Hi Sharon

My hair feels great with the Phyto Whitening Shampoo.  The shampoo itself is a dark colour but it leaves no trace, even with daily use.  In fact they say the more regularly you use it the more effective it is.  I was also using Phytosesame hydrating conditioner on the ends and it was good too.  Then I discovered Philip Kingsley Elasticiser....my hair is in the best condition!  It is meant to be applied 20 minutes before shampooing and only used occasionally, I break the rules by applying it at bedtime and only on the ends (don’t have time to hang around 20 minutes before showering in the morning!) and I use it almost every day.  Come to think of it, I’m sure they say ‘occasional use’ because it’s kinda expensive, but I really don’t mind the cost.  It’s much cheaper than colouring and I want my grey to look as good as I can get it, there are lots of yellow/greys out there.

Make of that what you will....but trust me on the Phyto Whitening!

A friend at work is in transition.  I’ve promised her the shampoo after her final cut.

Marilyn

Posted by Marilyn on 09/15 at 09:04 AM

Hello Marilyn

Thanks for the recommendation. So far I’ve bought 3 different blue/violet shampoos and the 3 matching conditioners and none of them have got rid of the slight yellowing I have on the ends of my hair. As you say, if we are not spending a fortune on dye then we can allow ouselves the luxury of these expensive products. It is still cheaper than bi-monthly colouring.

Sharon

Posted by Sharon on 09/15 at 09:20 AM

Hi Diana

Thanks, I may get round to having a picture taken for one of your galleries. 

In the meantime I really am glory-ing in my grey, I love it.

The website kept me going and I tell everyone all about it in my little part of Scotland.

Oh, I’ve just had a thought!  I have a picture on my website, though it’s kind of wee.  You’re welcome to have a look and leave me a comment there.  http://www.agenuinerattbag.co.uk

(It would be ok to delete the last paragraph if it’s not your practice to include web addresses, no problem!)

Thanks again
Marilyn

Posted by Marilyn on 09/15 at 01:12 PM

Hi Marilyn and welcome to the site. Your bags a so cool. I’ve used the phyto shampoo in the past and I liked it as well. I don’t have trouble with dry hair so using it everyday wasn’t a problem.  I now use it once in awhile. I remember when I cut all my hair off to go natural. What a freeing experience that was!! I did see your pic but we love pictures here at GGLG so it would be great to see you in color. I’m thinking I need one of your rattbags, so I’m going back to look again and figure out how many US$ I’ll be spending. I’ve sewn since I was 18 and have made a lot of things over the years, but never anything as clever and creative as your bags!  Again, welcome to the club!

Posted by sallee on 09/15 at 01:32 PM

Hi everyone.  I’m glad there’s a new section for the post-trauma survivors.  I just want to say that I’m so glad I made this change.  The hubby and I went on vacation this year and I didn’t once have to worry about white roots.  I let my hair be it’s beautiful, curly, pewtery self and I had a blast.  We were in Alaska, so the damp weather brought my curls out even more.  I’ve also got enough length now that I can use a straightening iron for a straight, smooth look.  I have to be careful though.  I’m afraid of scorching my hair.  Is that possible?  I’m not sure how this white hair of mine can handle all that heat.  So I keep the heat down as much as possible.

I have to admit, I look at photos of myself and I do look older than I did with dyed hair.  But I don’t think I look old.  And I love what the new hair color has done for my skin tone.  I don’t look washed out any more.

I have noticed that I’m more careful when I apply my makeup.  I won’t leave the house without lipstick AT ALL now.  And I’ve started adding more color to my clothing, and wearing funkier clothes.  Which is fun.

I’m looking forward to seeing what changes the next phase will bring, as I work on getting my hair long again.

Posted by lisagreen on 09/15 at 01:50 PM

Hi Lisa, I’m the same way about lipstick. Seems even if I don’t manage to do any other makeup have to have lipstick. Funky clothes are sooo fun. You look like you could carry off a funky look.(that’s a good thing, the way I see it) I’ve always marched to my own drummer when it comes to clothes. How long do you want your hair to be?

Posted by sallee on 09/15 at 02:05 PM

Before I went back to college, it was down past my waist.  Of course, it was also about nine million shades of brown, so I normally kept it pulled up.  I keep seeing gals like Yasmina Rossi and Julie Christie with long thick white hair and I want it!!!  I miss the long hair, the variety of up-do’s, the pig tails, and my husband brushing it.  So, I’m not getting it cut until it touches my shoulders.  And then, just a clean up to keep if from looking messy.  I’ve been straightening, which is fun.  Although one of the guys I work with said I look like Carol Brady.  That was on the day I tried sweeping everything to one side for a little texture.  Nixed that one quick.  How about you?  Do you plan to grow it long?

