Going grombre

One woman’s journey to embracing the world of grombre

A woman’s relationship with her hair is often a complicated one, and I came to completely rethink my own in one simple moment. Call it an epiphany if you will… I was sitting with my accountant, sorting out my taxes and generally catching up with paperwork, when he turned to me and asked, “Do you know how much you’re spending getting your hair done?’’ (The cheek!)

Now, had I kept tabs on the bottles of dye for in-between salon appointments and all the visits to my favourite hairdresser? No, but I knew it had been adding up lately. The fact my accountant asked me about it made me stop and think, why do we do it? Why do we feel, especially as women, the pressure to keep our natural colour for as long as possible? The more I thought about it the more I questioned it. So, men get to be ‘silver foxes’ while we just disappear into the abyss? I think not.

Curious, I started investigating the trend I had seen lately of women who were choosing to go grey, often through an ombré effect (ombré is the French word for “colour that is shaded or graduated in tone”), and my research returned some fascinating results. Interestingly, searches for ‘grombre’ have sored since the start of last year, A-listers of all ages have been embracing the look, such as Pink and Lady Gaga, and this revolution has been spurred by social media, including the fabulous Instagram account, Grombre, which is dedicated to the movement and has over 152, 000 followers to date. What’s more, women who are going grey at an early age are embracing it in greater numbers than ever before, or even choosing to dye their hair grey before they’ve even spotted their first silver strand!

The point is, these women made the choice; whether it was for a style statement, political statement, or simply for cost, it doesn’t matter. What matters is they are empowered, and rightly so, to change beauty standards and make choices about their bodies that are right for them. Of course, finding the right hairdresser and products for you is crucial, they can help you feel beautiful and are elements of self-care you should definitely invest wisely in. However, it’s also important that these reflect you; if you want to stay brunette for longer, do, if you feel like more highlights, go ahead. The choice is yours to have fun with!

Another thing I reflected on through this, was my mother. She went grey at a very early age, and chose to go lighter and lighter, eventually going grey with the most exquisite blend of blonde and light-grey hair. She was certainly a front runner in this area of style, and I’m pleased I’ve decided to take a leaf out of her book. Your hair is your crowning glory, so what if it’s silver? Treat it well and shine your way.