Why I Won’t Go Gray — At Least Not Soon

It wasn’t too way back that girls had been shamed for ageing — instructed they seemed “outdated” in the event that they dared to embrace their grey hair. In reality, I by no means noticed the ladies in my circle of relatives lean into it till properly into their 70s or 80s. My Abuela Celeste did not begin rocking her grays till her 70s, after my grandfather handed away. Earlier than that, she all the time sported these lovely ginger tones that seemed gorgeous towards her olive pores and skin. My mother did not really begin graying till her 50s, and even now, at 66, she’s nonetheless not fairly able to make the plunge of going totally grey.

In recent times, although, we have seen a rising motion of ladies — celebrities included — proudly refusing to cowl up their grays. And whereas I deeply admire it and discover it lovely in so some ways, I am not prepared to hitch that bandwagon anytime quickly. I am 39, and solely up to now few years began noticing a grey hair or two sprouting up. However this yr — and I blame the stress 2025 has introduced — I’ve began recognizing a couple of extra round my crown. And truthfully? I am simply not able to embrace them fairly but.

As somebody who solely will get my highlights retouched a few times a yr, the considered ultimately having to the touch up my roots recurrently — although I do know I nonetheless have a couple of years earlier than that turns into essential — instantly stresses me out. To be sincere, I simply do not see myself embracing grays earlier than my 60s or 70s. Like my abuela, my mother, and all my tías, my relationship with magnificence and self-importance has all the time been straight tied to feeling empowered. The ladies in my household — particularly my mother’s and my abuela’s generations — endured lots. Not solely of their private lives, but additionally in carving out a spot for themselves in a rustic that continually instructed them they weren’t sufficient.

My mom arrived from the Dominican Republic in Corona, Queens, when she was 13 years outdated. Assimilating to a brand new nation whereas studying a brand new language and tradition wasn’t straightforward. However one factor my abuela made certain of, as a brand new immigrant elevating 4 younger youngsters, together with my mother, was that she was all the time going to be ok with herself and maintain her head excessive each time she stepped outdoors the home. My grandmother confirmed up all over the place polished. It did not matter if she was heading to work or simply strolling to the nook bodega — she carried herself with model and magnificence. She nonetheless does right this moment at 97.

In some ways, that was a survival talent handed down from the ladies earlier than her, and one that every one three of her daughters would go on to embrace. Whereas everybody in my household has their very own relationship with self-importance — some extra intense than others — one factor I’ve all the time taken from it’s that after I look good, I really feel good. My aura shifts after I like what I see within the mirror, and truthfully, most days I do. Not as a result of I haven’t got flaws, however as a result of I’ve realized to understand all of me — a confidence rooted in how devoted I’m to caring for myself.

The reality is, 2025 has been a difficult and scary yr for many people. One of many few issues that has persistently introduced me pleasure — and helped me maintain onto my confidence in these unpredictable occasions — is ensuring that at any time when I go away the home, I like what I see within the mirror. I could not stroll out with a full face of make-up like my abuela usually did, however I all the time be certain that my pores and skin is moisturized, my nails are executed, I be ok with what I am sporting, and my hair appears to be like polished by my requirements. Nowadays, that additionally means being proactive about how I will deal with my grays as they begin coming in.

Like I discussed earlier than, I do not but have sufficient grays to justify common root-touchup appointments with my colorist. However they’ve grow to be noticeable sufficient that I generally discover myself plucking a couple of earlier than heading out the door. That is what despatched me down a rabbit gap — researching what really causes grey hair and exploring pure methods I would gradual the method down.

I began looking on TikTok and rapidly got here throughout numerous movies of influencers bragging about reversing their grays with Mary Ruth’s Grey Guard Liposomal. Whereas there’s no concrete proof that liposomal dietary supplements can really reverse grey hairs, some research recommend it might assist gradual or assist the method by enhancing the absorption of components like copper and B nutritional vitamins.

It is solely been about three weeks since I added the complement to my routine, and thus far I have never observed any modifications. Nonetheless, I am giving it a shot — many of the influencers I noticed on TikTok stated they did not discover outcomes till at the very least a month in. I am additionally fairly satisfied that my new grays are stress-induced, so I have been specializing in managing my stress, getting sufficient sleep, and exercising every day to hopefully forestall much more from displaying up.

I imagine one’s relationship with self-importance is deeply private. For me, it has by no means felt exhausting or consuming. I am not an enormous make-up lady, and most of my strategy to magnificence is fairly pure — except for my gel acrylic nails and my highlights. I am not addressing my grays as a result of I really feel pressured to suit into society’s mildew of what a girl in her late 30s ought to appear to be. Presenting myself in a approach that feels true to who I’m — at the very least proper now — for me is its personal type of resistance. I select to take care of myself, to like myself, and to verify I really feel like my baddie self each single day in a world that earnings from me hating who I’m as a brown-skinned Latina lady in her late 30s. That is my armor. That is my superpower. As a result of it doesn’t matter what obstacles come my approach, I am selecting to like myself by way of it.

Johanna Ferreira is the content material director for PS Juntos. With greater than 10 years of expertise, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central a part of Latine tradition. Beforehand, she spent shut to 3 years because the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she or he has freelanced for quite a few shops together with Refinery29, Oprah journal, Attract, InStyle, and Effectively+Good. She has additionally moderated and spoken on quite a few panels on Latine id.