Shereen sees the light!

2004 with dark brown hair.

2008 with highlights and grays on top

August 2009 - skunk line just below the bangs

November 2009 - old color cut in half.

January 2010 -- Just a little at the ends.

Shereen turned 47 in January, and truly had been all colors of the rainbow. But something happened to change her thinking about silver hair. It just takes one person to inspire another, and Shereen was positively inspired to let her hair be natural, beautiful, and healthy. Let’s hear from Shereen in her own words.

I started coloring my hair, for fun, when I was 20 years old.  For over two decades I experimented with bleachy blondes, deepest reds, every shade of brown and even black.  It was fun, and it was interesting to see how differently people react to you just with a change of hair color.  I’m not sure if blondes really do have more fun, though.  But I must admit I heard more cat calls and got out of speeding tickets with my bleached tresses, but was treated more politely as a brunette.   I think the main reason I colored my hair was to be different.  I’ve always liked to be the odd one in the crowd

In my younger days, the healthier strands held on to color longer and it wasn’t a big deal to transition back to my normal color or change to a new hue.  But as the gray hairs invaded my scalp, the texture changed and the colors didn’t work so well any more.  One day, a colorist told me that my roots were probably about 75% gray.  It made me a bit depressed

I was determined to color my hair forever.  Gray hair looked old and matronly and regular trips to the colorist would keep me young.  When I saw those gray roots in the mirror, I felt old and when I saw those same roots on other women, I saw old.  But then one day my daughter and I saw a lovely woman at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival with the most beautiful long gray hair.  Suddenly I saw gray as another beautiful color and I wanted it!

That was in the summer of 2008.  I was 45 years old and I began my gray journey by skipping my regular deep brown allover dye job until the skunk appeared, then  I went to a colorist for heavy highlights and lowlights to break up that awful demarcation.  The new color was beautiful and I have to admit I was tempted to give up on the grays, and stay with the highlights.  My hair grows so slowly and going gray is a long process.  But then I noticed something.  That inch and a half of silver hair was shiny and soft; nothing like the damaged colored hairs below.  I just assumed aging hair would be dry and lifeless; I didn’t realize that it could be so healthy.

I didn’t want to cut my hair short.  I really liked the almost-shoulder length I had, so I watched the skunk-line slowly work its way down my head.  Healthy and shiny hair flourished above that line, and I couldn’t wait to be rid of all the old color, so I decided to lose some of the length; just a couple of inches, to about chin-length.  The new cut chopped off half the old dye and one more cut two months later removed another inch.  In the fall of 2009, I still was growing out the old color, but by spring it would all be gone. 

To celebrate, I had some professional photos taken.  Now, nobody can tell me that gray isn’t sexy!

Along the way, my idea of beauty, aging and hair color changed. I don’t see gray hair as old; now I see colored, dry hair as old. When I see a woman with gray roots peeking out under a heavy shade of dark hair, I imagine how she’d look with sexy silver hair instead.

Ed. Note: And your final picture proves it, Shereen!

Shereen Today. Beautiful, glamourous, and confident!

Curly From Birth

Age 3

Age 21

Age 25

Age 36

You want curls? Judy K, 62, has had a lifetime of super curly hair. But she went with the flow, occasionally straightening, thinking about coloring, but mostly concentrating on the curls, not the color. She’s gone through a lot of evolutions to reach the gloriously gray stage she is today. And she couldn’t be happier. Let’s hear from Judy in her own words.

I never had ‘normal’ hair. It was – and is – agonizingly curly, except for a hormonal blip when I was about 3 and it turned stick-straight for a year.

My mom took me to a barber (a barber!) when I was a kid and he shook his finger at me and said, “You will never be able to grow your hair long because it’s so curly.” And then he scalped me back to what he considered an acceptable length (about ½ inch). Junior high, high school and college was a battle with orange juice can rollers and harsh chemicals. The only time I felt remotely glamorous was the ten minutes between walking out the front door and the first whiff of frizz-inducing fog touching my hair.

In the 60s Berkeley worked its ways on me and I got rid of the straighteners (and my bra).

My mom was a redhead, and my color was dark brown with reddish lights. At age 27, my first curly strands of gray showed up. It never seemed like a problem, and though I occasionally entertained the fantasy, I was never seriously tempted to color it. Instead, I endured a few comments (very few, actually), such as an expensively-coiffed co-worker who sniped, “You’re going to cover that gray, aren’t you?” (She ended up in prison, but that’s another story.)

And my hair got grayer.

Age 44

and grayer

Age 46

and grayer

Age 53

and grayer

Age 55

Judy Today

I do get a lot of compliments on my hair—some for the curl, some for the color, some for both. The rainy Northwest is decidedly gray-friendly, and my sweetheart (who’s grayless, except for his beard) wouldn’t have me change it. Hair, like life, is a work in progress.

Ed. Note: Free at last. . . and fabulous!

CURLILOCKS GOES PLATINUM!

Carol Anne colored around a pretty silvery streak, pre-transitioning, 2007.

Transitioning begins June 2008, and by July, she’s cut her hair 3 inches, and refused to bleach it. Has a “bit of skunkiness” going on.

October ’08. Days after “horrible yellow highlights.” And Catwoman emerges.

Highlights grow out, as the “streak” gets wider. . .

And wider…

And wider! By April, her true color came back, with just a hint of the highlights.

Carol’s transitioning story takes a few bends in the road, as she’s tried to juggle curls, length, and color.  She’s gone back and forth a few times, not sure she could stick with it, but an allergic reaction to tattoo dye finally made the commitment for her. Carol’s very curly locks and super long length make this an interesting transition indeed. I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words.

I am 41 years old.  I started to see the first signs of gray at the age of 29, and started to color my hair at the age of 30..

I did color washes at first and I always tried to stay true to my natural hair color (brown with some auburn.) Since 2005, I have been coloring my hair almost every two weeks, working my coloring routine around vacations, events, etc.  What a hassle.  In 2006, I went to a salon and finally got highlights hoping I could camouflage my gray roots and prolong the time between coloring my roots.  This worked for a while but then I realized I had to go to the salon to keep up with the highlights.  I wanted to go back to my home routine. I also noticed my highlights now had a tint of green.  Uh oh.  So I called a girlfriend of mine to “fix” it. She is a hairdresser but not a color specialist, and when she was done, my hair was almost black.  I was shocked, but kind of liked it.  Hubby loved it and I eventually got used to it.

In January 2008 I got my third tattoo, and had a horrible allergic reaction.  My ankle had red itchy bumps around the tattoo for a month.  In June 2008, just before a vacation, I colored my hair and again had a horrible allergic reaction.  This time my hands, feet and face itched on the inside of me.  I took antihistamines for many days.

When we returned from vacation the first thing I felt I had to do before going back to work was color my hair.  Oh please not again.  I had been thinking about letting my hair go natural and got a few consultations from different salons. They all expressed their opinions against it.  What to do?  Thank goodness I found this website.  Without it I would not have had the courage, even though I knew it was something I wanted to do.

I thought someone “tangible”, people other than my cyber sisters on this fantastic website, must be on the same page as me.  So, in July ‘08, I went to a “professional,” an Italian man who oozed charm, but not about my gray hair! He insisted my peers would not support me and they would shun me for looking years older.  He suggested coloring my hair 2 shades lighter and cutting it. I probably needed a trim, so I let him cut.  About three inches!  I didn’t let him lighten my hair because the bleach could have damaged it (and probably make my curls go limp.)

