Supporting Silvers Feature: Kelly Bassett
Hello, my name is Kelly Bassett, I live in England in a coastal town called Brighton. I turned 40 last September (2019) so this may seem strange to be sharing this with you all but if you continue to read my story you will see why this number became very significant for me.
I started noticing my silver-grey hair when I was about 15 at which point, I began pulling them out, however as fast as I was pulling them the quicker, they grew back! The first greys came through my center parting. It was within a year that I first colored my hair, I ended up having blonde highlights through the top at 16 to try and disguise the growth. Growing out my silver- grey hair at that time was not something that I would have ever considered. The thought never crossed my mind as I was still growing into me and with the heightened awareness of being a teenager the media at that time had such a huge influence on my style and thoughts. Silver-grey hair was most certainly not seen on younger women. It was something that an older lady would have (when I say that I mean a lady in her late seventies) It was a time when silver-grey hair meant you were old, that you had almost stopped caring about your appearance. It’s funny looking back as then age was not something to be embraced or celebrated in the way that it is now. Now we see age merely as a number, we take value in who we are and the adventure that brings us to these numbers. Age is for sure is a mindset and certainly should not to be defined by how we look, what we wear and certainly not by our hair color.
After I was married in 2010, I had a lot of fun with my hair color purely because it was a challenge to color and keep the silver-grey coming through. Mine was all in the front and very heavy on the front parting, very much like the cartoon character Pepe Le Pew which I remembered from my childhood. I tried to grow out my silver grey for the first time properly just before I fell pregnant with our daughter. I took advice from the hairdresser and went for a full head of highlights and each session we tried to go lighter and lighter to help the growth disappear. The maintenance was huge and in reality, I did not like how it made me look, as the rest of my hair was not coming through as light, it was much darker. When I found out I was pregnant I used a henna coloring kit to go back to a light brown and decided that I would give it another try but this time just let it grow out naturally. I think that change of everything going on during that time from my physical appearance to my mindset I was just not in the right place to go through the transition. I carried on using natural hair color. Finally, about a year after our son was born, I was really fed up with the coloring process, the re-growth seemed to come quickly, and I just wanted to be free of dying my hair and embrace my natural hair color.
One evening I sat and scrolled through Pinterest for tips and motivation, I was typing in how quickly does hair grow and silver grey hair styles. I saw so many images popping up and many which came to view were are younger women. It was so inspiring to see women in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s with silver grey hair and what I noticed most was how it really suited their skin tones, they were all glowing. There was a particular lady that I really felt connected too as she had a very similar hair line as me, strong in the front and seemed to be a similar age to me also. I read through her blog which was so inspiring to read, and it was then that I found Instagram hashtags and a real community. I was going to be 40 in a couple of years and I set my goal, to be silver-grey by the time I was 40!
It was such an interesting time as the first 4- 6 months were certainly the hardest part of the transition, yet they were also the best part. I did end up cutting my hair shorter as I really did not enjoy the “blorange” stage. I used a spray hair root cover up for quite some time. The final part of my transition was helped by my hairdresser to merge my natural color with some blonde highlights at the bottom of my hair so that it did not look a block color at the top to the bottom. This has now grown out and my hair is back to being long. I made my goal to having silver-grey hair for my 40th and I am so delighted I finally made the transition.
You learn so much about yourself and how you see yourself going through this transition. It’s funny how the media has a huge pull on us as females to be, and look, a certain way. Yet when we all find our direction, the strength we find within ourselves is most uplifting. I feel so much stronger and confident in myself, it is as though I am no longer covering a part of me up and I am not ashamed of my silver-greys anymore. I feel empowered by my hair color. There are so many women doing the same and it is so powerful to see and watch this movement. The media has also started to take an interest in this and that in itself says a lot about this movement. We truly are blessed when we are who we are and having silver-grey hair does not define me by age, it just shows who I am, unique, and true to me.
I hope if you are reading this and want to take the leap into growing out your silver-grey hair, that my story helps you to make the first steps because it really is an inspiring and unique experience. I feel really proud of my hair color and how it has shaped me into being a much more confident woman. The connections I have made through this process have been so supportive, there is a great connection amongst other women, a sisterhood that is rising up and it is wonderful to see and be part of it.
I feel more myself than I have ever been, and I love how my hair looks on me. I could not imagine having to color my hair ever again, as the positive and uplifting comments I constantly receive from people I meet makes me feel very content.
I met Kelly on Instagram and we have been following and supporting each other for two years. She is lovely and very talented and showcases beautiful photographs of her home, her children, and her life by the sea. Kelly believes that your home should spire life and well being. You can follow her on Instagram @ktheinteriorwarrior and here is an article she recently wrote on Feng shui and making your home calmer. Enjoy!