The Growing Continues

Just a quick post to say I am still here!! The hair is growing and I am enjoying the new natural silvers. It has not been cut since the 17th of September and my plan is to continue to grow for a long bob style that can be pulled back into a ponytail again. I read that "long takes longer when you cut" so I am not going to have it cut for several more months. If it gets too annoying I may try for a bit of a trim but I hope I won't have to. It seems whenever I used to go for just a "trim" I would come out with what still felt like a "cut." And as I said before..."long takes longer when you cut". In the past month I have crossed paths with and commented to two different women on their natural silvers, both of whom had beautiful longer hair. They were so appreciative of the compliments and we chatted a while about the freedom of not coloring and of wearing it long. I was inspired by both women and felt very encouraged that I will really enjoy having long silver hair when it's here. So, on I shall grow!! May you have a merry Christmas and a very happy new year!!

Rock the Silver Shirt Arrived!

Love my new Rock the Silver tee shirt! It came the other day. I ordered it from Donna Pekar at Rock the Silver. Here's an excerpt from her blog to explain what Rock the Silver is about...

"Rock the Silver™ is an anthem for being fearlessly gray and relentlessly cool. Many people choose to hide their gray hair because they are fearful of looking old. When I decided to rock the silver, I thought, well, if my hair was going to be gray, the rest of me had better look pretty damn good. And I knew it would take some work. It's not about being a fashion, makeup or fitness expert, as I am none of the above. Instead, it's about being adventurous and open to possibilities ... being confident and knowing you can look as cool as you are inside. You can redefine what gray looks like. A disclaimer: I know as well as anyone that being healthy is more important than being chic. I'm in my 10th year of cancer survivorship, and I'd pick frumpy over sick or dead any day. But I have a choice, and I choose to work at being the best version of myself that I can possibly be. Getting sick, getting over it and going gray was the turning point for my style makeover! And now I'm having fun rediscovering who I am and wondering where my reinvention will lead."

I have so enjoyed reading her blog about her experience going silver and am now enjoying her tee shirt! My hair continues to grow and I continue to look forward to it being long. In the mean time I have found that if I blow it out and use some "product" to make it look a little funky I like it a lot better. When it lays down, it feels much shorter and very drab to me and that's not a look I like to have going on 'round here! :) I also try to make more of an effort with the clothes and make up (most of the time!). Although yesterday I found myself out shopping after having been to the gym: faded old workout capris, old gray tee shirt, NO makeup, and I can't even begin to tell you how my hair looked!! Sometimes I just let it go and do what a girl must. Funny thing was I was stopping to pick up some make up and I bought some black boots to tuck my skinny jeans in to and also wear with my new black CAbi pencil skirt!! I have to admit my biggest struggle is sugar (sweets!) and taking off some poundage! I vowed to myself when I decided to go natural that I would make a determined effort to eat right, exercise, and lose some weight. I can accept my natural hair color a lot easier if my body is in decent shape so I will keep trying, but I'm a girl who likes to eat so it's definitely a challenge. But hey, today's a new day!! Thanks, Donna, for your inspirations!!

Still Growing...

I was just on one of the "going gray" blogs I follow (find it here) and enjoyed a post about wearing headbands while transitioning. As you can see from the photo I am already transitioned since I cut off most of my hair!! I had actually popped a headband on the other day before I had read that entry and thought it looked pretty good. Because I would love to eventually have hair that hopefully looks something like this...

or maybe even this....

and the road ahead to get there is long...I try to change things up a bit to keep myself from getting discouraged!

So I will probably try more headbands, maybe a scarf, and some different hair styles on the way, but look forward to much longer hair someday. Soon. Grow hair, grow.

Oh, and on another of my favorite blogs called "Rock the Silver" I discovered a very cool T shirt for sale. Needless to say it has a very cool logo with "Rock the Silver" across the front. Why didn't I think of that??? Maybe I should change my blog name to "Groovin' the Gray"!! Anyway, when mine comes (Yes, I ordered one!) I will post a picture of me wearing it. In the meantime, check out Rock the Silver and see the t shirt on it's creator! And check out her silver she's rockin'!

Here I Grow

In a previous post (June 10) I was pondering whether or not I would look older in photos with my relatives and friends who are actually a bit older than I am and if I would even care. I have come to the conclusion that it's a non issue. If I look older, oh well. I actually think I look like I always have, like myself and that's okay with me but......

