Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Going Grey painfully slowly
I started in May 2011, or should I say, I stopped colouring way back then. All the colour will be hacked off at the next cutting in two months' time (counting the days) and then I can begin the final climb to all one length, full-on grey.
In the end, it's rather like ab work, there's no getting around it, it's just plain unpleasant. Of course, just to complicate matters (as many things seem to be in l'age) the underlying grey is slightly unruly at the best of times, add to that a load of dried out colour and you've got yourself one nasty ball of frizz. My hair has resisted Moroccan Oil, serums, sulphate-free conditioning - you name it. With this short and rather excessively layered bob (a necessary compromise to eliminate as much colour as possible) I can already see the difference in general manageability (if that's a word, which it is not) - it responds to said conditioner and with an added dab of serum it looks rather like this even on humid days. Sometimes it even looks more bob-like. (These photos were taken after sleeping on it. I remain both vain and lazy.)
So what have I learned and how can I advise my sisters in l'age? Frankly, grow it to your shoulders (all one length) and wear it in a tidy french twist or bun. Only way to deal with the frizz. I think that was my original plan, but I had so many nasty layers to boot that getting it long enough for a pulled back solution was for a woman far more patient than me.
What am I happiest about? No more grey roots every blinkin two weeks. Just drove me mad. I couldn't keep up and I don't miss it. And I am quite happy with the silver in my hair - recognizing it doesn't make everyone feel quite so pleased with themselves - I just like it for whatever weird reason. I suppose this is the way real blondes feel when their hair lightens in the summer sun - natural highlights. For me it took an investment of years to achieve the same bliss.
I have also found a hairstylist (fully half my age) who has fond memories of her grandmother's grey tresses (yes, grandmother) and so she seems like a good bet not to push the bottle.
Young women love my grey. Before you actually experience 'the signs of ageing' I suspect they can imagine themselves as embracing it when the time comes. Not so easily done in practice, as we well know. There are other aspects of l'age that I struggle with far more than grey hair. The general connection of skin to flesh is providing a bit of a challenge for me. But more on that another time.
For now, that's your grey update. We'll drink champagne when the end finally arrives.