25 Women Going Gray Gracefully Who Will Inspire You to Quit Dying Your Hair

Thinking of going gray? These women are sharing their journey with growing in their gray and growing out their hair dye and showing us all how to go gray gracefully. They'll inspire you to ditch your hair dye and let your gray grow in too, I promise!

I come from a long line of women who proudly dye their hair. I recently asked my sister, who is a bit older than me, when she started going gray and she answered, “I still haven’t, as far as I know.” I, myself, have been a happy unnatural blonde for the last fifteen years.

I assumed I would follow in the footsteps of my other family members and continue to make the 4- to 6-week visits to the hair salon well into my 70s and 80s until the pandemic hit and I couldn’t go to the salon for four months.

During that time, I got to know my original dark brown hair color again and decided I want to go for a more natural and easier to keep up style. When I finally got back to safely see my hairstylist, she added lowlights so I can grow out my blonde and back into my natural brown. I’m looking forward to the journey.

I’m interested to see how my gray hairs will come in as well. Right now, I only have a few and I have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen as they continue to multiply.

That’s why it’s so helpful to see other women document their hair journey. There have been a number of women recently who have decided to ditch the dye and let the gray come in and who are sharing their process on Instagram. 

It’s so helpful to see how real women are handling going gray. Too often, we only see women with perfectly colored hair and then one day they turn up with an elegant all gray hairstyle. But how did they get there? These real women are showing us that going gray doesn’t have have to be a mystery and can be a beautiful look in its own right.

1. @naturally_silver

Frankie is proof that there is nothing more dramatic than silver strands in very dark hair and that you can absolutely still create fun hairstyles with transitioning gray hair. She wears her hair in a sleek bob or fun waves and has played around with adding pink and purple color to her gray.

2. @silver.isthenew.black

Speaking of drama, Fransje, who has been dye-free since February 2020, really knows how to style her hair to accentuate her dramatic silver streak in front. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!

3. @greysian_

Another sister with a silver streak, Greysian_ last dyed her hair in March 2020 but it obviously grows quite quickly. I’m so envious of her thick and lush curls and I love the way she styles her hair to accent the gray.

4. @jens_going_gray.zy

Here is Jennifer Lee 21 weeks after her last hair dye. Doesn’t the gray in her hair accent her hair color and bring out the color of her eyes?

5. @bravelygray

Joelle is proof that going gray doesn’t have to make you look older. She still looks like a teenager as she rocks her gray strands and loose curls.

6. @anagrisalhando

Here’s a cute short-haired salt and pepper look that I love. This actress and mom believes in taking care of herself and aging gracefully. In addition to letting her gray locks grow in she also quit smoking this year.

7. @herecomesthesilver

Blakely is another woman who was inspired by the pandemic to let her gray grow in and I think it looks beautiful. She last dyed her hair in February 2020 and recently cut her hair into a cute bob that’s going to look beautiful as the gray grows out.

8. @silverliberation

If you think growing out your gray will make you look boring or less youthful, check out Vanessa’s Instagram page and you’ll find out quite quickly just how wrong you are. She shows a ton of cute looks for her hair and radiates a youthful glow in every picture.

9. @gray_feels_great

When you look at Evgenia’s hair, you understand why young girls were dying their hair silver a few years back. Her mixture of silver and brown strands looks smooth and silky and absolutely gorgeous.

10. @juliasjourneytosilver

I really love following Julia’s feed because she’s documenting her journey to go gray from the very beginning. She last dyed her hair in March 2020 and her natural gray and darker color are coming in beautifully and mixing so nicely with her previous hair color. I can’t wait to see the rest of her progress.

11. @kelly.o.doherty

I love seeing the many looks Kelly is able to do with her hair: sleek, wildly curly and everything in between. Her gray to brown hair looks like the popular ombre hair color look too.

12. @mysilver_lining_2019

The woman in the mysilver_living_2019 account last dyed her hair in August 2019. I love how she’s keeping around some of the remaining color deliberately kind of as an accent to add depth and dimension and a a bit of fun to her gray. She has a lot of fun with her hair – and takes good care of it – and you can tell.

13. @silvershug

I love, love, love love Shugi’s retro curls and the many ways she wears her hair. I especially how how her Instagram account provides such great documentation of her hair transformation. The difference between her first photo with straight brown hair and her last, with wild gray curls, will prove once and for all that gray hair can actually make you look younger.

14. @gray_cious_me

Gray_cious_me hasn’t colored her hair for the last 18 months and her hair has transitioned into a lovely salt and pepper color that’s so flattering on her. I love her cute and versatile bob too.

15. @jogogray

Jonie Peck proves you don’t have to cut your hair short if you decide to go gray. Her long curls have transitioned nicely to salt and pepper with soft brown ombre color at the end to add depth.

16. @ma_vie_en_blanc_

Another beauty to show us you don’t need to cut your locks when you go gray, @ma_vie_en_blanc_ likes to wear her long layers straight and swingy.

17. @s.i.l.v.e.r.fox

At the opposite end of the length spectrum, Halyna stopped dying her hair in January 2020 and then buzzed it short in March 2020 for a dramatic and surprisingly versatile look.

18. @mindy.gale

Mindy’s gray strands accentuate her beautiful curls. I love the various ways she wears her hair: from the tight curls shown here to a voluminous blowout any movie star would be proud of. No matter how she wears her hair, her silver only enhances her style.

19. @rainydayjames3611

Do you think going gray will turn you into an old lady? Well, nobody told Ashley that. This stylish mom sports lock, thick hair made even more striking by her gray strands. She happily shares all the photos from her gray hair transitions as an inspiration on her feed.

20. @the_gray_gal

I love how @the_gray_gal’s silver fades into her previous blonde so subtly and I especially like looking at her feed because her hair is quite fine, like mine, and she shows that even fine hair can go grow beautifully.

21. @georgia_goes_grey

I honestly can’t get enough of the “going gray” hair diaries. Georgia last died her hair in February 2020 and is sharing the products she’s using to manage her hair during her transition. I love how smooth and elegant her hair looks.

22. @silverjudy20

Judy hasn’t died her hair since January 2020. I love her pictures showing how artful hair styling can really help to blend in your gray with the rest of your hair and create a cohesive look.

23. @grisalhasustentavel

How beautiful are the flecks of silver throughout Ana’s dark hair? She last dyed her hair in January and her silver is coming in so elegantly. I love her heavy bangs as well.

24. @curlysilverfox

Georgina is a “Women’s Rebel Coach – Helping women become unapologetic for who they are & who they want to become!” and her mop of silver curls acts as a role model for all women who are unapologetically going gray, doesn’t it? She posts empowering quotes on her Instagram feed in addition to stunning self-portraits.

25. @sarahssilverlining

Sarah last dyed her hair in February 2020 and decided to do something a little fun while waiting for her gray to come in. She dyed the bottom of her hair bright purple! I think it looks wonderful, don’t you?

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