Tuesday 27 January 2009

Going Grey

After yesterday's colourful post some thoughts on lack of colour...

I've always had very dark hair... even as a newborn.

Then in my late twenties the first couple of white hairs appeared and I immediately resorted to a bottle of hair dye. I continued to dye my own hair, keeping it dark, for the next ten years or so. But soon the roots began to show more and the colour didn't look right and so I started to have it coloured at the hairdressers. I went a few shades lighter and had blonde highlights added which tackled the problem of the roots but as the years passed it looked less and less good. The blonde began to look like I was trying too hard and in the winter it started to look decidedly straw like! Also, I was having to have it done more often to keep the roots under control. Unhappy with the way it looked, this autumn I went for a radical change and went coppery red. I thought I was happy until I came home and read a newspaper article that referred to my new shade as "menopausal red"! That was the last straw... at the next appointment my hairdresser was instructed to "Cut it... as short as possible and no colour!"

That was a couple of months and three cuts ago and there still traces of the copper on the ends.


But mostly it's all gone... and for the first time in several years I feel really comfortable with my hair colour.


My hair feels healthier and suits my skin.

It feels like one of the most liberating decisions I've made in a long time!


And think of all that money saved that can be spent on colourful fabric and yarn!

44 comments:

  1. Know what? It really suits you. I've let mine alone for about 20 years now, just wish it would go white all over.

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  2. It looks fantastic Gina - really suits you. I'm dreading going very *blonde*. My hair is naturally reddish and I have the sort of skin tone which means I look hideous in grey. If my hair were that colour, I'd look permanently nauseous!!!

    x

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  3. It looks absolutely gorgeous Gina and really suits you! But then with such a happy, vibrant face as yours any colour would go! (And I'm not just saying that to be nice - I really mean it! So there!!!)

    Lucy xxx

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  4. Wow!! I think it looks FAB!! and it really brings out the blue of your eyes too! I agree with Lucy Locket about yur happy vibrant face too! x

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  5. you look lovely Gina - the colour looks great and brings out the gorgeous colour of your eyes! have a few (haha,well maybe more!) grey hairs myself - but as am fair am still going with the highlights!

    xxx

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  6. Good for you! I love your haircut. nice blog.

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  7. Hello lovely lady. I love your funky pixie cut and your hair colour DOES suit you, good for you girl.

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  8. join the club! I am also a natural grey and a lot richer for it - I stopped dying my hair last spring and love the freedom of not having to worry about root colour :0) It looks lovely but you might find you need a whole new wardrobe to match the new you ..........LOL

    enjoy - Sara

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  9. It looks lovely, absolutely lovely. But then your eyes are always going to be happy smiley ones and that's a big part of it I bet!

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  10. Oh it looks wonderful - I always think however much we may hate our natural hair colour it always suits our skin tone perfectly! My hair was blondy-red as a child, which grew darker and darker as I grew and is now auburn-brown which naturally highlights in the sun (much to the annoyance of my friends who spend so much money on their hair colour!) I have, incidentally, had grey and then white hairs since about 5 but they haven't multiplied so I'm not too worried! My aunt (not blood related) can't wait to go grey and got so excited when she found her first one aged mid-fifties but there don't seem to be any more coming much to her dismay lol I think women with grey and white hair are actually very beauiful - it shows the wisdom of the years (whether you feel wise or not you certainly look it) - someone to be honoured, admired and looked up to by the rest of us :o)

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  11. Your hair certainly suits you. I had a moment last year where I panicked and had highlighhts but it was so expensive, I am letting the grey through now!

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  12. I'm with everyone else. I thought your hair looked a lovely colour when I saw you on Saturday. Mine is getting very salt and pepper. I've had it highlighted and lowlighted over the last couple of years but it is so expensive. I think I'm with you, I'll keep the money for stash building!

    You never stopped smiling on Saturday either so I'm with the vibrant smile too :o)

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  13. Oh wow, Gina- grey really does suit you! It looks very elegant indeed. I've often wondered what I'll do when my hair reaches that half-and-half stage...now I know!
    And a big thank you for the crumble recipe (maaaany posts back)- that solves the Week 5 lack of time and recipe problem!

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  14. If only you knew how I ASPIRE to steel grey hair and a pixie cut. I am beside myself with envy. Do you want to trade for Dark Mouse?

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  15. Good hair missus! Sometimes nature just knows best eh? There's an awful lot to be said for being comfortable (and in your case beautiful) in your own skin.

