‘The transition wasn’t as awful as I had imagined it would be’
Poet and teacher Maureen Boyle (58) lives in south Belfast with her husband, journalist, author and broadcaster Malachi O’Doherty. Like Nichola, she says has also had to embrace her grey hair due to allergies.
“I started going grey in my 40s,” she says. “I had dyed my hair for years. At the point when I started to go grey I was actually a dark red/brown colour.
“My natural colour is brown. Once it started to go grey I was having to get it touched up every six weeks and it was costing a fortune, maybe £90 a time.
“Then I became allergic to the hair dye so I just decided that I had to stop. The thing that made all the difference was my hairdresser. She was brilliant.
“I think if you’re used to the roots coming through and getting it coloured, you have this horror of what will happen if you leave it. But she was fantastic, she just worked with it each time and she cut it in such a way that it wasn’t so noticeable.
“The transition wasn’t as awful as I imagined it would be.”
Maureen says the transition to grey made her “feel old” despite everyone telling her her new look was beautiful.
“I do think it was difficult and I was really disappointed and didn’t want to give my lovely dark brown/red hair up,” she says. “And I have to say the first few years of being grey, even though everyone said it was gorgeous, it made me feel old.
“I have got over that and I have grown to like it now. It is such a liberation from having to have colours all the time.
“At the start I also gave myself little treats to make up for the money I was saving on getting it dyed.
“The funny thing I find now is that going grey is the nearest thing someone who is dark haired will be to being blonde.
And my hair is shiny and in really good condition because I’m not putting dyes on it.
“I would say to other ladies who are going grey to make sure they have a really good hairdresser. That is so important. And I think if you are going grey, you have to keep it in really good condition.
“Going grey is quite draining so wearing bright colours and bright make-up is really important.”