For the longest time, women (and let’s be honest—men, too) visited the salon to cover up gray hair. It’s a little ironic then that gray hair would become trendy. Not only are older women embracing their naturally gray hair, but younger women are even dying their hair gray to emulate the look.
What’s the reason behind the trend? For some women, it’s about empowerment. Gray hair has long been associated with elder age, and that’s why they’ve always felt the need to cover it up. But over the past few years, society has started to acknowledge beauty transcends age. In other words, even when hair color starts to fade, women are still glamorous and sexy.
The science behind the graying of hair is fairly simple. Hair gets its color from a pigment called melanin, which diminishes in the cells of hair follicles as a person gets older. Those hairs turn gray at first, and eventually they become white. Although age is the primary factor in this change, it can be exacerbated by short-term or long-term stress. Not all people will lose their hair color the same way. Some go silver whereas others have a salt-and-pepper color.
Part of the movement to embrace gray hair has come from the Instagram account @grombre, which features pictures of women with their silver hair and reflections from them on why the trend resonates. As one user, @laurabess606, puts it, “I’m feeling comfortable and empowered as I let go of the need to try to look a certain way, and instead, accept my changing as a reflection of my growing wisdom.”
And yes, now young women are dying their naturally colored hair to look gray, achieving the cool, soft appearance they admire on the women who have gone gray naturally. As far back as 2011, celebrities such as Kelly Osbourne, Lady Gaga, Nicole Richie, and Rhianna have all made fashion statements by going silver.
Interested in giving silver a try? If you have to dye your hair to get the look, you should keep in mind that silver is much more easily achieved by blondes than by those with other hair colors. Unless you have platinum-blond hair, going gray will require bleaching, which could damage your hair when done on a long-term basis. You can still try going gray for a season, but just know that if you have naturally dark brown hair, it’s going to be difficult to maintain a silvery gray color and healthy hair at the same time.
If you have a warm skin tone, you might want to leave your roots their natural color to avoid looking washed out against the soft, cool gray.
And finally, whether your hair is naturally gray or whether you’re dying it gray, don’t be afraid to be adventurous. Streaks or tips of subtle blue or purple will give your hair a pop of color and complement the gray well without looking too ostentatious or funky.
