Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes has grey hair. Not a full head of grey hair, but at least a few strands. And if the gossip websites are to be believed, those grey hairs mean she must be a) stressed or b) pregnant.
We have another theory. We think she might be c) human.
So she’s 33 and has grey hair. Big deal. In a world where most celebrities are doing everything possible to make themselves look younger, a celebrity who shows some visible signs of aging is a bit of a rarity.
So why does everyone make such a fuss about it? Why is it such a crime to start looking older?
Like Katie Holmes, you could count the number of grey hairs Circle host Yumi Stynes’ has on a couple of hands. Still, she’s spoken publicly about going grey and the choice she’s made to keep her hair dye-free, stating she didn’t want to pretend to be something she’s not.
We spoke to 36-year-old Yumi about going grey, hair dye and silver-haired style icons. Have a look:
Yumi Stynes
When did you first notice your grey hair?
I found my first white hair when I was six years old! And ever since then they’ve been accumulating. It didn’t worry me then, it doesn’t worry me now.
Did they bother you at the beginning?
The onset of the grey has been so gradual I haven’t even thought about it. My hair is crazy thick so there’s still lots of lovely brown there too!
What’s the reason behind your decision not to dye your hair?
I dyed my hair twice in my life. Once, in 1995 I dyed it blue. This involved bleaching it white first which took FIVE HOURS IN THE SALON. I was so bored and the whole experience was expensive and vain and dull. The only other time I dyed my hair was when I was getting ready for the ARIA Awards – I used to cover the red carpet every year for Channel V. The day before the ceremony my boyfriend gave me a haircut that was SO SHIT that I thought dyeing it might distract everyone from the fact that I looked like a chubby 12-year-old boy! Fail!
So…I don’t dye my hair because it’s boring. And I quite like it the way it is. But if it ever gets to the point where I don’t like how it looks, I will happily dye it. It’s not a political point I’m dogmatic about.
Do you see any difference between dyeing grey hair and other hair colour changes, like blonde to brown?
My mum dyes her hair and she looks great. There’s definitely a difference between dyeing hair to cover up grey and just cosmetic coloring. I’m all for both – but I don’t have time for either.
Do you have any grey hair style icon?
I love Annette Shun Wah, she’s excellent. And stylish.
Any advice for people noticing their first few greys?
Do whatever you like! The one thing I’ve realized again and again as I get older is that it never pays to worry about what other people think of you. Laugh, eat, smile, love. I’d love to be a ridiculous old lady with wildly colored hair and lots of cats wearing beads and tie-died frocks.
With that in mind, here’s a gallery of our favourite silver-haired celebs…
Caitlin Moran
Do you colour your hair? Do you have a problem with grey hairs?
Comments
55 Comments so far
Yep, I have a few (more than a few actually) of those annoying grey hairs and have been dyeing them for a while but about 8wks ago got sick of it all and decided to leave them alone.
Now I am actually thinking of going grey and short…. A scary thought… grey and short….Makes me feel old.
But why should I feel old?
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Katie Holmes has nothing on MY awesome grey locks… Silver foxes f… yeah!
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I think some of those ladies who are most definitely older than Katie have blonde rather than grey hair….. Just sayin
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You forgot Mary Kostakidis and Margaret Pomeranz in your gallery!
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My grandma is 83 and still dyes her hair brown – she ain’t foolin’ nobody, but nobody’s going to tell her that!
I got my first greys at 26 and I kind of like the colour, it’s the frazzled ‘einstein’ texture that’s the problem! I dye it very rarely as it bores me to tears too, and I kind of like seing how many are really there. I think most of the women in that gallery look gorgeous and refined and I will happily embrace ‘full grey’ when I’m a bit older – but hopefully not yet.
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I just emailed that photo of Helen Mirren to my Mum who is a similar age and has the same hairstyle. Mum has been dyeing her hair for years, trying to keep a warm brown colour which suits her, but when the roots are grey it ages her more than having grey all over would. Let’s see if she listens to advice from me for a change *grin*.
