What to do when you start going gray at 25?!
Do you ever notice that when you buy a red car, you seem to notice red cars everywhere? Or when you go to a party and see someone in the same dress you are wearing? (Or you think it is because that size 6 somehow looks different than your size 16).
I was there at a whole new level.
At age 25, my hair began to turn gray. At 25! Nope, not for me. So for years, Lady Clairol and I became great friends. And the older I got, the more frequently we shared time in the bathroom together. It was such a great annoyance when my son would announce “mom, your skunk stripe is showing”.
So at about age 50, my picture happened to be on the front page of the local newspaper. I was sitting behind a table, intently looking down at some very important paperwork. I don’t even remember what the caption of the article was. All I remember was that, there, shinning out was my skunk stripe.
I made the choice, right then and there, if between my career and my volunteer duties, I didn’t have time to visit Ms. Clairol when I should, I was going to go natural. <sigh>
But how do you go from black (although Ms. Clairol’s box said dark brown), to snow white? I went to my magic worker who had made me feel beautiful with the hair cut I had. I asked her to take a caterpillar and turn her into a butterfly. (or maybe a moth might be better due to the color).
So we began, first, a lightener and highlights, highlights, highlights. Gradually each trip brought me a little bit lighter and lighter. And a shorter cut. That was a hard time. I had always had longer hair. It was somehow too much to give up both my youthful feeling dark hair and my youthful feeling length. One would return. One would be gone forever.
So, two years later, I see my picture in the paper with this head of white-grey hair. And still, I is a second take to recognize myself. But everywhere I go, I see beautiful women with gorgeous white-grey hair, or salt and pepper hair. There are more and more? Or is it that I just notice now? But I feel wonderful and beautiful, and not one day older than I should.