In October 2008, I went to another salon and had them put in some highlights to help blend in my roots.  Talk about looking like cat woman.  Those highlights were like limp spaghetti noodles.  I tried not to think about it.  I trimmed my hair once a month about 1/2 an inch each time to try to keep it healthy because it kept breaking off.  Since then I have cut out most of the yellow highlights.

Honestly, I did not realize how long this would take.  It has been almost 17 months since I last colored my hair and I do not want to cut it short.  In some spots I still have about 7 - 8 inches of dark, and I estimate this transition will take me one more year.  BUT, I have come this far and I will not stop now.  Until about two months ago, I still had reservations and my self-confidence wavered.  I am sure my husband and friends were getting sick of my nagging and probably trying their best to avoid me and my questions.  “Am I doing the right thing”?  “Does my hair look ok”?  “Do I look older”?  “Should I wait another 10 years”?  But I always thought how dreadful it would be to have to color every 2 weeks, AND what about allergic reactions?.

And by September, her length was back, with long, cascading curls.

My hair is still about 4 inches shorter than when I started this transition but now I am mostly concerned about getting it healthy again and then letting it grow, grow, grow.

Ed. note: Stay tuned, because Carol Anne’s not done yet!

Carol Anne says Cheers to her new grays in August ’09. . .

And now faces a decision about length, breaking ends,
and doing the best for her hair.

Dancin’ Her Way to Gray

Jill sports highlights in the days before the damage.

Back to box coloring, and worrying about chemicals.

And yet, those pesky roots would show up like clockwork.

Something had to give, and Jill went at it!

The question is often asked, “How young do you have to be to go gray?” In the case of a preemie, it starts very young. And that’s why Jill took matters into her own hands, literally, when she realized no one “got it.” This isn’t a step-by-step story. This is a long-to-short story with one quick snip! Jill tells it like it is.

My story begins when I was a little girl. My mother and father both had gray hair from an early age, in fact, I can't remember them any other way. My mother would be asked questions about her "grandchild", she would just laugh. I never really gave any thought to the fact that my mother chose not to color her hair, it was just her.

When I was 16, in high school, a classmate looked down at my head while I was sitting at my desk and announced to the entire class that I had a gray hair. I was so embarrassed. I began dying my hair in my early twenties. At first the semi-permanent color worked fine but eventually the gray became resistant and I moved up to permanent color. I was coloring every month to keep up with my quick grow out. In my thirties I had a brilliant idea to add some blond highlights to help "hide" the grow out. So I began going to my hair stylist and having it weaved every 4-6 weeks. My very coarse hair eventually began breaking off and was so damaged from the stripping and bleaching. So now I had a real mess of several different colors and straw like hair with big chunks broken off. I went back to coloring it myself at home from a box. Every month I would get my gloves out and smear that goop on my head and wonder what effects those chemicals had on my body while absorbing into my scalp. At 37 years old I'd been coloring for nearly 15 years.

One day I stumbled on the GGLG website and the wheels began to turn. It had never occurred to me that I didn't have to color my hair. Wow, there's a concept. I then ordered Anne Kreamer's book Going Gray and it was all over. I made a trip to my salon and my hair stylist looked at me like I was nuts when I questioned her about adding some silver to my long hair. She told me "you don’t want to go gray". I left knowing I had to do this alone because no one would "get it". I knew I had to do the "chop". Several days later while home alone, I turned on some good music, put on my sexiest high heels, and grabbed the kitchen scissors. Yes, the kitchen scissors. I stood in front of the mirror holding a handful of hair and began chopping away. I danced and cut until I thought it was pretty even. I became a little too confident when I took out the clippers I use on my husband's hair, thinking I could "texturize” my own. The clippers got away from me and took my bangs clean off. I put the clippers away. Despite the mishap I was quite thrilled with my new do, I couldn't stop laughing. I threw some product in my hair, covered the bangs with a head band and loved it!

It's been almost three months and I cannot count how many compliments I've had about my hair, the cut and the color. Of course there have been others that tell me I'll go back to coloring and that's okay, I don't expect everyone to "get it". But above all, the absolute feeling of freedom has been amazing. It has been one of the most empowering experiences.

Ed. note: We certainly “get it,” Jill!

Jill today. Happy, confident, and glowing!

Even without her headband (hiding the clippers mishap), you can tell Jill is thrilled with her new short crop and no more dye!

Twist of Fate

In April ’08, Winona had dark hair with caramel highlights.

And now the process begins. By June ’08, the caramel starts to fade, grays start to come in.

Winona’s natural curly-headed state, and wow, look at those grays go!

By December, she’s a medley of silver, caramel, and deep brown.

And by March ’09, the silvers begin win out.

Ohio gal Winona had a funny thing happen to her on the way to the altar, but more on that later! From a preemie dealing with gray in her teens, to a full-fledged natural beauty by the age of 46, she couldn’t be happier with her hair, her new husband, and her life. Let’s hear from Winona, who posts as Yzguy, in her own words.

I began getting gray hair when I was around 15. My natural hair color at birth was very dark brown. Probably the darkest shade of brown you can get before black. Unfortunately when the gray first started coming in, it was one streak on my right side that was about 1 inch wide...what was up with that?? I knew it was not going to stay on MY head. I immediately ran and got hair coloring at the store and my mom helped me.

I have always had long hair and it's naturally curly so this was quite an event. As I grew older, I noticed more and more gray more quickly each month. I had divorced in 2000 after 16 years of marriage and, in my head, thought I should keep my color non-gray. By the time I was 38, the silvers were showing every two weeks, at least! I pretty much kept it my same dark color but then I began caramel highlights to blend the gray better (or that was my reasoning at the time).

One month after my 40th birthday, I met the man of my dreams. Of course what color hair did he have -- gray! He said he turned gray at around 28 and he was absolutely gorgeous! We went on to be ever so happily married in 2005. In June of 2008, I finally decided enough was enough with the coloring, highlights, etc. When you have to go every two weeks, between the cost and the time..I don't know which was worse.

It took me about 14 months to get all the old coloring out of my hair and to have my own natural hair. I had to cut about 8" off! I was not brave enough to cut it short. I'll just say it was the BEST decision I've ever made other than marrying my prince!

I get compliments on my hair every day, whether I'm at work or just out. Of course, my hubby and I match now so we look even better together. My now 18 year old son is about 30% gray already. It’s not that noticeable, but around the age of 22 it will certainly shine!

I'm now 46 and could not be any more pleased with my decision to go au natural. I feel like I've been reborn again! Best of luck to all of the GGLG community!

Ed.note: Isn’t it great to say “I Do” to gray?

Flashback to 2005, Winona weds a silver Prince Charming. Maybe, as she gazed lovingly into his eyes, she was thinking, “Boy, I like the color of his hair!”

By August ’09, they were more of a matched pair. . .

And Winona is smiling happily ever after!

Going Gray, Staying Long!

In the late ‘90s, any stray silvers get plucked away!

Then Barbara goes multicolored.

Decision: Let the white come in in front, have the back dyed.

Making progress here!

Now Barbara goes natural all the way!

