Judith Krzyzanowski

Judith comes from the Land Down Under, but it’s her “up-top” that’s prompting her to call 25 years of coloring quits. Current strategy: to “take things slowly.” She’s thinking of using an ash rinse to tone down the warmth of her color, and getting a less-than-drastic cut. Funniest quote from her 5-yr. old son: “Mum, only men are allowed to have gray hair – and Grand Nannies.”

Progress report: Judith tried a "purple mousse" but said it made her hair feel crunchy and dull. Now, after being inspired by all the women featured on the site, "especially Elizabeth," she says, Judith thinks she's ready to cut it all off!

Flash update: Judith’s new cut! With this chic, asymmetrical bob, she says she feels like “a new modern me has arrived!” Way to go, Judith. Now wardrobe overhaul is next. See how one thing leads to another?

Movin' along: Just look at those inches adding up! Judith says she has good hair days and bad hair days, but is enjoying watching the "processed bits" hit the floor. Says she has an incredibly supportive hair stylist who is genuinely excited by her progress. In fact, even her husband is changing his "you'll look older before your time" tune. All good, Judith, all good!

LORI O’DELL

Known to Members as Plinkette, Lori swore off color in January, after ten years of “nagging” by her daughter! Lori’s been graying since her 20’s (she’s 43 now), and plans to do this cold turkey, with regular hair trims. Maybe a little temporary touch-up at the roots for special occasions, like her niece’s wedding in June.

Progress report: Lori’s dyed color is beginning to fade, and she’s getting new, white streaks!

Lori's got a brand new cut! Nice frace-framing layers, Lori! And, although you can't see a lot of gray, full-front, she says it's coming in nicely, and just sent in this new "overhead" shot to show more. A-ha! Sure is!

Update: At 8 months into transitioning, Lori's got a "now-you-see-it-now-you-don't" thing going on. But it's clearly visible, if you compare her no-bangs look here to the one above. You can even spot the silver when she wears her bangs forward. You're getting there, Lori!

Kari Mofford

Kari started graying in college, and for 11 years has been blonde, brunette, and red! Now 37, she’s going for gray! After “chickening out” in January and buying a box of dye, she’s made her decision. Kari says she feels “much less stressed” about it all.

Progress report: Kari's now had 2 inches cut from her hair, and the gray is coming in more and more. She's still calm, cool, and collected about the whole thing. Keep it up, Kari!

Karen Martin

Karen’s radiant red hair has gone 5 weeks without color. At 54, she’d been using “all-over” color for about 12 years. She had lowlights put in a week ago, and is considering highlighting next. Her “strategy” is just to get through this stage as fast as possible!

Progress report: Karen just got some highlighting and a really great cut! See how the softer color helps to blend the white better!

Flash update: Karen's latest cut. She says she hopes, in a few weeks, she'll have the courage to go even shorter!

Flash update: Karen decided to chop, too, and we can really see the progress now! Actually, she tells us it's only been 3 months after full color, 2 after lowlights, 1 after highlights. See? It just seems long!

Over and out! Karen hasn't submitted for awhile, she's just been quietly completing her transition! Now her hair is a super silvery shade. She promises to send in a full-face shot soon, so she can graduate to a full-fledged Gallery Girl!

Shara Stewart

Shara’s been coloring her hair since the age of 18, when she went from “blah brown” to a glorious redhead. Now 55, she’s decided to limit toxins and has 5 weeks of grow-out. Her plan? Go cold turkey and have healthy haircuts. Her goal? Maybe to have hair like her dog, Monty!

Progress report: Who's that mysterious lady peeking out under 10 1/2 week's growth? It's Shara, more determined than ever to skip her next lowlighting appointment and continue cold turkey-ing it. Next month, she'll get another "healthy haircut." Keep the strength, Shara!

Update: Four months have gone by, and four inches have come off! Shara is determined to hang on to some length, although she says she's getting to the point where she can definitely understand "the chop." Right now, she's managing with "hats on occasion," and she's planning to have another inch taken off this week. Here's something to smile about -- see how well the new growth goes with her eyebrows and coloring? This is gonna be good!

Susan Curtis

Susan, AKA Suzy2u in the Café, has been coloring her hair for almost 20 years. Now 42, she stopped it all in the middle of January, and has gorgeous white roots coming in. Hard to see when she's facing you, but, yup, there's that "skunk stripe" when she pulls her hair apart. The bangs help hide the hairline. Strategy? Suzy keeps cutting it shorter each time, and doesn't bother to hide the stripe -- just explains it when she wants to!