Posted by lisagreen on 09/15 at 02:18 PM

Well, I had it cut and layer earlier this year and I’ve been letting it grow ever since. The layering seems to be working as my hair got curly and wavy when I went through the change, which was great, as I’d always had straight hair so the curly, wavy thing is good, as long as it’s layered. So I think I’ll just keep growing it. I liked it long like I had it in the pic with my granddaughter so I’m going for that. I do wish I had more body though. I have to put a ton of product in it if I want to put it up or wear any kind of clip, if I don’t nothing stays. Oh, well, can’t have everything.

Posted by sallee on 09/15 at 02:59 PM

Hi, all.

Karate Mom is checking in again.  I’ve just received my next belt rank in American Tang Soo Do and feel fantastic.  It’s been a month since I started the MDSkincare Alpha-Beta Daily peel and women are stopping me to ask what I’m doing to get such great skin. Thanks, Diana!

Everyone in my circle of friends has adjusted to my new look. I have only received one “You looked better blonde” comment from a co-worker.  She isn’t someone I’d take fashion advice from, so I ignored the comment. Mostly everyone tells me how happy I look, which is exactly how it should be.  It’s not so much the hair that’s shining these days as what’s inside.

The hair is growing slowly. It is just long enough to show “bed head” in the morning now and has reached the edge of my ears. I’ll probably send another pic in Decemeber when it may have a style other than “buzz.”

It’s been fun reading all the posts!

Ellenina

Posted by karate_mom on 09/15 at 08:46 PM

Hi Sallee

I’m glad you like my bags, I love making them, thanks for writing.

I’m with ALL of you on the lipstick!

Sharon - your new picture is amazing!  I want the world of hair-dying women to look at this site and I defy them to say that these beautiful women don’t look better with their natural hair colour.  (Ah, down from the soapbox now...)

Marilyn

Posted by Marilyn on 09/16 at 01:48 PM

Thank you Marilyn. I’m going to grow it long so expect some more update photos in a few months

Posted by Sharon on 09/16 at 01:51 PM

Sharon, you look awesome! I love the waves, it’s going to look even more beautiful the longer it gets. 

Posted by sallee on 09/16 at 01:56 PM

Yes, Sharon! I love the length you’re getting and the curls! I look forward to watching your continuing updates!

And honestly, Diana...I think these updates are just as exciting as watching the newbies transition. So, thanks for allowing everyone to continue sending in new shots!

Posted by greeneyes on 09/16 at 03:16 PM

Okay, I was just looking at the September issue of “Cooking Light” and who would think a cooking magazine would do an article on gray hair, but alas, they did

Beautiful woman with a great head of gray hair in a really stylish cut for the model and a woman quoted in the article saying she dyed her hair because she thought she needed to reflect how young she felt inside and now says she actually feels younger with her gray hair.

I truly believe the freedom going natural gives us is just one thing that lights us all up and also, I believe you don’t do this until you’re ready to be the real you and say, what you see is what you get and it ain’t a bottle of bleach.

Posted by sallee on 09/16 at 04:21 PM

By my count, which at best is a guess, there are at least six us So Cal Gals posting these days. (Socalkellie, Salli, grayincali, karatemom, lainla3 and me.  If I have missed anyone my apologies.  Chime in and let us know who you are, the more the merrier.) Some of us are newbies and some of us are at some point in transitioning—from reading Diana’s book and reading posts at this site, I see transitioning as something we are going to be doing for the rest of our natural haired lives—and its a good thing to look forward to an ever changing, ever evolving self.  What I am writing about though is that we have talked about a So Cal Get Together.  In the course of several private messages we’ve come up with Long Beach as the best place for us to meet.  Now let’s come up with a date in October or November when we can all do it.  I am a student with classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays so those days are out for me.  What days are best for the So Cal Gals?  Can anyone suggest a place to meet in Long Beach?  Shall we do lunch and go from there?  Everyone is welcome to join us or via the net if we meet in a place with the internet--we can do “live” postings!  Let’s do this!

Cheri a/k/a Grannycoed

Posted by SoCalSilver on 09/18 at 08:48 AM

Okay, now I have to know… How many of us are there in the Chicago / MidWest Area?  I think we need to try to have regional gatherings, roughly around the same time.  Then we could post group pics!!!!  Sound like FUN???

I’ll start… I’m in Chicago.  Right down town.  Any one else?????

