A woman who spent $2.3k dyeing her hair for 18 years now loves her "witchy" grey locks.
Cristina Saieva, 37, found her first grey hairs aged 15 and thought it looked “cool”.
But when strangers told her it made her look “old” Cristina started dyeing it out of habit.
She spent the next 18 years box dyeing her hair every two weeks – spending around $2.3k in total.
But when lockdown hit and she struggled to get hold of hair dye, Crisitina decided to let her natural hair grow out.
Although she “hated” the process she has now grown to embrace her natural hair colour and is now 50 per cent grey.
Cristina, an advertising copywriter, from New York City, US, said: “Every two weeks I’d dye it.
“It became a part of my routine.
“I didn’t even think of the option of not dyeing it.
“In 2020, all the hair dye was sold out.
“I went to the store and got the last one but I thought ‘this could be an interesting opportunity’.
“I’m just going to do it.
“As it was growing out I hated it.
“I thought I looked ridiculous.
“As roots got longer it was different. I thought ‘wait a minute, I love this’.”
When Cristina found her first grey hair aged 15 it didn’t bother her.
She said: “Everyone in my family goes grey really early.
“I thought it was cool. It was witchy and fun.
“I worked at the grocery store and people told me I should dye it and it ‘makes you look old’.
“They said ‘you have to cover it up’.”
Crisina started getting highlights before then opting for a full head of box dye when she started to get more silver hairs.
She said: “It was just something I did.”
It was only when the lockdown hit in March 2020 and certain shops had a shortage of hair dye that Cristina decided to try to ditch the dye.
She stopped putting heat on her hair and realised her hair was “fried” by the dye and hear damage over the last 18 years.
Despite “hating” the growing out period, Cristina continued to go without dye.
She said: “I really didn’t love it.
“People kept telling me ‘I bet you can’t wait for salons to open’.
“For some reason people think you can have an opinion on someone’s hair.”
As Cristina’s roots grew out she started to like her natural colour.
She said: “I grew to love the fact it was something that a lot of people fear.
“This visible marker of ageing.
“By embracing it was my way of saying f**k off to that.
“Being younger and having grey hair is an option.”
Cristina is now 50 per cent grey and only dyes her roots with temporary fun colours.
She takes good hair of her locks – sleeping in a satin bonnet with a satin pillowcase and keeping her hair hydrated.
She hopes to help let others know they don’t need to hide and dye their grey hair.
Cristina said: “People tell me ‘this is making me excited to go grey’.
“I want women to be less afraid of certain aspects of ageing.
“People who age are celebrating that they got there.
“I get to be myself it my natural state. There’s no reason not be confident about it.
“This is me.”