Flash update: Susan has a new "Jamie Lee" cut! Now shorter than she's ever worn it, her hair looks "tipped" with color, instead of rooty-tooty. Not only do people "get it," she's received compliments ranging from "you look younger," to "you look thinner." No more white Q-Tip worries! As you can see from the back shot, this hair is almost there!

Catherine Thibault

Known as GardenMimine at the Café, Catherine has been graying since the age of 9! Now 34, she has decided it's time to stop hiding her central swath of white roots (which she does very effectively by combing hair to the side.) Catherine's already had thoughts of shaving off her long, lustrous raven hair, but for now will "deal" with her roots as long as she can. Stay tuned!

Flash update: Here's the shot we've all been waiting for! Here's the "buzz" -- and wow, what a difference! Catherine says she feels "great, empowered, but still scared. A lot of emotions indeed."

Progress report: Catherine is kind of doing a newbie-in-reverse! While others are posting short cuts, this brave buzzer is letting us see how her hair is growing in. Says it's coming in fast, and because of the central white stripe, it looks as if she rubbed the top of her head on a freshly painted wall. Good news is -- she loves it!

This just in: Catherine's hair continues to grow, now looking très gamine! I see a little Leslie Caron here. And the "white paint" look has turned into a smooth, shining silver. Maybe a sterling. Whatever the shade, it's blending nicely with her darker locks. Note the gray sweater and silver earrings. Way to play it, Catherine!

Dara Barnes

"Greeneyes" got here! Yup, she does have green eyes. Dara, 44, found her first gray hair at the age of 25, and began highlighting, then lowlighting, then overall coloring for the past three years. In December '07, she said good-bye to all that. To help blend the new gray growth, Dara first had lowlights put in, which darkened her hair to match its natural dark brown. A few days ago, she had her hair cut (and isn't quite enchanted with it yet, although she does say it's growing on her.) Reason? Her hair is thick, and now she feels it's given her some sprightly "wild whites." Dara says you can't see much gray from the front, so she nicely parted her hair to show us they're there!

Progress report: Dara's new June cut! Shorter and "feathered," as her husband says, it's inching closer to the grow-out. This time around, she says she likes it, although probably won't go much shorter. Just to show us it really is gray, she parted it to the other side, and voilà! Now you see them. Clearly some nice white streaks. Great cut to focus attention on the green eyes, greeneyes!

Flash update: Dara's new cut! Shorter on top, and as she says "so close" to getting rid of the remaining dye. But now Dara's gone into "grow mode," and will only be getting tiny trims from now on. This ought to get her through her family reunion, though!

Katie Ayres

Boston schoolteacher Katie is a "study" in going gray. First pic, pre-decision, shows her with dark, reddish-brown dye. She's been coloring her hair for "at least" 15 years, and has been red, blonde, and brown. In December, '07, she pulled the plug on color, revealing the results of bleaching her hair blonde, then using a brown dye over that! Now the color is oxidizing, and she "can't wait to get rid of it." She's got a good start, a good cut, and a good amount of silvery roots. Keep going, Katie!

Anita Fiedler

Anita has posted her story already in the Café/Newbie blog, but her captions for these pictures are priceless. The first shot (all taken holding the camera herself) shows 10 week's growth, or as she puts it "What hides under Miss Clairol No. 47 Red Ginger?" The next shot is a very creative display of roots, all tied up in twisties. Next, we have the famous "stripe" shot, taken at 12 weeks, and finally another neatly sectioned view of 12-week's roots. Anita, in case you don't want to go back to the Café, is 49, has wanted to stop coloring for about a year, and has finally decided not to waste more time with various coloring techniques, and go "cold turkey." She may add some long layers when she has 4-5 inches of gray. Stay tuned!

Update: Anita has gone 5 1/2 months without color, and she's made quite a bit of progress. Says she likes the white in the front better (don't we all?), but is determined to see this through. You can see how far she's come in the back shot. Cheering you on, Anita!

Wendy Roberts

Wendy "took the plunge" about three months ago, and said it was a real shocker, although in a wonderful way, to see her true color after years and years of coloring. She wears her hair pulled back "in public" to avoid feeling self-conscious about her roots. They seem to be hiding nicely, although the silver's shining through in picture two. At 38, Wendy feels the percentage of gray roots she sees will eventually give her a full head of silver. Right now, there's still a lot of dark going on, but she's using her "incremental-cutting-scheme" to remove the dyed ends as the gray comes in. Keep going, Wendy!

