Café Gray Chat About Gray Hair

Longing for Long?

You’ve chopped. You’ve pixied. You’ve transitioned. Now what? Many Silver Sisters now want to go long. Chin length, shoulder length, and beyond. This is your place to talk about your next major transition. Good luck, everybody. Did you ever think you’d get out that tapemeasure again?

Posted by Diana Jewell on 08/24 at 06:11 PM

Yes, please. Sign me up. Grow hair grow!! Who’s with me?

Posted by grayincali on 08/24 at 06:39 PM

We’ve got our first charter member! Anybody still up all over the world? Let’s get this growing!

Posted by Diana Jewell on 08/24 at 06:46 PM

uh oh i might have to be “quiet here"…

Posted by louann on 08/24 at 08:03 PM

Count me in - I’m a long-girl too! Can’t seem to cut it since having it so icky-short for so many months. Now if i can just get those darn bangs to grow all the way out too…

Posted by Graydiva on 08/24 at 08:33 PM

Count me in,Long hair is so so much easier.Just now,since my last cut,starting to feel like me.That cut was june 29.The color I just Love!

Posted by new york on 08/24 at 09:20 PM

I’m definitely in - it’s about 16 months since my pixie short cut and I’ve only had 2 trims since then. I’m currently about half way beteen chin length and shoulder length and am aiming for waist length. I think it will take about 3 years from now. (I went from very short to waist length before when I was in my 30s and my rate of growth doesn’t seem to have slowed down since then).

Posted by Sharon on 08/25 at 02:30 AM

Hi, I’m in! I know what you mean about the bangs Graydiva--after my pixie cut I really missed them--they will come back sooner than you think!

Yesterday I had a good hair day. I went product shopping on the weekend. ( : I used the Aveda Blue Malva, Aveda Shampure conditioner and some style prep smoother they gave me in a sample. My hair smelled so good and was so smooth and shiny. I pulled my hair back on the sides with a barrette in the back. Yes, the sides kept falling out but it felt good and felt longer. When I did that a lot of the gray and silver that is underneath the blond highlights was showing which was cool. Also I am able to pull my hair back into a little pony tail--little but it’s getting there.

I really like my hair longer but also think it looks better with the sides away from my face so pulling it back a good option for me. Now I can’t wait until it is all silver like all of you!

Last week I took a picture with my cell phone when I was outside of the top of my head--it looked very silver!! I had my hair pulled back. It’s one of my member album photos. I know that’s not about hair getting longer--couldn’t resist.

BethA

Posted by beth on 08/25 at 04:27 AM

I’m a long hair wanna be too!! Mine has really taken off lately! My ulimate goal was to have silver hair flowing back behind me, out from under my helmet on my motorcycle...well...it’s not quite flowing...maybe “Flapping” is a good word for it!! But it’s certainly longer than my helmet now!!! YEA!! Funny story about telling my sister why I wanted it long...I told her that with my height and broad shoulders, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I have a somewhat masculine build, so red lipstick and long, healthy, shiny hair on my motorcycle might mean that I’m not mistaken for a dude...her reply??? “Dede, with a rear end like THAT, do you really think anyone is going to mistake you for a guy??” WWOOOOHOOOO gotta love those sisters!!
~dede

Posted by wtxgray on 08/25 at 05:38 AM

HEY!! WHEN DID THIS GO UP ??? I logged out last night to watch “So You Think You Can Dance Canada” and then this morning I see it!! YIPPEE!! I LOVE this!! Thanks Diana, you’re the best! I am joining this club, that’s for certain!

Posted by lulubell on 08/25 at 06:11 AM

This morning I was actually able to pull the top of my hair up and put it in a “small” pony tail!! Now, I wouldn’t go out with this new look (think Pebbles Flintstone) but I am so thrilled to just be able to do it! Dede, your sister is a real gem!! She sounds wonderful, you are so lucky to have her!

Posted by lulubell on 08/25 at 06:28 AM

WOW
I so want to belong to this club. LOL.
My hair is going to be a long process as my hair is finally just over my the tops/tips of my ears LOL. So a while to grow that is for sure.But that is okay. I have yet to even make it to the dreaded inbetween stage grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Dede so funny LOL LOL you did give me a good chuckle

Katie

Posted by Katie on 08/25 at 06:56 AM

I just LOVE Tami’s hair {Great Grays Gallery, Ist photo) with her long curls! Perhaps I’ll shoot for that length! Her hair looks so soft and feminine and I just love the variation of colors that she has going on!!

Posted by lulubell on 08/25 at 08:09 AM

Lulubell~ you are too cute! Today I am sporting a 3 inch ponytail.

