....or maybe more. You see, I have been dying my gray hair for years and today I took the next step in going back to my natural hair color (whatever that is; I haven't seen it for 10 years and back then it was awfully gray). My hair was dark ash brown back in the day. I started going gray in my early twenties. By 35, I was amost half gray. By my mid 40's, I was sick of it. I had dabbled with hair color before, but this time I jumped in full force, and returned to brown completely.I liked it. I didn't feel so old when I looked in the mirror. But it's expensive to keep up (I know that many people can do the job themselves, but I'm too much of a klutz). After I retired I decided to go back to gray hair. So, my stylist and I formulated a plan to slowly go lighter and lighter brown, then start streaking in light blond, and camoflage the gray roots. Let me tell you, when you're almost completely gray on top, when the roots grow out you have a skunk stripe on your part! And, FYI, you can't just use a color stripper and take the dye out if you have really gray hair; the red in the dye is stubborn and you may get pink hair. We've done this; you have to recolor it to get rid of the pink.
We proceeded through the tints, 7N to 6N to 5N, lighter each time. I had been walking around with light brown/dark blond hair for a few months now, so I told her it was time to start the highlighting and let the roots grow out. I have to get a new driver's license picture in July and I want to look like myself in it.
Well, she highlighted. Boy, did she highlight. And then, after the addition of an ash rinse, she took the towel off my head and I about fainted. It looks gray again. Well, it looks like someone who was naturally blond with lots of gray. It's not bad. She did a masterful job. It's just a shock to the system for your looks to change that radically over a two hour appointment.
I'm not mad about it or anything; this will greatly speed up the growing out process and I won't have those "bag over the head" horrible months when you are making a drastic hair change but the hair hasn't caught up yet. It's just kind of shocking to look in the mirror.
On a more productive note, I have finished the machine quilting and binding on my first Project Linus quilt. Yay!
4 comments:
From one who's been there done that -- that skunk line is the worst! And mine had turned white while I was coloring, so it really was skunky looking and my hair grows fast so after two weeks I had the skunk line. And eventually every time you pass a mirror you won't wonder who that is in the reflection!
How did your family react to the overnight change if you are having the shriek reaction everytime you pass the mirror. It has to be better on your scalp and hair to get away from the chemicals from the dyes, if you can get used to the way it looks?
I have had that problem when I get mine cut---it is too short right now but do I want to go through all that mess growing it back out when warm weather (yeah, like that seems so far away when it is down in the teens round here!) is right around the corner?
Congrats on your machine quilting and binding! Picture soon?
Oh I also meant to reply to your comment at my place---I think I have a handle on my notebooks now after working on it for two days. I'll post something in the next day or two. I don't know that I need to make a spreadsheet but it would help if I label the binder edge so I remember which one is which. Thanks for stopping by.
I got asked the other day at my hair appt., "Who does your hair color?" Now, I don't know if that was a criticism or a complement as my reply was, "NO ONE DOES!"
You look marvelous! Let it go!
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