11 Reasons I am Embracing My Gray Hair in My 20’s

One of the questions I get most frequently about embracing my gray hair in my 20’s is “why”?

So today I am diving into 11 reasons why I am learning to love my silvers before 30!

When I share with people that I am embracing my natural hair color, the first questions I get is “why”— and I understand why it can be confusing for some people. Growing up, we have gotten messages that gray hair equals “old”. And to be frank, our society idolizes youthfulness. That is why the “anti-aging” industry is worth billions of dollars. We want to look and feel as young as we can for as long as we can. So, embracing something that is so strongly associated with aging tends to be a bit counter-cultural.

For a long time, I had those ideas too. If you told me 5 years ago that I would grow out my gray hair before turning 30 I would have told you that you were crazy. So, I understand the question of why I would start this journey and am sharing some of my top reasons for embracing my gray hair in my 20’s!

12 Reasons I am Embracing My Gray Hair in My 20’s

Even while writing this I was thinking of even more reasons I’ve found to continue this journey. At this point, I am over 8 months into my grow out journey and continue finding reasons that this decision is the right one for me.

Genetics 

I have tested all my micronutrients, I have supplemented zinc and copper and vitamin d. I've minimized my stress levels, eaten a healthy diet, and eliminated many of my common environmental factors. I've searched for any other one of the main causes for premature graying and here's the deal--I am just one of those people with a genetic predisposition to gray hair at an early age. And those genetics come from both my parents. 

For me, my gray hair is here to stick around. So, I finally realized that i did not want to fight against that genetic predisposition for the rest of my life.

Living out what I am trying to teach

For those of you who are new around here, I have two young kids. My husband and I try to be intentional about the words my children hear when we speak about our bodies. I want my children to grow up confident in who God created them to be, and never doubt that they were fearfully and wonderfully made-- exactly how they are.

Growing out my natural hair has been a process of embracing myself fully-- exactly how I was created. In the last 8 months I have already seen this affect my confidence, how I view my body, and a deep reverence for how unique we all are. 

Freedom

For the last 15 years, I have mindfully watched my calendar for events and special occasions. I knew that I would need to schedule an appointment at a hair salon, or pick up a last-minute box of dye from the store in time to freshen up my roots. Dying my hair happened on such a regular basis that it was something I felt was always on my mind. 

While that works for some women, and they love the self-care aspect of getting their hair done, it just doesn't serve me anymore. I want the mental freedom of not having to think about setting aside time to get my hair done. I want the time freedom of not having to sit in a chair for hours while the dye processes. I want the financial freedom of not feeling like part of my income is tied to something that no longer is fulfilling. 

Health

There is no denying that hair dye is not the best thing for you. Personally, my scalp would itch and burn and be so uncomfortable while getting my hair done, and even for a day or so afterward. I didn't love the idea of those chemicals being absorbed into my scalp, and subsequently, the rest of my body. 

While I am all about balance and not living in fear of “toxins”, I also believe that we should be mindful of what our bodies are exposed to. For me, I wasn’t enjoying having my hair dyed enough to keep up with it— especially knowing that it was not doing my health any favors.

Saving money

Maintaining dyed hair is expensive. Regular salon visits, root touch-ups, DIY-ing it at home... it all adds up to a lot of money. Even though I am a big proponent of self-care and investing in things that fill your cup, getting my hair done was not one of those things. It felt more like an obligation than something that was filling my cup. I knew there were things I would much rather spend my money on.

Curiosity

The longer my natural roots grow, the more this curiosity grows. I am so curious about what my natural hair will look like once it is fully grown out. I am so curious what I have been spending all these years, and all this money, trying to cover up. Already, I have found that my hair is not nearly as white as I thought it would be, and I have much more contrast that I expected.

I think with each passing month, I can honestly say that I am enjoying and loving my natural hair more than the month before.

This decision is serving me now

While I am feeling more confident, and am enjoying saving money, and am curious about my natural hair color… I also am not committing to loving it forever. Maybe in a couple of years, I will want to dye my hair again. I think that was part of the reason I chose to embrace my hair in this season— because I can always change my mind if it is no longer something I enjoy!

Community

Since starting my own silver hair journey, I have loved following others that are growing out their own hair. I think it is one of the coolest, most inspiring things, to see women showing up for other women exactly as they are. I have gotten to interact with some of the most genuine, kind, and encouraging people throughout this process and for that, I will always be thankful.

“Mama, you look like Elsa”

I was a few months into the grow-out process when my Frozen-obsessed daughter audibly gasped. I immediately turned around and asked her if she was okay. In reply, she grabbed my hair and commented that it was turning white.

Immediately, my mind ran to justify why my hair was turning white and how I would explain this to my toddler. Instead, she continued on that I “looked like Elsa” and was turning into an “Ice Queen”….she was in awe.

And then, I was too— at the innocence of children, their sweet nature, and how in just a few moments, she filled me with a new confidence.

Hats, Buns, + Root Spray

Growing out my hair has so far not been as difficult as I anticipated. If I am struggling a bit more on a particular day, I throw a hat on. Or I throw my hair back in a bun (I have a lot of dark hair around my hair line, so my demarcation line is fairly blended when pulled back).

When I have gone to events or special occasions, I have used a bit of root spray or powder to further blur out the contrast a bit. Is it perfect? No. But does it look a bit more seamless? I think so.

No one really cares…

I promise that NO ONE cares about your hair as much as you do. And once I realized that… it was pretty freeing. Sure there may be a few people who don’t agree with me or don’t understand why I would do this. But I assure you, they do not think about it beyond that.

The only people who really seriously think about it are usually the people who are curious about starting the process themselves!

---

If you are also going through the journey of growing out your gray hair, I would love to hear from you! What are some of your own reasons for embracing the silver?!

Kaelyn

latest on the blog…