....sometimes I look like my OLDER brother!! :)

Growing Pains

This is a question I've wondered about lately..... How am I going to stand growing this pixie short hair back out to a bob and if I make it, will I even like it in that style with this new color? Also, I can't help asking myself, "Does this hair color/style age me and if so, do I really mind since I am not 25 anymore, or 35, or 45 either for that matter?" When I get to feeling doubtful or frustrated, I find the best thing I can do for myself is go back to the "Going Gray Looking Great" website and peruse the photos of all those gals who have gone before me. There I find the support and encouragement I need to boost my spirit and eradicate my doubts about the choice I have made to quit coloring my hair. It will be what it will be. Short or long. Drab or dazzling. I remind myself it's more about who I am on the inside that shines through on the outside and less about my physical appearance. I've heard many quips like "you're as young as you feel" and "you'll always be young at heart" and I believe them to be true for the most part. So on I grow. The journey continues. Wish me luck.

Transitions

Whew!!!

In May of this year I had a notion to embrace my natural hair color. I realize I have gone from having had one sort of look to an extremely different look in just a very short (no pun intended!) time!

Looking back, it's been an interesting journey. My intention was to keep that long hair that I had worked so hard at growing out in the first place! But after one haircut that ended up not working for me functionally (I needed pony tail-able hair in this heat and when I work out!) and that wasn't happening anymore, plus the skunk line (though not all that perceptible to others) was to me, so off I went to the salon again with a photo of Jamie Lee in my purse. Now it's back to waiting for this hair, with its new color, to grow long again. This could be a journey all its own of weird styles on the way down to my bob. But once again I am determined to see it through. But seriously, it's just hair, right?

Compliments

My husband and I recently attended his 40th High School reunion and I received the best compliment there from a couple that really made me feel great about my hair cut and color. The fact that I am now mostly silver and extremely short has taken me some getting used to. I still do a double take when I catch myself in a mirror or window reflection. When I went to the salon to have it lopped off I took this photo of Jamie Lee Curtis,

the intention being to get that style cut and because she looks so great in her silvery hair I was inspired. So, I am at the reunion meeting people and chatting it up and this husband says to me, "my wife figured out who you remind us of" and of course I said "oh, who is it?" and

he said, "Jamie Lee Curtis". Needless to say, that made my night. I told them it was her photo I took with me when I had my hair cut and thanked them profusely for commenting. Of course I took that as a compliment and later paid it forward when I met another classmate of my husband's who had gorgeous, long, softly curled, Emmy Lou Harris hair. It was beautiful and I told her how I was inspired by her natural hair. Compliments all around.

Jamie Lee Style

As you can see from my photos I have cut my hair. This made for a quick transition to mostly natural color hair for me. I can honestly say that I have patience issues. Once that silver started really coming in I was ready to have it be there completely and cutting was the solution. I had good intentions of going through this while keeping my hair in a bob but....oh well. Here I am now. Short. VERY short. I like it but look forward to a couple month's growth. It still has a smidge of color on the tips but that will be a matter of one more hair cut in a month or so. Now that my hair is short and silver it's time to get serious about a long and lean body!! Wish me luck!

Hair Cut

I had a strong urge to get my hair cut this week so I gave in to it and called for an appointment. I think that my desire for this transition period to hurry up prompted that urge in a big way. Change is happening with my hair, but very slowly and since I am no longer coloring, which was always a way to get a quick change, the only thing I can do now is get a hair cut and change the style. Originally I had the plan to have a half inch a month cut off the bottom and keep the same one length bob. When I went to the salon I asked for a half inch off the bottom plus maybe some light layers. Well, I think about an inch plus came off the bottom and I wouldn't exactly call it light layers. I am not sure if I'm happy with my decision but thankfully, hair grows and right now I am in the growing groove. My gray hair is coming in and the heavy highlights that were done back in May have lightened substantially so the line of demarcation is not too heinous yet. But I have a feeling it's going to be pretty soon. I fight the urge to just cave and cut my hair super short to hasten my transition to "au nateurel", and that may still happen eventually, but my vanity is still strong enough, for now anyway, to keep some length to it. So on I shall grow!!

Three Months

It has now been 3 months since my last overall color job.

Here I am with my hair pulled back in a ponytail, my usual hairdo of late during the hot summer days, and my silvers are slowly but surely making their presence known. I recently had the opportunity to be around most all of my family and many friends at a Fourth of July gathering and the feedback I received was fairly positive and encouraging. I am still a little nervous about the end result but more so about if I will be able to keep my hair this length and style. I am not interested at all in coloring it again as I am resolute in my decision to go natural, but forging through the transition without going real short and cutting off the old colored parts once my natural hair is a few inches long still remains to be seen. I will be back soon with more photos of the progress.

