Let's Start at the Beginning

The journey of becoming gray didn't just begin when I decided to stop coloring my hair.  My journey to becoming gray started way back in my late teens.  My friends would pluck gray hair out of my head and to be honest, it didn't bother me one bit!

I didn't start coloring my hair until I was around 28 and I'm not even sure why I started coloring it then.  I had two young children so I suppose that may have been part of the reason, or maybe it was because I just needed to feel better about myself.  I was alone a lot because my husband, Bo, was in the military and he worked crazy long hours.  I was overweight and over tired and I guess I needed to do something for myself.  I colored by hair brown, reddish brown, dark brown, very dark brown, light brown, and I even had it stripped once to a copper color that looked horrible on me! (that was for sure the worst color and I even paid for that one!)

So this journey to gray has been a long long long time coming.  Now, at the age of 50, I have decided that I am going to be my natural color.  No, I'm not giving up or giving in! I am making a decision for myself that no matter what other people think or say I am going to do what I want to do with my hair.

Honestly, this isn't the first time I have attempted to do this.  When I was in my early 40's I frosted my hair and cut it very short and started letting the gray grow out.  My hairdresser had a cow, my friends, although they didn't mean to, hurt my feelings by telling me I looked old and my resolve was crushed.  I did however come up with a strategy that has helped me to be in a healthy state of mind with my decision this time and here is what I did...

I advised the hairdresser that there would be no more brown in my hair.  I wanted black lowlights placed in strategic places to allow the gray to show, but not overwhelm my face and I went to a bob style haircut that flattered by round face and helped with the coloring method.  This worked wonders!  For the next 7 or 8 years I was known as the person who "rocked" her gray.  My daughters friends loved it and I got compliments everywhere I went.

So why fix something that isn't broke? Well, it actually is broken now because I am about 80% gray and my black lowlights are much harder to keep up with.  Also, the lowlights have started bleeding over on to my very white hair (on the crown of my head mostly) and turning it a funky taupey color that I believe is the evil cousin to the horrible copper color I tried once...and hated! And...I am ready this time! I read an article on becoming gray and the first thing it said was don't ask for anyone's permission to let your hair grow out...it's your decision...MY DECISION.

This blog is for me to journal my way through this and maybe to share someday with my daughter who is already turning gray at the age of 26, and for those who may stumble upon this blog. It is a very personal decision and one that not everyone will agree with or understand.  If you have stumbled upon this blog and you feel that you could never let your gray hair grow out....then you shouldn't.

Becoming gray is my choice.  The End.