‘I turned my silver streak into a style statement,’ says Esquire magazine fashion director Catherine Hayward

‘My paternal grandfather went completely white in his late-20s, and I noticed my first greys at 19. As there were only a few, I let them grow until I was in my mid-20s and working. Then I started to use home colour, but left the front section where most of the greys were, alone. That was the beginning of the streak.

As more grey came through, I dyed the rest of my hair but continued to leave the front. When I met my husband in my mid-30s, he noticed that I always missed sections – so I challenged him to do it. And he did. On dyeing nights, our kitchen resembles a scene from the film Shampoo – with my husband playing the Warren Beatty part! We now home-dye the roots every two to three weeks (which is a total drag), but I’m gradually allowing my hair to go whiter and whiter. I’m completely grey underneath at the back and we just colour a section around the top of my head. I’ll probably end up with one small section and then will get that dyed in a salon to blend in with the grey.

People recognise me because of my hair. I do get called Cruella or Rogue (a character in X-men) and Mrs Robinson… but I don’t mind. Hillary Clinton said, “Pay attention to your hair – because everyone else will”, and I try to look groomed. I have a blow-dry once a week as my greys are a coarser texture than the rest of my hair, so it makes me look more polished. My hair is so thick that a blow-dry can last up to a week, and needs little to no maintenance in between. When I wash it myself, I use lots of leave-in conditioner. Make-up is important, too. I can look washed out without it – and that is ageing.’