We’ve had Silver Sisters who have cut their hair to go gray, then let it grow long. But we’ve had none keep their length all the way through the process. Barbara Lynn, from Marin County, California, did. And while this has been a decade’s worth of graying, she feels she’s still not done because a lot of her hair is brown underneath (and upfront!). You say you want an evolution? An interesting story if you want to see how long it takes to stay LONG. I’ll let Barbara tell you about her experience in her own words:

“When I was about 40, some white hairs showed up among the browns. They grew in a bit and I plucked them out. Finally, I realized that I was losing the battle with these dreaded (at the time) wiry hairs. I wasn't ready for salt and pepper hair. My parents’ 50th anniversary party was coming up and I knew I'd be seeing many relatives. So I succumbed to the bottle not knowing what was in store for me.

There were the monthly appointments, through thick and thin, to have my white roots dyed my natural (at the time) dark brown color. I showed up on time, every time for them. There was the scalp burning and itching, thinning hair, and damage leading to fuzziness.

Once quite a bit of hair started falling out and it became noticeably thinner, I got concerned. Was it menopause, aging, damage and breakage from the dye?

I decided to let just the front come in white while having the rest dyed my 'natural' dark brown. It was one color without any highlights or lowlights. There it was, the skunk stripe appeared and it was pretty weird looking, but I let it grow. It looked like I had a white streak in the front, and I started getting used to it. Next I decided to simply have less hair dyed so that more white grew in. Of course, there were more pesky stripes.

Soon, it became obvious that the very front is naturally dark all around my face, and the white begins about an inch behind that dark hair. As more hair grew in, my “skunk stripe” was confined to the back of my head. I’m sure people thought that looked weird, but I couldn’t see it.

Right around the time I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, coloring came to an abrupt end. All of my hair was coming in either white or brown, and it was all natural. It was me! I was determined that there'd be no more burning and itching scalp, and those annoying color appointments were a thing of the past.

I'm not a very patient person and I do second-guess my decisions. But in this regard, I knew that what I was doing was right. I kept the length, which made the process seem endless.

At 57, I am so happy and proud that I persevered and came this far. I do have some more to go, but then I will be a graduate!”

Ed. note: Barbara, I think you already are!

The white streaks keep on growin’, and the brown keeps on showin’!

So why is my hair dark around my face?

Okay, that’s it after 10 years! Whatever will be will be.

Wowiee! This new update was shot in natural light, and look at those silvers shine!

Better brunette or semi-silver? You tell us.

From Chameleon to Platinum Princess

The last blonde. Debbie on a ski holiday in the French Alps. February '08. She hadn't seen the "light" yet.

In November '08, she decided to let her silvers shine, and booked an appointment for highlights.

Debbie went from this reddish blonde to highlighted blonde on December 13th, opting for the cap instead of foils. "It bleached it right up!"

By January 19th the highlights looked like the last survivors! Debbie credits a shorter crop, but also the use of thinning shears.

And by February, she looked lighter and brighter. Still with little bits of color.

Sometimes, fate just happens. The stars aligned and two things combined to send Debbie Beazer, 43, on her quest for silver. First, she spotted a cool-looking gal in her late 20's or early 30's who had a "gorgeous" head of gray. Next, she went online and found GGLG! It was just the nudge she needed. Hailing from Bristol in the UK, Debbie joins Sharon as our second feature story to prove that silver is gaining in popularity all over the world! Not to mention our other UK gals Silverlake, Jane, Marilyn, Dorsetlady, Louise, Bamandpebble, Newleaf, and probably many others out there who are "just watching." In over 70 countries!

Debbie's transitioning was as fast as skis on ice, and she credits her "brilliant" colorist for the strategic highlights. But let's hear from Debs in her own words.

"I first noticed I was going grey in my 20's - about 23-24 I think. I started having lowlights and then I became a chameleon, regularly going from brunette to blonde and titian in between! I never really settled with a colour I liked. I'd always had beautiful dark brunette hair and as a child, people would stop my mum to tell her how beautiful my hair looked. I could never come to terms with losing that, but couldn't replace it with a colour out of a box either! I am surprised I didn't ever lose my hair when I would use pre-lighteners in order to go from light brown to blonde - it would always look very orange!

Whilst on holiday last year I couldn't take my eyes off a young girl (in her late 20's/early 30's) who came into a restaurant where I was dining with my family. She came in with her two young children and her husband and literally seemed to turn heads. Her hair was a gorgeous grey (probably about 50%) and cut into a really funky bob - shorter one side and longer the other. She had a wonderful sun kissed complexion and she looked stunning. At that very moment I decided that I was going to grow mine out and see what was under all that colour - I hadn't seen it for 20 years and had no idea what it would be like.

I started to look on the internet for grey hairstyles - without much luck! I came across GGLG and was hooked! I told my husband and the kids what I was going to do - they were very dubious.

That was back in October 2008. In November I had it cut shorter, and had some highlights put into it to ease the transition. I have since had it cut every 5 weeks and am blown away by the results.

Not a day goes by without the conversation turning to my hair wherever I go, or when I am at work. Everybody loves it - especially my husband - which is a relief! Even my hairdresser has stopped telling me that I will still want highlights when I've grown it all out - he loves it too!

I have a very small amount of colour on the tips in a couple of places, but apart from that I am a fully fledged platinum princess! The condition of my hair is fabulous. It shines like it has never shined before and I feel completely and utterly liberated.

Thank you so much for your website. It's wonderful and gave me that final push that I needed."

Ed. note: Oh, we're always there when push comes to shove!

By the end of March, Debbie transitioned to the "Platinum Princess" she always dreamed of being! And it didn't take long at all.

And now look! Debbie's ditching her brown and khaki colors and exploring pretty new shades of coral and aqua. See how going silver starts a whole new you?

Ski Bunny Blonde or Icy White? What do you think?

GRAY MAMA

With so many women now choosing to go natural in their ‘30s and early ‘40s, it’s bound to happen. So the question is – can you be preggers and gray? Expectant silvers naturally have a few qualms. “Will people look at me funny when I’m carrying?” “When my baby is born, will people think I’m its grandmother?”

On the other hand, many are happy to give up chemical dyes, and the hassle of root retouching during this exciting and nurturing time.

We’re going to follow Christie S., our gal from Australia, as she goes through her pregnancy to prove one thing: YES, you can be pregnant and gray, and carry the whole thing off beautifully!

11 Weeks

11 weeks. Just a bit of a bump.

Christie’s barely starting to “show.” She writes: “I have enough of a pot belly not to be able to get any of my normal pants up. I'm still in the extreme tiredness stage, but my morning (all day) sickness has now relegated itself to just evening sickness - I can live with that!”

This shot was snapped during the Christmas season, the first time she had seen her sister since her decision to go gray. Christie’s sister is five years older than she is and had thought she was crazy to go natural, didn't think it would look good at all. “Halfway through my visit she said to my Mum, ‘Doesn't Christie's hair look great?’ Within my earshot so that I could enjoy the compliment too, and my Mum agreed. So that seal of approval was lovely. No comments regarding my pregnancy except that I am crazy going for number 4!!!”

Ed. comment: You can’t win. You’re either crazy for going natural, or crazy for getting pregnant!

January 29th - 15 weeks and counting!

15 weeks - and getting that glow going!

Christie had her first ultrasound scan two weeks ago, and they met “Bubs.” Because of the size of the baby, they put her dates forward. She may be sixteen weeks along, but Christie is sticking with her timing. She’s feeling a lot better now, and has recently been exploring caves, rivers and beaches in Gippsland -- out in 111º F sun! Exhaustion still setting in at the end of the day. Hair comments – 0. Except for her sister, who loves what Christie calls her “grown out pixie” style. She’s looking prettier than ever!

