Keanu Reeves’ Girlfriend Alexandra Grant Makes Powerful Statement About Why She Embraces Her Gray Hair
Keanu Reeves’ girlfriend Alexandra Grant is explaining her distinctive look. The 46-year-old artist made her red carpet debut with her actor boyfriend in November, and she soon got people talking.
The John Wick star hadn’t gone public about a relationship in years, so when he and Grant were seen holding hands at the LACMA Art + Film Gala, it definitely caused a stir. Fans wanted to know who the mystery woman was. Her striking silver hair even had some mistaking her for actress Helen Mirren. Now, Grant is shedding more light on why she’s chosen not to cover up her grays.
She used to dye her hair, but became concerned about toxic side effects
In a Dec. 4 Instagram post, Grant shared that she went gray in her early 20s. Like many women, she opted to color her hair. But by the time she was in her 30s, she’d had enough. She was worried about the possible side effects of regular hair dye use.
“I went gray prematurely in my early 20’s… and dyed my hair every color along the way until I couldn’t tolerate the toxicity of the dyes any more,” she wrote. “In my 30’s I let my hair turn ‘blonde.’”
New study raises concerns about hair dye and chemical straighteners
In the post, Grant shared a screenshot of a story in Newsweek about the results of a new study linking permanent hair dye and chemical straighteners to breast cancer.
“The numbers are staggering, especially for womxn of color,” Grant wrote.
The eight-year study of nearly 50,000 women found that black women who regularly used permanent hair dye were 60% more likely to develop breast cancer, the New York Times reported. The study did not find a significantly increased risk in white women who used permanent hair dye. It’s not clear why black women appeared to face an increased risk, though it might be related to differences in the types of products people use. In addition, the relatively small number of black women in the study makes it hard to determine if there is a real risk from hair dye, one of the study’s authors told the Times. Just 9% of women in the study were black.
Women of all races who regularly used chemical hair straighteners had a 30% increase in breast cancer. While the association was seen in both white and black women, use of straighteners was far more common among African-American women.
The study’s author’s noted that more research needed to be done to examine a possible link between hair dyes, straighteners, and cancer. But in the meantime, they suggested caution.
“While it is too early to make a firm recommendation, avoiding these chemicals might be one more thing women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer,” study co-author Dale Sandler, said.
Women shouldn’t be ‘perishing from beauty standards,’ Grant says
In her post, Grant went on to say that she supported every woman’s right to choose how she looks. But she added that if a practice is dangerous, it’s important to discuss it.
“I love and support that every womxn can choose how she wants to look at every age,” she wrote. “But/and, if womxn are perishing from beauty standards… then let’s talk about those beauty standards. Love to all womxn!”
