Huji is a proud pro-ageing advocate who's currently experiencing peri-menopause. As one of Frankie's Nine, Huji wants to share her unstoppable story around ageing gracefully and embracing confidence. Her ambition is to inspire other women who are in a similar stage of their life, who might be considering growing out their natural grey hair.
Here's Huji's story.
Growing into my greys
I'm 48 years old and a busy mum of two living in London. I'm studying part-time to become a counsellor and day to day I enjoy creating social media content to inspire others.
I loved to experiment with my hair over the years - from dyeing it a range of vibrant colours to mixing it up with styling. Back in the nineties, I even straightened it with a clothes iron! After the birth of my two children, I found it increasingly difficult to keep up with my love of creative hairstyling.
Once I'd felt a shift in my priorities, I decided to embrace my natural grey hair. It's an exciting journey that I've been enjoying for the last few years.
I'm delighted to be working with CLOUD NINE to raise awareness of how to embrace and style grey hair.
Using the Temperature Calculator
Taking care of her natural grey hair is Huji's top priority. After using the CLOUD NINE Temperature Calculator, she discovered her hair type is 2A and she should be styling at 150 degrees. We recommend styling at a lower temperature as white/grey hair has no melanin or colour pigment so is naturally more fragile. Styling at a lower temperature will help to maintain hair health.
"I found the CLOUD NINE Temperature Calculator really helpful. I had no idea that I’ve been very excessive with heat in the past! I’ve previously had straighteners that are set at the standard heat setting. Now that I’m embracing my natural hair, it’s really important to me that it’s healthy and I keep it in the condition I want."
Try it for yourself to learn your optimum styling temperature for your hair type.
Where did your hair journey begin?
I've been through several journeys when it comes to my hair. I've had journeys of perming, cutting, dyeing, and generally just exploring and styling my hair. I was constantly switching it up!
Where are you currently on your hair journey?
I started embracing my natural grey hair about four years ago. I'm in the phase now where it just feels really healthy because I'm not doing anything to it. It's just doing its own thing and I'm here for it!
What changed your perception of your hair?
My hormones changed so much after having my second child. I was in my 40s and it was becoming increasingly difficult managing two young children and finding the time to get to the hair salon. I started questioning everything I'd done before and weighing up whether it was worth the hassle anymore. I decided it was time to let it go because I just didn't have the time to keep up to the dyeing anymore.
How have people responded to your grey hair?
Overall the response has been really good. I catch a lot of women looking at me with intrigue. I'd like to think I'm planting the seed and inspiring other women to embrace their natural greys too. I like to think they look at my hair and think, 'Yeah, I could do that too!'
When do you feel most unstoppable?
When I've had my coffee! In all seriousness, knowing that I'm inspiring other women makes me feel unstoppable. Men don't have to worry about going grey - they go grey and get called a silver fox. Whereas women are hit with the stigma of showing signs of ageing. I'm here for changing that narrative for women.
What do you love about CLOUD NINE?
I love the fact that with CLOUD NINE I can adjust the temperature on my styling tools. I had straighteners before that were set at the standard heat and I couldn't change it. Now that I'm embracing my natural hair, it's really important for me to keep it in a healthy condition.
What piece of advice would you give to someone struggling with their confidence?
Confidence isn't something that just comes to you - you don't just wake up one day and feel confident. It takes time, it's a journey of its own. Once you're brave enough to do something, the confidence will follow.