Wendy chased the "butterfly" away fast by sending in these shots! After getting a mid-short cut (which didn't last long, she said), Wendy cut off all her dyed hair about a month ago. One problem: you still can't see the gray! She says she has "sprinkles" of it, with a lot around the temples. So she sent proof from an earlier shot -- it's there, all right, a nice steely tone. Wendy continues to be fully committed to NO dye and loves her new, natural hair.

Debra Burcin

Meet Debbie, who's been posting in the Newbies section at the Café! She's really a new newbie, with just 7 weeks of baby growth, but it's starting to show at the tempes, and yup -- there it is in her uptop "stripe" shot. She decided to tackle it "head on" by getting her hair cut off, even though she had finally gotten it to a small pony tail length. Now it will be no time at all until she can kiss the remaining colored ends good-bye! Debbie's excited about the whole process, but sisters, let's remind her of patience.

Progress Report: After almost 4 months, Debbie's fresh from a new cut, and now you can see that the transition is really taking hold. What a big difference! The dark (dye) color has lightened, and the silver is really starting to shine. Even her hairdresser likes it! The third shot, pre-cut, shows Debbie doing the headband trick, where the silver was beginning to "pop." Don't you love it when it gets to this stage? When you begin to see what a "precious metal" color this gray really is? OK, it's a two-tone effect, but the lighter, brighter look is so pretty around the face -- and eyes!

Any minute now! Debra's looking forward to her next cut in 2 weeks, and is so ready to get rid of what's left of her color. No wonder -- that steely tone is fabulous! She credits a clarifying shampoo for really bringing it out. Debra admits her transitioning hasn't taken very long, but "it seems like forever."

Debbie's latest cut didn't quite get rid of all the dye, but she's sure the next one in 6 weeks will! But here you can see that she went quite short, while still retaining that glorious color. Only a few tips showing through it now! In her famous "eyes only" shot, you can see a difference in the percentage of gray in her hair. Note she also had her eyebrows "done." Not sure if she meant dyed, lightened or tweezed, but they look very nice with her hair.

Beth Aronson

Beth’s our first “blonde” in Newbie Class ’08, although now coping with the real color grow-out of brown and white. A tricky issue. She’s done highlights and lowlights for about 15 years, most recently lowlights about 5 weeks ago. At 53, she’s concerned about salt and pepper at work, but has been wanting to go natural for about a year and a half. Started to feel "inauthentic," and was troubled by the condition of her hair. First step, a shorter cut. Beth says she was surprised by the amount of gray in her roots. But that’s a good start!

Flash update: After trying the headband trick, Beth did it! Went and got her hair cut short. Says a lot of color "hit the floor" and thinks it will be easier to wait for the end result. A lot of progress here!

This just in! Beth's back from the BIg Apple, and sent in her NYC cut. Do I see Jamie Lee? She says just a hint of blonde remains in the front. Although it's shorter than she's ever had it, Beth says she's getting used to it, with the bonus of no more bad hair days! See how much lighter-than-blonde her hair is on top? And it's natural, too!

Linda LaRue

Graying since her early 30’s, Linda never seemed to mind the few silver streaks in her hair. But when she lost her mother, just before her 50th birthday, she went into full “makeover mode” in an effort to turn back the clock. It was her way of coping with grief, and dyeing her hair seemed the simplest solution. After 3 years, she had a “go-gray epiphany” the day after Christmas 2007. Now, 5 months into transitioning, she’s got a newer short bob, and “feels comfortable living in my own skin again.”

Christie Sturre

Christie, 32, is another “Down Under” gal who started coloring her hair at the age of 17. After 10 years of “at-home” experimenting, she went to the salon for “full color and streaks” to diffuse the gray. The first shot, with her son, Lincoln, shows her still on the coloring trail, with subtle highlights. Not so subtle in shot two. She had a chunky blonde streak put in because that’s where her hair was the whitest. That was her last color appointment (although she didn’t know it at the time!). Now, with about two months of re-growth, things are starting to happen. Christie feels lucky that it’s winter in Australia now, and she can get away with hats and “beanies.”

