9 Ladies on Going Grey

“After I was 16, a child in my math class shouted out, ‘Hey, you’ve gotten grey hair!’” says Cup of Jo reader Kate. From then on, she dyed her hair each two weeks — till she was 34, welcomed a new child, and struggled with the maintenance. Now she loves the colour: “The opposite evening, my four-year-old stated, ‘Mama, I hope I’ve grey hair sooner or later as a result of it’s stunning.’ Breaking down magnificence norms for my daughter, might it get higher than that?”

Right here, eight extra Cup of Jo readers inform us about embracing their grays…

“My hair began turning grey after I was 12. 12! My older sister has the identical timeline — it’s simply who we’re. I dyed it for the primary and final time after I was 18. The grays got here again with a vengeance, and I’m so low upkeep that I made a decision to simply roll with it! Now it’s nearly totally white in a means that also manages to shock me. (New mates typically assume it’s blonde.) However I’ve totally leaned in — it’s a part of what makes me me.” — Amanda

“The place I dwell within the Netherlands, nobody feedback on my hair, however after I traveled to India for a household occasion, many individuals talked about it. Are you aware what I informed a relative who implied I wasn’t coloring my hair due to value? I stated, ‘I paid to get grey streaks, they’re very stylish and really costly!’” — Shweta

“I used to be going to the salon each couple weeks, ready for the blonde to sink in, solely to have stripes of silver present by way of days later. ‘Colour-resistant grey’ was the prognosis. So, I reduce my hair right into a pixie and located essentially the most startling pure ‘highlights’ in silver, salt and pepper, and darkish grey. Individuals usually ask me, ‘Do you shade your hair to get it to appear to be that?’” — Nona

“I come from a tradition of girls who dyed their hair it doesn’t matter what: ‘dejarse las canas significa descuido’ (‘grey hair equals neglect’) is what I heard each time a girl had seen roots. However then, on Instagram, I discovered a motion of girls of all ages leaving their hair pure. My hairdresser gave me refined grey highlights to make the transition smoother. My hair makes me really feel as true to myself as I’ve ever been.” — María

“I finished dyeing my hair two years in the past, after we moved from London to Tanzania. I used to be impressed by a girl I met right here who was embracing her grey. These early months have been exhausting! Wanting within the mirror and seeing grey was a wrestle, however then I turned 50 and determined I didn’t need to really feel disgrace about visibly growing old. There are nonetheless powerful days, however as a rule, I’m having fun with this new evolution.” — Cheryl

“I’m an arborist, which is a male-dominated area, and I believe I now get extra respect main workshops. It’s a aid to current slightly older and embrace the liberty of being myself.” — Pamela

“Grey is only a hair shade like some other. I’m studying, again and again, that hair doesn’t have something to do together with your worth as a human — it’s simply hair. I’ve additionally stopped utilizing the time period ‘prematurely grey,’ since most of my mates of their thirties even have grays. There’s nothing untimely about it — perhaps we’re simply completed hiding.” — Ruth

“What I really like most about my grey hair is that it’s a phenomenal means of marking time as I get older. As an alternative of a tough line between dyed and undyed hair, I see filaments of silver that develop denser at my roots.” — Erica

When did you first discover grey hair? How do you’re feeling about going grey?

P.S. Libby DeLana’s magnificence uniform, Cheryl Sparks’s week of outfits, and 4 extra ladies on going grey.

(Opening photograph by Chrissy Blake.)