Woman is embracing her natural grey hair at 22

Lauryn Caldwell was just 16-years-old when she started noticing grey hairs coming through in her brunette locks.

After spending hours plucking them out, Lauryn, now 22, then began to dye her hair at 18.

But after getting fed up of having to maintain her colour with box dyes – covering them up every three weeks – she’s decided to let her natural colour shine through.

Lauryn, from Glasgow, said: ‘I noticed when I was 16 in high school and I felt uncomfortable a lot of the time as people would point them out.

‘You don’t see a lot of young people with grey hair and it was just me.

‘Neither of my parents got grey hair young.

‘I used to spend ages plucking them out in front of the mirror as my parents wouldn’t let me dye it. They would tell me to to just go with it and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about.’

Lauryn was eventually allowed to dye her hair black but noticed that the greys became even more noticeable.

Lauryn said: ‘When the grey started coming through it really contrasted with the dark.

‘I was dyeing it every three weeks because I was so determined not to be grey. I made sure it was always really dark and saturated in the black dye.

‘Doing this though made it become really damaged as I was dyeing my whole head, not just my roots and would spend £9 on a box each time.’

If you have naturally grey hair you may want to try ‘grey blending’:

Hair Expert Nicole Petty from Milk + Blush said: ‘Grey blending is a combination of balayage and highlights that are added to the hair to blend grey tones with your natural hair colour, to give the hair depth and create a smooth transition.

‘To achieve grey blending, remember that the process can take time, depending on the canvas you already have. For example, if you’ve spent years box-dyeing your hair, it’s going to take a few visits to the salon to lighten the hair and achieve the same results all over.

‘However, if you have got a blank canvas, or when you do, the process is relatively simple.

‘First, ask your hairdresser to work their balayage magic by strategically placing highlights or babylights throughout your hair a few centimetres from the root to accentuate the grey hair and give it a multidimensional look.

‘Next, for a showstopper, add a face-framing money piece by using lighter colours around the front stands of hair to illuminate the face.

‘Think carefully when choosing colours with your hairdresser. It’s best to opt for colours that will subtly blend with your natural hair colour if you want it to suit you.

‘If your hair is darker, opt for darker shades of salt and pepper or charcoal grey to complement and blend with your natural locks. 

‘Alternatively, natural blondes may wish to opt for lighter, warmer shades. Combining blonde with grey is a fabulous way to embrace greys in a youthful way without washing you out. Look to Diane Keaton, Cynthia Nixon and Helen Mirren for blonde-grey inspiration.  

‘Once done, don’t forget to look after your hair. Grey hair is naturally coarser and drier than pigmented hair, so it can easily look unkempt and aged if you don’t take care of it.  

‘Incorporate more moisturising products, such as oils and hair masks, into your routine to keep frizzy greys at bay, visibly soften hair, and help maintain hair health.’

But over the years, Lauryn grew in confidence, and is happy to embrace her natural locks.

Sharing her snaps online, Lauryn found a whole community of women who dub themselves the ‘silver sisters’ and empower each other to share their natural grey.

She added: ‘I stopped dying it in April 2021, as it was becoming hard to keep up with.

‘During the lockdown I let it grow naturally. I decided to have a look at other women who have grey hair and I couldn’t believe how many people are the same as me.

‘My hair maintenance is so much better as I look after it so much more now. I never used heat protection before and would also use the wrong shampoo with silicones in which made my hair even worse.

‘I also do oil treatments regularly and look after it so much more now.

‘There are still days where I look at it and I don’t like it, but I feel better for embracing it.

‘My family were so supportive of my decision, especially my parents as they always told me there wasn’t anything wrong with it, just let it be the colour it is and go for it.’

When Lauryn decided to let her natural colour come through, she knew she might get some second glances – which she says she ignores.

She said: ‘Especially working in retail people would stare at the top of my head but not comment.

‘More recently I have had a lot of positive comments – it’s a lot more grown out now, so you can see the whole colour and people will tell me how nice it looks.

‘I want to inspire other young girls to embrace their natural grey hair. I get messages from people older and young who tell me I have inspired them or tell me that they like my hair and want theirs to look like mine.

‘There isn’t enough representation of being young and grey in society and I want to help break the stigma surrounding it. I believe that us Silver Sisters can do that – smash society’s views on grey hair one strand at a time.

‘I thought I would dye it for life. I never thought I would let it be natural, especially not at 22.

‘I want more young girls to show their natural grey even though we’re made to feel it’s not normal.

‘Embrace it, don’t be scared to show your natural glitter.’

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