Do you give way to the grey?
I have naturally really dark hair, which means that when my first grey hair appeared in my 30's, it was so glaringly obvious I yanked that thing out before I had a heart attack from the shock. But it didn't stop there as I soon saw with a sinking heart - they just kept coming and coming, until one evening standing in front of a mirror very pregnant pulling out grey hairs absent-mindedly while my midwife was chatting away to me in the background she said to me, "you might as well give that up. You're not going to win the battle," and I realised that the day would soon come where youth would give way to middle age and I would have to make the decision.
I have friends who have made the decision to grey naturally and gracefully, and I so admire that and they look good! Amazing actually. I thought about it, really I did. For one quick minute. Then that moment passed. It was fleeting.
I just can't do it. You see my hair is high maintenance. It's curly, it's frizzy and I have lots of it. One drop of rain on my hair or one percent hike in the humidity and whoosh - my hair is twice the size and I look like I have an affro. (Can I just stop here and say, God Bless the inventor of the flat iron).
So this year that time of decision came. I had to do something about it, because it was getting to a point where I'd be having a conversation with someone, and their eyes would drift up to my fringe or the top of my head and I knew they had been distracted by a silver, shiny thing, and I just couldn't pull them out fast enough! So I began to colour hair - for the first time in my life, and even though it has increased the amount of money I spend on my hair, it is so worth it. This photo is 3 days (and one wash) after my most recent colour.
At first I was so afraid of the hair dyes. I have inherited my grandmother's lovely soft, English, white, sensitive skin. Even fragrance in my moisturiser will turn my face into a tomato, so I had nightmares of ending up in hospital after an allergic reaction to the dyes. You know the stories. Just google hair dye allergy. You'll run screaming.
It has taken me awhile to settle in with a hairdresser here in Tauranga, after my wonderful stylist in Christchurch. After a year of going from one to the other, I came back to one of my original choices, Adoux Hair.
They reassured me in regards to the colour in my hair, gave me a couple of patch tests which yielded no startling results, and so I booked in for my first semi-permanent using a colour closely resembling my own natural colour.
I love my hair colour. I don't want to try anything else. If I was tempted to be daring and go for something completely different it would be red. I love red hair. I think it's amazingly beautiful.
The great thing with a semi is that it's very light. It doesn't actually give full coverage, so it appears more natural. I don't think it lasts as long as a permanent, but I just book in every 6 weeks or so. Towards the end of the time, I just use one of these colour crayons to touch up the bad patches. These are available in department stores, and are a lifesaver!
I'm loving my hair stylist Kathleen from Adoux. She is not only fun to talk to for the almost 2 hours it takes to cut, colour and style my hair, but she really knows what she's doing, so I feel like I'm in safe hands.
What do you think? Hair is one of those things that we women agonise over. Colour, style, frizz, volume, health. I've gone through stages where I've wanted to change it up, and I really want to grow it longer, but with my naturally curly hair that takes forever! But I'm getting there slowly. I don't think I'll ever cut it short - it just goes really wiry and out of control. Long suits me best, and right now I'm loving the length, the very subtle layering and the side fringe. I keep thinking I'll change it and do something wild and different, but in the end I keep coming back to this.
9 comments :
Looks absolutely wonderful! Your skin is so gorgeous and you look so young, far too young to let a few grey hairs steel your youth! I love a bit of colour, but one day will embrace the grey (hopefully silvery / white like my Mum's hair) : but I don't want a decade of salt n pepper! I'll wait till they come through in abundance and then cut it short, let it grow and be proud ... But when I'm late fifties, sixties... And then I may change my mind and decide to be a punk and rock some hot pink ;-) x
Haha, I love that! Hot pink in your 60's would be awesome. I'll join you!
It looks beautiful. Didn't know about the tween crayon, where do you find it? I have quite a few white hairs also... They don't blend, they stand straight up with pride. Gulp. Hard earned but I admit to pulling them :)
Ahhh, still young enough to pull them. :-) The tween crayons I get are from Farmers.
You look lovely, Rachel! I have yet to find a grey hair and am really hoping it stays that way for a few more years! However, I think I will do exactly the same as you are doing, when the time comes. A couple of years ago I had my hair cut by a stylist I'd never met before and she could not get over the fact that I don't dye my hair. She asked me why not and I simply told her that I like my natural hair colour and can't see a point in dying it before I need to. Apparently that makes me pretty unusual - around here, at least!
I am in the " colour until you are dead" camp and won't ever go grey... Love the tween colour sticks will get some ASAP. Thanks for the tip ;-)
Your hair looks beautiful!!!! I think everyone has to make their own and different decision in this area and they should be happy with whatever they decide. I guess I'll have to see what mine does -- it's really too dark to hope that I'll just go white and it's light enough that I'm not sure if gray will blend in or not. Little Rach has vitiligo and so has a whole ton of gray in her hair but as yet I have not been able to convince her to dye it. We'll see....as high school goes along she may change her mind.
Your hair looks AMAZE! We have very similar hair from the sounds, and I'm a lazy DIYer, but I NEED me some of those crayons!
OMGosh - your hair is beautiful! And I had NO idea it was curly or difficult, you obviously have a fantastic straighter! My s-i-l has hair like that, but you can tell it has been straightened...
My hair is also dark, and I started going grey in my 20's (before husband and children, so I can't even blame them); which totally shocked me as neither parent went grey until well into their 50's!
Since having kids I have stopped dying it, not because I wanted to - just lack of time and finances, one day I will get some of that time and money back, and I will get my hair done again. Until then I pull the really obvious ones out, and pretend to not see the others...
My latest instagram photo shows a little too much, eeeek!
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