Hello!
Let’s start with a happy disclaimer: I believe we should all have the freedom to look any way we want to. For me, that’s gray hair. For you, maybe not.
But since a few of you at Love Our Age are gray-curious, I thought I’d tell you my story: why I chose to go gray at 49.
I LOVE my gray hair. Are you intrigued? Want to see my transition? (I’m not trying to convince you at all…I just thought I’d share my journey.)
I went gray s-l-o-w-l-y. I just stopped colouring at 49 and waited for my blonde hair to grow.
It looked okay at first, almost unnoticeable in the sun, and the wide strip of roots really didn’t bother me. But since my hair grows super slowly, and I wanted time to get to know myself as my true colour shone through, I finally reached a point where I probably looked like I was letting myself go.
And because I was the only person I knew going gray, I spent a lot of time explaining to whomever would listen that I was growing into my gray hair, blah blah blah, and why.
Honestly, I felt like I had to apologise for myself.
Apologise for my own hair freedom! Stupid, right?
I also felt the teeniest bit that by making this choice for me, I was somehow perceived as judging other women. And that felt blech…because it wasn’t true. In my heart, I am ‘You do you and I’ll do me!’ but when the conversation came up — and it did — women universally told me I’d look older and “age myself.”
Well, I agree.
I look older than women my age who colour their hair.
But for me, that’s okay.
Here’s why looking older doesn’t bother me. I am gray. I was gray underneath the blonde anyway…so I felt more like myself when I let the silver shine through.
The half and half part wasn’t lovely, but it wasn’t terrible. I mean, terrible is being unwell or worrying about family or having disasters, right? Terrible isn’t HAIR.
Finally, after about 18 months of slow growing, I looked like this. This is me, ‘young but gray’ and YES, I think I look older than other 54 year olds, but I LOVE MY HAIR. Soft. Silky. Silver. I don’t feel that the gray really registers…I just think I look like myself.
One upside is that I’ve gained hours and hours and dollars and dollars of my life back from not being in the stylist’s chair every six weeks, then four weeks, then three weeks…and I will never have roots again.
But that’s my choice. Yours might be totally different and I know you’re rocking your look!
As for you, my friends, you should do exactly what YOU love! But if you want to explore going gray, let me say this: it’s actually FUN. It’s so much fun to see what colour your hair truly is! And anyone can transform back to blonde (or brunette) in an hour. But I never will :)
Enjoy your journey as you grow older and lovelier. Love your age however you want to…and thank you for listening to my story!
Catherine x
PS.
Hope that answers the “gray hair questions” from new readers! I feel weird posting a whole bunch of photos of me, me, me!
Last night I made these to take on a hike with some new girlfriends! (Dessert in the middle of hike? That sounds exactly like me! Ha!) Recipe is here…Raw Brownie Bites, gluten and dairy free.