Progress report: I see white streaks! No, not the chunky highlighting Christie had. Although, face-on, you can see the undercolor fading a bit. But the overhead shot does show some whites mingled in. Trust me -- I saw it larger! Christie's 4-yr. old son noticed it, and uttered a sentence that included the "old" word. Hmmmmm. Christie says some "re-training" is in order! There's progress here!

Flash update! Christie says she "succumbed" to the chop because she was "going to break." Well, no harm if you do, Christie -- but the best thing is, you've got a great cut! One that shows off your cheekbones and your eyes!

Joyce Michael

Joyce, who posts as J-, started noticing her first gray at the age of 25. At around 30, she started coloring her hair in a shade close to her own. She’ll be turning 45 in June, and is now 9 weeks into cold turkey. Joyce is “amazed” at how much time she spends fretting over her hair, although she admits not much of a “stripe” shows when she styles it. Yet she nicely parted it for us. She’s getting a shorter cut this week, so stay tuned!

Flash update: Joyce got her "May cut." Boy, is this getting contagious here, or what? She just touches up the ends with a curling iron, and the rest is all natural. An easy, breezy way to be in the summer. Color still looks strong, but the true color (and the silvers!) will show in no time.

Donna Womack

Donna, who posts as DJ, found her first white hair at the age of 15 and started coloring at 21. Now almost 44, tired of coloring every 3 weeks and “killing my hair,” Donna decided first to bleach her hair in February 2008 to make the silver roots less noticeable. Big mistake. She hated it. Solution? A shoulder-length cut. She cried. On May 23rd, she went short, really short, to get rid of the multi-color effect going on. Now she’s happily awaiting the steely silver color to come in, although struggling with the idea that gray is aging. PS, she’s not wild about having short hair, either, but she’s anxious to see the “real me.”

Dede Runnels

Dede, who happily turns 42 in November noticed her first grays in her early 20’s, but was already highlighting her naturally blonde hair in high school. By the time she turned 30, she reached for the dye. In September, 2007, she had her hair colored auburn for the last time. Reason? A horrible reaction. Her new colorist lifted the auburn out twice by bleaching it blonde, being careful not to go near the scalp. Now Dede considers herself “wtxgray” – had to ask – that means “West Texas gray!” Still a little blonde, still transitioning, but “motivated every morning when I look in the mirror to live a more authentic life. . . and it’s not a nagging or bothersome reminder. . . but a shining, vibrant, exciting hint to what lies beneath and ahead for me!” Great thought, Dede.

Progress report: More inches hit the cutting room floor! Dede was hoping this was her last cut, but those stubborn color tips are still hanging around. "Funny how much whiter it looked when it was longer," she says. Like a lot of newbies, Dede can't wait for it to GROW!

Sandy Hicks

Sandy said she had about 1½ inches of roots, until she saw the overhead shot her husband took, “graciously getting all the gray in the picture.” Said she didn’t realize she had so much. At 5’10” tall, she says most people don’t notice it yet. Except her 14 year-old 6’3” son – and he makes a lot of comments! Still, Sandy’s determined to do it after highlighting for 15 years, and adding lowlights and “lots more” highlights for the past 10. She hates the schedule (every 4-6 weeks), the time involved (2-3 hours), and is looking forward to spending the money elsewhere. Pet peeve: the “20-something stylists who tell me ‘it’ll make you look old.’” Sandy’s 47. I ask you, does she look old?

Update: Here's Sandy's latest "gray au natural." She says she wishes she had glammed up a bit, but the hair's the thing. And at this stage, it's a combo of gray and dark brown with left-over highlights. Notice that wonderful silvery shade on the side, and imagine how beautiful it will look with those blue eyes of hers! Keep going, Sandy!

Laura Hicklin

Welcome new newbie Laura, posting as RunnerGal! She began turning gray in her early 20's, and now, at 40, has decided to stop dying her hair dark brown. First step: she got a shorter bob, cutting about 5" off. Next step: she has an appointment with a colorist next week to discuss getting some highlights to help with the transition. And then she says she'll just "go from there." Stay tuned!

Progress report: Uh-oh. Laura's not happy with her new highlights. Says she was "in shock" the second she saw her hair in the salon. Her hair feels dry, Laura feels like a scarecrow! She figures, instead of having brown hair with a light skunk streak, she'll have light hair with a dark skunk streak. Still, Laura knows she'll get through it, and that maybe this step was good because it will get everybody, including herself, used to change. Good attitude!

