Tippi Taylor/ "TippiT”

Tippi just turned 40 in June, and says she’s “ready to show my gray.” Although she noticed her first frosts at the age of 15 (when a friend plucked it out in class), she didn’t do much about it at first. She came by that naturally, her mother had a gray streak at 18. Tippi then felt she had artistic license to color her hair according to her mood, and has been everything from ash blond to medium brown and every shade of red/orange/purple (but not on purpose!) in-between. She found a great colorist, who used demi’s on it for the past couple of years, but she had a bit of a panic when she had to wait 3 weeks to get her roots done. Tired of her “color du jour” life, and being a slave to the bottle, Tippi decided, after her last touch-up to go natural. Actually, it was her husband who said “Why don’t you just let it go gray?” Lightbulb moment. So she promptly went and got a pixie. And, yes, there are little bitty roots up there, even though she was fresh from a “root job.” Tippi hails from Portland, OR, so all you silver sisters up there, give her a shout out.

Tippi just sent in this March update, and is now definitely in the calico stage. After her first "uber-whack," she's decided to let her hair grow before cutting all the color off. Tippi says short hair looks great on most people, but she really hates it on herself. Gee, I thought that pixie was cute! In any case, Tippi realizes there is still a "challenge" ahead, and while patience is not her strong suit, she's determined to wait it out. Interesting, the way the white is coming in underneath. But, wow, what a pretty color with her blue eyes!

Tippi's back! She didn't flutter off at all, she's just been busy selling a house and buying a condo! Meanwhile, her hair has been growing and growing. Tippi hasn't had a trim since May, and in this November update, she says she's down to surviving with just one hair accessory; a headband, a rubber band, or 2 barrettes. Best way to get through transition! Tippi says she's going to continue to grow, unless her hair shows signs of damage. But she can't wait for it to be long again.

Tippi's made such progress in both color and length since last November (has it been that long?), that all four of her recent update shots must go in. Although she still has a bit of color in the back, the front and sides appear to be gloriously white! The best part of it is, her hair feels healthy, and she can't find any split ends. Tippi plans to continue in grow mode as long as she can, hopefully until it reaches mid-back. Well done, Tippi!

Kim Hall/ "kim”

Hailing from the Baltimore area, Kim, 45, started graying at around the age of 28. For the last 17 years, she’s been dyeing her hair dark brown (her natural color), but she’s also gone auburn. Two years ago, after neck surgery, she was home from work for 3 months. Being in a neck brace, there was nothing she could do to color her hair. A perfect time to go natural. But when she returned to work, she took a “beating” from her co-workers about her roots, and caved to peer pressure. She says her hair “always looked too dark for my face,” and decided just before Thanksgiving to give up dye for good. The color had become very resistant around her face, and she felt the chemicals were “tearing up” her scalp. Kim doesn’t want to try to look 20 again, especially with daughters aged 24, 22, and 13. She loves to wear makeup (even though she’s a “natural gal deep down inside”). Kim is on a “get healthy” path this year, too, trying to be as chemical-free as possible. She uses mineral makeup, lotions without parabens, tries to eat better, and wants to exercise her way to a 20-lb. weight loss. As a Registered Nurse, she feels it’s up to her to set a healthy example. Kim says she feels fortunate to have found this website with “so many beautiful and inspirational women who are willing to share their experiences. How wonderful it is to see women being such great support for one another.” We’re glad you found us too, Kim!

Kim's been quietly letting more and more silver come in, and boy, has it! Pic 4 was snapped on Mother's Day, so she's sporting about 6 months of growth now. Kim's been active behind-the-scenes for GGLG, as Team Leader of the Baltimore Silver Sisters Event. She's trying to coordinate with the PA one, and if that doesn't work out, she says she'll plan a Maryland one on her own. So all you mid-Atlantic gals, contact Kim and see what's shakin'!

