Back in the day, gray hair used to be associated with wisdom and knowledge. In many places, it still is, for men at least. But our society still seems to have a collective issue with the natural aging process of the female human being, so reaching for the dye as soon as the first silvery sprouts appear is de rigueur for the vast majority of women under the age of 60.
However, the times they are a-changin.' Think of the hours and money spent in the hairdressers' chair, unquestioningly accepting the 'taboo' surrounding something perfectly normal and natural. Why should it be this way? 26-year-old Martha Truslow Smith decided that enough was enough, and founded the Instagram account grombre as a place of support and positivity for those women who choose to embrace their roots.
“The underlying reason I started Grombre was to start a different dialogue around gray hair on women and find the answer to some earnest questions of my own: "Is it true that my gray hair is ugly, makes me look old, and means I'm no longer good enough?,” Martha told Bored Panda. “I’m only in my twenties. If that is true, how will I feel and what will I believe about myself when I’m in my 40s, 50s, 60s?" I want to challenge the way we think about what we consider “beautiful,” and why, and propose that we have more important things to spend our precious time, energy and resources on if we find our hearts aren’t aligning with the things we find to be someone else’s biases.”
Helped along by celebrities like Lady Gaga who promoted the silver/platinum 'trend,' having gray hair is becoming something to be celebrated, rather than hidden, although Martha is a little skeptical about this. “The thing about silver hair dye is that it’s just that; it’s dye,” she told us. “I respectfully don’t understand the comparison between natural silver hair and dyed silver hair: between these two, one challenges the perspective of yourself, your priorities, and your insecurities, all while being a public statement of vulnerability that takes patience to endure, while the other is a chosen color that can change on any given day and may or may not reflect your natural self; the comparison takes two different categories and wraps it up in several neglected conversations. This isn’t said to knock anyone who is dying their hair- if you enjoy it, go for it! If you don’t, then the question I ask is: should you have to?”
These women have all ditched the dye and look simply stunning, and their stories only inspire more to have the courage to do the same, if they so choose. We here at Bored Panda have collected a list of the inspiring ladies from grombre, you can scroll down to meet them yourself. We'll leave you with some wise words of advice from Martha for young women who find themselves going gray: “Don’t fret over others opinions, instead, follow your calling, and you’ll surprise yourself with how strong you are and where your path will lead you.”
#21 Gray Hair Streaks
“Hi! I’m from Guatemala City, Guatemala. I started noticing grey at the age of 11. Now i am 30. Havent colored my hair in 4 years. My mom, sister and me have the same haircolor"
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191points
#22 Shades Of Silver
“This page gives me so much life! 10 years ago is when I ditched the dye & began my transition journey! I know the transition is messy & uncomfortable. I know the stares & whispers can be abundant but... Silver Sisters, KEEP GOING!! They aren't bothered by your hair, they are intimidated by your fierce independence! There is an amazing thing that happens not only physically, but spiritually when you release yourself from the societal rules & constraints that are imposed on us about our age & appearance! You cannot dim or hinder the glow of a woman who has declared her own freedom! There is so much power right inside YOU! Stop waiting! Take your power back and RUN! A woman who loves herself is unstoppable! Stop dimming your light for the comfort of others! Why hide when you were created to stand out?!”
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187points
#23 Beautiful Natural Hair
“I’ve had grays since age 23. I decided to let the grays grow at age 45. I receive positive compliments every day- most people ask who my colorist is. Their look of surprise when I tell them it is my own natural color is worth every penny I have saved by going natural!”
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182points
#24 Patches Of Gray
“I have had patches of grey in my hair since I was 13. I have dyed my hair over 50 times since then (8 years ago!) and now I just embrace it, pretend I’m Rogue from X-Men and have a grand old time!”
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173points
#25 Natural Silver Hair
“When I got my hair back from cancer 5 years ago, it came back gray. I felt that my youth was taken from initially and dyed my hair every two weeks in an effort to forget. Now I embrace the grey as a sign of surviving and thriving. I love my hair. Looking forward to it being fully grey!”
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170points
#26 Pretty Natural Hair
“I stopped dyeing my hair at 33 and I have never entertained the thought of going back. My skin tone has changed; dyeing my hair just wouldn't look right now. It means that people rarely forget you and I'm quite comfortable with that.”
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167points
#27 Long Silver Hair
“After 2,5 years I can say my transition is completed! I am now proud owner of a grey kinda wavy/wild mane! Loving it!”
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163points
#28 Gorgeous Natural Hair
“I come from a family of people with white hair, so I wasn’t suprised when I started graying in my late teens. I dyed off and on in my twenties, but by the time I hit thirty, I was tired of the expense. I chopped my hair and most of the color with it which made going grey super easy. I kept a basic no frills pixie for almost a decade, but as I neared forty, I wanted something different. I have had the undercut pixie for over a year now, and I LOVE it!”
