Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Transitioning Should I Do it Now?

Stain glass prague

 

Underneath this dyed blond hair is a head full of salt and pepper hair leaning more towards salt than pepper. For about a year I have been toying with the idea of letting my hair go natural instead of dying it every three and a half weeks. I have read about people who have transitioned from dyed hair back to their natural color. Not an easy process. Either strip the colored hair and dye it white, add a million lighter highlights, cut it super short or let it go which in my case will mean a skunk line the size of a freeway.

Or wear some flowers in my hair, with a touch of ivy here and there.

Or wear a hat for the next two or three years.

 

 

Stain glass prague hand on head

 

 

 

Or let nature be my ruling guide.

If I knew I would like it I might do it.

I thought about trying a white wig to see.

But my head is so big (The Amaro Bucket is what we call it) that wigs usually don't reach my forehead.

 

 

 

Stain glass prague church

 

 

Or pray for a miracle which would be a wasteful prayer. Of course, God knows I ask some peculiar things. 

 

Why not have a personal relationship with God. In my case, that means massive conversations that are mostly one-sided.

 

 

 

haircut

 

 

I could shave my head and wear a hat. But I have done that once before and it was not one of my greater ideas.

Do not shave your head it takes FOREVER to grow out.

 

 

 

 

Color glass window

 

 

I know how she feels.

You see my skunk line is growing. Every three weeks I think should I start now and let it go natural?

 

Throughout breakfast, lunch and dinner I have wondered out loud, "Should I color my (skunk line) roots or go antiquing?"  

It is not a question of, "Does she or doesn't she?" No, it really is more of the question, "To be or not to be."

I am not ready otherwise I would do it right?

If only it were as easy as a snap of the fingers.

Are you transitioning? 

 

Comments

44 responses to “Transitioning Should I Do it Now?”

  1. lil

    A friend of mine was tired of dying her hair and let it go gray. It looks lovely now but it was funny as it grew out because she’d tie it back in a bun or ponytail and it looked like she was wearing a hairpiece of a different color. Kind of punk I thought.

    Reply
  2. Stubblejumpers Cafe

    Best of luck figuring out what to do. I’ve never had that problem as I don’t dye my hair and because it’s ash blond, the silver seems to blend in so it’s not always obvious that I’m grey … although I just saw a photo of myself and it looks pretty grey to me!
    Most of my friends considering going “natural” think they will look too pale and washed out. Why not brush on a little powder blush for colour in the cheeks?
    Kate

    Reply
  3. s/e

    I was tired of the cost to color, so I let mine grow out: it took 2 years to grow out as I have shoulder length hair. I only have a little grey. No regrets, and I will NEVER color it again.

    Reply
  4. Tracy

    I’ve grown mine out and get more compliments now than I ever did when I highlighted it. So easy and saves money to spend at the brocante. Plus healthier. I say do it!

    Reply
  5. Marilyn

    It might seem strange but I started getting grey hair in my 30’s and realized how long I would have to dye my hair. I decided it wasn’t worth it, so never did. Now that I am at an older age I am glad I let it be. If I had dyed it I would probably dye it grey and let it grow out and maybe cut it just a bit shorter than normal. But that is what I would do. You must decide what is right for you. Good luck!

    Reply
  6. Sally

    After discussing this very question with my hair dresser I will continue having my hair colored. He talked about the color of my skin and the color of gray I have. All things I never would think about.

    Reply
  7. Sarah Desmarais

    If you were guaranteed that your hair would be the shade of Jannie Babe’s..would be worth the process!! Honestly, you are beautiful no matter what decide to do! xo

    Reply
  8. Diogenes

    Why not take it white, like Helen Mirren. I think that’s a good look.

    Reply
  9. Jacklynn Lantry

    First of all, the blue eyed child in the 3rd photo down is hauntingly beautiful Where are those windows???
    Second, about your hair, try having highights put in instead of a “whole head” dye job. It softens the streak down the middle. Start with loads of highlights and then dial them down. You can at least get an idea of what your particular shade of grey is. Some grey is stunning. Other shades…not so much. I love that white, billowy, cloud-like grey color.
    Last, if you don’t mind doing it, what the heck. I’ve always thought you were “follically gifted:)” so I bet your grey is gorgeous.

