How, at the age of 30, I decided to accept my hair as it is
This is the story of very white hair, which first appeared when she was 17 years old. Mathilde tried to cover them up for years, and then stopped. Today, barely thirty, she lets them live. Black and white come together, they contrast; and it is beautiful. It has become a real style, which fascinates. Even her glasses are two-toned. Mathilde dares, and she is emulated.
How did you react to your first gray hair at a very young age?
I was in high school, and I was of the belief that if you pull one out, ten will grow back. So I cut them off, on the sly, just like that. I started dyeing my hair when I was twenty. But with my "dark brown" base, the colors no longer covered my white hair, which is really very white. So I went black. Radical. But going to the hairdresser every three weeks was expensive. So I switched to box dyes at home. It was very restrictive; it took me an entire Saturday morning. And it damaged my hair. After about ten years, I decided to stop.
Was there a wake-up call?
The people around me had a lot to do with it, especially the men: my father, my partner, and friends, who perhaps don't have the constraints that women have, had an encouraging look in their eyes. They told me: "Be daring. You have a personality that will allow you to be comfortable with it.” And then there was a trip. I went to Ecuador for three weeks. I decided to let go, telling myself that I wouldn't need to color my hair for once. When I got back, I held out. I felt like going back to something natural.
They told me: “Be daring. You have a personality that will allow you to be comfortable with it.”
What were the reactions around you?
At first I had to say “no, my hairdresser isn’t dead!” (laughs). I had to reassure people. White hair is either a sign of old age or it looks neglected and unkempt. I find it very elegant. But I had to justify myself all the time.
And then there was another phase, when it was growing more, where I was getting a lot of looks on the street. I felt like I had a handicap. It was pretty brutal, especially since I like to be inconspicuous. My partner told me that it’s better to raise questions than to ignore them.
Today, things have changed: people ask me how I managed to get this white hair, where I got my highlights, etc. Everyone loves it. It's true that with a young face, at 30, I know that it's much easier. There are women who say to me, I have 90% white hair but I won't be able to cope with it because I'm 50; I'm not like you. But around me, in the office, I’m seeing more and more women who stop dyeing their hair.
Today, I take care of my hair because I want to.
How did you react to the very graphic and original two-toned result?
I really like this phase, this black and white. There’s a real contrast. I think I'll be fine with all white, but maybe I'll play with little black tips again! Whatever the evolution, it’s been a liberation. Now today, I take care of my hair because I want to.
