When gray hair becomes a connecting point
Gray hair used to make many women wonder when it appeared with age, but more and more people choose to keep their natural hair color as a way to recognize their appearance.
From that choice, meetings between women with common views gradually become places to share, connect and find more joy in life.
At the age of 68, Ms. Nguyen Thi Yen has come to Hanoi many times from Thanh Hoa to meet women who still have natural gray hair. For her, meetings help make more friends and be more confident in her appearance.
The first three months of growing gray hair were a rather difficult time, I often heard people comment that they looked older. But when participating in the association, meeting the sisters, I felt very happy because everyone was confident, beautiful and approachable. I felt like I found people with the same frequency," Ms. Yen shared.
Participating in the association also made Ms. Yen pay more attention to her appearance and style when appearing in front of everyone.
Now I am very confident and proud of my natural gray hair. I think this hairstyle is beautiful and suitable for my age. Participating in the association also helps me feel more confident when meeting people," Ms. Yen excitedly shared.
Like Ms. Yen, Ms. Pham Le Diep (55 years old, Hanoi) once received comments about her age when deciding not to dye her hair.
People often think gray hair is old and ugly. I once heard comments that you should dye your hair to look younger. But I chose to accept my natural hair and no longer dye it," said Ms. Pham Le Diep.
After about 3 years of participating in the association, meetings, sharing hair care methods, reading books, and arranging flowers helped Ms. Diep have more opportunities to interact and change her perspective on herself.
Meeting for gray hair, united for common values
The stories of Ms. Yen and Ms. Diep show that more and more women choose to keep their natural gray hair and find harmony from people with common views. From that choice, the "Naturally beautiful gray hair - Sparkling Association" community gradually becomes a place for members to meet, share and participate in many activities.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa (co-founder of the "Natural Beautiful White Hair - Sparkling Association" community), the association was established in 2022.
Initially, members mainly shared images and experiences of growing gray hair. After that, people in Hanoi wanted to have more space for direct meetings, from which common activities were gradually formed.
From that small need, we gradually formed a community. We met because of gray hair, but stayed together because we found common values greater than hair," Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa shared.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, deciding to stop dyeing hair is not always easy. Many women face comments about age and appearance when starting to have natural gray hair.
“It's actually not easy for a woman to decide to stop dyeing her hair. It's not just about changing her hair color, but also about overcoming comments about age, appearance, and natural graying,” Ms. Thoa said.
Currently, the "Naturally Beautiful White Hair - Sparkling Association" community has more than 116,000 members, while the Hanoi Sparkling White Hair group has about 7,900 members. Members are of diverse ages, from over 30 to over 80 years old.
Besides sharing hair care experiences, members also meet, drink coffee, take photos, arrange flowers, make handicrafts and participate in cultural activities. From gray hair, they find harmony, connection and more joy in life.
We came together because of a hair that is losing color, but we helped each other make life more colorful," Ms. Thoa shared.