    Reply
  10. Kathie B

    How did you mom handle this, Corey? Every photo I ever see of her, her hair looks gorgeous (as in, her “crowning glory”!).

    Reply
  11. Kathie B

    Also Shirley Jones and Jamie Lee Curtis.

    Reply
  12. Star

    Never got started because I knew I wouldn’t want the grow out. I just call it my wild streak and let it go.
    I think your hair is beautiful the way it is, but I also love your mom’s hair and imagine yours would be similar?

    Reply
  13. RebeccaNYC

    I grew it out years ago, and never looked back. But my hair is short, and I was able to cut it as it grew out. My suggestion would be instead of dying your whole head, just do highlights, and do less and less as it grows out. I love my gray hair, and I bet you will too!

    Reply
  14. Judi

    Your hair is beautiful and it shouldn’t be that hard because of the color. I think the trick for me was to add highlights AND “low lights” at the same time. It only took about three times to the hairdresser before it looked quite natural. So, it didn’t damage my hair, and now I am completely natural and very happy with it.
    Good luck!

    Reply
  15. Barbara St. Aubrey

    agree with everything Jacklynn suggested including the bet that your hair will be gorgeous when it is gray.

    Reply
  16. Ali

    Transitioning slowly, highlights and lowlights. It will take longer but not so dramatic a change. I have to live with myself.
    Ali

    Reply
  17. Nikki Maxwell

    Having had an enforced buzz cut, I’m now waiting for it to grow back – you’re absolutely right Corey, it takes FOREVER.
    I’m currently moonlighting as a hedgehog…..

    Reply
  18. Mary Anne Komar

    I think it would be gorgeous seeing as how your hair now is already a light color, maybe try a semi permanent grey shade or pink! Just have fun!!xx

    Reply
  19. Moy Lewis-Logie

    My New Year’s resolution was to go grey – I had it coloured yesterday. My problem is there’s not enough grey – 30% the hairdresser said. It made me feel old and depressed so here’s to spending £150 every 6 weeks till I get greyer. I love your blonde hair Corey. X

    Reply
  20. Debbie

    I transitioned two years ago having dyed my own hair a dark brown for a number of years – I used to hate windy days. My hairdresser applied subtle highlights of a blondy/grey – and it took 18 months to grow out completely. I had a great hairdresser – but it was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Im only 57 but have really embraced the grey – have wonderful natural highlights and to be honest – feel my natural colour suits my complexion much better.
    Now I no longer feel a fraud on a windy day. Good luck Corey.

    Reply
  21. Jennifer Phillipps

    I think there are enough good ideas here to get you through that pesky transition….seems like you want to do it and you will eventually get there when you feel it is right. I am just about to turn 60 and so now I am finally getting hints of grey coming through. I switched from colouring my hair red to blond, which was my childhood colour anyway and so if I add enough purple rinsing to soften the yellow bits I get a silvery colour anyway, so I will keep doing that till there is more grey than darker browny bits underneath and go with the flow…..I cut my hair short myself and colour it and have done for 30+ years, so I can do it whenever I want and if it looks a bit fuzzy or funky, so be it….don’t sweat the small stuff they say! Go Brocanting instead! Cheers from NZ!

    Reply
  22. Kathy

    Is this coming up now because you’re going to be a
    Grandmother??

    Reply
  23. Julia

    I’m actually in the process right now. Because my roots are quite silver, they’re not too much of a contrast. If I were you, I would opt for the stripping of the actual color, down to white, then adding streaks of color to match the pepper.

    Reply
  24. Dawn

    It’s not grey…it’s platinum, costly and gorgeous, even if it begins with just one hair here, two hairs there.
    Or call it sexy silver or graceful grey.
    But in the end, the colour of one’s hair often depends on a momentary whim. You have such a beautiful expressive face you’d be able to carry anything off.

    Reply
  25. Dd

    I did it 3 yrs ago, my hair was not t color I thought it was and I liked it better! I’m sorry I didnt do it sooner. It’s liberating not having a skunk line!

    Reply
  26. Teddee Grace

    Summer is coming and scarves folded wide and used as a hair band look great. As soon as the natural color grows long enough, get it cut short and problem solved. I did this with a crazy perm I made the mistake of getting a couple of years ago. It made the growing out process pretty painless and I enjoyed the scarves as an accessory.

