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We recently received this email from Angela, one of our faithful readers who’s under 30, and gray:

I’ve recently turned 30 and just had my 3rd baby. While on maternity leave I decided to embrace the gray and let it grow out. I just felt like I should put the money into something for the family instead of covering up the inevitable.

I get a lot of comments on it and as insecure as I am at times about it, I think it’s a fun topic of discussion/icebreaker for anyone new I meet.

I think it shows my kids that it doesn’t matter what others think ‘normal’ should be, as long as the person is comfortable with oneself.

We love it, Angela!

Terri Holley

Terri Holley is the owner and founder of Revolution Gray. She's a 58-year-old empty nester who, at the age of 41, transitioned from a 20+ year career of working in the federal and private sectors to full-time entrepreneurship. Along with Revolution Gray, Terri owns an online marketing firm called Holley Creative. She has an awesome husband of 33 years, and a sweet, kind adult daughter who is a Physician Assistant student.

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19 Responses

  4. Kori Reply

    Glad to see someone around my age. I've noticed that women in their 20s and early 30s are not too visible with gray hair… anywhere. I'm so sick of dying and I'd love to embrace my natural hair but I am so nervous.. I would love to see more examples of women who are successfully pulling it off in my age group.

    • Devin Reply

      I totally relate! I’ve been going gray since I was 16, and spent a lot of years (& $) dyeing it because that’s what you do in our family. (first dyed my hair at 11) Mine came in a streak – my hubby called it my Rogue Streak. Now its a whole section (the top of my head). I’m trying to be bold about it. I’m turning 33 next week. And I’ve decided I’m ditching the dye bottles. This summer I’ll cut off all the dyed length & go short.

      • Gekasi Reply

        ME TOO! I am so sick of dying my hair but am also so nervous. I have had it all gray before but felt really insecure and dyed it again, immediately regretting it. I mean I like to see color up there, but from a bottle it looks so fake and makes me more insecure. I have been struggling with this topic for a while now. So far I have chin length hair (AGAIN) and haven’t dyed it again for about 2 months, so maybe one day at a time I’ll get back to all natural me…..I want long, regally gray hair!

        I am so glad there is support out there. Especially for those of us under 40. I am 32 years old, married with 5 kids. I have a supportive family, I just need to get over myself, gosh.

        I am also not going to dye my hair anymore, one day at a time….. There! I said it.

        Thanks so much for all of you women out there who are in the same place as me, being vulnerable, but still brave and loving yourself and sharing your stories. You encourage and empower me to be brave and beautiful and healthy.

  5. Devin Reply

    I took the plunge and got a pixie cut. So no more dyed hair. I love the cut, which suprised & pleased me. And my friends love it – which makes it even easier.

    One day at a time. That’s a great way to take it!

  6. Maddy Reply

    I had beautiful silky black hair. I started going gray at 17 and was so upset – that’s when I started dyeing it. But I hated having to do it, my roots showed through after only a couple of weeks and I didn’t like that I was spending money and time to put nasty chemicals on my head. I started going blonde with foils instead but my hair always looked like straw, so I tried more natural hair dyes which didn’t irritate my skin or lungs but usually didn’t cover the gray and left residue on my head. I really really wanted to just let my hair be itself but as I was still only just over 30 years old I couldn’t bear the thought of it. Eventually, at 33 years old, I got my slap in the face when I went to get foils again and ended up getting my scalp burned pretty badly. It was then that I made the decision to never again colour my hair. I put up with two-tone regrowth for months before I finally decided that I liked my natural silver colour way better than the yucky gold ends, so I chopped all the old colour off. It has been hard, as acquaintances who see me now usually get this shocked look on their face like “wow she’s aged 20 years overnight”, but usually they tell me they like my “haircut”;-) But my husband and family and real friends love me regardless and it has been so liberating to be myself, to not have to hide this part of myself that I have felt ashamed of for so long and it feels good to run my fingers through my hair knowing it is natural and healthy and has no chemicals painted onto it. I am so glad to find this site as my one real wish is that women of all ages would give up hair coloring altogether and stop allowing the big companies to tell us what is and isn’t beautiful. So glad to find so many other young women embracing the gray.

    • Looking4Courage2goGray Reply

      Thank you for your post. It makes me like I might actually be able to do this!

