My experience was a tad of each. During the summer of 2018 my hairdresser Ursula who had been “highlighting” my hair since I moved to California in 1992 broke her arm. There might be some things you can do with one arm out of commission however, doing intricate hair coloring is certainly not one of them. Teaching private swimming lessons up to six hours a day outdoors seemed the perfect time coupled with Ursula’s incapacitation to let my hair grow out. With no thought of trends or my philosophical stance about getting “old” in mind the grow out proceeded. Truth be told as a natural blonde it was surprisingly easy and I still am amazed in the fact that this is the best color job I ever had. No offense Ursula, mother nature is just a no contest.
But what if I were subscribing to a trend what is that all about. Well, since 2010 the “Granny” hair trend also known as the Granny gray has been having a moment. Granny hair is the movement to silver or grey hair either within the natural aging arc or by choice as a fashion statement a phenomenon of young women coloring their hair to different shades of gray at a much younger age than gray hair would be natural. In total contrast to what people have been doing for centuries, which is covering the gray.
According to Wikipedia – “The trend is attributed to fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, whose Autumn/Winter 2011 show featured models in grey Beehives. In Spring 2015, his catwalk show at Paris Fashion Week featured silver haired models as did the shows of other fashion designers Chanel and Gareth Pugh. Ellie Goulding was seen in 2011 with platinum hair that was shaded towards grey instead of white or blond. Kelly Osbourne was also an early proponent of the look, sporting gray hair as early as 2012. Over the next few years, many celebrities like Lady Gaga, Pink, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Dascha Polanco also tried out this new trend. By the summer of 2015, gray and pastel colors were regularly requested at salons, showing the growing popularity of the look.”
Wikipedia goes on to further highlight that: “Two groups emerged; young people changing their hair color and the older generation eager to embrace their natural grays. Something previously perceived as a feature that needs to be hidden, considered a flaw of aging, was embraced as desirable and beautiful. Movie stars Dame Judi Dench and Jamie Lee Curtis also wore more natural tones.”
What causes hair to change color, go gray, silver, or even white? It is all determined by the pigmentation or melanin in the hair follicles. There are two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. Typically, if more melanin is present, the color of the hair is darker; if less melanin is present, the hair is lighter. Levels of melanin can vary over time causing a person’s hair color to change, and it is possible to have hair follicles of more than one color on the same person. Which explains the natural highlighting in children’s hair and why hair changes color over time. People think stress will make you gray it does but only in part, because the hair follicle is responding and simply causing less melanin to be produced the same way aging does.
It’s your hair do what feels best for you but it is a reversible experiment whichever way you go so don’t stress it and who knows pink or purple hair maybe the new you.
PS – The dreaded skunk line, you know what I mean… that stripe on the top of your head where the darker hair is growing out and the lighter hair is coming in, and it looks like the back of a skunk. This can be dealt with… hairdressers now have processes which can create lovely Silver Transition Solutions.
Be well, Be Stylish, Be Happy as you Glow with me.