Three Nottingham-based women have helped to launch a campaign to encourage others to embrace their grey hair. Reeta Brack, Sheila Marriott and Elizabeth Fradd made the decision to take part in a photoshoot after growing their natural colour out.
The women, who are all customers at Sutherland & Barnett hair salon on Fletcher Gate, had separately asked that the salon feature more grey hair imagery on the walls for inspiration. Director Craig Barnett and Andrew Sutherland took the unusual step of asking their clients to join in a campaign with a photoshoot to showcase their beautiful grey hair.
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Reeta Brack, 49, has been a customer at the salon for over eight years. She is the owner and designer at One BC Clothing with her husband Tony. She says the reaction to her hair has been overwhelmingly positive.
"It had become such a faff as I started going grey in my late 20s. By my mid-30s, I was dying my hair all the time because of the grey. My husband Tony encouraged me to let it go all-natural as I was dying it every week. I didn't want to look older but it came to a point where I decided to be bold and brave," she said.
"I've had some great comments and lots of people who said I rock it. People say it has actually taken years off me which is cool and the response from clients and people stopping me has been incredible. I get a comment every day so why would I go back?"
Dr Sheila Marriott, 66, from West Bridgford, is the Regional Director at the Royal College of Nursing. She decided to cut all of her hair off after lockdown in a bold move.
"The lines of grey emerged during Covid so I put powder on them so that no one could see it. I did wonder what my natural hair was like as I had been dying it since I was 30. I decided to cut it all off so that if I didn't like it then I could regrow or dye it again," she said.
"My hairdressers were really shocked that my first appointment after Covid was to cut it all off. We had a long conversation about it and off it went. I've not looked back as I'm really pleased with it."
Sheila's work colleagues were shocked by the dramatic change as they logged into Zoom for an early morning meeting. She highlights that women of her generation are fighting back against the stereotypes for older women.
"There is something about how we see older people in a certain light but as the 60s generation head into their mid-60s, we aren't going to lie down and let that happen. We can look funky, energetic and creative at this age and we don't need a twin set or perm."
Professor Dame Elizabeth Fradd DBE, 73, from Tollerton, decided to go grey after her hair began to turn white and wouldn't absorb the dye she had been using. She had been approached to do some modelling before which led to a series of photos which in turn inspired the campaign.
"I wasn't just going grey but I was going white and the dye wouldn't cover it. After a while, I thought this is a waste of money as I didn't think it made any difference to how I looked. I quite liked the whiteness so I decided to stop faffing about and let it happen," she said.
"When I was in London, I had a woman come up to me to ask if I had done any modelling before. I agreed to do a photoshoot with Sheila who showed the images to Andrew which is what started it. He realised you could take some great photos of older women."
Elizabeth added: "Your hair colour changes with your body and in particular, your face. Grey or white hair can look so much softer and take years off you. It's really quite pretty."
When encouraging others to go grey and embrace their natural colour, the women say it's time to be bold and go for it.
Reeta said: "Be bold, be brave and go for it. If you have a good salon where you can speak to your hairdresser then that helps. They can guide you through the journey and you need that support behind you so you don't get put off being natural with it," said Reeta.
Sheila agreed: "If you are confident enough to do then absolutely do it knowing that it will grow back and it isn't permanent. You can change it again if it doesn't work for you."
"If you are thinking about it, just do it. Be bold as you can always colour it again if you want to. It's about being brave enough to say I am proud of who I am and the age I am and I'm not ashamed of it. We are all going to get old and sometimes you just have to go for it," Elizabeth said.
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