silver hair | Kate Reilly James

Grey Matter

I’ve made a huge mistake….I’ve accepted a challenge to not dye my hair until I finish my NCTJ course in June 2016….worst.challenge.ever.

I don’t know who this lady is…but she knows the struggle!

If you’ve read my previous blogs you’ll know I’m obsessed with the grey hair trend that’s done a couple of rounds over the last two years. I had one disastrous attempt at going grey with a local salon….cue losing four inches off my length from snapping and resorting to having a (too short) fringe cut in to cheer myself up. Fail.

I’ve chatted at length to anyone who will listen, mainly Ro at Voodou Bold Street, about how to go about how to be a full on silver fox and keep my locks in good condition. I’ve consulted hair specialists as far away as Scarborough and watched a million youtube tutorials to see how those in the know achieve this iconic look.

The thing is….I’m going grey naturally…at an alarming rate too. I began my NCTJ course on September 7th and I’ve not dyed my hair since then and I’m rocking all over silver roots already. My sister who has had more hair colours and styles than I’ve had hot dinners, reckons I should let it grow out naturally, saving on damaging my hair further. So I thought about it and I’ve decided to kick the hair dye into touch for a few months…..well 8 months to be exact.

I currently have around two cm totally natural grey roots…I say grey….its definitely bright white in places and while I’m frustrated that I’ve got to stick this out for such a long time. I bloody love the colour!

My dilemma is this; I have one of two high profile press events to attend in the next few months and while still glossy, my hair looks a mess. Do I cut it redonkulously short to get rid of the dyed brunette…..or find a way to style it on these occasions and keep the length?

Wonder if Kate will join in with my challenge?

If I manage to stick to my plan and resist the temptation to dye, my hair will look amazing when I graduate in June. Either that or I’ll look like Helen Mirren.

Operation Silver Fox

I met a lady in the food court at Marks & Spencer yesterday morning. I stopped to speak to her because she had the most awesome hair I’ve ever seen. I stalked her for a few minutes down the cooked meats aisle and was tempted to try a sneaky iphone pic but it was fairly quiet at that time of the morning, and being frog marched out of M&S for stalking would have a serious affect on my Percy Pig habit.

I said hello instead and was greeted with a wide smile as I explained my fascination with her wild, curly mane of darkest brown and silver curls. The woman, in her 40’s was quite taken aback and explained that over the years she’d simply grown tired of having her roots done so frequently and decided to embrace her inner Caron Franklin and become a fully fledged silver fox. I too suffer from premature greying, I have to dye my brunette roots every two weeks which is a huge pain. Recently I’ve succumbed to ombre in the hope that the lighter ends will detract from the nuisance white curly terrors invading my fringe. I’m not fooling anyone.

Linda Rodin: intothegloss.com

I’ve toyed with going full silver. I adore Linda Rodin and her effortless style, she rocks braided hair better than my 9 year old, and she’s 65. The lady I met this morning might have just tipped me over the edge into a radical change. Her 100% natural, glossy dark locks were just past shoulder-length, a mass of tight curls and loose beach-type waves with a real flash of silver at her crown. She totally nailed it, dressed conservatively in palazzo pants and boucle biker jacket, perfect for a Friday morning stroll around the city shops, this confident, stylish woman pulled off a 2015 hair fad in a way a twenty something just cant. That’s because she’s not following the trend, she created it.

In hindsight I should have asked to take her pic to share with you, lesson learned.

Percy Pig anyone?

Kate Reilly James

Journalist, Writer, Artist

Tag Archives: silver hair

Grey Matter

Operation Silver Fox