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Duchess Of Cambridge's Grey Hairs Aren't A Big Deal

The pregnant duchess appears to have avoided dying her hair during pregnancy, showing off a few grey roots at a recent event, but does she need to be so careful?

She's under monumental scrutiny whenever she steps out, and second pregnancy around Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge has been smiling happily throughout her public appearances.

But the recent shots of her greying roots have led to wide lenses focusing in on Kate's usually impecable locks, and a collective gasp at the silver strands on show (and not for the first time).

Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visited the Emma Bridgewater pottery factory in Stoke on Trent (REX)
Catherine Duchess of Cambridge visited the Emma Bridgewater pottery factory in Stoke on Trent (REX)

There was an outcry when Kate first debuted a few grey roots in November 2013. The poor women was only 31 (she's 33 now) - was the stress of being a royal getting to her?

Or is it just totally normal?

Well it's probably the latter. The average age for a brunette to start finding her first grey hairs, according to a survey by Charles Worthington, is 32 - so perhaps Kate was only a few months earlier than average.

It depends a lot on your hair colour - redheads grey earlier, at 30, and blondes only have an extra few years - 35 is their number. Though do a straw poll and you'll find women who were still in their teens when they found their first silver stand.

Though Kate's obviously blessed with a beautiful mane, you don't get gloss and shine like hers without adding a little colour, so it's likely the duchess has been dyeing her hair for a few years anyway - albeit in a lovely natural chesnut shade.

And the emergence now of some grey hairs could be down to pregnancy - and a decision to go all-natural, with no dyes that could contain chemicals potentially bad for the baby.

Kate's hair-style revealed grey hairs (REX)
Kate's hair-style revealed grey hairs (REX)

Is It Safe To Colour Your Hair In Pregnancy?

Though there's been much made of the warnings to pregnant women not to dye their hair, actually experts generally agree that there are safe ways to do it. And even the dyes contianing harsher chemicals have them in extremely low doses.

There are natural or vegetable dyes (including Henna) that offer chemical-free options and going for highlights or tints that don't require the dye being on the scalp for long are thought to be safer - though limited research has gone into the subject.

Another factor in Kate's decision to let her greys hang out could be that hair in pregnancy is a different animal to normal hair.

Hormones affect pregnant women in different ways and many find that their hair behaves totally differently to normal. Hair that was one fine may suddenly grow thick and strong, and hair that's always been dyed can suddenly react differently to the same dyes, even going a different shade.

And perhaps that's why Catherine has decided to go au naturel.

Though you'd have thought the hairdresser who styled her hair for the event would have mentioned the grey peeking out and suggested a different style!

Kate Middleton revealed a few streaks of grey at her parting earlier in the week (REX)
Kate Middleton revealed a few streaks of grey at her parting earlier in the week (REX)

Grey Pride

The expected media furore around Kate's greys shows just how anti-grey and anti-ageing we still are as a society. She may have a few white strands, but pregnant Kate is glowing with health and vibrancy and she's embracing the ageing process in a natural way.

Perhaps a few more celebs showing off their natural colours could help us accept that growing older happens to all of us, and it's beautiful too.