Salma Hayek Flaunts Her Graying Roots & Wrinkles In Filter-Free Selfie

Jun 14, 2023

Salma Hayek is one of the most successful and gorgeous actresses on the planet, but Hayek led a rather humble life in her native Mexico before she was famous. Having worked on her craft since the age of 18, Hayek's passion for acting eventually propelled her into the stratosphere. Although she's at the top, she still finds time to advocate for causes that she's passionate about. She's most known for her work in combatting domestic violence against women, as well as her advocacy for immigrants and charity work in helping disadvantaged children in Mexico. 

While Hayek's known to be one of the most beautiful actresses working in Hollywood, she's now 56 years old and looks rather different than in her younger years, but she's still every bit as gorgeous. From her upbringing to finding stardom, the actress is still in incredible shape.

Known for her famous appearance in the 1996 movie "From Dusk Till Dawn," many fans love Hayek for the scene in which she danced with an Albino Burmese Python Reticulus on her shoulders while wearing a brown bikini that left little to the imagination. 

Now a mother of one daughter, Hayek is still comfortable in her own skin in her 50s. On her Instagram account, Hayek confidently posts bikini photos, as well as no-makeup photos that feature her gray hair. The actress frequently takes to Instagram to post both throwback photos, as well as new photos of herself and her busy life. The stunning Latina took to the social media app in June 2023 to highlight the signs of aging on her face and hair without any shame whatsoever.

Born on Sept. 2, 1966, in Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, Salma once described her childhood as being pretty idyllic. She was raised by her opera singer mother and oil company executive father and once told The Guardian:

"It was a close community, we lived near the ocean and we would be outside all the time with the neighbors' kids, running free, playing football on the streets and at the beach. What better place could there be for a child?"

In another interview with O, The Oprah Magazine, Hayek detailed her close relationship with her grandmother, Maria Luisa Lopez, and described her as her "greatest inspiration," and said she was a scientist who Hayek said was ahead of her time. Hayek went on to remark, "I still have her inside of me and I always will."

Despite her calling to become a star, Hayek enrolled at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City but dropped out soon after, to the dismay of her family. But she knew that acting was what she was destined to do, so she stuck with her decision.

Well, it didn't take long for the decision to pay off — after getting her first part playing Jasmine in a theater production of "Aladdin" for kids, Hayek went on to bigger things, landing her first TV gig in 1988 on "Nuevo Amanecer." The following year she got the titular role in "Teresa," a telenovela that catapulted her to fame at the tender age of 22 and launched her into one of Mexico's biggest soap opera stars.   

Not satisfied with what she'd achieved in her native Mexico, Hayek set her sights on Hollywood. One of the reasons for her desire to work in an industry outside of Mexico was to appear in films, in which Mexico didn't have much of an industry. Despite the odds against her, Hayek packed up her things, landed in Los Angeles in 1991, and began acting lessons with the renowned actress and teacher Stella Adler.

On top of moving to a foreign country, learning the language, and having to build her career once again, Hayek has talked about the racism she faced upon arriving in the United States. She was told she'd never work and that she'd be limited to playing a maid. In an interview with NPR, she said, "I have had to fight, very, very hard for every little mediocre part I ever got."

In another interview with O, The Oprah Magazine, Hayek talked about being one of the first Latin women actresses in mainstream Hollywood:

"Because there was no industry or parts for Latin women when I came here, there was really no competitiveness. Jennifer Lopez and I were the first, and I think Jennifer was my partner at the beginning."

After building a highly successful career, Hayek now often shares posts on Instagram that celebrate womanhood as she flaunts her age and beauty.

With a mix of old and new photos, the 56-year-old still posts bikini pics unapologetically. According to an interview with Entertainment Tonight, Hayek said it was "liberating" to take photos wearing a bikini.

Hayek explained to ET that she “had to lose a lot of weight and exercise to get into the bikini towards the end of last year.” For that reason, she remarked she was “glad I took a lot of pictures, I have no shame on it, because it was the first week of the vacation.”

Hayek is also unafraid to embrace getting older. In September 2020, the actress posted a selfie without a lick of makeup on her face that also showed off her graying roots. The caption read:

"The white hair of wisdom.”

Hayek is no stranger to flaunting her natural beauty. On May 4, 2023, she posted several pictures of herself barefaced with undereye masks on as she and her equally famous friend, Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, were getting ready for the Met Gala. She again posted an au naturel photo of herself wearing only a bathrobe with her hair and face undone on June 2, 2023, and looked radiant.

A few days later, she posted an up-close and personal selfie of her makeup-free face again to flaunt her graying hair. “Me waking up and counting how many white hairs and wrinkles have crashed the party this morning,” she wrote in the caption.

Her fans took to the comments section to express how thrilled they were by the star’s confidence.

“With or without wrinkles with or without gray hair with or without makeup you are beautiful,” one user wrote, while another said, “White hairs & wrinkles are like the crown of wisdom for the women 🥰 You are beautiful just the way you are, mamá.”

A third user remarked, “Natural beauty is ageless💚💚 love the #filterfree #makeupfree pic.”

What do you think of Salma Hayek's penchant for going makeup-free and showing off her graying roots? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to your loved ones!