19 Weeks

19 weeks. Two-year old son Lincoln says Hi to his new baby sister? Brother?

Christie went for her second ultrasound last week, and now knows the baby’s sex. But she’s not telling! Except to say they are very happy (but would have been either way.) She’s had a few days of “ugly, pregnant feelings,” wishing that she had long, flowing blonde hair or something equally feminine and attractive. Her husband, who meant well, said she was “giving all her beauty to the baby.” Hmmmm, is that a clue? Or clueless??

Well, he tried, all the while her tears were flowing. She’s now working out in aqua aerobics, with most of the women over 65, and says she fits right in! Gee, Christie, just because you share the same hair color. . .! On the hair front, nobody seems to notice that Christie is a silver-haired pregnant lady. Well, that’s a good thing. And her sister told her she’s very happy that she doesn’t have to “pretend” to like the color – she really does!

Waiting patiently. Mathew, Lincoln (age 2), Oliver (age 5) and Mia (age 4) join Christie in welcoming a new member of the family.

26 Weeks

26 weeks. Christie rocks, and baby's rollin'!

Christie got a new cut! She loves the bob, and the comments. Her hairdresser thought she had just had highlights, and a friend told her she doesn’t really think “gray” when she sees it, loving the color for itself. Well, that’s what we’ve always said. Gray is a color! On the health front, Christie reports that tiredness, varicose veins and reflux still plague her. She had a small bleed, so they did a third scan last week to make sure all was okay. The good news is, she was assured the baby is a “picture of health” and growing well. So Christie is trying to put her “niggles” aside and concentrate on producing a healthy “bub.” She’s getting a lot of movement, kicks and belly rolls. The other night, she awoke to find her husband’s hand on her belly. Apparently the baby kicked him in the back and woke him up! He doesn’t see how she can sleep through this! Christie also went for a Glucose test for gestational diabetes. No results yet, but she promises to keep us posted. Hang in there, Christie, and get lots of rest.

31 Weeks

31 weeks. "Suddenly pregnant."

Christie's popping for sure, and people are asking her if that baby was there two weeks ago! Now, there's no hiding Bub with only weeks to go. Christie's excited about moving into single digits for the countdown! Here, she's on a trip to the mountains, playing in the snow with her kids, although promising to take extra care and not overdo. Her back's been giving her some problems. But she's all systems go, and we'll countdown with her! What do you think, everyone? For all you who can "tell" how she's carrying, girl or boy?

37 Weeks

37 weeks. A beautiful family portrait.

Christie's been a little busy for updates, but this lovely shot with Mat may be the last we'll see of Bubs-in-Mum, because she's at 3 days and counting!! And she says she's feeling "very ready." All of our thoughts will be with you, Christie, on the big day, so just imagine thousands of GGLGers telling you to "push!" Well, on second thought. . . Christie says she's had absolutely no negative reactions to the color of her hair throughout her entire pregnancy. In fact, as we all know, she was even hired as a model! She says she's only had support and acceptance. So all you future gray mamas out there, not to worry!

Happy Birthday, Roman!

It's a boy!

This just in! Christie gave birth this morning, July 23rd at 1:40 AM! Roman weighed in at 9 pounds, 11 ounces. Christie says she is doing well, and "he is great!" And she's already home from the hospital! Congrats, Christie! We're all thrilled for you!

Eleven Weeks Old!

Is that a Mohawk?

Our first Roman update! Christie says they're getting lovely smiles and the odd giggle from Roman, and he's actually let her sleep the night through (twice!). While Roman's hair is very healthy indeed, Christie is suffering from post-pregnancy hair loss. Hmmmmm, wonder who she gave her hair to? She's combating that with a choppy fringe/bangs, and is contemplating a shorter cut once her hair grows back in. Mother and son look great!

FROM GLAM MAKEOVER TO GOING BACK

Goldie, pre-Oprah, was happy with her salt-and-pepper hair.

Imagine being happily silver. And then magic happens. You are chosen to be a makeover on Oprah! In you go, not quite knowing what to expect, and out you come – blonde. This is exactly what happened to Goldie. Before we begin her story, a few facts. Goldie, almost 46, is the mother of 8 children. Five are still at home, being homeschooled, and two of the three oldest are married, with children of their own. As she says, “there is never a dull moment around here.” Unlike all the stories so far, Goldie’s begins with gray...

“In November of 2007 I was chosen to be on the Oprah show for a makeover. I was a beautiful salt and pepperhead before my makeover. I used to joke that the only way I would cover my gray is if Oprah told me to. I didn’t realize how prophetic those words would be!

A thrift-store addict, she loved her $1 rhinestone bracelet and her FREE “genetic bargain.”

Growing up, I was the daughter with the dark brown hair. I didn’t mind, except for the constant remarks that my name, “Goldie,” didn’t match my hair color. Aggravating the situation, my older sister is blond. I sometimes felt like wearing a t-shirt that said: "My parents named me Goldie, Get over it!"  Through my teenage years I kept my hair mostly blond, well, with a slight tinge of green (remember Sun-In?). I found my first gray hairs when I was 18. That’s when I entered my "dark phase.”  No shade of brown to black was off limits! Mocha, Sienna, Burnt Umber, you name it, I dyed it!

A wonderful husband and 8 children later, I was tired. Yes, the kids made me tired. Not tired enough not to take care of myself, but streamlining was in order. It was no longer so important to me to cover my gray. A quiet confidence about who I am as a person emerged and through that, a revelation: "WHY BOTHER COVERING UP THE REAL ME!" So began my first journey into the light...light gray, that is. Every thing went on fabulously for several years, until I sent an email to the Oprah show. The subject matter was actually health-related, but they were doing a makeover show, saw my head of "aging" gray hair and called me! (Who says gray hair won’t capture attention?!)

And then a star is born. Following the “dress frumpy” instructions, she emerged a true butterfly. Blonde.

Goldie became reacquainted with a bottle of bleach and a childhood friend who had become a hair stylist.

The whole process was a once in a lifetime moment, to be sure! But, moments are just that...moments. Moments that pass all too quickly and you are left with living with a moment on top of your head! I was BLOND again! If you ever have world class stylists telling you how much "easier" this will be, don’t listen! Their theory was my hair had so much gray that being blond would not show the "roots.” HA, HA, HA! I have been covering those "non-showing" roots every 4 weeks for the past year! Enough already!

Personal choice is a funny thing. My sister, who will always be blond, loved my Oprah color. My husband liked it too. Me, I longed for my "real hair". I was actually sad. It was as if, when they covered my gray, a part of me went into hiding. So now begins my second journey into the "light."

Ed note: And we’ll be watching every step of the way, Goldie.

Now Goldie has her hats at the ready because she’s going back!

Is that the first glimmer of gray we see?

Sure enough, there it is, coming in nicely.

Even at the sides!

Octomom is Octogramma, too. Yes, this is #8.

Now let’s talk hair! Goldie says she’s noticing more white this time around.

Goldie proves there really is less gold in her hair in outside lighting!

Treating herself to a new cut, Goldie expresses every emotion a woman ever felt in “the chair.”

And voila! She likes the glam new look, loves the stylist, and is a very happy camper!

Goldie’s pluckin’ and twangin’ with her new hairdo! And a little more silver!

Guess what these are? Guess where they’re going?

Goldie’s got a great new cut a lots more silver showing. But here’s the real secret: her hair is shaved underneath, all the way around and 1/2 way up her head! She says it eliminates the bulk, and the rest lays down and behaves!

