Glad to be grey
Grey hair had a bit of a fashion moment earlier this year when the likes of Tavi, Pixie Geldof and Kate Moss joined the blue rinse brigade. Actually, word on the blogosphere was that Kate Moss had been over doing it with the dry shampoo but that’s another story. And now the fad for young whippersnappers to tint their follicles has passed, it’s up to the grown-ups to keep it real. Praise then to Kristen McMenamy who stopped dyeing her hair six years ago and says, ‘You can get older and still be rock ‘n’ roll.’ The 46-year-old silver fox and TNMA pin-up looks beyond amazing in this photo shoot for Vogue.
Anyway, enough about her, let’s talk about me. That’s Not My Age has a Caryn Franklin-style grey streak. It appeared during my late twenties and I subsequently spent years and a fair amount of hard-earned cash paying someone to dye over it. Until one day, a new hairdresser told me they liked it, that I should grow it out and make a statement. So I did. Fast-forward to summer 2010 and er, grey is the new black. Why, even Tom Jones has ditched the dye and gone au naturel.
On the rocks: That’s Not My Age keeping it real.
That’s not me, that’s fashion broadcaster, Caryn Franklin.
The lovely Daphne Selfe, 81, models Sykes and a grey barnet, at London Fashion Week.
Jewellery designer, Sheila Teague, 57, loves platinum and silver.
Textile designer, Charlene Mullen, 46, shows off her handiwork and her silver-streaked hair.
The fabulously talented, Wendy Dagworthy, 60, head of the school of fashion and textiles at the Royal College of Art says, ‘I think it adds character. Grey hair looks good – it’s all about accepting your age and what you are.’
So, is grey here to stay? What do you think?
Photos
Kristen McMenamy and Caryn Franklin: Vogue
Daphne Selfe: Catwalking
Kristen McMenamy quote: Vogue
And I’d like to say a special thanks to blogger Charlotte OC for drawing my attention to Kristen McMenamy’s platinum do.
Discussion (32 Comments)
Ugh, I am struggling with mine. All the ladies pictured – you included – look lovely embracing their natural colour, but mine is sparsely mixed into my very dark hair and just looks dirty and mad rather than silver and glamorous. My mother had a silver streak at my age, and my gran was still salt and pepper well into her 70s, but mine has just gone crazy cat lady. So I dye it.
I have to say I also did a post on this last year.
http://rujon.blogspot.com/2009/11/to-surrender-or-not-to-surrender.html
I have debated it for so long now, my conclusion thus far is it really depends on your colouring. I am of the slightly warm strawberry blonde hue that shouldn't really wear black etc etc .. so grey hair makes me look sallow and old. Were are my friend who is of a cooler colouring looks great with a little grey.
I do think however from colouring all my friends hair.. as I am now officially retired they all look younger with colour.. as the hair shines and is smoother. It is a totally personal decision though and to be guided by a professional is usually the best bet … your photo looks great xxMy ex-mother-in-law went grey in her 20s and she always looks very elegant, I think it looks lovely if it's looked after.
I only have a few grey hairs so far, but I think I've inherited that from my Dad who only started to go really grey in his 60s.
You – and your grey hair – look lovely btw.
I think its OK if its white/silver,and if you have the looks you can carry anything off!
But dirty grey? Not so sure.
All the pics you showed look great.Loving the grey, but the real question here is how on earth did you achieve those Jen Aniston arms?? Secrets please! You look gorgeous. xx
http://www.weshopthereforeweare.co.uk/I enjoyed my grey hair until it reached that point that it just looked nasty. So I colored my hair until it was ALL grey. It's been that way for about 10 years now and I love it! I use a shampoo for silver/platinum hair to keep the color sharp – I want my hair shiny, not dull. Most of my friends still color their hair – their choice!
The grey streak looks really good on you.
