Whether covering gray or getting a few highlights, more than 70% of women in the U.S. color their hair. Clearly the social pressure to dye is high. But these 12 women, and many others on social media and beyond, are choosing to embrace their natural silvers.
There are plenty of good reasons to do so. Many of these women write that they feel at peace and more like themselves once they ditch the dye. Plus, they’re saving gobs of money, not to mention hours in the stylist’s chair.
Even more importantly, hair color has been associated with numerous allergic reactions and even diseases including cancer. Just yesterday, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer that looked at 47,000 American women found women of color who use permanent hair dye were 45 percent more likely to develop breast cancer versus an increased risk of 7 percent among white women. The reason for the discrepancy between white and black women is unclear, but several other studies have found an increased cancer risk across the board among all women.
But the reason that seems most prevalent among silver sisters on social media is the camaraderie. Instagram feeds including @grombre,@silversistersinternational, and @artinaging highlight women who are going natural. The hashtag #grayhair has 715,000 posts on Instagram, #grayhairdontcare has more than 136,000 posts; #silversisters has more than 90,000. Allowing those whites to peek through or take over your entire head is a little less scary when you’ve got hundreds of women cheering you on and supporting your choice.