Posted by lisagreen on 09/18 at 09:43 AM

lisagreen, So Cal is meeting on Oct 18 in Long Beach for what will probably be lunch.  Most of our planning is happening in the Newbie discussion group—maybe you should post there too.  Why should we So Cal Gals have all the fun?  Come on Chicago/Midwest go for it!  Join us on Oct 18 for a first ever event for gglg.  Fire up the net that day and we’ll “talk.”

Cheers!
Cheri

Posted by SoCalSilver on 09/18 at 11:38 AM

Southern Cali chick here.  I’m in San Marcos(college student).  A net meeting would probably work for me

Kendall

Posted by kendall88athlete on 09/18 at 05:57 PM

Glad to hear from you Southern Cali chick. Sorry I missed listing you in my earlier post. We So Cal Gals have set the date of October 18 in Long Beach for the first ever anywhere GLGG face to face get together. Specific site and time (probably lunch) to be determined. Hope you can make it.  If not, watch for our posts and pics that day and chime in when you can.

Posted by SoCalSilver on 09/19 at 06:54 AM

Love Note to Jamie Lee Curtis

In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, Elizabeth Taylor and Jackie Kennedy Onassis were the icons of my Mother’s generation.  They were beauty and grace.  Even though I fought hard to disagree with my Mother on most every level, I did embrace those two lovely ladies as role models.  Their hair was “fixed” and they wore makeup.  I loved dressing up; I loved going to the beauty shop with my Grandmother once a week and getting my nails done and talking about hair and makeup.  I couldn’t wait to wear makeup.  I could only wear lipstick at fourteen and I had to wait two long years till I was sixteen to wear mascara.

Then came the late sixties my idols changed from Taylor and Onassis to Twiggy and Cher.  Well, they both wore makeup; it was just different.  I was sixteen and in high school and I could wear make up and fix my hair and be cool and beautiful at the same time.  I was happy. 

As much as I wanted to be a hippie chick; that just wasn’t going to happen.  I had waited all those years to wear makeup.  As I said, I loved makeup.  I loved fixing my hair and most of all, I loved coloring it.  All those years going to the beauty shop with my Grandmother, I had to indulge.  Just so you know, my Mother and of course Elizabeth had beautiful dark hair.  So I colored my blonde hair to brunette.

Years later, in the eighties, I moved from Colorado, land of the natural woman back to Texas, land of big haired women and everyone was blond.  Maybe not, but it seemed that way to me.  My hair stylist convinced me that my sunny disposition called for beautiful blond streaks.  Now I’m really blond.

Occasionally I would go back to my “roots”, but I could never find that true color and ended up with green hair on more than one occasion.  Sometimes money would be tight so I would buy products at the grocery store and would emerge with yellow or orange hair.  None of it was intentional.  I am a banker by trade and none of these colors looked good with a prissy business suit. 

In my small town neighborhood we had cookouts and progressive dinners and the occasional coloring party.  Even after cooking out in the hot Texas sun and drinking beer all afternoon, the outcome would look pretty good.  Did I mention that one of our neighborhood couples is a gay couple?  They always know what looks good and what doesn’t. 

When money is better I treat myself to a visit to a salon and get low lights and high lights.  I feel like I look fabulous.  Okay, maybe I look like everyone else.  But what is this?  The roots on the high lights are not dark anymore, they are different and the roots on the low lights are light.  What is going on?

I know my next door neighbor’s “roots” because I see her sisters occasionally for birthdays and holidays and three of them have white hair.  Their ages range from mid forties to mid sixties.  I’ve colored my neighbor’s hair so I know her hair could be just like her sisters. 

“Why don’t you let your hair go white”, I ask?  “I’m just not ready”, she responds.  She is 6 years younger than me. 

I keep looking in the mirror and it seems I’m coloring more and more and the roots are changing.  Every major event revolves around when and if I need to color my hair.  If we go to the cousin’s wedding, then I need to color a week ahead and then you have Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Usually you can color at Thanksgiving and are good through Christmas, but it will need a touch up at New Years.  I watch every celebrity and their roots and I would wonder, “didn’t they know they were going to be in a movie or be walking across a stage”?  Their roots are showing.

I’m obsessed with my hair color.  I’ve been coloring my hair for 40 years now.  Then I make the scariest decision I have ever made in my life.  I go down the scary dark hall that no one in my family has traveled and I open the door that is mine and mine alone.  I am not going to color my hair any more.

I cannot think of one Aunt or Grandmother and certainly not my Mother that let more than an inch of their natural color shine through.  I am all alone.  I ask my husband and bless his heart; he has no words of comfort to give me.  He loves me for who I am; not the color of my hair.  Thanks, honey.

