A 29-year-old woman has made the bold decision to stop dyeing her hair and embrace her natural grey hair after years of hiding them. Like many women, she felt pressured to conform to beauty standards that promote covering grey hair, often seen as a sign of ageing. However, after a decade of battling to conceal her silver strands, she is finally embracing her true self—and wishes she had done it sooner.
Jade Connor, a photographer from Newcastle, discovered her first grey strand when she was just 15. “I was shocked when a friend noticed the grey streaks while straightening my hair,” she recalls. At the time, her grey hair was hidden beneath a top layer, so it didn’t bother her much initially. But by her early twenties, more silver strands appeared, and Jade found herself dyeing her hair frequently to cover them up.
Grey Hair Journey
Over the years, Jade experimented with every shade of brown, hoping to conceal her greys effectively. This constant routine took a toll on her confidence. “Going grey so young affected how I saw myself,” she explains. “People associate grey hair with ageing, and I didn’t want anyone to notice.” Jade’s fear of judgement led her to dye her hair every three weeks and use temporary sprays in between, creating a cycle of upkeep that she eventually found exhausting.
Her turning point came during the COVID-19 lockdown, a time when many people, including Jade, took a break from their usual beauty routines. With fewer public appearances, she let her grey hair grow out, enjoying the freedom from regular dyeing. However, when lockdown restrictions eased, Jade felt uncomfortable in public with her natural hair and went back to her old routine.
But this year, after seeing other women proudly flaunting their grey locks, Jade finally decided to stop dyeing her hair for good. She now wears her grey hair with pride and has found a new level of confidence. “I’ve never felt better,” she says. “I wish I had embraced my grey hair sooner.”
Jade hopes her story will encourage other women to reconsider their approach to grey hair and reject the notion that it’s something to hide. “Grey hair isn’t something to be ashamed of—it’s just another part of who I am,” she says.
Jade’s journey highlights the pressures society places on women to maintain certain beauty standards, but her decision to embrace her natural hair shows that confidence comes from self-acceptance, not conforming to expectations.
