Recently, The Duchess of Cambridge came under criticism for showing off grey hair, which had become visible whilst pregnant with second child Princess Charlotte. Celebrity hair stylist Nicky Clarke said that the grey hair was a disaster, advising The Duchess to never show her greying tresses again. Having tended the locks of Princess Diana, Clarke said that women should never let their hair lose colour.

Is going grey the end of the world for women? Men not only get away with going grey, silver foxes are often described as sexy and attractive so why the double standards? 

It is believed that up to 99% of women would not want grey hair, or would prefer not to show it to the world, with many scared that their natural hair colour would make them look old – or older than they are.

Why and How Do Women Go Grey? 

Hair can turn grey for a variety of reasons. Some people’s hair changes due to stress, which can cause hair to lose its natural colour. Hair does not become grey, it grows that way. Every time a hair regenerates, so does the pigment forming cells which wear out as people get older.

The Shift 

With many women believed to be worried about showing their grey hair to the world, over the recent years there has been a significant shift in attitudes towards the hair colour – with many young women dying their natural tresses to the platinum grey shade. 

Women all over the world have embraced the silver, with celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Kylie Jenner sporting dos with silvery finishes. The unconventional colour works well for many skin tones, and has become an aspiration for many fashion blog readers – girls at the Coachella Festival put it in braids and accessorise with flowers.

Over the past year, the number of girls and women asking their stylist to turn their hair grey has skyrocketed, quickly replacing black as the go-to-colour – it has also stopped some older customers colouring their grey hair over, allowing them to display the stylish colour without spending the designer price tag. 

However, grey hair – for those who want to dye it- can be costly, and requires touching up every 4 to 6 weeks or less, which means the hair colour is a lot of work. This means that older women have an advantage over the younger generation! 

With this in mind, there are still many who shy away from the silvery shade, scared it means they are too old. The shade of grey carries negative connotations, meaning women often dye over it to try and make themselves trendier. But, it seems that those who want to embrace the latest fashions no longer have to hide behind the box dyes – letting the grey tresses flow free.

What do you think about grey hair? Do you like the new trend? Let us know on social media!