Wow! Would you look at Kim now? She started transitioning last November, and has enough gorgeous white for a short bob, but she's continuing to let it grow. Says the silver is actually longer in the back, and it's grown out underneath in a really cool way. People have asked her if she's actually coloring it this way. Kim says she feels so much better about herself and it's been an incredible experience, even the negative comments have brought something positive her way. That's the attitude we love to hear!

Kim just checked in with this update, even though she said she feels there's not a great deal of progress in the front. Maybe not -- but just look at the back!

D.H./ "oneofthefew”

D, 40, is one of the few because she found her first gray at the age of 16, and had a nice white streak by the age of 24. All in the family: her Dad started graying in grade school, and her Mom in her twenties. D’s been doing semi-permanent color for the last 5 years, basically staying with her natural dark brown, but sometimes going a little lighter and warmer. Now, she’s had it with the every-three-weeks schedule and the damage. Seeing a picture of herself fully dyed helped her decision along. D felt it looked harsh, ridiculous, and it made her “feel old.” She stopped coloring this past October, and now has about 2” of silver showing, about 50% in front, “with a big white streak at the center,” and about 20% in back. But, as she says, “It’s the front that counts.” D’s posted her concerns under the Preemies chat, as some of her friends just don’t get it, and her kids are not too sure about this whole thing. Well, that's why you have us, D!

D's butterfly just fluttered away with this new update! She says her camera really can't capture all the salt and pepper that's coming in front and center, and that most eyes are still drawn to her "15 year-old white streak." That would be on the left as you are looking at her pictures. However, just look at the right side now. You can definitely see "salt" in the full face shot - maybe hiding a little beneath the dark hair, but not by much. Now look at the close-up root shot. Notice a big difference between that, and her earlier one? Yup, it's coming in well. Keep those updates comin', D!

D's checking in with an update, 11 months after quitting the color. She says she doesn't have as much silver as she thought she might, "just my big streak and some salt and pepper in the front." But she says it's really hard to capture on film. Oh, don't we know that! Since D's hair grows slowly, she knows she has a ways to go, but is loving the way it looks.

D's baaaack. After a long hiatus. But we always welcome Newbies back into the fold, especially when they've really kept going (behind the scenes!) D is "desperate to graduate," has been at this for 15 long months, and says she still has her "big white streak" in front, but not much more going on. She never did color the back of her hair, so that hasn't presented any particular problems. But she did get a new hair cut (hates it), but loves the color her hair is turning all by itself. Even though D says she has a lot of gray in the front, it "reads dark." I think it reads gorgeous, D, and so does the cut! Nothing wrong in ending up with just a big white streak -- it's very chic!

Barbara Schieren/ "barbra”

As Barbara says, she’s our "first German newbie,” and hails from beautiful Munich. She noticed her first gray hair in her 40’s, although she had been coloring her hair for years. First, a “very strong red,” then a light ashy brown. When the gray started coming in, she went to henna, rather than chemicals. Her long hair was nearly to her waist, and she dyed it every week! After she noticed her white roots turning orange, she went to highlights, got blonder, and went back to a darker tint. As she was thinking about going natural (“all men encouraged me, the women not.”) she went for just a cut, and walked out with light brown hair. Back to dyeing for two more years, and now, at 59, she’s tired of it. “My whole thinking was cruising about roots,” she says. The turning point came when she met a friend she hadn’t seen in years. This woman was gray, had a great Sassoon cut, and looked better than ever. Barbra says she was very shocked to look at these pictures, and see what the harsh color does to her skintone. “That’s not the same woman who looks back at me in the mirror.” Today she looked in the mirror again, and began to love the roots. “At this moment I don’t feel like a silverhairbeauty, but what I feel is a great easement (right word?) and I love this feeling.” Welcome to the club, Barbara!

Great progress! Barbara had a cut, a scalp treatment, bought a good quality shampoo and rinse, and began to use a blue shampoo. All the best ways to lavish some love on her locks. Smart thinking. She's also very content to let her skunk stripe show, and continues to go "cold turkey." With it looking like a sophisticated silver streak, who can blame her? Barbara will go a bit shorter at her next appointment in June, but says she's not a "bob/pixie type." She's in it for the long (hair) haul!