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  16. Any way to save money in order to spend it on fabric is acceptable stopping at anything illegal. :)
    Love your blog and checking in every so often. Linda

    http://twosucculentsisters.blogspot.com/

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  17. You're such a cutey! I felt like you were telling my story, although I haven't arrived at the professional level yet. People keep calling me blonde though, which I just don't feel like (after all, the bottle says light brown LOL). The gray peeks through which I like -- I do think I've earned it LOL. Anyway, I've been toying with the idea of just letting it go altogether -- thanks for the inspiration!

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  18. Hello Gina,

    Nice blog.
    This is about your comment on mine, about a 'heavy metal giveaway'.

    What is this about please? could you email me on my google account (same as used in this comment).

    Thanks,


    Sid

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  19. Very smart indeed! The thought has crossed my mind that I should just go with it instead of trying to hide the white hairs – maybe now's the time.

    You're absolutely right about your natural colour being 'right' for your skin tone.

    Celia

    PS as one who loves wild toe-nail colours I was shocked to read in the paper that it's a sad sign of a middle-aged woman :-O

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  20. Hi Gina, it was lovely to meet you today. As you'll have seen I'm definitely a supporter of spending money on yarn instead of hair dye!

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  21. You look GORGEOUS!!!! The cut really suits you and the colour is fab!

    xxx

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  22. Both the style and the colour look really good on you, Gina, and it must be so easy to manage!

    My Dad went grey at 29 (just after I was born, funnily enough ....) and I've been bottling it for years .... don't think I'm quite brave enough to give it up yet though!

    Love love LOVE the colourful hexes on your last post too.

    :)

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  23. you look so great.
    i love my grey hair. now i can do everything :-)

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  24. you look so great.
    i love my grey hair. now i can do everything :-)

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  25. I think your hair looks great and really suits you - I have almost always had really short hair and love to see other women with short hair!

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  26. Hi Gina
    Nice to meet you; just popped over from Little Cotton Rabbits. I love your haircut. I'm in the same hair dye conundrum - you've given me an idea! Love the crochet and Lucy's too in the Attic. Oh and the soup -I would love the recipe!! Love Salx

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  27. I always wanted a more distinctive colour to my hair than it's natural mousey brown, but couldn't afford to do anything about it when I was a young mum. However, it disguised the fact that I was going grey for some years so I guess that was my compensation. Now I'm too old to care, as long as it looks tidy! Yours really suits you and you have lovely neat features that carry off a short style - it accentuates your eyes.

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  28. I've been 'highlighting' my hair for so long I don't know what colour it is!
    Mouse streaked with grey I suspect. My Mums is gorgeous white. Yours is gorgeous grey. You have such a strong face that cut really suits you.
    (Sorry about links to my blog here..I didn't put them there..you have to disallow if you don't want them.)

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  29. Hello!! Good to finally see you Gina I can now put a face to the name when I am emailling. An article about the Wiggly bags has gone into the local paper this week!!

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  30. you look fabulous Gina ~ you have a wonderful smile too :)

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  31. Menopausal red!! What a terrible name for a colour. I can't imagine that popping up in a colour chart any time soon.

    You look fabulous. I think it is the first time that I have 'met' you properly.

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  32. That style and colour suits you so well. Well done on biting the bullet, soto speak and yes, think of all that extra dosh to spend.

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  33. Fab haircut whatever colour you choose to be.

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  34. Oh how I admire your bravery. Roots are the nightmare of my life, every 6 weeks, I am far too young to be grey, in reality aswel as in my head, an unfortunate genetic mix and it really drives me mad.
    And you were a VERY cute baby!

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  35. LOL, Gina. Congrats on the decision. It really suits you.

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  36. I think your hair looks wonderful! and having short hair is sooooo comfortable! Good decision!

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  37. Your hair looks great, I have done the same thing, I really couldn't be bothered to keep colouring it and as I am not keen on long grey hair I gradually went shorter and shorter. Well done!

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  38. I'll join with with all the other comments Gina. It really suits you. Like Toffeeapple mine will never go perfectly white either. my mother was just grey at 83. But I must admit I'm more comfortable with myself now, since I went grey about 6 months ago.

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  39. I think it looks very elegant and chic, plus that pic of you in your twenties looks like some kind of model! Love the wind in the hair look. Emma x

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  40. What a beautiful lady you are! I think your natural hair color suits you perfectly! It is so soft and lovely. I so enjoyed seeing the photos of you at your different ages.
    ~Emily

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  41. Gina you look lovely with your new natural colour. I have been hiding under colour for 10 years because it was a shock to go grey in my thirties. At some point i will have to do the same as you but perhaps not just yet.Jane x

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  42. And think of all those new clothes you need to buy to match the new hair colour too! Lesley

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  43. Your hair suits you Gina.
    Love your hair short.x

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  44. wow - stunning hair! love it

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