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I’ve just turned 36 a week ago. My first grey hairs appeared just before turning 18. I’ve gone through phases of colouring my hair, but the nearest hairdresser is 100km away and I get bored with doing it myself. 8 weeks ago I was completely over my hair so I bought a hair clipper set at the local supermarker for $10 came home from work and shaved it number 2 and it is completely grey and I’m more than happy with it. I shaved it 5 years ago and then didn’t dye it for a few months, but this time I think I prefer the grey. It’s easier to maintain and I’ve gotten plenty of compliments on it so far.
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I have always dyed my hair because I am a natural mousy brown (ash blond), which looks grey in the light and really doesn’t go with my dark eyebrows. So, I will not be embracing the grey ..
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What about a shot of Sarah Harris of English vogue? She’s got long silver hair and is only 30 odd.
I’ve been coloring my hair since I was about 15, now do home dye jobs to cover the horrendous grey. Maybe I’ll reconsider when I turn 40.
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Hate my grey…hate the texture, hate the dullness, hate that I hate it and thus spend countless hours and $$ covering it…If it was just shiny, nice, soft, grey, maybe I’d feel differently but even when dyed (which is always) I can still spot the greys because of the texture!
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im 38 and have a few grey/white hairs. Don’t care at the moment. Not a bit. I will not say ill never dye it, but for now a smattering of grey is ok by me.
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Although it’s annoying & time consuming, but I’m currently home coloring every month.
If i’d stuck with the phryne Fisher bob I was sporting 4 years ago, maybe I would go with growing it out, but I grew my hair quite long for my wedding in January & i thinnk it would look terrible.
Plus I get a real buzz when people think I’m still in my 30′s. I’ll willing correct them that I’m 44, but that would change if I embraced the massive grey patch on one side of my hair.
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I’m planning to go grey gracefully. Anything else seems like horrible fakery. But then again, I’m an incorrigable hippy
http://the-accidental-housewife.blogspot.com.au/
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At age 46 I am 6 weeks into not colouring – I’ve had enough of the constant upkeep and lets be serious, coloured hair does not look natural. It can look helmut like and even ageing. Whenever I see ladies with grey hair I always go and compliment them as I think they look beautiful. I do think that when we let our hair go natural we have to pay particular attention to clothes and makeup – even changing the colours we wear.
I have thought about it for years until finally getting up the courage to do it. If you want inspiration and support with things like covering the skunk stripe during transition go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Going-Gray-Looking-Great/334857020776 .
Photo courtesy of TheBeautyStop.com.
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Erm, all the women in your gallery are much older than Katie and Elizabeth Taylor is blonde in that photo not grey. I dont thunk you can compare the men as where grey on a man looks distinguished, it is a much harder look for women to pull off without it ageing them.
This is one trend I definitely do not see taking off !
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I have no interest in letting my hair go grey, so I’ll be dyeing my hair the second my greys become noticeable enough to bother me. I have enough now that they do bother me somewhat, actually, but I’ve chosen to hide them by parting my hair differently for the meantime.
It really bothers me to see dyeing one’s hair being described as “vain”, when other cosmetic changes that women make are rarely described the same way. It seems just as vain to wear make-up or to use shapewear, yet I know women who do both who look down their noses at women who dye their greys.
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I am super grey -have been since I was 20. I love dye.
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Grey hairs are nothing. I’m more concerned about those random long white hairs I sometimes find growing off my chin!
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I pluck those little nasties out as soon as they appear. There’s more of them on a daily basis it seems. I’ll know I’m over vanity when I stop lucking them!
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Whats WITH that?! I swear the day I turned 40 they started. Its like all the random gorilla pubes from my share house days exacted their revenge and turn up white and on my face while I sleep!!
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I’m 44 and my mid-brown hair has only acquired a few silver hairs in the last few years. I don’t even get around to cutting my hair more than 2 or 3 times a year, so colouring it constantly ain’t gonna happen. My partner is quite salt & pepper and colours his hair and beard, so he’s quite happy for me to look close to the same age as him.
I don’t remember my mother not colouring her hair, so I guess she went grey in her mid-30s. As she went greyer, she had to dye it lighter and lighter shades to cover the greys but it didn’t suit her. So after Dad died and her roots were inches long before she thought about getting her hair done, my sister and I convinced her to grow it out and see what it looked like. She looked fabulous and it was much more flattering!
