I’m 53 & allergic to box hair dyes – so I tried an £8 shampoo to see if it would banish my greys instead
PRESENTER and PR business owner Karin Ridgers, from Essex, suffered a terrifying allergic reaction after using a box dye to disguise her silver streaks.
Could a grey-covering shampoo work wonders instead, in just two weeks?
GREY hair, don’t care? That will never be me, I’m afraid.
I might be 53, but I’m not quite ready to embrace the wiry greys that are creeping down from my roots.
After decades of loving my rich brown locks, I hoped I’d follow in the footsteps of superstars like Andie MacDowell and Sarah Jessica Parker, who have made silver highlights hot.
Sadly, without the magic of hair dye, I’m less Hollywood glam and more granny chic, with each silver strand showing off another hard-earned year.
I’ve always adored my hair. Over the years, my shiny locks have endured everything from Eighties perms and vigorous backcombing to bold purple highlights and wash-in, wash-out dyes in eye-popping colours like flamingo pink.
I’ve even experimented with unconventional conditioners, such as mayonnaise and beer.
Honestly, these tresses have seen it all and they’ve come out unscathed.
So when I started catching sight of silver strands, aged 50, in the bathroom mirror, I was distraught.
According to a recent poll, two in five women feel self-conscious about their grey hair, while 36 per cent say it makes them feel less confident.
The study, by haircare brand Schwarzkopf, reports that half of women notice their first grey hairs when they’re in their early thirties.
Much like the glasses I begrudgingly wear to read the morning news, I find my greys appallingly ageing.
Turn for the worse
So I wasn’t surprised to hear that 72 per cent of women dread going grey, compared to just 36 per cent of men.
For weeks, I slathered a natural hair dye called Naturtint on my roots. But, much to my dismay, the greys kept coming thicker and faster than ever.
Then last month, my bid for grey-free locks took a dramatic turn for the worse.
I’d been invited to a film premiere so I wanted to look and feel fantastic next to the stars of the movie.
The idea of them seeing me and my silvery strands on the red carpet didn’t bear thinking about.
But after using a leading brand’s permanent hair dye, I was left with bulging eyes, a bright red face and a burning scalp.
Desperate, I covered up my tomato-toned skin with make-up and rushed to the emergency doctor.
The greys are getting worse and I’m fed up with seeing my ageing reflection in the mirror
I was so upset and worried. Would my eyes and skin return to normal?
I gulped down antihistamines and made it to the premiere, but after that I became a hermit for over a week, hiding at home waiting for my skin to calm down.
I had never suffered an allergic reaction to hair dye before and, of course, I wish I had done a patch test.
Several weeks and three allergy tests later, I can’t stand the thought of trying another at-home hair colour.
But the greys are getting worse and I’m fed up with seeing my ageing reflection in the mirror.
After seeing a flurry of posts about grey-covering shampoos on social media, I plumped for John Frieda’s Defy Grey brunette blending shampoo, which users claim blended away their silver streaks within just three weeks of regular use.
At £7.99, could this TikTok-approved product really be the answer to my woes?
I felt like I had nothing to lose, so grabbed a bottle and gave it a go . . .
DAY 1: THE FIRST WASH
I’M filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness as I flick open the bottle and squeeze a blob of the shampoo into my palm.
Dark brown in colour, as you’d expect, it looks thick and rich. I can’t wait to try it out.
Spooked by my earlier experience, I do an allergy test and pop several blobs on the inside of my elbows as suggested on the bottle.
Thankfully, I am fine.
The first application is straight- forward.
The shampoo creates a rich lather and feels like it’s thoroughly cleansing my hair.
It has to be left on for three minutes, which is one downside as I usually prefer to wash and go.
I perch on the side of the bath, counting down the minutes as the shampoo hopefully gets to work.
For maximum effect, I then apply the John Frieda Defy Grey Conditioner.
I am pleasantly surprised by how shiny my hair is after just one use.
It’s a promising start and I notice a subtle difference — my greys are already darker and less obvious.
DAY 5: CONFIDENCE BOOST
BY the fifth day, I have washed my hair with Defy Grey three times and there is a noticeable blending effect.
The greys seem less prominent, merging with my natural colour.
I look younger, like my actual age again, and feel more confident.
My hair is shiny, bouncy and feels good. I’m hopeful and excited.
It’s shaved five years off in just five days.
DAY 7: POSITIVE COMMENTS
BY the end of the first week, my husband and several friends begin to notice a difference.
“Your hair looks so fresh, full and shiny,” said one, sounding like the voiceover on a shampoo ad.
The blending of grey hairs continues and I also notice an improvement in the overall texture of my hair.
It feels stronger and looks shinier.
I have a Zoom meeting about my website and receive positive comments about my hair.
I feel time has turned back a bit.
DAY 14: DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE
AFTER two weeks of consistent use, I’m feeling genuinely impressed with these products.
My grey hairs, while not completely gone, are significantly less noticeable.
The blending effect is fantastic, giving my roots and silver hairs a more uniform colour and a much healthier overall look.
The colour of my hair has become much lighter over the past four months.
Using this shampoo hasn’t darkened my hair as I hoped.
However, the colour overall does look fresher.
Before, my locks looked washed out. Now they look healthy and revived.
VERDICT
MY experience with Defy Grey has been incredibly positive. It’s a cheap and cheerful alternative for dyeing your hair regularly that actually works.
My roots could still use a bit of colour on them but it’s those tell-tale wiry greys that this shampoo addresses, and they were my biggest issue.
I see the best grey-fading results fresh from the shower and while the sunshine still highlights a few rogue streaks, they’re so much less noticeable.
Its vegan-friendly formula, combined with its ability to subtly blend away greys naturally, is impressive.
But there’s no instant, drastic change. It offers a gradual, natural-looking improvement in hair colour.
It’s about enhancing what you have rather than covering it up — and that’s a philosophy I love.