    Reply
  27. Paula Tyner

    Ha! I was a natural red head. My hair was a deep auburn. I do not like the dyed reds I have seen over the years so I let it turn naturally. Now my hair is mostly blonde and white. It is still full and thick as always. People who knew me when I had the glorious red locks take a bit to adjust to the change. However, as we are all getting older, the transition has been a natural one for me. Do what you are most comfortable with. You are beautiful inside and outside. Your hair is an accessory. It is not the all of you.

    Reply
  28. Jennie

    Low lights that you get less and less of each time. That’s how I am doing it. I actually love this look much better than my former blonde. If I had all the money I have spent at the hairdresser and on hair products, I could be living in Paris by now.

    Reply
  29. Andrea Hames

    I did it seven years ago and I love it. I get compliments from strangers everywhere I go. I don’t miss the every three weeks visits to the hairdresser. The weird thing is, I still picture myself with dark hair. Yes, the process was awkward, but the results are worth it (for me).

    Reply
  30. Amylia Yeaman

    I think you would look fabulous with white hair. Listen to your gut and do not let fear or a skunk line be your guide. I have been dying my hair with blonde highlights to hide the gray for years but just yesterday decided to stop that and go back to my natural dark brown color, grays be damned. It feels liberating. And authentic. And symbolic of the type of life I strive to lead–one where I need not fear my true self emerging and one where I am forever becoming more and more comfortable with simply being myself. Every time I dye/highlight my hair it is a subconscious reminder to myself that I have something to hide. I don’t want to have something to hide. Do it! What’s the worst that can happen? You don’t like it and dye it back. Big deal! We worry too much about what other people think of us when the truth is most people barely think about us at all!

    Reply
  31. Cherry

    Ah yes the hair color question. It’s as if I woke up when my Granddaughter asked, “Why do you color your hair? Why don’t you not?” I didn’t even know what my color was anymore. Thankfully, my colorist was so good that as I let it grow out the new color blended right in. It’s part of embracing who I am. I’m not 28, 38, 48, 58 any more. I’m now 68 and enjoying every moment and my new hair color, which continues to change.

    Reply
  32. Chico Sue

    Transitionin naturally, is a choice I made years ago, when I was about your age and I haven’t looked back since. My hair is almost totally silver now and I receive compliments almost daily. My daughter had her thyroid removed about 24 years ago, which took most of the pigment out of her hair and is now white and looks stunning with her longish, curly white hair against her olive complexion. Most people think she is a platinum blond.
    My mother, who was a hair dresser, told me she made her living dying women’s hair, but she would have told her clients that white hair, or those “skunk steaks” are Mother Nature’s way of softening our features as we age. Just sayin’…………..

    Reply
  33. Vicki

    Good Luck! I have been dying my hair for the last 15 years. I am sick of having to go in to the hair dresser every month to hide the skunk streak. I feel like I am not old enough to have grey/silver hair. I am 65 years old and have 3 grandchildren so I guess I am OLD enough. It is depressing to think about. I am trying to wrap my head around this transition this year. I probably would have already gone grey/silver if I wasn’t surrounded by very judgemental people. I still have a full time job where these people are. I am sure your hair will be beautiful so enbrace it!

    Reply
  34. Evea Newsom

    Cory, like you, I’m an American of Portuguese descent with great hair. I had my first white hair at 16 and dyed it for decades. Most people didn’t realize it was not my natural color. During breast cancer treatment I lost my hair. At age 69 I let it grow back as white and I love it. I get compliments constantly, women stop me to ask how/what I do. I tell them the truth; shampoo and let it air dry. It’s curly, short, pure white and age appropriate.

    Reply
  35. ali

    I am 73 and only have a few grey hairs but unfortunately, I also have alopecia so there isn’t much of the
    brown. I bought a grey wig after looking at pinterest boards of grey haired women who looked gorgeous.
    The odd thing is, when I put it on, I actually looked younger……even my husband thought so. I tried a wig
    that was my natural color and it made me looked older with dyed hair even though the hair I have left is
    still dark. I now wish I had gotten a pure white wig because it’s so much more dramatic and I love pure
    white hair. The wig I got comes just to the bottom of my neck so not too long or too short. They do come
    in large sizes by the way, at least some of them do. You could always go to a wig shop and try them on
    to see if you can live with the change. Since you’re already blonde, I don’t think it would be a big change
    at all once it’s grown out. Good luck !!

