A mum who had to endure cruel slurs and jibes at school when she started to go grey at just 16, is now having the last laugh. Shannyn Pierce has embraced her silver locks and is saving over £1,000 a year on visits to the salon for hair dyes.
As a teenager, Shannyn, 34, was shocked to discover grey hairs coming through. It was the last thing the 16-year-old wanted to see, and it led to bullying and nasty name-calling from her unkind classmates, who said she was looking 'old'.
In order to fit in and deter any other insults, she started visiting a salon every six weeks to have her hair dyed black. It was a hefty investment for it cost Shannyn £130 each visit.
But it was money well spent for the teen because she no longer stood out as different or 'old' looking. However, as she approached her 30th birthday, something changed and she decided she was finally ready to go natural and accept her silver mane once and for all.
Visits to the salon were no longer necessary and she saved herself a fortune in the process. Four years since she made the decision, Shannyn is still as pleased as punch with her silvery locks and attracts many compliments.
The mum, who lives in Texas with her husband Trevor, 35, and two sons Rowen and Jackson, hasn’t looked back since deciding to ditch the dye.
She said: "It's honestly the best hair of my life. I've never received more compliments on my hair than I do now
"It's incredibly healthy and it actually moves on its own because it's not covered with chemicals. It's not weighed down or anything like that, it's really nice. It's so much easier - and so much cheaper.
Saving money on expensive salon dye treatments is beneficial for the whole family, she says: "I save an incredible amount of money now, and thank goodness, because I have two children now."
Like many teenagers, Shannyn dyed her hair. But when it started going grey, it became a necessity rather and an experiment.
“I just started growing grey - it's my genetics. People had opinions and you start being ashamed of it and want to cover it up, which I did for about 15 years.
"At high school, I started getting all sorts of comments about how ugly it is, and people were saying 'you're old' and 'you really need to get your hair done'.
As her 30th birthday approached, she took the step to stop dying her hair and embrace her silver locks. It wasn’t easy, with people not holding back on sharing their views on her hair, with some even saying that she's ‘let herself go’.
The movement in women embracing their natural grey colour has gathered pace since the pandemic lockdowns, and Shannyn was ahead of the curve when she committed to it several years ago.
She hopes her brave decision will inspire other women to do the same. She totally loves her new natural look, as does her husband and sons.
"Right before I turned 30 years old, I had seen so many women and young girls getting made fun of and being given such a hard time for having grey hair.
"To me, I just felt that was absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary, so I decided I'm just going to go ahead and do it.
"I know that I'm not unattractive and I knew that if I were to grow it out then I could hopefully be an example or a beacon like 'hey, it's OK to actually be OK with who you are'."
At first, Shannyn did question her decision, feeling a little insecure. But she is glad she has stuck at it and can now boast a beautiful mane of silver hair.
"I just really dug deep," she said, "and thought nope, I'm not doing this specifically for me, I'm doing this for other women and I'm sticking to it - and I'm so glad I did.
"My husband is one of the most supportive people I know, I am very lucky to have him. He said to do whatever makes me feel good, but to him, he thinks this is the best look for me.
"My boys love their mum's natural hair. My youngest boy, Jackson, even wants to grow his hair out like mine because of it."
To other women who continue to dye their hair at great expense and are afraid to go natural, Shannyn has some words of encouragement.
"To other women that are struggling to accept their natural hair, I'd tell them what I've told myself - that you could be the example to someone else and show them it's OK to embrace who you are.
"To me, it doesn't matter what age you are or what your mindset is - if you can come to terms with embracing your true self, then you've crossed a line that not many women in today's society can do, and that's like a superpower."
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