I had long hair for many yrs and last week I got the third shortest cut in my life. It’s a ‘medium angled bob’ where the back is at the nape of my neck and the front is slightly above shoulders. Not used to the cut yet. I’ll post a new pic soon for my members album shot. A friend on facebook thought I dyed my hair blond! Ha!

New York~ so glad you are ‘lovin’ your color. Looking forward to our first meeting next month.
Any new sisters in Chicagoland?

Flower

Posted by Flower on 08/25 at 08:15 AM

Hi Flower, wow, lucky you, a 3 inch pony tail!! If only my little pony tail were that long! There’s nothing like a second transition!! Can’t wait to see your new cut, you certainly do have some silver coming in, very nice indeed!

Posted by lulubell on 08/25 at 08:19 AM

Well Lulubell, actually not all of my hair fit in the rubberband, needed a couple bobbie pins underneath, a barrette for one side, and a quick spritz of hairspray. But it should be good for our lovely sunny day w/temps around 85 degrees Off to run errands.

Posted by Flower on 08/25 at 08:44 AM

Did I hear Flower mention a Mini Meet in Chicago next month? Do I see a license plate up on the Silver Sisters Events page? Noooooo. Actually, you don’t have to do anything to meet with fellow Silver Sisters anywhere. But if you do put up a little announcement (via OZ) on the events page, you may get more to attend. And you’ll also get a GGLG baseball cap!

But then, of course, you’ll have to take some pics, so we can do a little article on the meet. That way, we get to tag along, if only vicariously!

Posted by Diana Jewell on 08/25 at 08:59 AM

Mine has JUST got to the length where it goes into a covered rubberband without huge chunks of hair falling out of the band and doesn’t need extra help from pins and clips. Flower, I hope your rubberband is a covered one, the plain ones tear the hair shaft

Posted by Sharon on 08/25 at 09:07 AM

I hear you OZ ‘New York’ offered to bring her camera, no replies on the shout out to ‘Lisagreen’ so we’ll see and send you a PM if we can work out a date/time.

Posted by Flower on 08/25 at 10:59 AM

woooooo whoo count me in on the long hair! Hey lulubell thanks for the compliment...I have been going in every 5 to 6 weeks for a trim since my short pixie grad picture to keep my hair somewhat in shape...the grow out stage can be really nerve racking!

Posted by graytnw on 08/25 at 06:27 PM

Ladies, I’m in! Two years after transitioning, I found a stylist who I think can get me back to shoulder length or longer without the heavy ends, flat top problems that always make me cut. With my strong jaw, I need height at the crown and less heaviness around my face...not easy to achieve with straight, fine hair. But, I will persevere! Fiance is happy to see some length, I have my pony back (although rebel hairs still poke out), life is good. GGLG, Girls Growing their Lovely Gray locks!

Posted by newbie2 on 08/25 at 06:34 PM

Oh, so that’s what it stands for, Lisa??
Sounds like your stylist pinpointed the problem well. Please send in update shots as you go along!

Posted by Diana Jewell on 08/25 at 08:02 PM

I’m already long. And silvery. But I want to be in the club, too, even if I’m no longer longing for long. ;0

Posted by HomekeepingGran on 08/25 at 08:03 PM

That was supposed to be . (Sheesh, Carla!)

Posted by HomekeepingGran on 08/25 at 08:04 PM

This is Great! So I still have really long hair, but only the top 3” are silvery. I’m not planning to chop it. Maybe a little shorter, but I have really curly hair, so keeping it long keeps it from looking like a bush! Curly hair is dry hair, so I’ll share the tip that enabled me to finally get my hair to grow really long. Shampoo very rarely and condition with a good conditioner frequently. When my colorist first told me this, I balked. I couldn’t believe that a person could not shampoo their hair every time. Well I tried it and it works. I shampoo about once a month. All the rest of the time I just use conditioner, I scrub it into my scalp and it cleans my hair, but doesn’t dry or strip it. And if you saw me, you would never think that I have greasy hair. Now, I don’t know that this would work for people with really oily scalp/hair. But for the dry hair people, it really works! I’m 44 and my hair has never been healthier or longer.

Posted by Jacque on 08/26 at 02:45 PM

Hey that’s a great tip Jacque. I’m gonna try it! I’ve been already using Pantene conditioner for my styling product and it seems to really help but the not-shampooing thing is new. I can’t imagine going without shampooing for a whole month but since my hair is dry I’m willing to try it, thanks

Posted by Graydiva on 08/26 at 02:58 PM

Jacque, I shampoo one day, condition only on days two, three and four and then start over on day five. This works very well for my curls! My hair does have a lot of curl but it tends to be on the fine side so I can’t go for a whole month without shampooing, but I certainly do agree that over washing is not a good idea. By the way, I am loving the OJON products!

