A woman who spent £62k dyeing her hair for 25 years has embraced her silver locks and says strangers think she looks so young they mistake her son for her boyfriend.

Kathy Wilson, 50, was “mortified” when she found her first grey hair aged 17 and started dyeing her hair in her 20s to “hide” her sliver roots.

The mum-of-one would go the hairdressers every two to three weeks – costing her £2,477 a year.

By her 40s Kathy would find herself touching her roots up every Saturday as she was “self-conscious” about what people would think of her hair.

Kathy finally embraced her natural look after having a realisation in 2021 and following other ‘silver sisters’ online.

She initially found the transition “weird” but now she feels “empowered” and is her “full self”.

Kathy, who also proudly shows off her growing collection of 17 tattoos, says strangers are always mistaking her son, Zach Davis, 28, for her brother or boyfriend.

Kathy, who works in sales, from Dallas, Texas, said: “People think my son is my brother or that we are dating.

“I don’t feel what 50 should feel like.

“I’m my full self since embracing my grey.

“This is me.

“I’m a rebel.

“The older I get I think – ‘what does Kathy want that’s not going to hurt anybody’.

“I’m in the best place.”

Kathy found her first grey strand aged 17 and “freaked out”.

She said: “I just started plucking out the grey hairs with tweezers.”

She started dyeing it dark brown in her 20s and spent the next 25 years “covering” her natural greying hair.

Kathy said: “I spent a good $200- 250 dollars every time I got it done.

“I was going every two to three weeks.”

She started box dyeing her hair in her 40s – and eventually had to touch up her roots once a week.

Kathy said: “I always felt I had to hide it.

“Always felt like I was doing it to make sure no one saw it.

“I couldn’t put my hair in a ponytail.

“I was so self-conscious about what people would think of it.”

During Covid Kathy started following other ‘silver sisters’ online to build up the courage to embrace her own grey locks.

She was also spurred on by the loss of her dad, Jimmie Wilson, 83, in 2020 – who she said had the “most beautiful white hair”.

Kathy said: "I looked in the mirror and it hit me.

“I just thought – ‘why are you doing this?’

“Is it because society tells you to?

“I still had the box dye open and I decided – I’m not doing this anymore.

"My dad was my hero. He taught us to be fearless and that anything was possible. I wish he could see my hair now."

Kathy struggled for the first six months as she grew out her dyed her but now she loves her new look.

She said: “I don’t want to tell women everyone should embrace grey hair but if you dread dyeing it stop.

“When I’m out people ask – is that your natural hair colour? Wow.

“People still say ‘you’re too young for grey hair’.

“But I feel so empowered.”