For some, the transition to gray has been long overdue and welcomed. For others, they’re still getting used to the image of gray hair every time they pass a mirror. For all of us, the onset of the coronavirus has meant a slew of changes, some life-threatening, some thankfully minor. But as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so, too, is the reaction many have had when faced with the reality of newly gray hair sprouted during the pandemic. While many have embraced their gray, others are still coming to terms with it- and still pondering a return to the salon or at least continued purchases of home-based hair dye.

We’ve addressed the topic of gray hair many times on agebuzz– when it occurs (often a matter of genetics, but also different depending on your race), why it occurs (research is ongoing), and what it means to us, both individually and as a larger society. There certainly seems to be a trend, whether due to the pandemic, the aging of our society, or some other cultural transformation, of embracing and even celebrating gray hair (see such celebrity endorsements as Jane Fonda, Allison Janney, Andie McDowell, and even Ben Stiller!)- a kind of liberation and act of authenticity often missing in today’s airbrushed and photo-shopped world. But lest you think going gray equals dowdy, there are articles and Instagram accounts celebrating the gorgeous and glamorous looks that can be achieved with gray hair.

But not everyone has joyously or fully hopped on board the gray train. A recent survey commissioned by Garnier and conducted by OnePoll reports on the more ambivalent feeling many women have had, with their looks and their locks during quarantine. According to the survey, nearly half of the women polled said they discovered newly gray hair during the pandemic and 52% believe they’ve gone gray faster during quarantine than they might otherwise have done without the pandemic. Added to that is research suggesting that the average American woman feels as if she’s aged 4 years during the year 2020 and you certainly have a mixed reaction to the arrival of gray hair.

In fact, a recent essay by public radio host and journalist Manoush Zomorodi captures the ambivalence borne by many when facing down the dilemma of what to do about gray hair. As she reflects on her newly gray head and wonders about her return to public life, she asks: “Who will I be if I’m suddenly treated a decade older this winter than I was last spring?” Not sure as to what her approach should be, she states, “I vacillate between hating what I see in the mirror and being profoundly curious about my transformation.” She’s even discovered a new phrase to capture her ambivalence: “grombe”- combining the words gray and ombre, to reflect the passage of hair color from colored to gray. If you too currently fall into the “grombe” category, take a look at your companions on this journey by checking out the “#grombe” Instagram page here.