26-Year-Old School Teacher Is Embracing Her Gray Hair After Years Of Dyeing It

Going gray is something women are taught to fear from a young age. Gray hair means you're old, and being old is, of course, the worst thing a woman can be, right? WRONG!

It's 2021, people! No one cares how old you are, or how many gray hairs you have — you have to live life for yourself and do what makes you happy, which is exactly what 26-year-old Lauren Midgley is going.

We've all had a mishap (or three) at the hair salon before.

Whether we get a bob after only wanting "a few inches" chopped off, or our hair accidentally goes green, it's easy to be kind of fed up with the whole process.

Plus, don't even get me started on the amount of money I've wasted after leaving the salon with a style I don't even like!

Unsplash | Adam Winger

I can't tell you how many times I've come home almost in tears after my hair was completely botched by a hairstylist.

Well, Lauren Midgley had those same frustrations before she decided to embrace her gray hair!

The 26-year-old school teacher from Alberta, Canada is now embracing her natural hair and is encouraging others to do the same.

According to her Instagram, Lauren got her first gray hair when she was just 12!

"My mom found my first grey hair when I was 12 years old (I didn’t even know that was possible!!)," she told her followers.

"She always warned me that I might go grey earlier than most, but I never imagined I’d be so young."

"As I got older, the grey patch at the very top of my head became harder and harder to cover," she continued.

"My lovely hairdresser convinced me to embrace it and I stopped covering my grey hair at 24. I’ve now been growing it out for 2 years, and get low lights a few times a year to help it blend more since I’m not completely grey."

"I am learning to embrace it more and more every day," Lauren admitted.

"No one ever believes that I am this grey at 26! I am a teacher and my little students are often baffled - 'you don’t even have kids yet and your hair is so grey!'"

"I just blame them for stressing me out! But really I should blame, or rather thank, my mom!"

In another post, Lauren opened up about her hair insecurities.

"I am coming up on 3 years since my last full dye and I have had a love/hate relationship with my hair for almost all of that time," Lauren wrote to fans.

"Some days I feel self-conscious and some days I think I look bomb."

"But it wasn’t until I started to see other women my age online also embracing their natural hair, that I truly started to love it."

"I have been so inspired by all of the stories I have read from women of all different ages and all walks of life. Let’s keep spreading the grey love."

In addition to saving money, Lauren's hair has never been healthier!

"I have pretty thin hair and it feels like it takes forever to grow! Since I stopped dying it, my hair has never been thicker or longer!" she told her followers last month.

We think Lauren looks absolutely amazing!

I'm sure her Instagram page has already made a huge difference for so many people, and her follower count just keeps growing and growing!

Make sure to check out Lauren's page here.