I got a haircut recently, and I’ve decided my journey with letting my natural hair color grow in is coming to an end. One more cut and I think L’Oreal #5AR will be gone. See ya’, warm medium brown.
Welcome, 15 shades of gray.
From this angle, people have asked me if I’m highlighting my hair. Or if I have a new hairdo. Or if I’ve lost weight. Or if I’ve had a nose job. They recognize something is different, but apparently, it’s subtle enough to be confusing.
I would love to tell them I’ve done all of those things, but the reality is, I’m just being me.
And you know what? I’m liking it.
Even the crown of my head, where the gray is most evident.
There’s a patch back there that is trying hard to be white. Eventually, I may be all white, but for now, the whites are mostly containing themselves to a topknot area, for some odd reason. Only God can color a mane with a stroke that hits and misses so delicately.
I did not think I would like my hair when I started this journey exactly nine months ago. (Wow, has it been that long? My first, scary post about this is HERE.) I feared I would look old and colorless. I’m sure I do look older, but you know what? I’ve realized I don’t care. I’ve become quite comfortable with my shifting color. And my age-appropriate hair.
Something changed inside during these nine months because I went from “I’ll probably regret this, what if I look horrible?!!” to “Oh well. Whatever.”
No one is more shocked than I am.
Part of the reason this transition has been painless is that I’ve also realized people don’t care. People, (especially us women) are so wrapped up in our own appearance, we don’t give full attention to the details of another. (I should speak for myself here.) Men don’t notice, and most wouldn’t comment if they did. (I wrote a guest post about that HERE. Check it out. I got a lot of comments on this one.)
In the long run, colored hair is not that important. With concerns about ISIS, and jobs, and why the seasons of Downton Abbey are so short, there’s just so much more to think about. For me, I realized coloring my hair was a frivolous and a bit self-absorbed thing. Who was I trying to impress? The world does not care about my hair color. And as I’ve written before, what other people think of me is none of MY business. I care about what God thinks of me. And I’d rather be working on that.
So, I’ve decided I’m not going back to L’Oreal. She was kind to me for 12 years, but it’s time to move on. I had some trepidation at the beginning of this journey, but really…this was the easiest break-up I’ve ever endured.
Join me, ladies. Come over to the gray side. Be free. Free at last.
Oh, look! There’s another little shock of white popping out!
Dec. 2019 update photo…
I’m so OK with it.
The (riveting) journey of accepting my wisdom highlights here:
Shades of Gray – part 1…
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 6
It looks like you had it frosted! I like it. I remember how freeing it was to quit dying my hair (long ago). And your hair will be healthier, too. Kudos!! 🙂
I think your hair looks great Marianne! I myself often wait two months longer than I should to re-color my hair. While the grey doesn't really bother me, I still like a predominately brunette Barbara looking at me in the mirror. With all the gold and copper highlights I'd always had. So, I suppose it will be another few years before I join you.
Life & Faith in Caneyhead
You look great! My time is coming, but I'm not quite ready.
I like it!!!!
Love it. But what I love is that you have accepted who you are – gray and all. I have a similar feeling about make up. I used to wear make up every single day. Not a great amount, but enough that it made a marked difference. Yes it made me look better and I sometimes still throw on a little blush and some under eye concealer. And I do look better. But truly, I am who I am and life is so much easier to put on some moisturizer and call it done. And really, that is what I look like and it is who I am and I am getting older and no one expects me to look 35 when I am 67. In fact those folks who strive for that in their older years look odd. By the way, I don't color my hair and never had to. I do have some gray but mostly it is still my natural color – a genetic gift from my grandmother who really never went totally gray until her 80s. Guess I am lucky that way. My sister didn't inherit that gift and she works in sales and she must color her hair completely – and she is 7 years my junior – and totally gray without artificial color. In her line of work she is judged by her appearance and it may affect her success (sadly in our culture youth is deemed more valued), so I understand her actions, but even she said once she retires, the artificial hair color goes!! She will be completely gray at my age.
Oh my, I did run on. Sorry. You look great, just the way God meant for you to look. How can you improve on that!! 🙂
It looks really nice on you.
I'm actually also growing my hair out at the moment and I'm finding it nice to see what my natural color's actually like. 😀
I've considered letting my go grey, but just not ready to embrace it. When it's been too long between hair appointments and I look at the awful color in the root area…very drab, lifeless looking gray with no shine to it. Some folks have pretty grey, or better yet the beautiful white. Mine looks like it's going to be just plain ugly. You'rs looks like it's been frosted almost …just here and there and hardly noticeable. I even asked my hair dresser about streaking mine so it would be less noticeable and she thought it would be a bad idea. She says you'd still have the roots. Out blog visiting today gearing up for the a-z challenge, looking forward to meeting new bloggers and visits from them.
Sandy at Bridge and Beyond
I've been gray since my early 20s and have gone through phases of letting it go natural, but I always end up coming back to the box lol. Now that I'm in my mid-30s I only dye it every 3 months or so, and at some point I'll go natural again but I'm not ready quite yet 🙂
I am thankful that my red hair (which has lightened to a pale gold color) is absorbing the grey in a lovely gold/silver mix. At my age, beauty blessings like that are a true gift.
I love your beautiful hair, it looks gorgeous! I just stopped using the box stuff and had my hair colored at the salon. I do like how it looks for the first three weeks, until my gray/silver comes peeking out.
I'd stop coloring it tomorrow if the hubs would be okay with it.
Thank you for sharing your journey, I am hoping to follow in your footsteps soon.