Okay, so now how do you do this?  For the past few years I have worn my hair all one length to the top of my shoulders and bangs.  Very classic and professional, just like me.  But you can’t let your hair grow out like that.  I would look worse than all those poor women I used to pity with more than an inch of roots showing.  I had to be smart about this.  Everyone was wearing their hair chopped off and standing straight on their head; like they had stuck their finger in a socket.  Layers would hide the roots, right? 

New hair do and a color that has not seen the light in 40 years. 

So it begins.  The first month, my roots had grown out to nearly one inch.  I can’t stand it.  I buy a box of natural blond dye and color my hair.  I hate myself and I hate the color.  I cut my hair shorter.  The months flew by and I cut my hair shorter every time trying to cut all the artificial color off.  And finally there it was, gray hair. But it was short and I don’t like short hair on myself, so I decided not to make a decision about my hair color until I get my hair to all one length. 

My hair is not the beautiful white like my neighbor’s sisters.  It is white and silver and some dark gray.  What would I think if I saw this color on someone else?  Would I compliment them?  Would I applaud them for being bold and confident and letting their true colors show?  By the way, my neighbor is not following in her sister’s footsteps.  Her hair is a beautiful auburn.  I think it is Number 9.  I am all alone.

I don’t know what I think.  I can’t say that it is like my Mother’s hair or my Grandmother’s hair.  No one around me has followed my lead.  They keep coloring their hair and calling it theirs.  I wonder if they are the audience of my life, watching me, sitting in the dark and wanting to cry out to me, to tell me, don’t open the scary door. 

I see women in their sixties, seventies and eighties with gray hair.  They say nothing to me.  Do they want to tell me to go back to color?  I see women my age and they still color their hair.  I want to tell them to give it up.  Be natural.  But are they looking at me and thinking, “you opened the scary door”. 

I have had two women ask me what the color of my hair was, so they could purchase it for themselves.  I laughed and told them that there is not a box of gray hair dye in the world.  You only got what you got.

Young women, in their twenties, always compliment my hair.  Bless their hearts.  Hopefully, I have blazed a trail and once their pink or purple grows out, or they get tired of it, they will let their hair shine in all its glory no matter what color it is.

Then I see Jamie Lee Curtis on the cover of a magazine and there she is again in Yogurt ads.  She is fabulous and her hair is just like mine.  Of course I don’t have the movie star good looks, and my hair is now almost shoulder length, but thank you Jamie Lee Curtis; I feel better.

Posted by Lynn on 09/28 at 12:08 PM

Lynn, I like your post. I know all about being the first to open the scary door. I’m the first in my family to do this - my mother, all my aunts and even my grandmother still dye. There is something a little ‘different’ about the granddaughter being grey while the mother and grandmother are dyed. I am also the only one of my group of friends going natural. This site is the only place I find fellow scary door openers!

Posted by Sharon on 09/28 at 01:51 PM

Lynn,
Great post!  Congrats to you...from one Texas Gray to another! 
~dede

Posted by wtxgray on 09/29 at 06:57 AM

Speaking of lipstick...have any of you ever had lip color tattooed on?  Or maybe know someone who has?  I’ve been thinking about it, there is a salon here in town that does it...not a tattoo parlor, but a beauty spa.  My lips have completely faded into my face!  Help!!  Where are my lips!!!  I’m not afraid of tattoos, but have heard that you must have it done at least twice, and it really doesn’t last very long.  Any tips???
~dede

Posted by wtxgray on 09/29 at 07:05 AM

OOOh, Dede, it sounds painful.  Maybe it’s more of a henna-type colour that is topically applied rather than deposited via needle?  Let us know what you find out about it. 

Lynn--Loved your letter to Jamie Lee.  I could relate to so much of it.  I’m also the only one in my family to have opened that “scary door.” But I’m loving being natural and getting more comfortable with it every day!

Posted by newbie2 on 09/29 at 07:19 AM

Thank you all for your comments.  Honestly, I thought I was the only gray haired woman in the world.  I love this site.  Dede, I only know of one “real life” person that had the procedure done to her lips and she loved it.  Sounded like a one time procedure, but there was a healing process and your lips will look like a giant cold sore for a while.  Now for “unreal” people, Michael Jackson’s lips seem to be faring quite well...but we don’t know how often he has them done (do we want to know?).

Posted by Lynn on 09/29 at 07:34 AM

Hi Dede, it is just like getting a tattoo and it’s a bit painful around the lips. I would only have it done by a dermatologist that you have checked out and if they’ve done other patients I would ask to see pictures. Most dermatologist’s take before and after pics of things like that.