I'm starting to find the odd one but they blend in with the amount of colour on my hair. I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to grow it out. Ever xx
Well, I'm completely gray and don't mind it a bit. It's way better than trying to keep it covered up. Great pictures!
oxoxo
DenaleeGreat post! I currently colour my grey strands or as my hairdresser used to call them in Sydney "natural highlights" and plan to continue colouring them until I am totally grey then may go blonde or a shade closer to grey 🙂
Leeann x
Thank you for your comments. I forgot to mention that the rest of my hair is dark blonde ie mousey brown and has erm natural highlights.
WeShop – that is a very flattering photo. Those are not the arms of Jennifer Aniston, they are the arms of a woman in her mid-forties who doesn't go to the gym! Though I swim a bit so maybe that helps.
Tiffany – when you go all out grey you'll look lovely like Silver Strands and Lillian
Ooh nice pic, what lovely arms you have too. PS, I never noticed the grey streak, am I blind?
Agree with Wendy, adds character and shows signs of smokin' hot confidence (especially when combined with smokin' hot Aniston arms)!
Nice shots of good grey.
I know the day will come for me when my dark brown hair starts to turn. Not sure what I'll do about it.
Grey hair can look really striking as you've noted. The impossibly beautiful Carmen dell'Orifice comes to mind as another stunning silver fox.
RollerGirl – you're obviously so stunned by my scintillating conversation, that you've failed to notice the greyness. Either that or I send you into a stupor!
Sensible footwear – good name, I'm obsessed with mum shoes! And yes, we love Carmen dell whats-er-name.
My mother hated it when she went grey. My sister let her hair go gray. I think I will keep mine in diffetent shades of blonde for ever. Love blonde hair.
A friend of mine in her early 40's did it.. and she looks fabulous! It's here to stay… LOVE it!
Great blog by the way!
Thanks
Another comment (and thank you for the undeserved compliment, TNMA!) – I did grow mine out a couple of years ago (after travelling for several months) and I didn't mind it, but when I started getting questions about retirement planning from junior colleagues, I realised that it had to go. I am looking forward to a sharp grey crop when the grey finally takes over!
I am grey but have dyed it since I was a teenager. I tried going blonde, but it didn't look right, so I'm back to a mid brown.
The texture of one's hair is important, I think, when thinking about letting it revert to its natural grey.
Mine is fecking awful and I'd just look like a frizzy mad old bag. I NEED to keep colouring it.
However, if you have hair that shines and has movement – go Grey.
Back in the day, this was called Platinum Blonde!
Ali x
Oh I don't know… should I take the plunge and just let my barnet show its grey? I should be braver but it would be the switch from enchanced blonde to natural grey that would be so hard I think! x
Well, I of the well documented arm issues have to applaud those ultra-sexy, shapely arms of yours TNMA!
I'd love to let my platinum colour grow in but my DH loves the platinum highlighted with blonde. (I'm getting fewer and fewer highlights so that he doesn't notice.)
I keep finding single white hairs in my very dark hair. I just pull them out, though of course I'll have to stop this at some point before I start going bald ha ha! I will probably dye it to avoid the crazy cat lady effect. Once it is completely grey, I'm not sure: it can look great on those with fairer skin, as in all your pics, but don't know about on those of us with darker skins.
Your post has had me thinking hard. I've dyed my short hair dark brown for years (I'm 44).
Its not that I worry about going grey at all, its just I've always believed my natural mousey hair colour was horrible.
So today I cut off all my dyed hair (not quite Sinead O'Connor, but pretty drastic!) This is the first time I've seen my natural hair colour since I was about 16. And its ok, I actually like it!
My hair is a mid-to-dark smoky brown – ok, its still mouse – sprinkled with strands of silver. (By the way, if we're reclaiming grey here, why can't we reclaim 'mouse' too? Or is that a step too far?)
I did have a back-up plan involving a pack of dye and/or headscarves, but I don't need them now.
Thanks for the push I needed!
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I'm thinking of keeping it grey when it turns but then I'm afraid the texture will be different. My husband's grey is more wiry than his black hair which would bother me on my head. And I can't believe that's Kristen's real hair! It's lovely.