Prematurely greying...can I go blonde???

Hey all....

I am in my early 20`s and thanks to my less-than-stellar genetics, I am going ~completely~ grey. Well, I *would* be completely grey, but I`ve been dying my hair since I was about 16. Dying it very dark colors too, dark brown, nearly black...trying to match my natural hair color. The problem of course is that I see my bright white roots every two weeks or so and they drive me crazy. I am tired of having to color my hair so often to cover up the blinding grey. :-(

If I were to bleach my hair out and dye it blonde, or at least switch to a much much lighter brown, would my roots be as noticable? And would I finally be able to just dye my hair once every four to six weeks like everyone else does instead of having to dye it twice a month?

I would appreciate any ideas or suggestions as I am totally clueless! :-)

If you think of all the older women who are more or less completely gray, they all end up going lighter (since their faces end up getting lighter too, and dark hair looks really harsh on a lot of older women).

So, although I don`t know from personal experience, I think that would be evidence enough that lighter hair works just as well over greys. I would think that any grey roots wouldn`t be as noticeable right away because you wouldn`t have such a contrast with the rest of your hair. Plus, since you`re dying all the time anyway, it might be interesting to try something new.

I agree with the other person who replied, that, if possible, you should try to get the first dye job done in a salon. Going from dark to light is a notoriously challenging thing, and often leads to a lot of hair wreckage. If you can afford it, I would suggest trying to get a stylist to lighten your hair for the first time, and then doing it yourself afterwards. Otherwise, try to find a friend who has successfully gone from dark to light with minimal damage. Certain home dyes are nicer on your hair, and will leave you with a nicer colour. I`m obviously no expert, but I would assume that going to a light brown first off might be smarter than going really light blonde, because a) you`re not loading up on so much harsh chemical all at once and b) you won`t end up with that brassy yellow shade that most brunettes first experience. Someone with real hair knowledge may completely disagree here, and justifiably, but I`m assuming that your best bet would be to go to a light brown initially (especially something with ashier tones) and then in subsequent dyejobs, gradually go lighter. Also, you may want to consider how your complexion would suit lighter hair. Most people can look decent in lighter shades, although the ideal shade for you will definitely vary. Ask your friends what will work best for you; try to find a hairstylist who will give a free consultation, even if you don`t end up visiting for the colour job itself; or, most preferentially, try to find a hairstylist who can do the colour job.

Hope that helps! At least you got the lousy genetics for something that can be easily hidden, unlike people (like me!) with genetics for stuff like varicose veins (not so simple to eliminate!!) or worse..