Progress

Just a quick post with a couple of recent growth progress photos. I am beginning to enter in to that "in between" phase where my hair is feeling longer but still too short to pull up or put up yet. I feel like it is looking pretty good and when I take time to "fix" it some with products and a blow dryer I get some nice body. The bangs are growing as well just not long enough to make it behind my ears yet but all in good time. I am still pretty much a minority in my community with my natural hair color but that's okay with me too. I always liked being a little different!!

Just a Trim and a Compliment

I know I have been sounding like a broken record on here with the "long takes longer when you cut" mantra but after five months of not cutting (except that little self trim job off the bottom back quite a while ago) I finally got to the point where I just couldn't take it anymore and called my stylist. I learned something...

Yes, long does takes longer when you cut. However, if you don't trim every now and then, the hair splits and breaks and appears not to be growing at all! Wow! What a revelation! I got a nice trim without feeling like I lost any growth progress plus my hair looks much healthier. I also learned that hair grows faster in the summer. Come on summer!

I had a very nice compliment yesterday that made me feel really great. I was leaving my local exercise place after completing a pretty intense 30 minute cardio workout on an arc trainer (trying to work on that "I can't have gray hair and a frumpy body" thing) so I looked pretty ragged and sweaty. This gentleman was leaving ahead of me and kindly held the door for me. As we were walking out he turned to me and said, "I really like your hair." Well, it surprised the heck out of me that he would even comment about my hair much less say he liked it. I thanked him and we got to chatting about the hair thing for a minute. He mentioned that he remembered seeing me in the gym with my colored hair. It turned out that his wife had quit coloring her hair a while back and so I assume that's why he noticed mine and said something to me about it. We had a great conversation about her and her hair experience and how much he likes hers. Anyway, it totally boosted my ego and made my day!

I'm thinking maybe I need to start a little group here in my area like the ones I've read about on the "Going Gray Looking Great" website. There are several around the country. They call themselves "Silver Sisters" and they get together periodically for fun and support. It might be interesting to meet some other women around here who have made the natural hair color choice. I'll keep you posted.

My "Goal" Hair

Since I embarked on this journey of discovering and embracing my natural hair color, I have found that there are many others out there on this same path and that many of them blahg about it as well. One of the blahgs I follow on this topic is called "Loving Gray" and the writer makes a statement on her home page I just love that says, "Excuse me while I obsess over my hair." This blahg of mine started out as a means to chronicle a significant physical change I was making in my life and it has provided a way for me to look back at photos of where I started and how far I have come. This is where I obsess about my hair and I make no apology.

On another note...

I find myself constantly noticing other women my general age who have their natural hair color and have to resist a strong urge to "interview" them. On the occasions that I do have the opportunity to chat with them, I find it interesting to hear their stories about it. Some never started coloring, others stopped after being sick and losing their hair from chemo, and others like myself just got tired of keeping up the ruse. There are so many well known women with natural hair color and I often wonder, "have there always been and I am just now noticing or is it truly becoming more of current trend?" In any event I am always happy to see them and am inspired by them. I am interested in how they choose to wear it...long, short, curly, straight. There are so many ways, some much more becoming than others like any color hair. This is a photo of a person whose hair style is one I very much admire and have set as my "goal" hair.

Her name is (text "borrowed") Susan McGraw Keber, a very talented model, actor, writer of children's books, fashion stylist, top producing real estate executive in the Hampton's . I found her photo on "Loving Gray's" blahg you can find here. I look so forward to reaching that length. In the meantime, I continue on... growing, obsessing, noticing, asking, and periodically posting updates and photos about my progress and other women's grayt looking hairstyles!!

SuzeInBoots

These photos are for Donna at Rock the Silver where a lively debate has ensued over woman tucking their jeans in their boots. It has been an interesting conversation! I have been wearing my jeans tucked in these tallish black boots all winter long. I have also worn them with black leggings. I always wear something that is longer on top than this red sweater but oh well. This is me in my boots with jeans tucked in and I feel all right about it. Of course I'd feel even better if I was about 10 or 15 pounds lighter but hey...I'm working on it. I am seriously happy with the way my hair is growing in. The longer it gets the more silver I see and I still haven't had a cut since September. Hope I can resist the temptation to get one but when I have that urge I just remind myself....long takes longer when you cut!!

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'!