See that woman pictured above? That's me, or rather the ideal of me, that I will hang onto for dear life for the next six months. You see, I have decided to stop coloring my hair.
I've always
said my red is really an accessory. I'm not trying to look younger—that
ship has passed. I just thought red hair was fun, like Lucy. After a
while my red with blonde streaks became part of my identity. It
may come as a surprise to some, but I am doing it as much for a style refresh as
any other reason. I'm tired of my clothes (although I've barely worn
them). Let's see what they look like with a chic gray pixie.
I
did try to go gray at the beginning of the pandemic. That was a bad
move. Great chunks of our lives were falling apart—so many unknowns from
"Will I ever go to work again?" to "Will there be enough toilet
paper?" I have plenty of the latter, still not sure about the
former.
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| Katy |
Since I
can't go to a colorist to have low lights or even peroxide my whole
head like Katy Perry, I think I will keep adding blonde streaks, which I've been
doing myself anyways. The red will also fade some on its own
accord. It may be quite a sight, something beyond even tri-tone. I will
need a great deal of will power not to succumb the the box of L'oreal.
Shall I bury it in the backyard?
As the pandemic is not anywhere near over, I'll be home the next six months anyways. I could even crepe the mirrors.
One
person NOT in favor is my husband, who likes the red hair. He
said, "How will I be able to call you my trophy wife if you're a Q-tip
like me?" Despite his going gray at 26, I think seeing my gray might make him feel older.
Many women have transitioned to gray or skipped coloring their hair altogether. Ali McGraw's gray is gorgeous. Rita Moreno is stunning in gray. Jane Fonda, Maye Musk, Judi Dench and a whole host of my friends look fabulous in gray or white hair.
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| Ali |
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| Rita |
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| Jane |
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| Maye |
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| Judi |
I feel I've accomplished so little these past six months. If I follow through, can this be considered an accomplishment?
Like I said, wish me luck.
It IS, quite an accomplishment. I tried for a few months. My natural grey is grey. Bleaching turned it dishwater orange. It was awful. Until I'm ready to have a pixie - and pixie is not a good look for me - I'll keep coloring.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and you can be honest with my attempt, too.
DeleteI know a few women who decided to go grey but I haven't gotten there yet. I have seen many women during the pandemic who obviously haven't been able to go to a salon to have their hair touched up. Luckily, I have about Excellence L'Oreal #6R color to last me through about 10 months. So maybe once I go through those, I could face it. I don't think my grey will look as good as the women you have pictured above. That takes a good salon!
ReplyDeleteLike everything I believe you'll know when it's Time. Thanks for writing!
DeleteI let my grey grow out in 2019 and didn't like the texture - I'd gotten used to the plumping effect of colour-from-a-box. I enjoy my artificial lavender, but now my regular boxed colour seems to be missing from the stores, so I am looking for alternatives and generally letting it grow out again. Good luck with yours, Michelle!
ReplyDeleteYou, too, think of your hair as an accessory! I'm really curious what's under there...I'll never know till I find out. Thanks for writing; I love hearing from you.
DeleteI have done the same...red to gray. I'm still getting used to it.
ReplyDeleteAny tips that have worked for you??? It's ironic that I finally found a brand and shade that doesn't fade. Now fading would be good!
DeleteDawn Lucy over at Fashion Should be Fun has successfully gone gray and documented it. As well as Sue Burpee of High Heels in the Wilderness. Although they were dying the hair blonde, not red previously. I am dark and tried a year or so ago to grow out my natural color, which looks like 90 percent white gray, and I grew for three months and could see the color against my pale skin was going to age me so I dyed it again. My husband also is not a fan, I am 54 and he is 2 years younger with a full head of silver hair but does not like it on me, much like your husband. I think I am gonna keep dying it for some time. All the best with yours, I hope it works out for your. Lise
ReplyDeleteAt 54 I agree you may be "too young" to stop dyeing your hair. We still haven't totally moved past ageism, though I think we are becoming more welcoming and accepting of choice as women age. However, I am 78 and am beginning to feel I may look a little silly with bright red hair. I may also be getting tired of the look, and I surely am curious. Thanks for writing!
DeleteOne tip: as it grows in consider using a toner to cool down the red so it blends in better with the gray. The great thing about growing in your gray hair is that if you don't like it, you can always return to coloring it. And the other thing is, you can't be sure what you'll get. I started growing out my dyed brunette-with-warm-highlights hair in my late 40s; I'm almost 54. I would have sworn when I started growing it in that is was mostly white; turns out I have a range, from very dark gray to silvery white.
ReplyDeleteBrikka, yours sounds like a really interesting mix. If my grey is unfortunately as blah as my mother's was I will definitely have some fun with colored streaks. Thanks for your comments!
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