I Wonder

This is my sister in law and me a couple of months ago when my brother and she visited. When I look at the two of us I can't help but project out a year or more from now and wonder how much older I will look when my color grows all the way out. I think about myself in photos with friends and wonder, "Will I look a lot older than my friends who are actually a few years older than I am and will it bother me?" I suppose only time will tell. But it deters me not. I am firm in my resolve.

I mentioned in my first post a web site I had found that is a sort of online support site for women who have made the choice to quit coloring and "go gray." I registered and posted some photos and have been "accepted" in the "Newbie Class '10 Summer Semester 2". I really get a kick out of browsing the site and seeing all the before, during, and after shots. Find my story here.

Until next time I am,
AlmostSilverSue

Month Two

It has now been one month, almost to the day, that I had my last highlights applied to help with the transition process and 2 months since my last root color application. So far, so good. I have not had the urge to return to coloring yet, though I can't say that urge won't manifest itself around the middle of this process when I'm about half natural on top and half ratty tired color on the the bottom! Who knows, that may be the time to go a little shorter without doing the pixie again. For now, I went for my first "trim" on June 3rd. I hadn't had a cut since April and I really enjoyed how little time it took in the salon for once. In the color and highlight days I would spend two to two and a half hours in there but now to just run in and get a trim...thirty minutes tops!! It was great! And with a serious difference in cost!!
I am getting some very positive feedback from friends and co workers about my decision. I sincerely appreciate the encouragement.
I find myself checking my roots in the mirror regularly, looking to see how much growth there's been, trying to figure out if my hair will be the beautiful shiny silver I am hoping it will be or if it will turn out to be a mousy gray with more brown.(Yikes! Then WHAT????) It is a slow process, that's for sure. When I think my hair only grows about a half inch a month, it's going to be a while until I get a realistic view of the natural state of it. I also find myself noticing silver haired women where ever I go now. In the beginning I didn't see many of them and now I find there are more than I first thought. And there is much variety in the color and styles I see. I have had to hold myself back from "interviewing" these women when I see one, resisting the temptation to get their transition story. Knowing me, I'll probably do it before too long!!
Here's this month's photo of my growth..

GROW HAIR! GROW!!!!!

Getting Back to My Roots

I have made the decision to discover my natural hair color and hopefully keep it that way. I write "discover" because I truly don't know what my natural hair color is after 26 years of altering it with various colors and highlights in order to hide my very dominant silver. I have had this desire on and off for many years now but never mustered the courage or determination to go ALL the way through with it. A few years ago when the urge struck yet again, I thought the way to do it would be to cut my hair as short as possible.
Summer 2006?) I soon lost my confidence and my nerve. So after a couple of months my vanity got the best of me. I ran back to the salon for the usual cover up.
I first noticed the stray grays when I was in my early to mid twenties. I began hiding them myself by using the semipermanent type of coloring I could buy at the drugstore. I had very interesting results! After a few years of that, I turned myself over to the pros and began my constant and fervent battle of the roots. Every three weeks, I was in the salon keeping my gray under wraps. I shudder to think of the amount of money I have spent over the years on professional hair color and highlighting. Yikes. The first step was to talk to my colorist/stylist. I can honestly say it's not what someone in that profession with a regular customer such as myself wants to hear but fortunately she is very understanding and perhaps holds out hope I will come to my senses after a while like I did before. After all, she's been down this road with me when I had her cut it down to an inch all over!! She told me that to make the transition a little easier (it's never really easy) we could just heavily highlight my hair so that as the roots start to grow in, the difference won't be quite as stark as it would against darker color hair. So that's what we did last Tuesday, May 6th.
I have mixed emotions about this decision. After all, I have to admit that I have always been quite vain. I believe the vanity comes from a place of insecurity and self doubt. I feel the world's pressure to fight the aging process at every turn, but most especially when I look in the mirror. Let's face it, hair that is gray, silver, platinum, ice, whatever name is used, still screams AGING or OLD!!! I am now at a point in my life where, at 52, I am comfortable with who I am and the fact that I AM aging and older!! It's not only okay, it's awesome! I am ready to let the "real" me shine. So here I "grow". I have decided that throughout this journey of "growth" (in more ways than one) I will keep this blog to have a place to post my before, during, and FINALLY photos as well as a place to write about my progress, my doubts, my fears, my emotions, and any other feelings, thoughts, or ideas that come to me during the process. I will also share the interesting and varying reactions I receive from family, friends, and sometimes strangers. I am really excited (and somewhat anxious, too) to see what I'll look like and how I will feel about it. I read a great book about going gray called, Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters and you can read about it here. I also found a wonderful website that has given me a lot of encouragement and added to my determination to see this all the way through. You can see it here. Feel free to leave a comment. Positive thoughts and supportive encouragement is always appreciated!! :) See you next month!