Goldie did it! Went from Oprah blonde to strikingly silver! And notice the new bangs.

Here’s a close-up of the cool new color. Guess we can call her a “Grad” times two!

Holly’s Story

August ’07. Just the beginning.

September ’07. Skunk stripe appears!

December ’07. The worst! Need hats!

May ’08. Almost there.

January ’09. All grown in, with "heavenly highlights."

Holly, 40, couldn’t "face the reality of being a young-ish grayhaired woman in Southern California." Sound familiar? And so, as she began her transitioning journey, she decided to let everybody in on it. Not just friends, family and co-workers. The world. In August, ’07, she started her own blog, graydiva.com, noting emotions that went from "Hey, this is going to be fun," to "Trying to stay the course." Sound even more familiar? Just a month into the process, on September 2nd, she discovered my book, read through it once, and decided to read it "at least once a month" to get her through. Although this site wasn’t born when she started transitioning, Holly found us and registered as a Member in July 2008. She sent in her carefully documented pictures for us all to see and share this January, but there’s more, lots more, on her site. Here’s a synopsis of her story.

I'm a youthful 40-year-old wife of almost 20 years this October '09, mom to 2 great teen-agers, and office manager for a psychotherapist here in sunny San Diego. I found my first gray hair at age 18 and knew I'd be following in my Dad's footsteps.

I started "die"-ing my hair in my early 20's because I couldn't bear to have 2 little kids AND gray hair!  Yikes!!

Over the years I dyed my hair every shade of brown thru burgundy, and even a champagne blonde one time!  In time I grew to despise the whole issue of dyeing my hair. It was the monkey on my back, the chip on my shoulder and the one thing I wondered if I could ever be brave enough to stop doing! As I came up on 40 I received some family pictures from my white-haired Dad and had a "aha moment". Everyone in my family grays early and ends up with white hair! That is my heritage, those are my people. And - guess what - I don't really have light neutral brown hair!!! In fact I didn't really have any idea what color my hair (aka straw) was any more except for the skunk stripe I was coloring over every three weeks! After some soul-searching and impromptu therapy from my boss I decided to go for it!

My kids were all for it and my husband even admitted he had never liked me with the fake brown hair - go figure! Growing it all out took about a year. Because I refused to do the big chop that some ladies do, I had to deal with MAJOR roots for most of that time. I bought & wore cute hats in every color and kept my hair as short as I could stand it.

Now that the crap-brown is all but gone and my hair is getting back to a longer length, I've started getting compliments on my hair again! I know of a few friends who are considering or already are growing their own gray out to see if they like it! And the best part is I have healthy, shiny, soft hair again!!! I am back to wearing the colors I look best in since I don't have to match clothes & makeup with dye colors. My closet is a BROWN-FREE zone!!!

Today I feel absolutely liberated and totally unashamed of my gray hair. I hope to inspire others to set themselves free from feeling compelled to hide their hair. As far as looking "young" goes, I figure if everyone gets used to me with gray hair now while I am still young-ish, then when I'm older they'll say, "you still look the same as when you were in your forties!" Think about it...

Nowadays I can play with my hair style all the time since I never suffer with roots. I can part my hair anywhere, I can put it up or wear it back and guess what? No roots!!!

I want to wrap up by giving a big "Thanks!" to Diana Jewell for writing her book! When I found it, I read it in 2 days! Now I refer to it and show it to friends who are curious about how to grow out their hair. The pictures and beauty advice have been so helpful to me! Best of luck to all who read this. Going gray has been one of the best decisions I ever made, and I can easily say I will NEVER dye my hair again!

Ed. note: Thanks for that, Holly, glad we could help!

And, along the way, Holly went from trying to match her daughter’s hair to celebrating her own uniqueness.

Holly's Got a New Haircut!

Holly first let it grow long, very long, but now she's got a shorter, layered do. Just right for going back to a full-time job. Great update. Great look!

Deep brunette or cool charcoal? What do you think?

Artfully Gray

Four years ago, Heidi was into "major highlighting."

But two years ago, she was back to being a deep-dyed brunette.

Then it was back to highlights when she began transitioning.

Going blonder in the summer of '08.

Now the silver starts to show, late summer '08.

Early Fall, transitioning in earnest.

Heidi Harner, 38, is a fine artist who loves to paint horses, landscapes, and all kinds of animals. An associate member of Women Artists of the West, she found much of her inspiration in the badlands of North Dakota. She also spent many years in Colorado, and her paintings reflect many of these fond memories. Now she thinks "It will be cool to be a hippy-chick artist with long silver hair!"

But she didn't always think that way. It took Heidi three years to make the decision to go natural, and now she can't wait until it's "really all done!"  I'll let her tell you about her journey in her own words.

"I started noticing white strands when I was in my early 20's. It wasn't really a surprise, since my white-haired mother started graying in high school. Her hair was always beautiful, and I always admired her for never coloring. I didn't mess with coloring or lightening my dark hair either even though lots of girls in school had. I liked the natural shine in my hair, and I was lucky to have a really rich brown-colored head of hair. It was also thick and strong, so I could grow it out as long and wild as I wanted in my high school years in the hair-crazed 80's.

Still, when the gray started coming in faster, my hairdresser started me on some semipermanent color...it was to wash out with shampooing, avoiding the awful root line. It looked fine and I did that for several years. After I got married in my late 20's, I had to go permanent color to keep the stubborn grays from popping up. I started to hate the white roots that came in so soon. I would alternate salon and home coloring to save some money. After 10 years of doing the endless and tiring coloring-routine, I started thinking about letting it all go natural, and how freeing that would be.

My decision to go naturally gray took me about 3 years, as I debated how it could affect me and others in my family. Thankfully my family is really supportive, and no one questioned it except me and my then-hairdresser. It does make you think about some things, like how your youth would seem light-years away, never to return, or how you will feel about yourself, peering in the bathroom mirror first thing in the morning before your contacts are in, and you see this blurry mass of grey where it used to be a dark head of hair.

Well, I thought, I liked my hair better before when it was natural. Maybe I would like it again, even though natural meant a lot of salt and pepper. Try it, I told myself, who are you trying to impress anyway? No one, and besides, most people can tell that you're coloring your hair. I liked the thought of being real, letting everyone know that this is the real me...here I am! Nothing fake here, and being graceful and accepting about aging seemed like a good idea to me.  

When I timidly mentioned going natural to my hairdresser, he almost cut my head off with those shears. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but he really was against the idea. He said that it would make me look 10 - 15 years older. I love the guy, dearly, but I just had to find someone else who would support my decision and be my cheerleader. And that's when I found Juanita. She was kind and receptive to my idea. We discussed the different ways we could do this. I soon found out she really knew her stuff, so I was able to kind of 'sit back' and let her do her work.

She started lightening my hair, trying to tone down all the years of dark color saturated in each strand. She said there was a lot of red in my hair...probably from the home coloring kits. She could see the lighter white hairs surrounding my forehead, so she worked on getting the current color the same value as the new natural hair, so we could avoid the dreaded root line. I wasn't ready to go cold turkey, or cut it all off, because I like my hair longer. I'm a tall person with long large limbs, and big hands and feet, and I just look and feel more feminine with my hair long.

Juanita made my transition so much easier than I had anticipated. I thought I would be wearing knit hats for a year. It did take a good year for her to get the hair highlighted and varied so you could hardly see the real from the fake. You could see the color was different, warmer, than the real color, but not so much that I wouldn't go out in public! I currently have about half of my real hair and the rest is colored yet, but she did such an amazing job of blending you can hardly tell.

