June 9, 2008 2:27 PM
Going gray - on my way!
A couple years ago I announced on my blog that I was going to go gray.
I never made good on that resolution. When my hair started growing out, I found that having the amount of gray I had at that point made my hair look very dull and unattractive.
I began to look enviously at women who had silver streaked locks - and realized that there must be a tipping point when it came to gray, where once you were over a certain percentage it started to look very, very good.
I think I might have finally arrived there:
There's a woman at my church who has beautiful long thick locks streaked with gray who's inspired me - though she doesn't know it - to try again. Plus my hair, which got thinner while I was dieting, is now back to its normal thickness. But I know it would have better texture if I stopped coloring it.
So I'm pretty sure this is it, folks. It's going to look pretty weird for a while, but with no speaking engagements on my horizon, this seems like an ideal time to go gray.
I'll keep you posted! In the meantime, I'm on my way over to look at pictures at Going Gray, Looking Great.
Comments
You are BRAVE! I think i would be so scared! However, I have seen people who added just a slight bit of a blonde to it to where it wasn't sooo gray and it looked pretty. But, I have seen beautiful gray hair. It takes awhile though to get it to a whiter, prettier gray from what I've seen. I still think it ages people so fast! But... that is the way God made us. :)
Posted by: Virginia | June 9, 2008 3:57 PM
I made the decision, with my first gray hair in my mid-twenties, that I wouldn't color my hair. I was getting very into the natural, God's-way-of-doing things chapter of my life. Now I'm in my mid-thirties and have a slowly increasing number of grays and am looking forward to seeing how I look with bigger silver streaks. I am also encouraged by one of the coolest Moms at my church...and she doesn't know it! I LOVE her grey-streaked hair! She's 40-ish and is absolutely gorgeous!
Posted by: Stacy | June 9, 2008 5:10 PM
Go Barbara!
My MIL has that pure white hair that makes you jealous - it's been that way since she was 40-something, but she didn't let it grow out until her 50's. It is gorgeous and she gets compliments everywhere she goes. I know mine will be a muddy gray (to go with muddy brown) and not that gorgeous white - sigh. Your hair is dark enough to have a great contrast going - enjoy it!
Posted by: Tari | June 9, 2008 7:28 PM
I let my hair grow out about 6 years ago and it was a beautiful, silvery white. It sure looked strange for about the 4/5 months it took to grow out. My husband loved it and my family said it didn't matter, but one friend absolutely hated it. My husband had no gray at the time and after awhile I decided people were treating me like I was older and colored it again. Ever since, I've hated the time and money I spend on it. I've been toying with the idea of letting it grow out again. THanks for giving me encouragement in that direction.
Posted by: Judy | June 9, 2008 10:28 PM
Yea for gray, it's a great look!
I decided, after the perm phase in high school, that I wasn't going to do any more artificial stuff to my hair. I figure if God made me this way, He must like me this way! My husband likes my choice because it is virtually free. I don't have the really great streaks yet, but someday I'll catch up.
I can't wait to see your new look Barbara!
Posted by: Jennifer | June 9, 2008 10:30 PM
Four years ago I decided it was "time". Coloring every 3 weeks gets expensive, and too time consuming. Unfortunately, I also had a son getting married within 6 months of the last coloring. My stylist advised me to go shorter, and I am glad I took her advice. The "skunk" tail stage seemed to pass faster, and by the wedding date, my heavy salt and pepper looked almost chic! Many women look great with shorter locks, but the important opinions are those of your family and closest friends. I hope these people continue to support your decision while you have fun finding your new look!
Posted by: JennyP | June 10, 2008 9:15 AM
My hair is almost 3/4 gray, and people seem to think it looks fine. I think coloring is so unnatural. All those chemicals can't be good for people. What do they do to the water supply?
Posted by: Julana | June 11, 2008 11:53 AM
I decided 3 months ago to stop coloring. I had no idea how gray my hair was - I'd been coloring for about 15 years. SInce I keep my hair short, with haircuts the gray came in faster, or rather the color left quicker. It's just about back to its natural state and I'm not sure I like it. I look in the mirror and say, "Who is that old lady!!!" My kids don't like it and my daughter wanted to buy me a box of clairol today!
I'm perplexed. I like when it was streaky dark with gray but not the state it's in now but don't want to go back to coloring every month. Is there no happy in-between???
Posted by: Barb | June 11, 2008 9:36 PM