Helen GIbbons

Helen sent her pics in for “those of us who aren’t chopping.” Winning, by far, the longest hair in transitioning position! She got a jump-start by stopping her cycle of coloring around the end of October, 2007. By her 50th birthday, in December, she had a good 6 weeks of grow-in (first pic). Helen “did the henna thing” in her late twenties and thirties, then started coloring her hair in her late thirties. The last few years, she became frustrated with how quickly the “skunk stripe” appeared. Now, admittedly, she has a two-tone effect going on, but plans to cut her hair to shoulder length at summer’s end to donate to Locks of Love, following in her daughter’s footsteps. After that, she says she’ll grow it again! Her daughter doesn’t like the white hair talk, but says it’s a “cool metal color.” A good lesson – find the language your kids can live with, and you’ll get their support!

August chop: Helen did it! True to her plan to donate her hair to Locks of Love at summer's end, Helen did have enough length to whack off her ponytail. And look at the great cut she was left with! She says the brown underneath is deceiving, since when the hair moves, the silver shines through. She loves the color, and her daughter called it "sparkly." Now Helen figures about 6-8 weeks more, one more cut, and she'll be done. Credits eating lots of fish, massaging her scalp, and Ojon to the fast grow-out and good condition of her hair.

Ellenina Gaston

Ellenina, who posts as Karate Mom, noticed her first grays in high school. She started coloring at around the age of 20, and has been every shade from dark brown to light blonde to at least 3 different auburn tones. At the age of 36, Ellenina wanted to see what her “real” hair looked like, and thought the gray very chic and sophisticated. When a woman asked her how she managed to snag such a young husband, Ellenina headed straight back to the salon! Now 41, and with renewed confidence (maybe from her martial arts class?), she’s ready to get in touch with her “authentic” self. First strategy: to strip off all the red. Second thought: nope, just a good, layered cut, shown in pic 2. Her first 14 days’ of growth are beginning to show, and Ellenina loves “that lovely white/gray line of hair coming in!” Bonus -- her husband says he thinks she’ll look even sexier!

Flash update: Karate Mom's gone "biker chick" and is looking forward to the black-and-white graphic tee shirts that will help her work this look. Says it's much better than feeling like she has to hide during this transition. Ellenina plans to have the same 1" cut at sides and back in another 5 weeks, which she expects will look interesting with the red tips on top. Meanwhile, her husband is getting a kick out of her ever-changing style and is happy she's having fun with it. Now, she's exploring products called "Glue" and "Spike it!" Next shot -- 20 days of growth -- and counting!

Ellenina's still counting -- 42 days without color, and now she's beginning to see how it's coming in. "White in front, and more charcoal in back," she says. Our Karate Mom promises to update mid-August, when she expects her next will get all the red out.

Half-and-half: Ellenina sent these pics in to show another Newbie what bi-color hair looks like! And she says she's "just fine" with it.

Latest buzz: Five weeks after her last cut, and because she was feeling "flat" on top, Ellenina went super short! Now she's pleased with the silver she sees at the sides. From now on, she'll spike up the remaining red on top, and only trim there. Figures two more months, and she's done!

Carole D. Denney

Carole is our first Newbie-in-Reverse, transitioning back to white. She had a long head start, silver since 1991, at the age of 37. The silver turned nicely to icy white, as the first picture, taken in December, 2007 shows. In April 2008, Carole decided to get foil lowlights. Why on earth? A “whim,” after learning her ex-husband had gotten engaged to a much younger woman. “Silly me,” she admits. Now she’s snipping ever shorter and vowing never to color her hair again. Sometimes reclaiming white requires as much patience as waiting for it to come in. So lets give Carole our full Newbie support!

Progress report: Carole just sent in a shot of her latest cut. And she's happy that she's almost back to white. 'Bye-bye lowlights!

Barbara Moody

Barbara, 48, looks like she’s almost made it through transitioning, but says she feels very “newbie.” Admittedly “addicted to the box” since her early 30’s, her monthly coloring routine had escalated to every 3 weeks. The first picture shows the color her hair was in 2007. In early 2008 (February), Barbara finally said enough! She said it seemed so ridiculous to spend so much time and energy on covering up something potentially beautiful and most definitely natural. (We couldn’t agree more, of course.) Now, she likes the variety of color in her hair – not all gray, not brunette, darker than she thought at the roots, but with a broad streak of silver at the temple. She finds, with each cut, the color changes. That’s part of the surprise silver has in store!