I feel like I'm done, but I know I'm not... maybe another 6 months to a year. I'm planning on growing it out very long, I think long gray hair is really cool looking. Of course I would love to look like Emmy Lou Harris in all her pure white, but I'm a ways off from that yet. But for now I'm really happy I made the decision to finally take the plunge. I feel better knowing that people see the real me, and I'm not so concerned about my looks anymore like I was before...maybe that's part of it, letting go of some of that. I like my hair, it's interesting now...with lighter white in the front and a nice charcoal color in the back. And my husband thinks I'm gorgeous with any color hair!"

Ed. note: Well, we can't blame him, Heidi!

Heidi's silver-streaked shiny "mane" gets a nod of approval from her friend.

And she gets closer to her wished-for color!

By November '08, she feels she's still "getting there."

And by December, she’s ready for her gallery show!

Deep brunette or cool charcoal? What do you think?

Heidi's finally done! Her stylist says she's all natural now, and Heidi's thrilled with the silver.

The family that grays together, stays together! Three generations of silver, and a brother too!

Gray to Stay!

Maureen had just dyed her hair dark, and does the glam dark-glasses look.

Now the grow-out begins in earnest. See those little grays?

Her bangs are in! But is she Newbie-hiding the rest?

At long last – pewter! And a great, straight blunt cut.

Maureen Dodd is a girl who knows her own mind. And she knew in her thirties she wanted to go gray. That was more than a decade ago, and she’s been gloriously gray ever since. Maureen saved a few pictures from her earlier dark days, but it’s clear the past was prologue to a shining silver future! I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words.

"Even though I colored my hair for a few years in my thirties, I never liked the feel of my hair with the heavy coating of hair dye. I wanted to scrub it off. Finally, I just let it grow out and never colored it again. It's been over ten years since I last colored my hair.

I was living in Southern California during that time and everyone (including preteens with highlights) had dyed hair. People would stop me everywhere and comment on how beautiful my gray hair was. There were times when I wanted to color it for a change or try living as a blonde but I couldn't bring myself to color my hair again. I'm not the most natural person and I should do a better job of recycling but the last straw for me was watching those chemicals go down the drain from the dye. I promised the earth that I would never do that again.

I am now 49 years old and plan to be gray for a few more years and then completely silver. I don't think I'll ever have to use any treatments on my hair because it will just naturally go silver. I can't wait.”

Ed. Note: We can’t wait, either, Maureen, to see how it could possibly be any better!

Suddenly, Maureen’s softer, curlier, prettier – and younger-looking!

Maureen gets a short new crop, and looks sportier, yet still chic!

And Wow! Can this gal do pink! Moral of the story -- let color brighten everything!

What do you think? Better on the dark side, or chic as silver?

SILVER SUPERHEROES

Oh, they’re out there. Silver fox vixens that save the world from evil. Our Member, Ruth, whose bf is a fan of Marvel Comics, pointed out the many charms of Rogue, the X-Men character who keeps a silver streak in her hair “to reflect her inner change and to support the idea of a fresh start."

And that got me thinking – isn’t that what we’re all doing? Along with the silver streaks, or the all-over pewter, or the dazzling white, haven’t we discovered that we’re changing on the inside, too? That we’re becoming stronger, more confident, more sure of who we are and what we define as beauty? Aren’t we all conscious of a fresh start? Beginning again to explore new ways to style our hair, new colors to try in makeup and in clothes?

And what about our mystical powers? Rogue has the rather dubious ability to “siphon the powers of others on skin-to-skin contact.” Swell. The way Marvel draws her, I can see what they mean. I bet strong men double at their knees when they get a load of her. “Skunk stripe” and all. Here’s how she’s portrayed in the comics, and here’s how the actress Ana Paquin looked portraying her in X-Men: The Last Stand.

There’s another striking silver superhero in X-Men, a mutant called Storm. She’s a real nature gal, that one. The elements react to her emotional state, so she has the power to control weather at will. She can also fly, if she chooses. Storm is descended from an ancient royal line of African white-haired sorceresses and priestesses. So, natch, she can do these things. This is Marvel’s interpretation, and then we see Halle Berry’s take on Storm in X-Men: The Last Stand.

There’s no doubt that gray hair, at least in superhero-land, is perceived as a power. A bewitching, mystical, other-worldly thing. And not only that, it’s obviously viewed as sexy. I had a journalist ask me the other day if gray hair is sexy. I think we only have to look at these “fantasies,” these figments of men’s imaginations, to answer with a resounding, oh, yeah!

But we all have powers, too. We have the power to be creative. The power to manage a home and family. The power to ride motorcycles and horses. The power to hike 20 miles up a sheer cliff. The power to run businesses and control our own destinies. But more importantly, we have the power to be real, and caring, and loving. Do we need to dress in black leather catsuits to prove it? Well, only if we want to. But silver hair hasn’t siphoned off one bit of who we were, who we are, who we can be. And if men think it’s sexy, fine. If they think it’s witchy, beware. Because witches have powers, too.

What I want to know from all of you is -- do you think your new superhero silver has made you more, or less, powerful? Consider everything, even your acceptance in the workplace, and post your comments below.

Melody’s Story

Melody felt she had the same cut and color as every woman her age; dark roots, blonde highlights.

After 6 months of avoiding “skunk stripe” with a brown color crayon, and realizing just how much white there was, she chose to chop.

Oxidizing ends keep fading away, and Mel’s smile is getting brighter!

A little longer and a lot whiter, Mel is good to go.

Melody Sumner, 57, decided to go natural in the Summer of ’07. And, as luck would have it, she went white! It didn’t take her long before the white really started to pop, but a year later, she feels she still has some “ends” to chop off. I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words.

Last summer I decided to do it! Go Gray….Wow, what a journey it has been. I just got I tired of the 4 week ritual; Color the roots dark and blonde highlights. I knew I had a lot of gray, but I didn’t know how it would look.

After going to the same hairdresser for 10 years I told her to cancel all my appointments. I was not going to color anymore. My hair needed a break from all the processing and I wanted to be natural. I felt a relief, for whatever reason. I was feeling good about my decision. People have always told me how young looking I look and I knew going gray was going to make me look older. I am a grandma, after all, and looking my age seems totally the thing to do. I have to say, my husband was all for the idea when I presented it to him, but he had a very hard time accepting the white hair. His grandmother had white hair and I just didn’t fit the picture.

When I started letting my hair go natural I realized I had more white hair than gray -- which was a pretty drastic change. The tool I had that helped me the most through the first 6 months was a brown color crayon stick that I used on my part. After I shampooed I would color the gray on my part as far down as it went so it kept looking brown. No one could even tell much for several months. It would last until the next shampoo. This was my saving grace from looking like a skunk. After 6 months I did cut it fairly short to hurry up the process. I like wearing my hair longer but I knew during this process shorter was better.

It was exciting to see the new color and feel how soft and healthy my hair was. I didn’t do anything different as far as shampoo or conditioner. Now, one year later my hair is getting longer and I still have a little color on the ends that will be cut off in a few months when I get another cut. There are times I wonder if I did the right thing. Should I have waited unit I was older? I look in the mirror and recognize how different I look and then say it’s only my hair that is different. I am the same person. I am fit, full of energy, hike, jog, and play with my grandkids (5 of them) work and travel with my husband. I am a complete package and my hair is just a part of it. It frames my face and is white/gray in color, but my smile and personality are who I am. I can choose to color again if I want, but when I threaten to my husband always says he wants me to keep it gray and I can’t imagine going through the transition again. He jokes at times and says, “I woke up one morning thinking I was sleeping with my grandmother.” She was old! Well, this grandmother is concentrating on being real and living life to its fullest and she is not old. I think he has the right picture now. It’s just a color, not an identity.

