Gray Hair, Don’t Care!

Gray hair is on the rise, even among young women. Twenty-something social media influencers now dye their hair varying shades of silver and gray. Some have even opted for a hint of fun pinks and blues at the ends of their gray tresses. Other young women have dyed their hair pure silver, choosing to frame their youthful faces with a color usually reserved for women who are well past the menopause transition.

Perhaps finding inspiration from their younger counterparts and celebrities like Penelope Cruz, Jamie Lee Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg, and Glenn Close, more and more women in midlife are choosing to let nature take its course when it comes to their hair.

Their reasons for going gray vary. Some want to do away with the time and money spent dying their hair. Others want to make a statement about society’s harsh beauty standards for women. Still, others say they’re fearful about whether the ingredients in hair dye are toxic. In the interest of lowering their personal toxins, they’ve decided to forgo hair dye.

What Is in Hair Dye, Anyway?

There are three main types of hair dye; temporary, semi-permanent, and permanent. Temporary dyes don’t penetrate the hair shaft, only cover the external layer of a hair strand. Temporary dyes last for about a wash or two.

Semi-permanent dyes penetrate the hair shaft and last for as long as five to ten hair washings.

Permanent dye, otherwise known as oxidative hair dye, changes the chemical composition within the hair shaft. Permanent hair dyes are the most convenient of the three because the color remains until new hair growth appears. It is the permanent hair dyes that are the most popular—and most maligned. This dye option is available in at-home coloring kits or at a salon.

The ingredients that make permanent dye so lasting may also make them toxic. Permanent hair dyes contain substances that cause a chemical reaction to penetrate the hair shaft. These substances include coal tar, amines, and phenols.

When mixed with hydrogen peroxide, these chemicals can change the color of hair permanently. The darker the hair dye, the more these coloring ingredients are contained within the dye.

Don’t be fooled into thinking organic or natural hair dyes are less toxic. There is actually no such thing as organic hair dye. Other than henna, all commercial hair dyes use active chemicals to make them work.

Permanent Hair Dyes & Cancer

A study published in the December 2019 issue of the International Journal of Cancer showed an association between the consistent use of permanent hair dyes and chemical hair straightening and breast cancer versus women who never used these products.

Notably, the study showed higher breast cancer rates for African American women who used permanent hair dye or straightened their hair. People who work in salons also appear to have higher rates of breast cancer than the general population.

The study found that using permanent dyes or chemical hair straighteners was associated with a 45% higher breast cancer risk in black women. In white women, the risk was 7%. Neither the use of semi-permanent nor temporary dyes showed any breast cancer link.

However, other researchers have since questioned the study. All the participants in the study had a sister with breast cancer, which already elevated their risk. The American Cancer Society published an article directly citing the study in its news section, stating “Researchers found an association between permanent hair dye use and women getting breast cancer, but they did not conclude that using permanent hair dye causes breast cancer. More and other types of research are needed.”

Data remains inconclusive regarding evidence linking hair dyes directly to cancer. Scientists agree that the results show a need for more research into the safety of permanent hair dyes.

What Should You Choose to Do in Midlife?

For many women, deciding to go gray is fraught with concerns about looking older, feeling attractive, remaining competitive in the workplace, and more. Hair, in many cultures, also holds profound significance. Fortunately, the choice to dye their hair or let the gray grow out is an increasingly individual decision.

When it comes to your hair, you have choices. If you prefer to cover your gray or change your natural color to a fun new shade, you have less toxic options that include permanent dyes.

The brands Aveda, Kevin Murphy, and Madison Reed provide 100% gray coverage in their hair color products with fewer harsh chemicals like ammonia, resorcinol, parabens, phthalates, PPD, and gluten. Drugstores now carry peroxide-free and ammonia-free at-home hair dye kits.

Hairprint is an exciting new product that claims to not be dye at all. Rather, it re-pigments gray hair back to its original color. Its patented technology creates the exact pigment molecule already in your hair. Right now, Hairprint only works on brown and black hair, but the company is working on blonde and red.

Growing out gray hair also has its own set of headaches. For people who have previously dyed their hair, growing out their gray hair can mean having to tolerate the half-colored half-gray look for months before they can cut off the colored half.

Some women simply get a pixie cut after their gray grows out an inch or two. You can also get highlights to match your salt and pepper. Whatever route you take, don’t overlook your hairstyle. A modern cut looks chic and stylish keeps you from feeling out-of-date.

If you decide to go gray gradually, fear not. Showing your roots off has been trendy in the last few years. In fact, hundreds of thousands of women have posted photos on Instagram using the #grannyhair hashtag. All it takes is a little confidence and a “who cares” attitude! If you need a little inspiration on going gray gracefully, check out this Pinterest page or Facebook groups like Gray and Proud, Going Gorgeously Gray, and Silver Revolution.

Whether you choose gray, platinum blonde, balayage or something else, go ahead and rock it. It’s your hair!