Grey Hair

The growth of grey hair
How grey hair can look more Helen Mirren than Miss Marple
It’s a curious trend that as our obsession with youthful skin increases, our preoccupation with graying hair recedes. Increasingly there are those who embrace their faded locks. I’m thinking of Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and, most recently, Prince Charles’s wife Camilla, whose hair is now a striking shade of platinum white.
Not only do these women look great on their own terms, they are striking a blow against our youth-obsessed culture. And they look infinitely better than, say, Elizabeth Taylor, who has maintained her jet-black hair. Far from prolonging the illusion of youth, the harsh color makes her look drained and, I fear, a little sad.
There are limits: gunmetal grey is universally unflattering, especially when cut ruthlessly short in an am-I-bothered way. To work best, grey hair should tend towards white or gold, and you (or your hairdresser) need to be mindful of brassiness (grey hair is porous, and suffers from the Because same problems as over-bleached hair). Also, the shape of the cut and overall condition matter more than ever: wearing it in an old-lady shape will make you look like Miss Marple.

Jane Marple, usually known as Miss Marple, is a fictional character appearing in twelve of Agatha Christie's crime novels.