  7. Clare Reply

    32 and embracing my gray! It isn’t easy at times putting up with silly comments (e.g., “you are too young to be gray”) and noticing not so subtle stares at my head. I used to pluck out the hairs and try to hide them. I have just been plucking away and trying to hide me…for who? I am fortunate to have a hairdresser that refuses to dye my hair; she encourages me to rock it. I am encouraged to read that others are also rocking it. Let’s hear it for living in the gray!

  8. Ruth Reply

    I’m 38 and started going grey at 16 and started dying it at about 19. I’ve been a slave to the dye ever since although I’m not too previous about showing the roots. I should be colouring my hair every 3 weeks but in reality I only did it monthly. Now I am going to let it grow out. I have white roots at the moment and I am so excited to see how it will look. My boyfriend is less excited and has asked me not to but I am doing it anyway!

    • Chloe Browne Reply

      Hi Ruth, are you in the UK? I’m looking for some women who have embraced grey hair despite receiving criticism for it to potentially take part in a very positive advertising campaign.

      Could you please email me at chloe.browne@barcroftmedia.com so I can tell you more?

      Thanks!

      Chloe

  9. Danielle Reply

    I am so glad I found this story! I’m 30…on the dot…and have been grey/white starting at age 13. I remember vividly the look of horror on the stylist’s face when she found it and suggested to my mom (that’s how young I was) that highlights be considered to blend the grey out. My mom decided I was too young for that but by 15 I wore her down and started with the bleach. Just a few foils at first but we all know how that goes, right? Since then I’ve been blonde, brown, red and finally got tired of it. I’ve been growing out for about two months now and feel stalled and self conscious and like I’m crawling in my own skin. Help! I hope to look as beautiful as the women I see here but I’m itching to get this skunk phase over with!

  10. Kathy Anderson Reply

    I love when women have the confidence to be comfortable in their own skin….nothing says this more than embracing your grey hair! Grey is about maturity not age.
    You may have to change your colours in clothing to suit the new hair…which incidentally my daughter delighfully describes as ‘tinsel’.
    So many reasons for not tinting….all those chemicals on your scalp, try rubbing a bit of cut garlic on your foot and wait to see how long till you taste the garlic in your mouth!
    Hours and hours of wasted time when you could be doing something interesting. Waste of money. Environmental damage when millions of people are washing this dye down the drains.
    I am 48 now, but have been natural for over 8 years…..the worst bit is the actual growing out the old dyed stuff which represents the ‘old’ you – and represents the servitude to the ‘norm’ as provided by the fashion industries which wish to make endless money out of you .

    Good luck and best wishes to all like minded Tinsels – remember not everyone is as unique as you to be able to rock this look at such a youthful age!

  11. zerina Reply

    I’m 45 going to try this again. Ive been gray and coloring since I was 18. Hardest part growing out gray was going to day care and kids telling my son that his grandma was here. So here I go.
    my hair is very thick coarse frizzy and curly. Suggestions on hair products would be great.

  12. Kelly Reply

    Hi Zerina

    I have been using a purple Shampoo and a light texture lotion to hold done the frizzy greys. They are by Crew and are my husbands products for his grey hair.

    I did the blonde highlights but getting sick of them now. The texture lotion is awesome. It is strange but you seem to need much more products for grey hair.

    Best of luck and be patient.

  13. Cass Reply

    I’m 27 and starting to go grey. I really hate dying my hair and love how it feels when it’s natural. Unlike a lot of these women on here with partners and children already, I’m very single and fear having grey showing up will deter future any ‘suitors’. Just because it is so uncommon in my community, I would stick out like a sore thumb. Any thoughts or comments would be very appreciated!

  14. Joanne Reply

    I’m 33 and started going seriously grey at about 25 or so. I had naturally very dark hair, and so dyed my hair dark, but still always got comments about the grey roots. I was having to go to the hairdresser every 3 weeks at the end. I stopped two years ago and now have completely grey hair. It was so hard at first, but it feels great now. It just feels normal and although I sometimes miss my dark hair, I will never dye it again. However, now I am pregnant with my second child and I wonder how people will react to seeing a pregnant woman with completely grey hair?? Another interesting experience ahead.

  15. Maddie Reply

    Beautiful! I’m 44 but I have a 6 year old. I’m letting my grey hair grow out! Can’t wait!

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