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Friday, December 3, 2010

Getting in touch with my roots

Let’s talk about gray hair. I gots me some. I gots me a lot actually. And by gray hairs I don’t mean a bunch of long ones mixed in with the rest of my hair, or in a cool stripe, a la Lily Munster:

Lily_Munster

And I don’t mean steely-gray-almost-mousy-brown. I mean bright shiny gray. Noticeable gray. You know when you see photos of Jessica Simpson and it is clear she needs to touch up her brunette roots?

JessicaSimpson

Imagine that but with the lights and darks reversed (I’m showing only the top of the image because the rest of the photo reversed is downright creepy):

JessicaSimpson3 

I can go no more than four weeks before my roots need a touchup. In fact, four weeks is kinda pushing it, I could probably do three but I actually pay a professional to do this and when I think about what I already spend annually on my hair… well, I get another gray hair. Come Day 22 or so, I am pretty much relegated to wearing my hair in a ponytail and touching up the hairline with eyebrow powder to hide the evidence. Yes, I am that vain. The roots are so glaring you could probably see them from where you are.

 JessicaSimpson2

My grays started when I was in college. Not a lot, just a few here and there, and I used to (gasp) pull them out. I didn’t believe that old wives’ tale that for each one you pull out, seven more grow in its place. They started growing in a patch just north of my ears and back a bit from my temples. Then they migrated to the top of my head, and just kept on going. Yesterday morning (Day 28) I made the mistake of looking at the back of my head in the medicine chest mirror via my makeup mirror to see how far back they went. I instantly regretted it. The only part of my hairline that is not gray is from the nape of my neck up about three inches on each side.

DevilWearsPradaMerylStreep2

The Devil Wears No Miss Clairol

At 43 I feel I’m too young for Meryl Streep’s “Miranda” look, but I hope that when the day comes that I am ready to stop dyeing it, my hair comes in this white so I can sport this haircut. I think it would be pretty chic, and very freeing (not to mention cheaper!). In the meantime, to quote my friend Christine (who is very blond), “the grayer you get, the blonder you get”. So buh-bye grays and hello increasing number of blond foils…

7 comments:

Raina Cox said...

We have the same hair story. I started coloring my own in New Zealand, right after a disastrous "Let's call it all off into a cute pixie and go salt and pepper." I wasn't ready to look like Jamie Lee Curtis.

Which reminds me, I need to whip out the Garnier box tonight.

cheatymoon said...

I'm 45 and have only felt the need to color my hair for the past 18 mos or so... before that, I would color my hair for fun.

I am in desperate need of a foil - it's been way too long, and my hairdresser is out because she has cancer. Which stops me in my tracks for complaining about my stupid hair.

Dan is blonde and everything coming in white just blends in - and looks awesome (stupid men.)

essbesee said...

I've just recently started getting the grays. and my gut reaction is, "no thanks."

laura said...

Hey, this post hits close to home. I can't go two weeks without a skunk line and since my hair is so dark it is really noticeable...it's ponytail city all the way. I'm lucky that the only section without roots is my forehead, so at least from the front you don't see anything if my hair is up--this gives me an extra week or two. What is crazy is that the older I get the darker the natural hair is so the contrast is crazy. I started early--in my very early 20's...Ugh.

knitseashore said...

Lily's hair is cool. There's a designer on HGTV who imitates that look, but on her, it is not cool. Wish I could think of her name!!

I started with demi-color in my mid to late 30s, and have been doing permanent color every six weeks for at least 5 years now (I think). It is the best money I spend; I used to try to do my own, but with long hair, I made quite the mess.

IMHO, I think some women can carry off gray hair better than others; I have a friend who recently retired and I was shocked by her photographs. She looks much older than she is...for that reason, I'll suck it up and pay the stylist until I'm 90. :)

Robin said...

knitseashore, I'll be right there in the stylist's chair next to you 'til I'm 90 too!

Mumsie said...

Take it from one previously brunette to now forever blonde, you will never be alone in that chair honey.
Let's see, when's my next appointment?