Posted by sallee on 09/29 at 07:38 AM

Welcome Lynn, gee, I think your post is fabulous. What a great story and thanks for sharing. I have learned so much from this site as far as how going natural affects women and the people in their lives. I never went through any of it and so never thought about it until I found Diana’s site. My daughter gave me a bit of noise when I told her I was doing it, however, as soon as she saw the color her tuned changed.

I know, it’s weird, I have women look at me too and I wonder what they’re thinking.  I’ve also had women and teenagers ask me what color it is and who does it. I just say Mother Nature.

It does seem like we’re all alone sometimes, doesn’t it?  I am the only one in my group of peers that has her natural hair color. They all love my hair but have all said, no way are they giving up coloring their hair. No one ever refers to my hair as gray, it’s always platinum blonde whenever someone gives it a name.

We are big on pictures, so please send one so we can see the woman who wrote this fabulous post in all her multi-colored gray hair glory.

Posted by sallee on 09/29 at 08:59 AM

OH BOY HAVE YOU FOUND THE RIGHT PLACE!! ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY...WHEN I FEEL LIKE NO ONE QUITE GETS WHAT AND WHY I AM DOING THIS ALL I HAVE TO DO IS CHECK THIS SITE FOR THE QUICK COME BACKS...LET ME TELL YOU I HAVE NEVER FELT SO RIGHT ABOUT SOMETHING!! IT IS REALLY JUST THAT EASY FOR ME...I REALLY DON’T GET UPSET WITH ANY NEGATIVE COMMENTS (WHICH REALLY ARE NOT TOOO MANY) IT PUTS ME INTO MY “I’LL SHOW YOU” MODE!!
GOOD LUCK AND SEND IN THE PICS ...WE LOVE PICTURES!!
LOUANN

Posted by lainla3 on 09/29 at 02:23 PM

Dede -

I knew my sister in law had this done so I asked her for a response.  I asked if she thought it was worth it and how long it lasted.  Here is her response:

“I say absolutely it was worth it.  Actually mine are fading now but I had them done probably 7 or 8 years ago, so I think it’s lasted for quite a while.  I don’t know if there are different qualities of people that do it or not, but I really researched the lady that did mine.  She has been tattooing for over 20 years and I talked to several people too that she had done for references.  I didn’t just walk into any place and have them done.  So, I would make sure that I really checked the person out that was doing it, and have them done darker than you think you might like.  That’s the only thing I wish I would have done . . . but other than that I have loved it and would do in again in a heartbeat!”

Hope this helps.

Cathy

Posted by CathyD on 09/29 at 07:35 PM

I’M A GRANDMA!!!!  YYEEE HAAAAA!! My wonderful step-daughter gave birth to a beautiful baby boy yesterday!  He is wonderful!  My hubby is completely twitterpated!  He is so funny...every time the phone rings, he says, “Excuse me...that’s probably my Grandson calling...” I didn’t know how I’d feel about being a Grandmother at 41, when I was still having dreams of having another baby myself...but it’s WONDERFUL!!! Now I don’t have to dream about it anymore!!  He is precious...I’m going to put his picture in my member album photo spot so you can all see him!!!

Thanks to all of you for your response to my question about lip tattoos, CathyD...sounds like your sister in law really is supportive of it!  Now I know I need to really check into the salon artist before plopping down in a chair!  I’m getting a littel excited about it, but I’ll have to find someone I trust, then plan to do it before a long weekend when we have nothing planned!  I’ll keep you all posted on the lip tat!
Thanks...love all you gals!
~dede

Posted by wtxgray on 09/30 at 07:04 AM

Congrats, Dede!

Posted by newbie2 on 09/30 at 07:10 AM

dede~

I am so excited for your family! Congrats!!!!

Posted by elizabeth on 09/30 at 07:39 AM

dede, you won’t believe how in love you’re going to fall with your grandson. it’s the best. i had no idea until i became a grandma just how special it is. so happy for you.

Posted by sallee on 09/30 at 07:45 AM

Grandma Dede - Congratulations! :o)

My news is that I am soon to be a mother-in-law. Last night I went with my future daughter-in-law to watch her try on her wedding dress. She and my son will be married next May and then my husband and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary in June.

By the way, I really enjoyed looking at my silver hair shining in all of those mirrors, surrounded by white wedding dresses. :o) I was trying not to stare at my hair so people wouldn’t think I was nuts...but my hair was really distracting me.

Posted by greeneyes on 09/30 at 07:55 AM