Guys, this may sound crazy but... I'm absolutely done with dyeing my hair.
Completely and utterly 100% done.
I'm only 36 but I'd rather spend the rest of my life grey than having to live with the anxiety of my roots showing, pissing around with box dyes or spending a small fortune with a stylist every 2-6 weeks.
I'm going to repeat - because I can hardly believe it myself - that I. Am. DONE.
This isn't a sudden decision, it's been coming for years, but I've always managed to psyche myself out of it... All the fears, anxieties and lies that we tell ourselves as women... The biggest centre around how other people will perceive us, namely old, unattractive, or 'past it'.
And what a load of bollocks that is!
I'm 36!! I started getting grey hair when I was early 20's. I'm not old. I'm not unattractive! (At least I don't think I'm...) And I am certainly not past anything!
And honestly... Who tf am I trying to impress? No one. That's who.
I reached a point during the early days of recovery from severe depression last year when I realised that I don't care. I am so done with caring about what most people think of me.
Dyeing my hair is a chore. It's a stressor.
I don't need more chores and I am actively seeking to reduce stressors in my life... So it's buh-bye!
Now, I know that this isn't going to be a quick or easy process..., For a start there is a weird sense of... I don't know... Grief? I loved my natural hair colour. People could never settle on what colour my hair was because it changed depending on the light! I was brown in some and a bright blazing copper in others. Generally, I just went with "coppery-brown."
And when the grey became more prominent, I tried to keep that balance when dyeing it and mostly succeeded... Although it obviously wasn't an exact match.
The simple fact is, that I may have loved my "natural" colour but my actual natural colour has been gone for a long time and I'm so tired of pretending it's not.
I don't know what my natural colour IS anymore! I just know there are a lot of greys.
So, I guess it's time to find out!
Now, as I mentioned above, I don't want to go to a stylist every month (for hours) to have my hair slowly transitioned by highlights/lowlights... I don't want to spend hours in a chair getting my hair dyed grey and then seeing what happens.
I REALLY don't want to shave my head and I have a round face that would not go well with a pixi-cut.
So... I'm going to try and grow it out. Cold turkey.
I'm going to try and make it through the absolute horror and (hopefully temporary?!) hit to my self-image and self-confidence as that annoying white stripe grows down my head....
Honestly, I'm already freaking out about it! But I'm not reaching for the box dye.
I snapped and did that the last time I seriously entertained doing this (back in January) and have regretted it, and resented it, every month since.
This time, I am ready.
I last coloured my hair mid-June and here is where it's at.
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My hair grows pretty fast but I'm not going to lie... I hate it. I hate the stripe!
There is going to be lots of complaining about this until the process is done.
My poor husband and son for having to listen to it! 😂 They're both super supportive though... and since I have to listen to endless Minecraft chatter from one and slug/caterpillar woes from the other (the delights of veggie gardens!) they can suck it up! 😝
So... Wish me luck? Cheer me on?
You can try and convince me not to do it but I'll ignore you and do it anyway. 😉
I am curious... Have any of you transitioned fully to au naturale?
How did it go?
I stopped dyeing my hair a few years ago. I have some grey hair and I'm fine with it. It's such a hassle to dye your hair.
ReplyDeleteKudos to you for choosing to go au naturale! Like you, I started getting grays early (in my mid-20's) and have been coloring ever since. Which means almost 30 years of coloring maintenance. Ugh. I applaud you deciding to end the madness! I wish I would do the same but I'm not ready to give it up. I am sooo fair that I feel the gray/white would make me look completely washed out. I hope the growing out process isn't too painful!
ReplyDeleteTrying again....
ReplyDeleteFirst of all I'm sorry I missed all of your new posts!! I thought I bookmarked the new (version) one but I guess I didn't.
I'm going gray too. I actually achieved my dream hair last year. Perfect cut and color. And then one month I had to reschedule my appointment. My sides started going gray, as usual, but I usually freak out and do a temp dye at home. But this time I was like f*ck it. And was totally at peace with it. Yes, I loved my hair but it was costing close to $300, taking up to 4 hours and not lasting. I was just done.
I talked to my stylist and I did do something called baby lights. They just lighten tiny strands and it softens that line some. It's a one time thing and I'm very happy with it. She used a cool toned toner while I was there but I don't do anything myself and I love it.
My last color was in April and I have about 3 inches of gray on the side and strands everywhere else. It just started coming in around the top of my hairline and I was so excited lol
I can't believe how much I do not care about it anymore. Let me know if you're having a freak out moment and we can talk each other down lol
Karen @For What It's Worth
Lol, thanks Karen! It's quite a change but I'm adapting... I haven't changed my mind on letting the grey happen but I've decided to have fun with it! I've went a little bit nuts as part of that "having fun with it" so maybe a follow up post is in order, lol.
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