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159points
#29 Going Grey
“I started going grey when I was about 20 years old, and I think because I was always little different (being born without my left hand) I didn't mind that my hair was doing it's own thing. Now that I am in my mid thirties, people are always asking me where I get my hair coloured - which is amazing, because I don't do anything to it! When I tell them it's all natural, many folks don't believe me - and that makes me feel kind of lucky. I have always LOVED seeing other women with beautiful greys in their hair, because I get to see a bit of myself in them. Sometimes I even feel like a bit of a rebel for not covering my greys, and that feels really fun. ps I have a one-handed cooking show on YouTube called Stump Kitchen!”
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158points
#30 Silver Strands
“My mom, my aunt, cousins, myself...anyone with my grandmother’s lineage has had early grays and I finally stopped dying. It has been the best decision of my life. At first my grandmother criticized me but I said this was us. This was our hair. She finally stopped dying this year. And tonight, she complimented my hair. Hers is platinum white. She said I dyed it white. I said this was all mine. And she smiled. I’m 33 and she’s 78.”
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157points
#31 Patch Of Silver
“My mom said I always had a small patch of silver from a child but not noticeable (I don't remember seeing grey hair as a child but my hair was thick and long so my mom would comb it and put it in really funky styles). As a young adult, I had dreadlocks but I would dye them black so they would look "healthy" and shiny. About 6 years ago, my hairdresser at the time said, "why are you dyeing these wonderful greys?!! People are paying to put grey in and covering yours up!". I stopped and embraced my silver patch. When I cut my locs off, my "mojo" (yes, that's what I call it) burst forth in all its glory... Did I say how thrilled I was to find this community?”
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155points
#32 White Strands
“I'm a Mexican girl, I'm 30 years old, but I have had grey hair since I was 5 years old and I actually love it. I'm very happy to discovered hundreds of women like me.”
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153points
#33 Beautiful Silver Hair
“Well... let’s talk about funny stuff. Silver hair has its quirks too, right? The one I laugh about the most is this one: do you remember when you had a hair tickling somewhere in your back after a bath and you couldn’t find it? But then you would go to the mirror and bingo! there it was, you could see it.
Well, not the same anymore! 🙈😂 Now I pray that all the falling white ones find their way, because they just stay there tickling and I can’t find them immediately because I can’t see them!
The struggle is real #silversisters ! 😂 Tell me the quirks you found!! 👩🏼🦳💖”
Well, not the same anymore! 🙈😂 Now I pray that all the falling white ones find their way, because they just stay there tickling and I can’t find them immediately because I can’t see them!
The struggle is real #silversisters ! 😂 Tell me the quirks you found!! 👩🏼🦳💖”
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152points
#34 Natural Curly Hair
“'I do wonder why people hate their grey hair so much! I think grey hair is a gift from the moon. When the moon laughs, her eyes produce tears of joy that fall to earth and land on the tops of people's heads!' -C. Joybell C.”
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140points
#35 Streaks Of Silver
“It is the second time I do the « experience » of this transition. First time was 3 years ago in 2015. I let them grow but then decided to cut them very short, I didn’t find a real proper way to arrange them, neither a new style, then they grow again and I suddenly tied them with biological vegetal brown color, as I was feeling less sure about myself. And also because I like to follow my desires ;) even if I change my mind. But somehow I felt sad to have covered my « inner light » again and decided this year, after months working on myself (meditation, reading and applying lots of self-development books, drawing, taking time for me out of my last job), to let them grow naturally, not only the color but the natural movement of my hair. And it matches perfectly with my state of mind and mindfulness. I think it represents how every woman/human has beauty and light and freedom inside her. And I’m proud of being part of a movement that spread courage, healthy lifestyle and self-acceptance around the world. Others are helping me and I’d like to help others wearing that white (and grey) flag on their head and learn that patience really worths it. 😌☀️Time reveals treasure when you take it.”
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139points
#36 Natural Gray Hair
No better way to wrap up a Monday than with the dreamiest curls and popping pink.
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135points
#37 Silvery Hair
“It’s been 9 months since I last dyed my hair. A friend just saw me for the first time since my transition and told me that she could never do what I was doing because she was “too vain.” She meant it as a compliment but I didn’t say anything back. No longer dyeing my hair doesn’t mean I’ve given up on myself or that I don’t care about my appearance. It’s the exact opposite. It means I’ve embraced my authentic self - I love who I am and I don’t have any desire to pretend to be anyone else. I’m 43 years old. I’ve dyed my hair for over 20 years. when I look in the mirror now, I finally see me. I’ve never been happier.”
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132points
#38 Embracing The Gray
“I've wrestled with grey hair my entire adult life. It was so much hassle keeping up with it, and I was also often embarrassed when I saw photos of myself with the grey roots peeking through! I finally decided to quit the dye summer 2017 and embrace my authentic self. It wasn't always easy at first, but the more it grows out the happier I am with it...one of the best decisions I could have made.”
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131points
#39 Short Gray Hair
“Most thought I was crazy for giving up the dye at 44...at times I thought I was...maybe I am! 🤷🏻♀️🤣 But if I could just let others “feel the freedom” that I have for just a few seconds...freedom to pull my hair back...freedom to have healthy, natural hair again....freedom from the time spent on having to dye it every 4 weeks...freedom in my own skin...freedom from what others think...then they’d know why!”
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126points
#40 Going Silver
“I don’t care what you think about me, I don’t think about you at all🖤”
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125points