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Products: Here are a few I've found - if you have tried something you really like, please let me know! ARTec White Violet Color Shampoo American Crew Classic Gray Shampoo Shiny Silver Conditioning Shampoo Jhirmack Silver Brightening Shampoo Quotes: "In most cultures, the older you are, the longer your hair is. It is a mark of honor. It has been widely accepted that wearing gray long hair is something to look forward to, as it adds grace and wisdom to the appearance of a person. ... Ask yourself what looks better, an elderly woman with silky white-gray hair skillfully put up or a frizzy thinning perm?" ...more |
GRAY is OKAY with ME - Revisited (2/21/04)by sandy feet I have posted a lot of columns on this site, but the "Gray is Okay with ME" article has attracted more attention and feedback than any other. What this tells me is that there is a growing percentage of women out there who are rebelling against the tired notion that gray hair and sexy/vibrant/relevant are mutually exclusive. Just for grins, I posted google ads on the article page to see what would come up and - sure enough - what I keep seeing are products that promise to banish the gray. We - that's me and the women I am hearing from - am looking for practical advice and products that will make the gray more silvery, the wiry hairs less so, and perhaps some ideas on styling that will enhance and even show off our silver streaks. So, here is a new page which will hopefully serve as a gathering spot for women like me. I am happy to post your personal tips, helpful links, quotable reasons for going natural -- anything that treats women with gray hair in a positive light. When other women contemplating their options do a google search, we want them to find an alternative to the bleach/henna route, right? Just last week I was visited by an 18 year old, the daughter of a dear friend. We were sitting in my back yard and out of the blue, this young lady commented on my "beautiful hair." Until I went gray, nobody and I mean nobody ever accused me of having "beautiful hair" before. Go figure. |
Feedback:
"Yup, I got! It's not a disease either. I've been coloring my hair for 10 years, more or less, and I am tired of doing so. I've just read your Grey is OK with me and I found, strangly, the same thing. I was hoping to find a site(s) for grey hair support, what's it going to look like , how to grow it out ... that kind of thing ... and 99.8% is how to change the color. I hope to be around a long time (120 is the target age) but this is really uncharted territory. Women evidently, are supposed to buy all that press and fight grey all the way. Have you found any support for grey-ers like you and I? Do tell." - Kathleen I read with interest, your column on women with gray hair. Interestingly too, I was searching the web for comments from women who had "gone natural". I too, did this about 2 years ago. I am now 48 and probably for the second time in my life, I am in love with my hair color! (The first was when I decided it grow it out to it's natural dark brown color after years of bleaching blonde!) It is lovely and I get comments on it nearly every day from both women and men. I have had many women say that seeing my hair makes them want to grow theirs out. People are always asking me if it is "natural" or if I "helped it." I find this quite amusing as there is no real way to "help" your hair be gray-er. Believe me, I tried it when I was letting it grow out! I am always searching for products out there on the market that are geared toward gray hair, but you are right. It is such a taboo that there is precious little for us silver haired folks. I am quite sure that I will not color my hair ever again. In fact, I have a large pale silver streak among the darker gray of the rest of my hair that I hope spreads and takes over my whole mane! I WANT it to be silver! I do believe that this is natures way of softening one's looks! I am choosing to do other things in my attempt to stave off aging, like taking care of my skin, getting micro-dermabrasion to give it a fresh look and staying in good health, being fit and working out. Like you, I hated the thought of more chemicals being absorbed into my body. It was not an easy decision or process to "let it go" but I am so glad I did. The investment was well worth the time! Oddly also, are the gray haired women that approach me - it is like we are in some elite club or something. They all want to tell their story! So, in solidarity and support, embrace that silver mane and let it shine!" - Kelley "I did the same search for women and gray hair and was similarly disappointed. However, I did find your column that way, so it wasn't a total exercise in futility, lol. I'm 38 and have decided to stop coloring and let the gray come in. Nobody I've talked to thinks it's a good idea because my hair is about 40 percent gray. My hair stylist actually grimmaced when I told her - and I just go to her for trims. Oh well. I think of a friend of mine who bucked the Miss Clairol monopoly in favor of letting her hair go gray and am encouraged. I've known her for eight years and she seems to stay the same age! She has a young face and is beautiful. I figured by now she might in her early 40's but she let it slip that she's 10 years older than I thought! I think it's a big lie that if we go gray it ages us. I know I'm not going to listen to it anymore. Thanks for a well-written and inspiring column!" - Elizabeth Right on sister Cin, |