Ed note: Truer words were never spoken, Melody!

Rivaling Dame Helen, Mel and grandson find it IS better in the Bahamas!

Like the Energizer Bunny, Mel and her husband just keep going and going and going! Here, they’re exploring the Canyonlands.

Mel feels being white is appropriate for grandmas. Except she doesn’t look like one!

Mel today. Grown-out, grown-in and glam!

Better blonde or rightfully white? Post your comments!

feelin' so right!

Facing the mirror (and the music) on her 44th birthday. September, 2007

January, 2008. Sharon gets a bob cut and has her "final dye job."

Watching the roots come in over the next few weeks

Sharon Rogers, who posts as Sharon, is very representative of the “Newbie Evolution.” But the whole transitioning process seemed to go at warp-speed! Hailing from the UK, Sharon’s been through 30 years of coloring, and decided that was quite enough, thank you. I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words.

"I found my first grey nestling in my otherwise dark brunette hair at the age of 15. I spent the next almost 30 years experimenting with every hair colour, but usually dyeing it either red or an approximation of the "natural" dark brown I had as a child. Over the years I had seen evidence of my increasing grey as my roots appeared, but didn’t really know how much I had. I know I had a lot of silver in my mid-twenties, but never saw more than a few millimetres of re-growth before reaching for the dye.

I began to feel wrong with this long, dyed hair and became increasingly fed up with the root touch ups. In January, 2008, as my roots were coming in, I just couldn’t face a life time of hair dying, and I decided I was ready to go natural.

Even though much of my identity was tied up in my hair, in March I decided to hell with it, and asked my hair dresser to chop off all the dyed parts. This was scary, but I’m glad I did it. I’m surprised to find I still have some areas that are naturally dark, mainly around the side burns and at the back of my head, and I still have very dark brows and lashes.

I now have dye-free hair for the first time in 30 years and it is so freeing not to have the bind of touching up my roots. My biggest critic is my mother. At the age of 67 she is still colouring her hair every 3 weeks and feels I should be doing the same. She says this short grey hair makes me look old and she doesn’t pass up any opportunity to tell me I should go back to colouring it. However, she is wasting her time! I am now planning on growing my hair long again and am looking forward to seeing how the patterns of silver and dark come in."

Ed. note: Maybe your mother will see that silver is a color!

Seems to be rooty enough to make a statement.

The March Chop. All the dyed ends hit the cutting-room floor.

Bye-Bye Dye. Hello a whole new adventure in silver!

If you’re counting, it took Sharon 3 months to transition. Pretty speedy, but she started with a goodly amount of silver/white to begin with. And the cut always helps.

way to grow, Sharon!

Proving that a “down to the wood” haircut does grow back, Sharon just sent in this shot, taken three months after the big chop. Sporting soft waves, and a bit of a summer tan, she’s embarking on new color adventures in her wardrobe.

40+ and Fab!

Just one week before her 45th birthday, Sharon sent us this picture-perfect shot! It's only been 9 months since she stopped coloring, and 5 months since her "down to the wood" chop, and you can see a softer, prettier, curlier woman emerge.

Look How Long!

Here's the back view of Sharon's new look, showing just how long it's gotten since the big chop. Very pretty, soft, sexy curls. Didn't seem to take too long at all, for those of you measuring every inch!

Miss Glam!

Sharon just got a layered bob to help her transition to even longer lengths. Is this Wow, or what?

Haute Coat!

Sharon's crisp black-and-white coat plays up her silver perfectly. This is her first "outside" shot, so you can really see the striking color of her hair. But let's focus on that. Sharon thinks it's a bit bouffant, and going through "growing pains." Editor thinks it's hot, cool, definitely haute!

Playing with Colors

Sharon bought a tomato red outfit the other day, wore it, and felt increasingly uncomfortable in it as the day dragged on. When she got home, she returned to her "comfort zone" of black and gray pyjamas. She began to think shades of eggplant and burgundy (red with a drop of blue and brown) would suit her best, and smart cookie, photoshopped her original pic to see the results, "before I go out and spend money on another mistake!" She may be able to re-visit red in the summer when her skintone warms up, but for now, the cooler colors are more complimentary. This is a great case study!

Sharon Goes Longer

After trims along the way, Sharon is now resolved to grow her silver locks waist length! The color is so pretty, the waves soft and lovely. Should be interesting to watch yet another "transition."

Beauty & the Breeze

Reminding us that you never have to worry about roots when the wind takes your hair, Sharon sends in this absolutely radiant shot!

Happy Silver Anniversary, Sharon!

It's been two years this month since Sharon decided to go natural, and now she's got fantastic, soft, silver-kissed waves, plus a curly pony! Sharon says she has no regrets at all!

Presto Change-OH!

Sharon likes to keep things interesting! So she sent for these silver "Dreads" on ebay and loves the instant length. She says hairpieces and accessories help her get through periods of boredom, which lead straight to temptation. Although she did fancy the magenta locks she spotted at dance class!

Wonder Where the Yellow Went?

Sharon's yellowing silvers were getting to her. After trying countless blue shampoos, she decided to, gasp, turn to semi-permanent dye. Actually a white toner, from Directions Hair Dye. After being dye-free for over 2 years, she took a big gulp, figuring she could just cut it off if disaster happened. It didn't. Sharon is delighted with the results, and while this isn't something she'll do all the time, she says it beats going back to coloring. Take a look. You can really see the difference. And in the next shot, she celebrates her newfound silveryness with a bit of bindi bling!

End of the Story?

Sharon had been itching to color. And we all know she likes to change things up! So she went red. And, after a few days' time, she says she still likes it. Will Sharon ever go silver again? As she says, "It may be another story when the roots start coming in!" The wonderful thing about going silver is that it is a journey. You can always take a detour! But the most important thing is to always be happy with yourself! Continue to keep us posted, Sharon.

Better in brunette or prettier in pewter? Share your comments below.

GOING LONG AND LOVING IT!

Canadian Michel Brown started seeing gray in her teens. By her twenties, she was well into salt-and-pepper territory. Today, at 38, she has a fabulous silver mane (although she says she still has some of her original brown color underneath it all. Who’s looking?)

This isn’t a transitioning story – it’s a LONG story – for all of you out there who say you want to see more great grays with long hair! I’ll let Michel tell you how she feels about gray in her own words:

”When I look in the mirror, I am reminded of my Dad and my Grandma with their beautiful, soft, white gray hair. I am proud of this family heritage.

I was once asked the name of the salon that had streaked my hair silver. My reply was, “Genetics.”

I am quite proud that three women have told me that after seeing my hair, it inspired them to go au natural. Two are now totally gray, without any dye left, and the third is in the midst of letting her gray shine through. They are all beautiful.

Vanity is a wonderful thing. I receive many compliments from men and women on my striking hair colour. It’s good to feed the ego.

Thank you for a great site.”

Ed. Note: Thank you, Michel. You’ve given us just another good reason why the words “gray haired old lady” should be banned from the English language!

