I dyed my hair Monday. I use Clairol Nice and Easy and am on a 3-4 week schedule. (I tried a dye by mail service but it didn’t cover well enough for me.) I’ve been going gray for at least 20 years and would be almost completely gray if I didn’t dye it. That’s why I dye my hair light blonde, so the gray doesn’t show. Anyway I’ve considered letting it go gray, as my mom did that around my age and keeps encouraging me. Now that more women are letting their hair go gray, it feels like more of an option. Andie MacDowell, 62, was on Drew Barrymore’s show remotely when she talked about her new salt and pepper look. She said that it doesn’t feel like letting herself go and that it’s kind of empowering. Andie has two daughters, Rainey, 30 and Margaret, 26, and a son, Justin, 34, from her first marriage to Paul Qualley. (Unfortunately Andie’s daughter Margaret has been seeing Shia LaBeouf. I hope she’s ok.) Andie told Drew and Ross Mathews that her daughters kept telling her that her hair looked bada-s and that’s why she kept it. She also said that we’re going to come back like the roaring 20s and party so hard. I got goosebumps when she talked about that.
In a clip from “The Drew Barrymore Show” published Monday, MacDowell opened up about her decision to stop dyeing her hair in coronavirus lockdown, while showing off her curly silver locks.
“I don’t know what’s gonna happen in five years,” she said. “I might color my hair again, but I’m enjoying it right now.”
Host Barrymore opened the segment by referencing a USA TODAY report about women who say they’ve felt liberated from societal beauty standards and are embracing relaxed looks in quarantine.
MacDowell, 62, said she could relate.
“What happened was, I wasn’t coloring my hair, and it was half-colored back here,” she said, touching the back of her head. “You could see my roots, and my daughters kept telling me that I looked bad a–. And the idea that I could look bad a– really appealed to me. So I went for it, and I am enjoying it.”
MacDowell also noted that she prefers a specific descriptor for her natural hair color.
“I always correct people: ‘It’s not grey, it’s silver,’ ” she said. “It’s not that I’m letting myself go. I don’t think of it that way.”
And going silver has its perks, said the actress, recalling how she and a fellow “silver fox” shared a moment at the grocery store.
“I went to the grocery store, and I saw a man there, a ‘silver fox’ guy,” she said. “I immediately just put my shoulders back, and I was like, ‘And so am I,’ you know? We both just shot a look to each other. It’s like, I’m a silver fox. That’s where I am right now.”
“I think people are going to come back like the roaring 20s. I think we’re going to come back and we’re going to be so glamorous. And we’re going to be dressing up and… just wanting to be with each other. I think we’re going to party like crazy people.”
[From USA Today some quotes from Youtube]
I have always loved Andie and found her aspirational. If I had seen this interview before Monday I might not have dyed my hair! She also gave me so much hope when she talked about how fabulous we’re going to be when this is over. Also Ross said that he likes to wax and do his own pedicures and it makes him feel better about himself. I agree with that so much. I am still shaving my legs, doing my hair and putting on makeup every day. It’s just part of feeling like I’m put together. Plus I Zoom with people all the time, so in a way I see more people than I did before. I’m so looking forward to getting a haircut though. I’ve only had two in lockdown and with the new variants I’m afraid to go back. My mom’s hairdresser in Florida died of covid and I’m not going to risk it. Getting back to Andie, it sounds like she’s close to her daughters and like she’s doing very well.
Here’s that interview segment!
Goals!
Photos credit: Avalon.red and via Instagram
Andie McDowell is still stunning and will be stunning until the day she dies, dark hair or gray!
Andie is so beautiful. One of my favorite movies- Multiplicity-Andie was fantastic. Great comedic timing.
I get my hair dyed professionally and haven’t stepped foot in a salon in over a year now! I’m actually glad to have this opportunity to grow my roots out – I’ve been dying my hair very dark brown for years and couldn’t get it much lighter without bleaching, which I didn’t want to do. By the time I feel comfortable going back to the salon (I’m guessing this summer; here’s hoping a lot of us are vaccinated by then), I’ll have my natural color mostly grown in and will have my pick of colors! I’m excited. In the meantime I have some wily grays, but I’m just on Zoom for work/socializing and can’t be bothered, lol.
I love that she’s using the phrase “silver fox” to describe herself since it’s normally only meant to apply to men that have gone grey. Good for you Andie!
I’ve been using Silver Vixen!
I started going gray at 20, but mostly just that skunk streak up front and a few streaks now on my front sides. My hair is light brown and I love it! I did panic and dye for a few years, but wow that’s so much work and time and money. It’s so much nicer and freeing (for me) to never dye.
And I feel aging naturally helps you appear younger vs. trying to conceal your body’s natural changes.
Your streaks sound awesome. 🙂
Uggghhh I’d love a skunk streak! Jealous!!
She’s gorgeous. I feel dowdy and blah with my greys-no silver fox here. I order my color once a month from my stylist, she drops it off and Mr. Contrary does it for me. I haven’t been to a salon in a year.
I’m doing the same, it’s so liberating!
Andy is always gorgeous but I’m not sure I like her gray. Kind of washes her out, or it could be the lighting, I guess.
I want to give up the hair color but my natural hair is too ashy for my complexion. I have a lot of gray and I think the gray will look OK if I can just get what’s left of my natural color to look better. I’m thinking of switching to a demi-permanent to see if that helps. I figure it won’t cover the gray but will at least tint my natural color so it looks better.