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And I think Brad Pitt looks strange with a greying beard and brown hair – dye both or neither, Brad!
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My boyfriend’s beard turned grey before his hair did… he might still be dyeing neither!
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I am 28 and I have dozens of greys. Actually, whites. My greys are dead white, when the rest of my hair is very dark brown, borderline black. I’m not really OK with this. I dye my hair at least every three weeks to keep on top of it.
I think I started to notice my first greys about four years ago. I take after my grandma, who got her first grey hair at 16.
Bugger.
Men who go grey are considered sexy, silver foxes. There aren’t as many examples of foxy silver ladies, especially in the mid-age bracket.
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I’m the same. I’m 33 with dark brown, almost black, hair and about 25% grey/white. I’ve cut my hair short so it’s easier to dye but I’m starting to worry about all the chemicals I’m exposing myself to. Apparently the more often you use hair dye the more likely you are to develop an allergy.
I’m thinking of using henna but I’m not sure if I want to be a red head.
I agree about men. My husband is 43 and about as grey as I am but it looks really good on him.
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Check out Rachel Ward’s parisian expedition in the Hoopla. Some fantastic short grey haircuts!
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Same same!! Am 28 with about 10 grey hairs. My hair is almost black, so grey’s will be noticiable. I found my first one at 24, which I think fuelled a quarter life crisis (said crisis culminated in getting a tattoo on a whim (seriously, I think it was linked to the grey!!)) At the moment I just pluck them out (finding them actually gives me a bit of joy, coz it means my hair is growing (have been growing it out for ages!)) Will probably dye it eventually, but not just yet (virgin hair).
Here is the most alarming thing…. Two weeks ago I found a grey in, errm, another area (i.e. not legs or underarms). I recall that happening to Samantha on SATC, but she was well into her forties. Bahaha. Oh well, gotta be able to laugh at these things.
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Don’t get me wrong – I love this website. But really – how many men in the photo gallery? I started going grey at 23. Seeing the likes of George Clooney or Brad Pitt going grey does not exactly inspire me to stop dying my hair. Throw more Yumi’s in the mix and I might start taking notice. Come on guys – really.
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I’m 41 and if I was greying all over, or in one patch I’d be fine to let it show but I have clumps of greys in various places that would look quite odd if I let it grow out. A friend found my first grey hair when I was 23. My husband is the same age as me and has NONE. Although he says he’d happily swap is receding hair line for a few greys.
Until my grey patches even out a bit I’ll stick with the dye.
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I’m going grey and embracing it.
My hair used to be dark brown but is going lighter anyway. It would now be classified as dark blonde, so the greys are blending in nicely.
I’m way too lazy to die my hair regularly and I quite like grey hair. I’m only in my early 30s but I don’t think looking older at work hurts me at all…
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I still don’t have a single grey hair!!!
On my head anyway…
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I am on par with Katy if Ilet my grays grow in. I put foils I. At Christmas to help they gray blend I. As it grows and I have been putting rinses in every week to keep it looking like I have highlights. Works well.
I would grow my gray in but my husband would not be happy. If I get to lazy tto put iin the rinse he points it out and offers to pay for me to go to the hair dresser.
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Yeah. No. I want to embrace my grey hair but I am not quite ready to give up just yet. It will be a glorious day the day I stop caring and just give in though. At 36, I still am not ready to admit defeat, but surely there is only so much “chocolate brown” my hair can take. Yumi looks great, I most certainly do not.
Got the silver foxes!
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Im 33 and I’ve chosen to go grey gracefully. Well thats the plan at the moment anyway. Have several grey hairs and getting a few more every year but don’t bother me in the slightest. Have actually had a friend tell me in the middle of a crowded pub to STOP like I had a spider on my head or something and then she proceeded to pull a random grey hair out. Was slightly embarrassed, then a bit annoyed and now I find it funny. With two little kids I have other priorities but dont hold it against anyone who does choose to dye their hair. I’ve just seen too many old woman whose dye jobs are so unatural looking their are terrible but each to their own.
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I spotted my first grey hairs at 16. I was so embarrassed to be honest, I thought I must be a total weirdo. Now I’m 22 and have a few, but I get highlights and that mostly hides them.
