Grey hair is incredibly flattering - History of Gray Hair.
Gray Hair: As you age, your hair loses its pigmentation and may gradually turn gray or white. Some individuals may also develop salt-and-pepper hair when some is pale and the rest has not yet been affected.
You may assume that hair dye is a recent invention, but it is recorded that as long ago as 300BC, women were using flower pollen to achieve a lighter effect. And you have to feel for the ladies of the Middle Ages who read in The Trotula to apply a cooked green lizard with apples and vinegar to create darker locks.
Fast forward to the 18th-century French court and grey hair had its first fashion moment when elaborate wigs were powdered with starch to give a grey appearance. However, wearers certainly suffered for their beauty. The wigs were heavy, infested with all manner of creatures (from lice to mice), and when a tax on hair powder made the trend unaffordable, many Parisiennes likely breathed a sigh of relief.
In 1909 came the invention of the first commercial hair dye and by the Fifties, home color products were launched – and a double standard introduced.
Grey-shaming had become rife – for women at least – and while men with grey hair were thought “distinguished” and stars such as Clark Gable and Cary Grant allowed greying at the temples, women did not receive the same treatment. A vintage advertisement asks women: “Are you losing friends – because of your grey hair?”
How does gray hair turn into flattering ?
Still, there have always been women who have embraced going grey – and as old Hollywood gave way to new, more and more women in the public eye too began to take the natural route. It paid off, as actress and early pioneer Jamie Lee Curtis explains. Although insiders initially thought that going grey would cost her roles, “now they’re all eating crow and saying how right I was to do it”.
For his 2010 collection, Calvin Klein decided the catwalk should represent the women who actually bought his clothes, and sent a grey- haired Kristen McMenamy down the catwalk. Givenchy and Chanel followed suit, and last year Grey Model Agency, focusing on older models, was founded in the UK.
With celebrities from Cara Delevingne to Nicole Richie experimenting with the shade, grey has been given a glamour focus. Tom Smith, colour director at London salon Billi Currie, says: “Grey hair is incredibly flattering. It neutralises pinky skin tones and makes them warmer.” It is worth noting though, that natural grey hair is very different. “There are no guarantees of uniformity in natural greying, which are translucent strands, meaning hair picks up the tone of remaining non-greys,” Smith explains.
Grey hair is incredibly flattering- Tom Smith, Color director
He recommends making greys a feature, enhancing the cluster by lightening the surrounding area to give a definitive streak. Alternatively, a softer approach is to lighten darker hairs so that the grey blends more easily.
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Grey timeline:
18th century
Grey hair enjoys a fashion moment as a trend for powdered wigs emerges.
1909
First commercial hair dye is created by Eugène Schueller, a French chemist.
The Fifties
Movie star Clark Gable embraces greying at the temples.
2000
Jamie Lee Curtis goes gorgeously grey and doesn’t look back.
2015
Grey gets a glamour focus as models experiment with the shade.
2020
It has become a look so desired that teens and twenty something’s are getting on board.
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