Barbara says she's out of "dyes-ville" and into the natural beauty of gray! Meanwhile, her 12 year-old son, away for 2 months, missed the whole transition! Although he now has to "adjust" to his new Mom, Barbara likes it. Including the dark color in the back. She says her natural color has been "hiding" for over a dozen years! We've got ourselves a grad!

Helen Burton

Welcome, Silverlake! Our first born-to-the-blonde hails from Scotland. At 48, after about 5 years of overall coloring, she developed sensitivity to the chemical mix and decided that was it. Proving that blondes don't necessarily have more fun when it comes to graying, Helen is doing all the right things by getting highlights up top to blend in the line. The first two pics are "before" highlights, the next two, after. She's about 9 weeks into the process now, and says her hair is still darker blonde in back, whiter in front and about 50% gray on top. Without a lot of contrast, blonde hair can go mousey, that's why the highlights are a very good idea. She says she'll keep getting "top-offs" until the silver/white really begins to assert itself. And, meanwhile, she got a shorter chic bob. Although she does have a few trepidations (she once posted "let me count the ways"), Helen's already started a few friends thinking about ditching the dye!

3-month update: Helen's bob is getting shorter, and she's got a hairdresser who's really "with the program!" This time, she skipped the highlights, and says her silvers are really starting to come through now (although you might have to look closely!) It's always hard to tell on naturally blonde hair. My question: Does Silverlake ever take a bad picture?

Debbie O'Keefe

Debdo's here! That's how she's been posting, and now she's ready for her close-up! Here's Debbie's story: she noticed her first grays by the age of 17, but didn't start coloring until she was 31, after her second daughter was born. As she said, she went "straight to the bottle" when a co-worker casually said "Oh, I thought you were older." But now, after coloring for 13 years, she's had it. Especially since the grays started needing attention every three weeks. At the age of 44, Debbie wants to let her "true colors shine" and figures about 75% of those true colors are in silver territory. Now, with about 6-weeks' grow-out, she's just gotten her first chop to hasten the process. Welcome to Newbies, Debbie!

Progress Report: Debdo's speeding right along, getting her second short chop just five weeks after the first. It's now been eleven weeks since she stopped coloring, and she says "I'm a calico cat!" Not too calico, Debbie! In fact, you're almost there. What a pretty silvery color!

Diane Wayne

Diane's been thinking about letting her silver show through for many years, but now, at the age of 58, has decided it's finally time! She's been using semi-permanent color all along, but in preparation for transitioning had her first "permanent" technique -- highlights to make the blending process that much easier. These pictures were taken at around 4-6 weeks of growth, and now Diane's up to 9 weeks and counting. Says sending these pics in is a good way to make a real commitment to the process, and make it less likely she'll "desert when the going gets tough." OK, it may, but that's why you've got friends here!

Danna Gerhart

Danna, 37, has been coloring her hair since the age of 13 or 14. Not because she was going gray, but because it was something "different" to do. Guess you could say she became addicted to color; it escalated into an every-two-week habit. And, yes, she's done brown, blonde, red, and highlights! The turning point came in May when she actually colored her hair 3 times in 1 week. "It almost made me sick," Danna said. That's when she realized she had to go cold turkey. She decided her only option was to embrace her natural color -- "whatever it might be!" Now Danna has about 7 weeks of grow-in, but doesn't look at this adventure as going gray, rather, as going natural. Is there gray under there? Stay tuned. Her husband, practically all gray at the age of 39, is supportive, and that's just what it's going to take to help Danna break the color habit!

Rosa Jones

Welcome new Newbie Rosa, 52, who's been thinking about going natural for the past several years. She noticed her first grays at around 16 or 17, and figured she would take after her mother, who had silver, shiny hair. She wasn't quite ready for that, and at the age of 23 began coloring. All sorts of colors -- auburn, dark brown, "eggplant." When she first asked her sisters how they felt about it, her older sister said "You go first." Her oldest daugter thinks it will look awesome, and her husband told her to go for it. Her hairstylist friend estimates she's about 90% gray, but told Rosa not to do it, said she would look 10 years older immediately. Thanks to this site, and all the pictures of young-looking great grays, Rosa doesn't think so! In fact, she thinks some women look younger with gray. She's booked for a color and cut tomorrow, but guess what? She's just getting a cut. Here we see about 4 weeks growth, as Rosa begins her journey.

