I'm Bringing Sexy Back

Let it Go! Let it Go!

Gray that is. Or silver if that sounds prettier. I've been dyeing my hair since I was about 15. Then, it was to play around with dramatic colors: red, black, burgundy, bleached and green colored ends, etc. In my 20’s and early 30’s I would do it to add a nice richer shine to my dark brown hair. The last few years, I've done it to cover my ever increasing grays. I got my first gray hair at 19, right after my son was born. My mom was also an early grayer. My dad, however, had a full head of brown hair up until he passed away at 62.

Gray is really hard to cover. The dryness keeps it from absorbing much dye and even if it’s initially covered it only lasts a few weeks. I don’t really mind the 2 wings on my temples that might make neat stripes but I’m not as fond of the salt and pepper throughout the rest of my hair.

I've been mulling over this decision for awhile. I like looking younger than I am. I like that people think I’m way too young to have a son that’s almost 22. Thanks to many years of sunscreen use, my face has nice, smooth, mostly wrinkle- free skin. My arms and hands are getting that “crepey” look, and when I look at my hands all I picture are my mom’s. I’m afraid that my silver hair will age me. When other younger women have allowed their grays to grow I think they look older than they are. Often I’ll think that if only they colored their hair they would look 5-10 years younger. 

The bigger debate is: should I care? If I was 60, or maybe even 50, it wouldn’t be an issue. But I’m not, I’m a 41 year old who often passes for mid 30’s. Does Prince Eric care if I’m gray? Of course not (he’s a smart man). Will anyone love me any less with silver streaked hair? Of course not. Will I be taken less seriously at work and with the public with gray hair? Probably not. Is being gray a health issue? Of course not. Actually, hair dye chemicals are more likely to hurt me. This is purely a vanity issue and I know that.

I was curious about attitudes about gray hair and according to my google research, gray is the new sexy blonde. One lady in her 50’s did an experiment where she posted two identical profiles on a dating website, 3 months apart, with a photo in her natural gray hair and the same photo with her hair photo-shopped brunette. She got more winks and profile looks with gray hair, and this held true when she duplicated the experiment in different parts of the country.

So I’m taking the plunge. I last dyed my hair about a month ago and I’m going to LET IT GO! C’mon Silver Sisters – who’s with me??