Only a few years ago, the Duchess of Cambridge was pilloried for showing grey roots, but now models both young and old are incorporating the hair colour into modern style

The days when women are encouraged to cover up their grey hair until they are deemed old enough to allow their roots to show look to be numbered. The image-led social media site Pinterest has revealed that searches of “going grey” have increased more than 879% and is predicting that in 2019 consumers will “stop fighting the natural ageing process in favour of letting their silver strands shine through”.

This newfound embrace of grey hair is, according to Prof Dr Carolyn Mair, who specialises in the psychology of fashion, an extension of the “anti anti-ageing movement that is taking hold”. She notes that “this outward display of self-acceptance and self-confidence brings a sense of empowerment and authenticity. It says: ‘This is me. I know who I am and I like who I am.’”

The positivity around the trend is in stark contrast to the way grey roots have been portrayed in the past. “Historically, women have been subjected to the double whammy of sexism and ageism once they show any physical signs of ageing,” says Mair. “A man with grey hair is a ‘silver fox’, but there are few positive words for older women.”

In 2013, the Duchess of Cambridge’s hairline became front-page news when she stepped out showing her silver roots. The celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke called the incident “a disaster” and told the Daily Mail: “Men can go grey in their mid-50s and still be considered attractive – it’s the whole silver fox thing – but it’s not the same for women.”

British Vogue’s deputy editor, Sarah Harris, is one of the most famous advocates of embracing natural grey hair and it has won her style icon status. “I never meant to be a pioneer or intend to stand for something,” says Harris, who found her first strand aged 16. “But when I was younger, I would watch my mum dye her hair back to dark brown and she would be at the salon every six weeks maintaining it because of the white regrowth. I never wanted to have to do that.”

Harris has noticed more people following her lead lately, from models young and old on the catwalk, to images on Instagram where she gets at least one message every day from a follower thanking her for inspiring them to embrace their roots. “If you see more and more women doing it then it’s more empowering,” she says. “People are less afraid and it doesn’t signify what it used to, which is getting old.”

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Josh Wood, the colourist who is responsible for the model Kristen McMenamy’s ethereal grey hair, agrees the tide has turned. “In the UK, there used to be a stigma about going grey. My mum’s generation would have seen someone with grey hair or roots and thought: ‘You’ve let yourself go,’” he says. “[Now], you can subtly incorporate grey hair into a style that’s contemporary, modern, glamorous and beautiful. It’s definitely not about letting go or feeling unkempt.”

The trick to managing the transition, advises Wood, is to start experimenting as “it helps you not to feel that all that lies ahead of you is this trudge of colouring your hair every few weeks”. While he concedes that, if you are brunette and going grey, “there’s going to be a bit of pain”, salon techniques including balayage and highlighting will help “camouflage, enhance and blend” while it grows out. “It’s about suitability and making hair colour look like it’s a part of your DNA.”

The grey-hair trend plays into the wider embrace of non-conformity, says Harris. “It’s a nice time to celebrate individuality and being experimental.”