THE MANY LOOKS OF MICHEL

Michel says she “really babies” her hair, and has some great tips for taking care of long gray hair. Knowing that gray hair is more fragile, she lets her natural curl air dry and rarely uses a diffuser. Michel has learned not to “over shampoo,” and concentrates on the scalp, just rinsing the ends. She also applies a conditioner to the ends, adds a styling cream or light gel , and simply finger sets it. Michel deep conditions at least once a week, and will use a clarifying shampoo to remove product build-up (she likes Neutrogena and Pantene.) Once or twice a year, she may get her hair straightened for special occasions, but otherwise just goes with the flow of the natural curl. Results? Her partner brags about her hair, and he cringes every time she gets it trimmed.

Let’s welcome Michel (who posts with her middle name, Leigh), and share your comments!

From Preemie to PPD to pow!

Elizabeth two weeks before the PPD reaction, Fall 2004. Pretty, yes. Striking? Not yet.

Three months after the big chop, January 2005. We can only imagine how short she really had to go!

By Summer, 2005, Elizabeth had a cute, choppy short cut.

A funny thing happened to silver-haired Elizabeth Moeller when she began to have the “Turning 40 Blues.” She went online to research coloring her hair, and found us! Just in the nick of time. She said our pages were just what she needed for a “pick me up.” More importantly, she shouldn’t have been looking for color at all – she had been through a significant PPD reaction at the age of 36. I’ll let her tell you about it in her own words.

I started to show the glimmer of silver when I was still in high school. I had been coloring my hair an auburn shade since that time, and when I was 36, I had a terrible reaction to the colorant that the salon used. I just soaked my head under running cold water for a week ‘til the burning sensation and the blistering subsided.

With my dyed auburn color, there was NO WAY to grow out the gray without looking like Halloween every day! So, as my husband says, “I cut it down to the wood.” Very drastic... and yet... extremely freeing. I was surprised as to how empowering it was too. I definitely received a lot of feedback, some not so nice. It was hard at times to stay on track growing it out to its natural color, and yet my options were already depleted. I did NOT want to go through the “burn” again! It was a miserable and frightening experience.

A few of my close friends hated that I would not color it – they said it made them feel old when they saw my hair. That was hard to hear. I had always been the one that people would guess to be in my 20’s even when I was well into my 30’s. No one would believe it when I’d say that I had 6 children (7, when I let my hair gray.) My fear after our 7th was born in 2006 was that people would ask if he was my grandchild! It’s amazing how “color blind” people can be! Silver does not mean OLD. To my relief, no one has ever asked me if my children are my grandkids.

Ed. Note: Little danger of that, Elizabeth!

Nearly a year after her chop, Elizabeth’s hair was growing, and that’s not all. She’s two months pregnant!

When Elizabeth sent in the family’s 2007 Christmas card, I wanted to see more of that hair. So she asked her best friend from high school to come over and snap some pictures. I think you’ll all agree – she went from a pretty redhead to pow!

Photo credit: Lisa Santee

Today, Elizabeth says their family is “completed” – not going to play Eight is Enough! Her children have mixed emotions about Mama being gray, but they all vote unanimously for the length. Every once in awhile, one or the other will ask her why she doesn’t color it. She sees it as an opportunity to teach her children that “a person’s true value is not measured by what they wear or how they look, it’s about the honor, integrity and kindness that they display as they live their life.”

Nicely said.

She’s happy with her color (except for an occasional pre-40 panic), and the fact that it’s healthy, in good condition, and strong. Her husband loves the natural color, too, and is always ready to say, “I told you so.”

ELizabeth celebrates Spring with a New Curly Look!

Elizabeth decided she missed the "big hair" look of the 80's, and did a modernized soft-curl version of it. "It was such a glam, feminine look," she says -- and proves it! Not that she's going to give up her straight-hair look, but switching styles always gives a girl a boost. Especially in the Spring!

Forty & Fab!

Not too many months ago, Elizabeth was searching the web for ways to color her hair. Why? Because she was facing 40, and wondering if her gorgeous gray hair was adding even more years. And that's when she found us! Happily, she stayed gray, turned 40 this month, and looks better than ever! Moral of the story? Milestone birthdays can make you think crazy thoughts. Just ignore them!

Look how Long!

Elizabeth says this is now her new favorite pic, because her daughter, Ellie, snapped it. Works for "look how long," though, because her hair is really flowin'!

Before or after, everybody? Post your comments!

(Please be brief. If you want to chat longer, come visit us at Café Gray!)

Makeover Magic in Months!

Here’s a great progress report from one of our Members who developed a PPD allergy to hair dye. Didn’t take her long at all to transition from too dark to fantastically silver. But I’ll let her tell you in her own words.

May 2007. Two months before the big decision, freshly colored. Still in my Marlo Thomas stage.

Just starting, July 2007. Swore off color, roots are starting to show.

Late July 2007. Touching up roots with Colormark for parties, NOT coloring.

I like to consider myself a “young” 65. My choice to go gray was decided for me, when I developed a PPD allergy in July of 07. That was the last time I colored my hair and as a result of this new development, I then started to research online about the going gray process and how I could do it gracefully. That is how I found your book “Going Gray Looking Great”. I checked it at my local Library and then bought my own copy through Amazon used books. I love it, it has been my inspiration to not only be O.K. with the process but to feel good and positive about myself during the last 8 months of grow out.

As your book advised, I consulted many different hair colorists and received a different idea of how to gray gracefully from each of them., some of which included lightening my whole head and putting an ash toner on it to just doing highlights and lowlights. I then decided to just go ‘cold turkey” and not use any camouflage at all, since I did have the allergic reaction to deter me from using chemicals. I bought some hats and used Colormark for special events.

Every time I got a little iffy about the whole thing, I only had to open your book to feel great again. Thank You and your book for helping me through it all. I am only ½ way there, but I am getting complements and my Husband says “I didn’t think you could get prettier –but you have” I should have done this years ago and I admit I did try a few times, only to give up when that white line showed more than an inch down my front part. I am really happy with the change and am looking forward to the complete gray grow out and also getting a chic graduated mid length bob haircut with some movement to it since I am more comfortable with longer hair.(when it grows more). I have also started to experiment with makeup changes, and different hair products to find what is right for the new me, and it is all such fun!

I would absolutely encourage anyone with thoughts of going gray to read your book. Thank you and your book for giving me the support that I really needed to go through this.
Sincerely
Carol Diane Quinley

Ed. Note: Thanks, Carol!

August 2007. Color continues to fade. Turns orangey. Roots are white. Took guts to walk around like this. I had always been used to dark, glossy hair.

September 2007. Now I’m seeing something!

October 2007. A little cut, a little progress.

November 2007. I like anyone gray!

January 4, 2008 – Two reasons to celebrate! My Grandaughter’s birthday and the “new” me!

January 16, 2008. I am so glad now that I am evolving, growing and enjoying it!

February 22, 2008. Lighter, brighter, me! The only thing I miss is the body coloring gave my hair, but I’m trying to learn new ways to use different products to achieve body and shine.

This Just In from Carol!

Can you believe it's only been 9 months, and Carol's got a gorgeous crop of silver hair! As promised, she's letting it grow longer, and getting ready to celebrate her one-year "Good-bye Color" anniversary in July. As Carol says, she's going to have "GGLGREAT attitude for sure!" Way to go, Carol! For all of you who are counting the days, weeks, months, this is super encouragement -- there's light (a shining silver light) at the end of the tunnel.