Here's the buzz! Rosa and her daughter cut their hair down to 1", kind of a family ties buzz! She says she still has about a quarter of an inch of brown, but next whack, it's gone! You can see it in two of the shots, but the last one does show the little silvery strands shining through. Rosa says she feels positively liberated!

Robyn Pettingill

Inspired by Elizabeth's story, Robin decided to bid goodbye to dye at the age of 45. Although she started to gray in her 20's, Robyn didn't dye until she had her first daughter at the age of 36. She felt, as an "older mom" she'd be mistaken for the baby's grandmother. Eight months ago, she had her second child, and now she's decided to go natural! After spending 5 1/2 hours in a salon chair last color appointment, she decided that was it! "I'd rather have soft, pretty gray hair than dried-out dyed hair with a skunk stripe every 4 weeks," she says. Here, we see just 4-weeks' growth, the beginnng of the journey. Robyn plans on getting trims until the gray's all in, although she might have highlights in September for a family wedding. After that, maybe the Big Chop. Stay tuned!

Shannon Page

Say hello to Newbie Shannon, who started her transition in March of this year. After coloring her hair since her early 30's, Shannon, now 53, called it quits. She said a lot of people thought she was crazy (some still do), but she knows it's the right thing for her. After feeling like a slave to her hair, and having to do touchups every 3 weeks, Shannon now wants to be comfortable with who she is and what she looks like. "I just want to be myself," she says, "and not worry about roots showing, about someone seeing that I'm actually not a brunette at all." Pet peeve: People who say "But you look so young, why would you want to quit coloring your hair?" The first picture shows Shannon "before" -- with hair fully colored. The second shows a healthy 4-month root growth. You're on your way, Shannon!

Mary Haecherl

You've read her posts (signs on as MaryJane), now meet our newest Newbie! At 59, she said 'bye-bye to dye the first week of June. But not to lightening -- a bit. And because of that very obvious skunk stripe, it was the right thing to do. Picture 3 shows the little bit of softening effect the highlights had. Mary reports that her stylist lightened only up to the new growth, and nothing below ear-level. Mary's excited about the change and happy with the way things are going so far. For all you out there who are wondering about how you can ease a dramatic contrast between white and dark, take note. There's hope!

Leeja Humber

Leeja, 35, who posts as gulfbreeze, found her first grays at around the age of 16. Which is why she's been posting in "Preemies" lately. With a lot of early grayers (and early thinners!) in her family, she always knew she was destined for it. Leeja actually tried to go gray about a year and a half ago, and did a drastic buzz, down to 1" all over, with her husband's clippers. The shock was just too much, she colored it the next day, and regretted it. After realizing that her ends were dark, color didn't take well on her naturally curly hair, and her hair was completely dried out, she's willing to give it a go again. "I'm ready to be me," she says. The first picture, taken July 27, shows her as she was, six weeks post-color. Now, she's got a new "chop," but a modified one. Her advice to all newbies -- don't cut any shorter than you can be comfortable with. She views growing out and transitioning as part of the "re-birth" process -- it takes time for acceptance. Leeja says it's like taking 9 months for your child to be born and enjoying the process along the way. But, she says, "I enjoyed pregnancy a lot more than growing my hair out!"

Update: Leeja's making great progress (and survived an in-laws visit with just a comment about her cut!) Now she says she's itching to shave it! What?? After her last experience? But now that she's got between 1/2" - 3/4" of growth, she loves seeing more and more gray appear.

Lois Johnson

Here's our 'Lil Lulubell, just a month since her last highlighting on July 8th. She's been coloring since her 20's, and is quite naturally wondering if she's going to "miss the old me." Yet she says she is "ready to meet the new me" and going gray is going to be her gift to herself. Approaching 55 in November, Lulu (sorry, I'm forever going to call her that!) can't get over the amount of gray that is already showing. She intends to grow it out a bit, so she won't have to go completely "buzzy," but says her first cut will be the last. From then on, she plans to let it grow. She's taking her daughter with her for the big chop, and needs our support as well. Like all of us, Lulu's a little apprehensive, and was last seen searching for a silver baseball cap!

Lulu did go for her "chop," and is quite delighted at how well the curls came to life, and camouflaged the gray! She says it's far less obvious at this point, and advises all curlyheads to do the same. Although she was nervous when she went to the salon, she's decided she may keep it short for good, going for trims every 3-4 weeks. What a nice surprise, Lulu!

