On going grey and personal branding
Like lots of others, I stopped dyeing my hair during lockdown. Stuck in my modest, city flat in the north of Madrid, haircare was not a priority. I had thought about it before, but it never seemed to be the right time. Back in March 2020, time was the one thing we had.
Lockdown roots
I should have chronicled the whole process. But to be honest, it wasn’t very exciting. Watching your hair, or anyone else’s, grow out is definitely not a spectator sport. My upstairs and next-door neighbours were the lucky ones, witnesses to the whole process. They were extremely polite and refused to be drawn into giving opinions. ‘It’s a personal choice Jennifer, up to you!’
Photo swaps and selfies
What was fun was swapping photos with my friend Sheila. We’d take regular selfies and send them to each other. I’m not sharing them here, but perhaps I should have made a timelapse video. Now, there’s an idea.
Enter José M: my hair collaborator
Finally, hairdressers in Spain re-opened. Professional advice to be had. My guy, José M, was even more determined than I was to see things through. He rejected my suggestions of highlights or halfway colours. ‘If it’s no dye, it’s no dye!’ Perseverance was required.
And yes, it’s worth it, even that ID card photo that captured the grey tidal mark around my head. No more chemicals, no more plastic bottles, no more staring at my roots in the mirror. Long, expensive sessions at the peluquería? A thing of the past.
What no one tells you about grey
The upsides are clear, but there are downsides to ditching the dye. No one tells you that you’ll miss the shininess and smoothness of newly tinted locks. That grey hair is frizzier and coarser, more difficult to run your fingers through. Or that your scalp becomes more visible, making it look like your hair is thinning. Or that, like it or lump it, white and grey hair is still very much associated with age.
Old age that is.
Perks, perils and podgy perros
Grey hair means you are old enough to get a seat on the Metro. Hurrah! Thanks to anyone who ever gives up their seat on public transport.
But it also means you are ‘too old for running in the park’. That’s what I was told. By a pair of plump people with a podgy perro (OK, dog, but I wanted a p-word). No shaming intended here BTW.
Grey hair and leg hair in combination make you look like an old lesbian – apparently. Now, I’m not gay, but if I was, I could not care less what others may think.
One place where no one judges you is the swimming pool. No one knows your hair colour or your age. Long live the swimming cap!
From grey hair to personal brand
Grey haircare is a big market, set to reach $213.47 billion by 2032 according to this beauty industry report. Celebrities celebrate their natural looks. Products are all about enhancing and brightening, rather than covering up greyness. Big brands have a whole range of purple products, from toning shampoos that rid you of ‘yellow’ to smoothing treatments to battle the dryness.
It’s not enough to be grey, you need to be silver.
Fascinating to observe, but who wants to replace dyes with yet more products? Which brings me to the real point of this post: personal branding. My personal brand has grey hair.
So, what’s personal branding anyway?
We’re told all the time to create a personal brand. But what does that actually mean? It’s not just logos, colour schemes or fonts. It’s not a tagline or a fancy website.
Sometimes your brand starts with something as ordinary as your hair. Going grey has reminded me that a personal brand isn’t about covering things up. It’s about being yourself, however you choose to be, whether that’s dyed hair or silver and grey. Your hair, your values, your voice.
My hair is part of my brand now. Not because it’s silver, but because it’s mine. Free from dye and a little bit frizzy!
What about you? Is your hairstyle part of your personal brand?