Barbra's end-of-August update shows a jaggy-edged trim that the young trainees at Bumble & Bumble pronounced "cool." Very cool. And she's now using their Purple shampoo and conditioner. Look at that silver streak progress, and now you can see it going down the back, too. For keeping hair long, this side-swept silver is a beautiful outcome, indeed. Lucky Barbra!

Annie Shore/ "AnnieS”

Northern Californian Annie had hair the color of red wine in the 80’s (California wine, I presume?). In the late 90's she began using an organic plant-based product. After she could no longer get it in the States, she began importing it from Canada, not thrilled with the shipping charges. At the same time, she was using permanent color on her roots! This gave her a “completely natural” look, and she got compliments almost daily. When a friend of hers developed an autoimmune disorder from haircoloring products, Annie sat up and took notice. So at the age of 48, she decided to let her natural color grow out. Annie began transitioning in October, ’08, and 11 weeks into it, her colorist wove in some darker browns to tone down the skunk stripe. The first picture shows Annie a few years ago with a natural white streak she let come in. Signs of things to come? Now here she is at 4 months (pictures 2 & 3), dye-free and counting. Welcome aboard, Annie!

Annie got a cut mid-April, and sent in this update. Wow, are those silvers coming in! Her strategy is to keep her length, cutting just an inch every 2-3 months. Annie says this transition isn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be, and loves noticing more and more gray-haired women in her community. It is a sisterhood, Annie!

True to her word, Annie got her 3-month cut in July, going "the shortest it has been for many years." She says she still hanging in, but does get impatient. It may seem like it's taking forever, Annie, but the silvers keep inching their way down. Keep at it!

Annie just sent in this October update, after getting another cut. She says she had her stylist "pull out" some of the remaining faded red, to help with the demarcation line, as her colored hair and "new" hair "almost clashed with each other." Yup, redheads do have a harder transition than most, but Annie's dealing with it well! Know what I notice? Those big blue eyes playing off the silver.

Annie sends in her first update of '10, and says she's really getting impatient. She was all set to do a major chop, when her stylist said the two magic words "Roseanne Roseannadana." So Annie settled for 2-2.5" shorn off. The gray still seems to be hiding in front, but the sides show it clearly. Hang in, Annie! You're virtually inches away!

JN/ "SilverJ”

Meet Silverj – face to face! (The Members Album only shows a mysterious root shot!) But now we can see the deep brown hair from whence she came. Hailing from northern Virginia, JN noticed a few stray grays in high school, and started really paying attention to them in her early 30’s. By mid-thirties, she was regularly dyeing away. She went for the deep red/browns, but the color that suited her best was a medium golden brown. She colored at home until she hit 40, but didn’t seem to be getting the coverage she needed. Tired of the at-home mess, she began salon coloring. Funny thing happened. Her colorist kept taking her hair darker and darker – to get the coverage she needed. Grays are stubborn, color-resistant little things, aren’t they? JN went back to home coloring, without much luck, and an every-3-weeks schedule. Finally, in early February, at the age of 45, she decided to let it grow out. When she ran the idea by her husband, he was supportive. They both shared the “try it” attitude. Her 26- and 23-year-old daughters surprised her, too. She was expecting a strong negative reaction, and they’ve both told her that the gray growth looks pretty. Plus, she’s got her hairdresser on her side! She commented that it was coming in silver, quite shiny, and pretty! How lucky can a gal get?

Wow! Remarkable color change here! SilverJ’s had one haircut since we’ve seen her last, but really can’t see herself doing “the chop.” (Bad experience with a “fro” in 7th grade.) Ah yes, 7th grade disasters – how many of us have had them? She says she’s reached “the point of no return,” and she’s surviving it! Good for you, SilverJ! She’s having fun with silver jewelry and hair accessories now, and thinks she’ll go for a layered bob in the fall when she’s not fighting humidity.

