As some of you may recall, last year I considered letting the grey come in. I gave it a little over two months of growth. Then my hairdresser and I jointly decided I wasn't quite "ready" -- either psychologically or physically, in the sense that the hair wasn't coming in as grey overall as she had expected.
Since then, I've continue to colour and highlight. I get highlights every three or four months, and root colour every 6 weeks or so, sometimes leaving it a bit longer between colours. Because my natural colour and the dye colours are not far off, and because my hair is short and textured, there's not a super obvious line of demarcation until I get quite a lot of growth. (The dye is a taupey-ashy dark blonde, pretty close to my natural colour when I was younger.)
I actually don't mind this upkeep. But at the same time, I do want a change, and I'm feeling psychologically ready to make the shift very soon. I don't plan to do it immediately, but would begin the transition next fall, after I give some presentations where I wouldn't want to be looking unkempt..
But in discussing this with my hairdresser yesterday, I realized that I do have some fears, and I was finally able to articulate what they are.
Originally, my hairdresser had suggested that we simply stop the root colour and thread in some ashy highlights and possibly lowlights. This is the typical recommendation for blondes going grey and I'm sure it's the most "natural" seeming change.
But for some reason, this really didn't appeal to me.
I don't fear "being grey." (I actually look forward to that; based on how my brother, with similar colouring, is doing, I am pretty sure it will look good on me.)
No. What is bugging me is the idea of the typical "soft blonde to soft grey" progression. I don't know how to describe it. I get this sense of fadedness. That is what is bothering me.
Yesterday she made another suggestion that intrigued me -- bleaching the whole hair to a silvery platinum and then letting the natural colour grow in. I would have some obvious roots, but they would add depth to the platinum, and a bit of edge, and because I wear my hair short and textured (and it grows fast) it wouldn't be long before the platinum was gone, except in the form of highlights.
I would love your thoughts on this idea. I find it really intriguing. Does it sound possible?
ETA: I know there would be significant upkeep to platinum in the form of toners/ rinses/ shampoos, etc. but a lot of these are recommended for grey hair anyway so would be part of my longer term hair care budget.
Some inspiration pics.