‘Why I Decided to Go Grey In My Thirties’

In my 30s, I was doing my daily scripture reading, having faith and trusting God. A passage jumped out at me from the book of Luke. It said something to the effect of, “Indeed I know every hair on your head,” and “You’re worth more to me than many sparrows.” I had been dying my hair since my 20s, but after reading that, I decided to let it go, to grow it out and not colour it. Around the same time, I was also studying nutrition, and I had attended an eye-opening session about hair dye and the effects it might have on the body, which made me feel even better about my decision. I used natural, wash-out henna to help transition to grey; it was a mix of grey and black for a few years. I’ve been fully grey now for the last 15 years.

I was single when I stopped dying my hair; my mom did not like my grey hair and worried that I’d never find a boyfriend or get married. In those moments, I’d remind her that I trusted God, but she still didn’t get it. I had to walk away a lot. It took a long time but eventually she came around—when she saw people compliment my hair, she changed her opinion.

I didn’t date a lot in my 30s and 40s, but one former partner did ask me if I ever wanted to dye my hair. I was quick to tell him no, that grey was it for me. I got married at 50, and my spouse met me as I am, so he thinks my hair is pretty cool.

I also know who I am in Christ and this is how He created me. He doesn’t have a problem with me, so no one else should either. Letting my hair go grey continues to draw me closer in my relationship with Him, and I know God is blessing me because I trusted Him with one of my many life decisions.

I shop at the same health food store often and run into the same customers sometimes. There’s a woman I see there, and one day we were chatting in the produce aisle. She asked me about my hair and I gave her some advice on products and supplements to help grow hers out. I didn’t see her again until a year later; by then, she had let her hair go fully grey. It looked amazing! She came over and thanked me because her friends were giving her all these compliments, and she felt so much better about herself. It reinforced that in making this decision for myself, I was able to help someone else—and it made my day.

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