A few weeks ago my hairdresser’s stylish and beautiful daughter who I admire and who is around my age, noticed I had a couple of greys and said “Oh, you too! I’ve got SO MANY!” It made me feel better to know I’m not alone.
Props to everyone who doesn’t cover them up.
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I’d like to see those cats wearing beads & tie-dyed frocks… lol
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Love Yumi’s silver streak! LOVE IT! Don’t have any greys yet (I’m only 22) but also don’t dye my hair because it’s expensive and time consuming. And I hate doing it at home because the smell of the dye is so toxic! Embrace your natural colour ladies!
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unless I shave my head, I don’t really have the option to go naturally grey! I’m salt+pepper, with quite large patches of white since early 30′s. First grey hair @ 14, have been dying it ever since. My roots are pretty much white, so I can’t just let it grow out, I’ll look like a crazy homeless lady
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I probably won’t ever know if I get grey hair – I dye my hair constantly. I admit it. I know its bad for your hair and blah blah blah but Im a huge fan of hair dye. I think my hair has been every colour I can think of, and now it rotates between blonde in summer, dark brown in winter and red the rest of the time. It’s my way of giving it to that “need for change”. It has nothing to do with hiding grey hairs or anything, just because I like to change how I look when I get bored with it.
If people want to dye their hair, go ahead. If they like the look of grey, excellent. I know heaps of people who look fantastic with grey hair, there is nothing wrong with sporting a bit of grey.
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men with grey hair are just so hot! My husband has been turning grey since we met (he was 23) and I just love it!
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Karl Largerfeld, really??
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My husband has no sympathy when I complain about the odd grey hair – he’s been greying since late teens/early 20′s. He’s quite grey now and his younger brothers are even greyer. His younger brother dye it sometimes, but my husband has let nature take it’s course. I don’t mind the grey at all – it suits him.
I don’t mind the colour of my greys but I hate that they stand up straight!
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Grey hair is nothing to be worried about, even though I do dye mine once or twice a year. It’s those random hairs that you don’t see in the morning but by night time are sticking out a mile from the middle of your forehead…they’re the suckers to worry about.
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If I was married to Tom Cruise, I’d have grey hair too.
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My thoughts exactly…
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I’m 22 and spotted my first (very long) grey hair smack bang in the middle of my fringe last week. I wonder how long its been there and if anyone actually noticed…
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my husband is 30 and has the odd gray hair and he hates it already! haha
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My partner can’t wait to go grey – think he thinks it’ll make him look more like George Clooney (note- while very attractive he does not in any way look like George). He’s even named his car the ‘Silver Fox’ in George’s honour!
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My boyfriend is the same! He has a crippling fear that he’ll go bald before he has a chance to go grey!
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Yumi is an inspiration!! I loved it when I first noticed her greys and how she is confident and doesn’t hide them.
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I’m going grey & embracing it. It took me a while to train my hairdresser not to secretly chop the greys short when I wasn’t looking. I’ve been quite lucky that my hair is naturally highlighted & so I’ve never dyed it (unless you count a rinse in 2001 that turned my hair purple – meh). I think some people can ROCK grey & I’ve always wanted one grey skunk streak – but I’m going grey from both temples. Oh well. I show colour in other ways with my clothing & makeup, so going grey doesn’t bother me at all!
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I honestly can’t remember the last time I dyed my hair, it must be at least 3 years ago. I have noticed a few grey hairs in the past 6 months, and sometimes I yank them out, but I’m not going to cry myself to sleep over them, even though I’m only 27. I actually had a chat with my hairdresser about them and she said it’s perfectly normal at this age, or younger.
My mother is getting treatment for cancer which has included chemo, and seeing her lose her hair has made me appreciate every strand I have, no matter what colour it is.
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Theory d: she’s growing out her hair without coloring it to avoid damage and allow it to become as long as possible without it breaking off. I think it’s a beautiful idea , I’m a fan of long hair.
I do color my hair (but with henna/ indigo, no damage and thicker shinier hair) so I didn’t see my first grey hair…I’m 34 and I do have quite a few though .
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Theory e) she’s [trying to be] an actress and has whatever hairstyle the film wants her to!
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Boring. I started going grey at 25, who cares.
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