs to help it look its best.

Good luck!

Late to see this and to chime in but I strongly encourage you to keep going. Recognize this is the worst stage. There are many good tips here if it makes you crazy but I think it looks great

I wish I had been on the forum when I did this. My hair was long, grows slow, and took forever to grow out. Years. I definitely would have cut it shorter so it would have looked better sooner.

I love your natural color.

I took extreme measures recently and totally chopped mine off. Hair today. Gone tomorrow.
It was growing in patchy (brown/white/grey) since my 30s and was suffering from health stuff (Lupus/Thyroid) and didn’t wanna keep putting chemicals on it to keep it brown.
I’m 46 next month and I understand the concern of appearing older. I empathize. That said, I really like your new growth color. And I love ombre color, I think it can grow out looking really stylish. I don’t think it will age you based on your pictures.
I wish my growth were a solid color, but I am game to go with what I have.

As for comments though, first thing my Dad said was ‘Why on Earth would you do that??’ !!
He’s since adjusted. Or pretends to have!

Wow Opaline, you really did cut it! I'm not that brave but it would make the transition easier for sure and shows off your pretty face.