Mother, 34, who started going gray at 16 ditches hair dye

A mother bullied at school after she started going gray at 16 finally ditched the dye and embraced her natural colour – saving over $1,100 a year.

Shannyn Pierce, 34, who lives in Celina, Texas, was mortified when gray hairs started appearing as a teen – leading to cruel taunts of looking ‘old’ from her fellow classmates.

She immediately started dyeing her hair – spending a whopping $146 every six weeks in the salon to turn her hair almost black.

But as she approached her 30th birthday the mother-of-two decided to ditch the hair dye once and for all and embrace her natural gray locks.

Four years on, Shannyn, has no regrets after falling in love with her gray mane and claims she has never received so many compliments.

Hockey coach Shannyn, who lives with her husband, Trevor, 35, a software architect, and their two sons, Rowen, nine, and Jackson, seven, said: ‘It’s honestly the best hair of my life.

‘I’ve never received more compliments on my hair than I do now.

Shannyn with her dyed hair and son Rowen, nine, before she decided to leave her natural locks grow out 

Four years on, Shannyn, has no regrets after falling in love with her gray mane and claims she has never received so many compliments

 As she approached her 30th birthday the mother-of-two decided to ditch the hair dye once and for all and embrace her natural gray locks

‘It’s incredibly healthy and it actually moves on its own because it’s not covered with chemicals.

‘It’s not weighed down or anything like that, it’s really nice. It’s so much easier – and so much cheaper.

‘I save an incredible amount of money now, and thank goodness, because I have two children now.’

After growing up around her mother who constantly dyed her own hair, the teenager started religiously colouring her hair.

She used to sped about $146 in the salon every six weeks dying her hair raven black and that’s not including the tip

Shannyn spent a whopping $146 every six weeks in the salon to turn her hair almost black to cover her grays 

She said: ‘It was a typical high school experience. I was really involved in sports and with friends and then I just started growing gray – it’s my genetics.

‘People had opinions and you start being ashamed of it and want to cover it up, which I did for about 15 years.

‘At high school, I started getting all sorts of comments about how ugly it is, and people were saying ‘you’re old’ and ‘you really need to get your hair done’.

‘I grew up in a household where my mother always coloured her hair, and she still does to this day – I’m pretty sure she’ll die with a box of hair colour in her hands.

Shannyn beamed as she showcased her red and black dyed hair and her son Jackson on Halloween 

The mother-of-two looked incredible with her dark dyed hair however she admitted she gets more compliments with her natural locks (pictured with her son Jackson)

‘It was about $146 in the salon every six weeks, and that’s not including the tip.’

With her 30th birthday looming, Shannyn made the brave decision to stop dyeing her hair and let her natural grays shine through.

Although nervous at first and receiving comments that she’d ‘let herself go’, Shannyn persevered in the hope of becoming an example to other women embarrassed of their gray hair.

Ditching the hair dye has meant Shannyn saves around $1,100 a year and now she loves her natural colour, as do her husband, Trevor and her sons, Rowen and Jackson.

With her 30th birthday looming, Shannyn made the brave decision to stop dyeing her hair and let her natural grays shine through

Ditching the hair dye has meant Shannyn saves around $1,100 a year and now she loves her natural colour

She was nervous at first to grow out her hair and she received some comments that said she’d ‘let herself go’

She has no regrets over embracing her grey hair and hopes to encourage other women to put down the hair dye and love their own natural look. 

She said: ‘Right before I turned 30 years old, I had seen so many women and young girls getting made fun of and being given such a hard time for having gray hair.

‘To me, I just felt that was absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary, so I decided I’m just going to go ahead and do it.

‘I know that I’m not unattractive and I knew that if I were to grow it out then I could hopefully be an example or a beacon like ‘hey, it’s OK to actually be OK with who you are’.

Shannyn persevered in the hope of becoming an example to other women embarrassed of their gray hair

‘This is how you were made, and who are you to try to change who that person is?

‘I had mixed emotions when I started growing it out. There’s always that little inner voice in your head when you start doing something that is against the norm.

‘I did receive a few comments like ‘oh man, you’ve really let yourself go’ or ‘you need to get your hair done’.

‘When it first started growing out, I was a little insecure about it, like maybe it wouldn’t look that good.

‘I just really dug deep and thought nope, I’m not doing this specifically for me, I’m doing this for other women and I’m sticking to it – and I’m so glad I did.

‘My husband is one of the most supportive people I know, I am very lucky to have him.

‘He’s all about the gray hair. He said to do whatever makes me feel good, but to him, he thinks this is the best look for me.

‘My boys love their mother’s natural hair. My youngest boy, Jackson, even wants to grow his hair out like mine because of it.

‘To other women that are struggling to accept their natural hair, I’d tell them what I’ve told myself – that you could be the example to someone else and show them it’s OK to embrace who you are.

‘To me, it doesn’t matter what age you are or what your mindset is – if you can come to terms with embracing your true self, then you’ve crossed a line that not many women in today’s society can do, and that’s like a superpower.’