Do you ever think about how much beauty is simply fighting the inevitable? I’d hardly describe myself as a “go with the flow” sort of person, but at the same time, how exhausting (and expensive) is it to try to swim against the tide in perpetuity? There’s a vast ocean of difference between electing not to participate in a common ritual and giving up on how you present yourself.
I started getting pesky greys before I hit 30. Naturally, they chose to present front and center around my part. So, like any mature, sane, well-adjusted woman – I plucked them on sight. Of course, this means you don’t have a solid idea of how much you have.
Last autumn, I stopped as an experiment.
Wow, I have a lot more than I thought I did! 😅Not just more strands in the area I fought against, but in general, which I found the last time I cut my hair (November). I’m due to cut my hair again (using these affordable shears) – I wonder how many more I will find?
To Hide the Greys or Not
I have no interest, at the moment, in covering my greys. That was never my objective with color (or, in my case, the removal of color via balayage highlighting). The nice thing about balayage concerning greys is that having some lighter sweeping sections helps those pieces be a little less conspicuous. But as I decide whether to continue bothering with balayage, I also face the decision to embrace my greying fully.
It is one thing to look a little more awake or to be adventurous and have fun. It is entirely different to funnel money into specifically masking greys. A creator I follow reported color appointments every five weeks – heavens, no! I’d rather put it into a retirement account!
I’ve never, ever had my hair colored in a salon. Just way too expensive and time consuming. I eventually figured out what works to cover gray, lasts, and it’s pretty (this works for dark hair. I’ve no idea what blondes do.) I use Clairol Beautiful Reds (or browns; I use a dark burgundy), a temporary color, and to it, I add Gray Magic. The latter makes the temporary color cling to gray hair, and it’s exceptionally pretty on it, making it look like highlights. The additive makes the color last for months. It doesn’t wash out, just kind of fades (which is why I like temporary color; no harsh grow out lines), and the gray never turns gray again. It always keeps some color. You can recolor whenever you want. Between the coloring and additive, it costs less than $20 a coloring event for below shoulder-length hair, done about every six weeks to two months. Hope this helps someone who isn’t ready to go gray.
What a fantastic tip! Thank you for sharing, Debby.