SilverJ cast humidity caution to the wind, and got a whole new "do." Although she didn't intend to go so short, she's thrilled, her husband calls it sexy, and the best news is, she's 5 months into transitioning! The jury's still out on whether the cut will survive Pilates class, but it's always great to make a change.

SilverJ's been making progress all along, although she says sometimes it feels like her hair is growing backwards! But you can see how far she's come. She's planning on two more haircuts between now and summer to get rid of most of what is left. Since her daughter just got engaged, SilverJ's thinking a fall wedding just may be in the offing. She also reports that she had her hair cut at a Ouidad-certified salon, and she's been getting a lot of compliments.

Terri H./ "Tania777”

Terri, 49, hails from northern NJ and is ready to start her journey! After literally a lifetime of coloring (she started when she was 9 years old!), she’s had enough. Her mother introduced her to dye, not liking Terri’s “mousey” brown shade. First time out, her mother applied a red color, which looked awful. So her Mom tried to “correct” it with a dark brown color. The color took – and came out pitch black. Every four weeks, Terri and her Mom would “tromp down to the basement to recolor.” Fast forward 17 years, and Terri began to notice gray. The coloring went on. She realized the dark color next to her face was “aging, fake and unflattering,” yet when she tried to go lighter, she felt she looked “blah.” As her touch-up schedule escalated to every 3 weeks, Terri also noticed she was only happy with the color for the first week or so. Final verdict: not worth the time or aggravation. Her mother continues to dye her own hair, and as Terri is planning to visit her soon, she’s wondering what her reaction will be to the new silver streaks. Keep us posted, Terri!

No dramatic cut to report for Terri's July update, but what really is dramatic is the way the gray is really coming in. Here, you can see a mix of colors, black, reddish, white, so it's a very difficult stage. But the good news is, her Mom isn't being difficult about it all! One battle down, Terri!

Terri just sent in this November update, and you can see the silver working its way through her hair. Keep going, Terri!

Carla Campbell/ "Cyrhen”

California gal Carla, 45, has been coloring her hair for over 20 years, and just recently began “toying” with the idea of just not. And that’s when she found GGLG! Now she’s very encouraged by the pictures and stories. Born with hair so black it looked blue in the sunlight, Carla’s explored a whole palette of shades: jet black, auburn, chestnut, and light brown, under the premise that it’s wise to lighten up as you age. But she wants off the color merry-go-round. Excited to see what lies beneath, Carla is the first of three sisters to ditch the dye. Her mother is pure white, and still colors. Her grandmother had sparkly white hair. Seems a fair bet that Carla will too. Now almost 6 weeks into transitioning, you can see the roots coming in nicely. Best of all, her “charcoal” husband is totally supportive, and Carla thinks she’ll give him a run for his money! Go Carla!

Oops. One step back. Carla reports an "incident" with semi-permanent color. Trouble is, it's sticking around. But this is all part of the process, Carla. Perfectly natural. We learn. Actually, doing a semi once is ok, but you don't want to do it again. It can stain the hair, even if it promises to be "all gone in 6 shampoos". Not quite back to square one (those roots are coming in!), Carla is determined anew. On the plus side, look how her hair shines! It's going to be beautiful when it's silver.

Wow! What progress! Just look at the grow-out in Carla's August 11th update. She says it's been a "good August," and credits time spent outside, in the sun, the pool, and by a lake. Ahhh, nature's bleach.

Carla just sent in pictures from September (7) and October (8). She says she doesn't have much to report, other than hoping layers would show up the gray more. But when she "steps back," she doesn't think they do. Meanwhile, Carla is trying to keep it as long as possible while chopping as much as possible. Makes sense to me. The old chop/grow/chop/grow routine. And it's working! She's getting some length to those silvers.

Here's Carla's February update, pics snapped in January. She says not much is "new" but she's sticking to her grow and trim schedule. I think a couple of things are new -- quite a bit of silver showing to the left of her part, and quite a lot of the orange-y oxidized ends gone. Her hair looks healthy, the cut is great, so even if it's just a grow-and-trim look, I'm lovin' it!