A 33-year-old woman has decided to embrace her gray locks – and saved herself more than $2,400 a year in trips to the salon.
After spotting her first gray hairs at the age of just 17, Alex Duvall, from California, has spent thousands in an attempt to mask her real colour over the years.
She forked out on pricey highlight treatments at the salon, which cost $500 a trip – but that would grow out after just a month.
Alex Duvall, 33, (pictured) decided to embrace her gray locks – and saved herself more than $2400 a year in trips to the salon
After spotting her first grey hairs at the age of just 17, Alex has spent thousands in an attempt to mask her grays over the years. Left with natural gray hair and right with freshly dyed hair
The primary school teacher resorted to switching some trips for bottle-dye in a bid to control the ever-spiralling costs.
But after more than a decade she decided to embrace her prematurely silvery tresses and says that she feels more beautiful than she ever has done before.
Alex said: ‘I first spotted some grays when I was 17. Both of my parents were fully grey and had been for quite some time, so in a way, I was kind of expecting it.
‘It was kind of a bummer moment and I immediately got my mother to box dye my hair to cover them so that no one could notice.
She used to fork out on pricey highlight treatments at the salon, which cost $500 a trip – but that would grow out after just a month. Pictured: Alex now loves her gray hair
‘This is when my life of box dyes and pricey highlights at the hairdressers would begin.’
Alex says that she has tried every hairstyle under the sun throughout the years while trying to cover her hair.
She added: ‘From dark to platinum blonde, ombre and balayage. I tried everything. As I got older my hair kept on getting more and more gray.
‘I would have to dye my hair at least once a month, but sometimes it was more than that.
Alex says that she has tried every hairstyle under the sun throughout the years while trying to cover her hair. Pictured with natural locks with her son Archer
Alex is pictured at her wedding in 2013 with freshly dyed hair. She used to get her hair dyed before all special occasions
‘People would always ask me ‘why is your hair like that?’ which kind of came across as though they were asking what is wrong with me.
‘I would sometimes google things like ‘why is my hair rapidly turning gray?’
‘There is just such a stigma around gray hair as people just associate it with old people. Everyone assumed I was too young to be grey.’
Alex would often spend $500 on a full head of highlights to disguise her gray hairs throughout a year, which would grow out within a month.
She said: ‘Because the highlights would soon grow out, I then wouldn’t be able to afford another $500 on the highlights, so I would buy a $10 box dye from the shop.
‘It was like a vicious cycle and just a reaction to being so desperate to cover the grays.
‘I wouldn’t think twice about spending $500 at the hairdressers. I wasted such a huge amount of money on it. I couldn’t imagine spending that much on my hair now.’
In 2017, at the age of 30, Alex gave birth to her son, Archer, now three, and was adamant that she wasn’t going to be a new mother with gray hair.
Alex with blonde hair during her pregnancy. She said the hair treatments became a ‘vicious cycle’
Alex would often spend $500 on a full head of highlights to disguise her gray hairs throughout a year, which would grow out within a month
She dyed her hair as soon as she could after giving birth so that she would have freshly coloured hair for pictures with her newborn.
Towards the end of that same year, Alex read a book which made her realise she wanted to do things differently in her life.
She said: ‘I gave up social media for a couple of years and tried to focus on other things.
Alex is pictured here with her husband, Robert, while growing out her gray hair in August 2020
Alex is pictured with blonder hair in 2011. The primary school teacher used to hate her silvery locks
‘I had an appointment at the hairdresser’s, where I said I wanted to grow my gray hair out.
‘I wanted to be really strong, but the hairdresser seemed to be opposed and I walked out with $400 worth of highlights.
‘I was blonde again and crying. I had another appointment booked for a couple of months time, but I didn’t go and started my grow out.
‘At the time I was a stay at home mother and if I went out I was wearing hats to still cover my hair, however, within five months I realised I loved my grey hair and I was really into it.
Alex is pictured with her gray hair in December 2020
Alex is fully embracing her gray hair and says that she loves it more than she has ever loved her hair before
‘It was natural and beautiful, so I kept going. In December I went back to social media and discovered a whole community of ladies embracing their gray hair. It was amazing.
‘I wished I had known about this during the start of my grow out. It was magical.’
Alex is fully embracing her gray hair and says that she loves it more than she has ever loved her hair before.
She added: ‘I can’t ever see myself dying my hair again. I want long silver mermaid hair.
Alex is pictured left and right with some grays showing after her colour was growing out
‘I feel so much more beautiful and more like myself. It’s like this is what I was meant to look like. I feel like I have a glow about me now.
‘I am more confident than I have ever been and I’m accepting myself for who I am. It is empowering and I am obsessed with my gray hair.’
Keep up with Alex’s grey hair journey on her Instagram: @alliegrowsgray.