A 'real-life Rapunzel' who first started going grey when she was just thirteen years old has learned to embrace her 5ft long silver locks.
Anna Shepherd, 30, says she was devastated and self-conscious when she started getting grey hair as a teen and was cruelly teased about it.
But over the years she has learned to love her grey hair and says she only needs to wash it once a month, making her life as a farmer easier.
Anna, who lives in Hungary, says she sometimes only combs her knee-length hair once a week when she’s busy working and explains how low maintenance it is.
She says she feels honoured when she hears others being inspired not to dye their greys after seeing her hair.
Anna proudly shares snaps of her stunning silver locks with her 16,000 followers on Instagram (@prettyshepherd) – although she has received some strange requests from men.
Anna – who has over one million views on her haircare video – says: “It may partly be genetics, but I only wash my hair once a month because that’s how it behaves best.
“And I don’t apply anything to my hair except some oil after I wash it to tame it and keep it manageable.
“It’s honestly easier having long hair on the farm because you don’t have to style it and you can put it up in a bun.
“Sometimes when I’m doing a lot of physical work on the farm, I can go for a week without brushing it and it’s fine.
“‘I used to get picked on or stared at for my grey hair as a teenager but now I only get compliments.
“I feel honoured when women write to me saying that they’ve found the courage to go grey because of me. It fills my heart with happiness.
“There’s definitely a stigma with a young woman having grey hair and I would love to help change that.
“However I will admit that I do get some strange requests from men online. A male follower offered to pay to lick my grey hair! I was lost for words.”
Anna says that she was distraught when she started getting grey hair.
She recalls: “I begged my mother to let me dye my hair when I began going grey. I was so sad and worried that I would look old.
“I felt extremely self-conscious all the time. People would stare at my strands of grey hair and I would get remarks about it.
“I remember this incident when a boy called me ‘Cruella’ and it did hurt my feelings.
“But over time, I learned to love my grey hair and it became an extension of myself.”
Anna says she was inspired to grow her locks after reading folklore and she hasn’t had a proper haircut since she was 14 years old.
Anna, who works as a regenerative farmer with her boyfriend, explains: “I joined a folk-dance group as a teenager and became inspired by folklore imagery and women of history with beautiful floor-length hair. I wanted to emulate their hair and started growing it.
“The last time I had a proper haircut was when I was fourteen years old. I went to the hairdresser and asked for a trim but the hairdresser chopped off far too much.
“Since then I have never been back to the hairdresser. If I ever need to, I just ask my mother to give me a trim but that’s only once in a few years.”