I love silver hair! My mom stopped dyeing hers over five years ago and feels the same way as Andie. Also, yesterday I saw Groundhog Day for the very first time and I really enjoyed it!
My last coloring was December 2019. Then COVID hit and I’ve yet to color it. My last haircut at a salon was November 2020. At that time, my stylist told me about a quarter of her clients had decided to grow out the gray and she recommended several shampoos that countered yellowing of the light gray. Buy the time I feel it’s safe to return to the salon (maybe June), the next trim will have rid me of all the colored hair.
I love it. My hair is variegated shades of gray, silver, white and brown (my natural color). It’s important to condition gray hair, as the texture changes, and you may have to change your color palette as far as makeup goes.
But other than a change in products, I feel liberated. No more anxiety as soon as the skunk stripe shows and my hair hasn’t been this healthy in years.
Andie is so beautiful and I am very proud to say that I too, don’t color my hair. My hair is black and straight. (Now black and silver at 15%) Last time I had a hair color was in 2004 so i’m all natural now since many years. I’m getting lots of silver now and like she says, I don,t feel like i’m letting myself go. I’m happy to show my daughter that mom will dye her hair if it makes her happy and not because because people prefer to see no white on other people”s hair, or I need to look younger…I hope to see more silver foxes after the pandemic and I’m gonna be roaring. yep party all the way, cant wait
I’ll stop coloring my hair when someone pries the box of dye and bottle of processor out of my cold, dead hands. As long as I’m alive, I refuse to go gray. I just wouldn’t feel good about myself. Personal choice. I’m in my 50s and really only have about 15 percent grey if my roots are a guide. I have been doing it myself this year. I’ve also been cutting my own hair as well as my husband’s. Watched YouTube videos. Chopped about six inches off my hair and got loads of compliments. It’s actually made me feel empowered to be able to do something I never thought I could do. Yeah sure I’d like the cut cleaned up professionally but I’ll wait til I’m vaccinated.
She has a glorious head of hair.
My last color was 2/29/2020. I am AMAZED at how BEAUTIFUL my hair is! Solid white at the front, salt and pepper in the back….I am thrilled that I did this. No more coloring for me!
My mother and I cut each other’s hair. I am very blasé about my hair (lifestyle makes it nearly impossible to have it clean and styled the way I would like) but putting scissors to the hair of my very polished, particular mother was the stuff of nightmares. I am not skilled in this department. Strange times.
She looks amazing! I also don’t dye my hair. Original reason was reactions on scalp to dyes, but after a while I was like eff it. Also helps that my Mom never dyed her hair, so I wasn’t raised with the idea that it was “necessary”.
I feel like some people get gray hair and others get white hair. Like my Dad has a lovely mix of black, gray and white hair. While my mother and I have shockingly bright pure white hair. So does my brother. Like light bulb bright, can see it from a mile away WHITE. It’s NOT cute AT ALL.
I think I could transition into a a salt and pepper look like Andie is rocking here but that’s just not how my hair rolls, so I will continue to dye it.
Are you JOKING? Bright white is the holy grail of grey hair!! Holy Moses, my mother’s salt and pepper is the reason she refused to go grey for years – she wanted that beautiful pure white silver hair.
(Me? Still mostly pepper but enough salt that you know I’m in my 40s).
Stunning. I love her. Just watched Ground Hog Day last night.
Me too! She’s lovely.
I love how they talk about doing whatever makes you feel good! whether that’s dying your hair or getting a pedicure or not doing it. Its not about letting yourself go its about doing what you want to feel good. Ross is great on the show!
She looks absolutely fantastic. With that bold lip – perfection.
I went grey a couple of years ago and seriously everywhere I go I get compliments from people who like the colour it’s a really nice feeling as no one commented on it when it was dark brown
Sometimes o feel older/ more dowdy but at the end of the day I am 50 so I am older but I can still look good.
It must be harder for Hollywood actressses though with the crazy focus on youth
Thinning hair is more ageing than silver, IMO. That’s why I’m spending more energy trying to grow more hair during pandemic than worrying about the color.
Please let’s not hope for a repeat of the 20s, we all know what happened afterwards in the 30s and 40s…
I’ve always liked her but truthfully I have always absolutely loved her hair forever. Being silver is added bonus 🙂
I never watched Groundhog Day this year. Maybe I’ll do it tonight. Love her.
I have hair like Andie’s but not as long – but it’s curly like hers. I stopped dying about 10 years ago and never looked back. I’m about 1/4 “silver” now and it is liberating not to be constantly touching up. Plus my hair is in the best condition it’s been since I was in my teens.
I always say I’ve earned every damn grey hair on my head and I’m proud of them!
It’s so refreshing that she’s got a normally aging face with lines and so forth. Obviously she’s got insane bone structure which helps but she looks so much better than people who’ve had a lot of work done. Also I hate the notion that not dying your hair is ‘letting yourself go’.
Agreed, she’s the epitome of aging gracefully. And it’s easy to tell that she’s taken great care of herself and seems like a well rounded person.
Celebitchy (or anyone else who’s tried the at-home stuff) , not sure if you have tried other at-home dyes, but if you have: in your opinion would you say that Nice ‘n’ Easy is better than, say, Garnier Nutrisse or L’Oreal Excellence or Preference? Does Nice ‘n’ Easy give one more tones (as Clairol touts in its ads) than other at-home dyes? Thanks
Oh yeah I’d like to know also.
I’m 30 years younger and wish I looked like her! Gorgeous woman.