Janey Warmbrod

Janey, 34, is two months into transitioning, after her little sister guessed her hair was 60% gray (and her husband estimated 70%). Posting as “Graycefully,” her inspiration came from her mother-in-law, Audera, a “gorgeous gray Paula-Dean-look-alike” who OWNED IT in her forties!” Two years ago, Audera passed away and Janey says she’s transitioning in memory of her. But she’s also doing it for herself, and is making all the right moves. Using a permanent color for years (Clairol Hydrience #36 – Light Golden Brown, first picture), Janey switched to a temporary shade four weeks into roots. Her next move was to schedule a “transition” appointment at a prestigious local salon, where she found a willing and expert accomplice. She scheduled an appointment, tried to move in up in a moment of panic, and when she couldn’t, “drowned my sorrows in scarves and hats and hibernation.” When the big day came, Janey and her colorist discussed a strategy. She was pleased when he told her that she would not need highlights because the Hydrience color she had used was just the right shade – darker than the gray, but slightly lighter than her natural hair color. That, combined with a “sloppy part,” would do the trick. She loves the cut, and loves knowing she's not alone -- she has us!

Ruth M'Gonigle

Ruth, 41, who posts as ruthmgon, started her cold-turkey transition in May, buoyed by the website and the book. She’d been thinking about it for awhile, for all the usual reasons: tired of having to dye every other week (!), starting to feel “inauthentic,” dealing with aging, questioning her direction in life. Ruth had been coloring her hair since her mid-twenties, postponing her family “heritage.” Both her father and his sister had gorgeous white hair in their 30’s. At first, she was a half-hearted home-dyer, letting her roots go for 2-4 months at a clip. A career change brought a sense of having to look “business casual,” and that sent her to a salon and permanent dye. Ruth knew it wasn’t working when her hair became drier, darker and damaged. Now she says “Bring on the hats! Bring on the temporary hair color and the ColorMark wands!” With a 10-day break coming up at the end of August, Ruth is going for the chop, so she can get used to her new color and her new look before heading back to the office. It’s a plan!

Flash update: Ruth got the chop! And her stylist told her it "made his day!" Ruth's getting used to it, playing with different products, and doesn't mind the little bit of color still left on the ends. Talk about an instant transition! She says she's having a great week off and actually likes her new color! Won't they be surprised when you go back to work, Ruth?

Veronica Slobodnik

Ronnie, who posts as cancun.mermaid, is another raven-haired beauty who has decided to brave the "skunk stripe." Soon to turn 43, she's been covering her gray since she was 28. After about 10 years, she had to touch up every 5 weeks, and for the last 3 years, every 3-4 weeks. It's amazing how those whites seem to sprout faster, isn't it? After making the decision to transition six weeks ago, Ronnie says she feels "lighter," and finds herself admiring the silver starting to frame her face instead of "cringing in the mirror." In her job as a physician's assistant, Ronnie hasn't gotten many comments from her co-workers, except for one -- who told her it's going to look great. Yay for enthusiastic co-workers! Ronnie says she's been inspired by all of you Newbies, and can't wait to chat with her silver sisters. So let's welcome her!

LouAnn Reising

Welcome LouAnn, who posts as Lainla3, a Los Angeles native who thinks going gray will make her "stick out like a sore thumb in tinsel town." I dunno, tinsel's pretty silvery, no? LouAnn says -- "so's my part!" She's been coloring her hair since the age of 39, and at 53 decided that color + highlights were decidedly NOT her. "I am Italian, the ancestors are from the south, and we are NOT blonde!" Recently, at her 35th high school reunion, LouAnn spotted a woman with incredible silvery hair, and said "I want to do this, tell me how!" So here she is, a Newbie! LouAnn's the mother of three "quasi-adults," and says she's been married "to the love of my life for 31 years."

Diane Myers

Say hello to Diane (dmyers53) who hails from the Houston, Texas area. She's been coloring her hair for about 25 years, with two "breaks" when she went gray. The first time, although she felt her hair really looked better gray, she listened to her brother, and went blonde "Oh my God, why did I do that?" she asked. A few years ago, she went gray again, then colored her hair because of an upcoming party. Now, at 55, Diane has decided not to worry about what others say or think! She likes her hair gray (it's really more of a gorgeous white), and her family likes it too. So she stopped coloring in December '07, but had highlights put in to lighten the brown shade she had (see first picture, under the sombrero!). Now, without having to touch up her roots every 3 weeks, Diane's feeling a wonderful sense of freedom, "like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders." Join the club, Diane!