Posted by lulubell on 08/26 at 04:41 PM

I am a dry-haired girl too and I definitely shampoo less than I used to, but I think I will try to stretch it out a little longer and see what happens. I’ve never gone longer than a week w/o resorting to shampooing again. I do use conditioner in lieu of shampooing some throughout the week, but usually shampoo at least every 3-4 days. Thanks for the tip, Jacque!

Posted by grayincali on 08/26 at 07:36 PM

I mean it doesn’t hurt to try it right? The worst that can happen is you end up with greasy looking hair. Which you can then shampoo! I thought it was crazy when I heard it, but it’s worked out great for me. Good tips on the products too. I used the Aveda Blue Malva conditioner, but my hair reacted to it like it was shampoo, it felt really stripped. So I use it once in a while, but then I use my heavy duty conditioner right after.

A friend of mine looked over this site and the first thing she asked me was if I was going to cut my hair short. I told her no. I think it’’s interesting that a lot of people don’t think of silver and long at the same time when it comes to hair. I remember my Mom saying many times when I was growing up that older women shouldn’t have long hair. For years I dreaded the day when I would “have to” start wearing my hair short!

I love this site and all the great pictures of the trailblazers with long gorgeous silver hair!

Thanks for your comments, it’s really nice to have the support!

Posted by Jacque on 08/26 at 08:26 PM

Now, don’t laugh or think I’m totally obsessed (hmm.....??? )but last night I had my Husband measure my hair length........he is convinced that I have finally gone “over the edge” this time yet he continues to be a good sport about it all. My hair on the top of my head measured 6 inches in length and the underlying layers measured 5 inches in length. The curls along the bottom that touch the back of my neck measured 4 inches. So here grows!! Jacque, I have heard the old myth about no long hair after a certain age and especially if it is silver. Whenever anyone mentions that to me I tell them to come to GGLG and check out our “beauties” with their long locks!!

Posted by lulubell on 08/27 at 06:04 AM

lulubell, you always bring a big smile/grin/full laugh to my face. SIX inches - wow! I had to get the ruler out and measure mine. Two and a half inches. How did you get to six so fast? Anyhow, congratulations, I’m thrilled for you. Isn’t it great you can continue to obsess about hair here and no one thinks you’ve “lost it”.
I’m visiting GGLG more often the last few days. It’s a great distraction and I almost forget the emotional trauma of sending my youngest off and the utter disaster in my house.

Posted by silvercurl on 08/27 at 06:47 AM

Silvercurl, I had my Husband measure the top 3 times! I didn’t believe him when he told me that the hair on the top was 6 inches long, but it really is!! I am completely convinced that my hair grows much faster since I stopped coloring it. Also, I have only had a trim (April) since the original “down to the wood” cut last December and although she “trimmed” the sides and back quite short, she did leave my top length alone, so I am not too surpised that it has grown to 6 inches. Good luck with the “clean up!” It’s nice to have you here more often!!

Posted by lulubell on 08/27 at 09:14 AM

OK....just had to go measure my hair “myself” to do a 4X check, you just never know with my Husband, he is a true comedian! Yes, it is actually six inches long when I measured just now. I measured the hair right at the “crown” of my head and from root to tip it is “just” six inches in length! Diana, would you consider this to be “normal growth?” After the my down to the wood in December it measured about one inch.

Posted by lulubell on 08/27 at 09:50 AM

lulubell~ You are too funny! But....... I have been known to do the same thing, a LOT! (I have a suspicion we’re not alone) Why are we so obsssessed with it all?!? We seem to just transition from measuring the new growth and how much colored crap is left to how long it is after it’s all cut off!!!! Maybe we have a thing with a ruler, huh? I think you are growing a little faster than “normal” since it’s usually 1/2 inch growth a month, if you have 5 more inches in addition to your 1 inch in December. Am I doing that right?

Posted by Aziza on 08/27 at 10:00 AM

Ugh. I hate math. Yes, “normal” growth is about 1/2” a month. But let’s not forget, it is the end of August, almost September. So we’ve got 8 months that gave us 4”. Now September gives us another 1/2”. So that’s 4 1/2, plus the 1” that was already there—OK, looks like Lulubell’s about a half an inch ahead of schedule. But that’s splitting hairs! And, don’t forget, your hair can grow at different rates at different times. Put the rulers away!!!

Posted by Diana Jewell on 08/27 at 10:19 AM

Good luck with that piece of advice, Diana. We know we should put it away but it’s soooo hard to resist. I guess maybe it’s wishful thinking that it will grow faster if we constantly measure it.