Fifty Shades of grey

OK – at some point in our lives we all look in the mirror and see the dreaded grey hair. Whether you’ve been secretly hiding your greys since your early 20s or lucky enough to have one or two in your 30s - it’s something every stylist has to encounter at some point.

I’m all for going natural and rocking the silver fox look and you’ve got to have that special look and you’ve got to have that great shade of silver or white to be able to pull it off – and embrace it. Why is it socially acceptable for men to be all George Clooney and sexy when they go grey and women feel the need to spend a fortune on colour and products and fret about being old.

One of my clients says she won’t stop colouring her hair until she retires or she’ll look too haggard.
As a stylist I do enjoy the challenge of colouring grey and white hair – whether it’s to look natural with a few sneaky highlights or bright and bold in a complete change. But it makes me cringe when I see news articles proclaiming the horror that Kate Middleton has a few of the bad boys sprouting from her temples.

Helen Mirren, Judy Dench, Joan Baez are older women embracing their natural grey hues while the younger generation are choosing to go grey and platinum. Just take a look at the latest catwalks and pop stars such as Little Mix’s Perri and, Ellie Goulding, even Kelly Osbourne was spotted with a new grey do.

If you do fancy embracing your grey or white hair, just take a look at the many products available to enhance your colour. There are mousses, silver shampoos, conditioners and treatments to bring out the sparkle in your silver.

Have a look at UKHairdressers Grey and Proud Gallery - Denise O’Neill pictured above and other ladies talk about their transition to natural grey hair.