    Reply
  36. Celeste

    I allowed mine to take it’s course with the opinion that if it’s good enough for God, it’s good enough for me. Not to say I didn’t take he!! from my 3 sisters. Yeah they told me I”made them look bad”. Not so much.
    Though I’ve been grey for years, I recently joined a couple of FB groups that are extremely supportive. My motivation was not so much for the grey as it was because when I went to Fatima in September first thing my sister did was plug in the hairdryer “to see if it worked” and blew the power in the home we stayed in. We went natural for the duration, and to my shock I found curls after going 65 years thinking my hair was straight! So now I’m a grey “Curly Girl” with growing hair, who knew?!
    I guess my point is go search FB and check out the plethora of support there is!
    You CAN do this AND you will love it (eventually)!

    Reply
  37. Patti

    Agree!

    Reply
  38. Celeste

    Corey this is from one of the groups I joined (Going Gray & Lovin’ It – Master Makeup/Hair Tips, Demystifying Beauty)and it pretty much sums it up.
    “I belong to a couple other Going gray sites and all of them bring something to the table. Every woman from young to old is struggling or celebrating their decision to go natural. I do see almost all filtered photos on them though and they give such a false sense of “perfection” that others are struggling to achieve. On the flip side, THIS site is so inspiring! Every time a woman puts her full face photo on here is a huge step in bravery. We’re asking Sharon to critique us in front of every single lady on this site and even others if we give permission. I had NEVER Taken a selfie before asking Sharon to help me! It was a dream of mine at 59 to take a trip to New York and have my makeup finally done correctly. How unbelievably lucky we all are to have Sharon Danley right here on the internet like our own personal assistant. I just wanted to put a big thank you out to Sharon. A huge hug from me (while avoiding that horrendously bruised and broken arm). you are a sweetheart!”

    Reply
  39. Alan

    I dyed my hair until around fifty years. The very last time I did it, the dye dripped down my forehead and temple. I didn’t rinse it off soon enough and it stained my skin. I tried everything, eventually using Comet Cleanser to scrub the dye and at least one layer of skin off my head. Never again. I look just fine with my salt and pepper hair.

    Reply
  40. PJT

    Funny you should ask: I’m transitioning from a dark blond to my real mostly grey since last May when I dyed my hair as usual, and became dizzy for a day and a half. Being a chemist and one who never even tried pot or the Pill, I realized that putting these strong chemicals on my head was not healthy. I’m enjoying the gradual change and really, if people care about your skunk line then they really need to get a life. With your pretty face and glasses, you would look great with gray hair, just like Iris Apfel. Maybe you’ll even become an icon as she has in her advanced age!

    Reply
  41. Sharon CrigSt

    I transitioned years ago. I used to dye my hard dark brown, but I just used the ‘washes out’ dye so it wasn’t as earth shattering of a grown out process. I have never regretted it…and maybe I am just lucky, but I get soooo many compliments on my hair. And being a grandma makes it more fun…just my two cents.

    Reply
  42. Shelley

    I’m natural all the way. Grey grey grey! I love all the many strands of various colors, such depth and interest. I love aging. No way would I wish to go back to not knowing as much.
    I also got introduced via excellent YouTube videos to wearing super fun wigs for fashion when I want to dress. I buy only synthetic, fairly inexpensive models, and I use movie special effects techniques to make them look as real-hair-on-head as possible, even when wearing soft pink curls or dead straight ash grey with deep red ends! It’s a bit of sleight of hand.
    I am fully addicted to the fun of matching my hair color and style to my outfit as if it’s yet another accessory like shoes. I’m stopping at my current collection of 14 though. A semi-controlled addiction.

    Reply
  43. Wendy in Kennewick

    It was the best decision to go natural at age 50! I get compliments almost daily on my hair at age 63. I am lucky that it is more silver than white. Since I wear my hair short, I only had a couple months of the calico cat look!

    Reply
  44. Jenifer Delson

    I transitioned through highlights so that I never had a band of gray . It just looked natural throughout the process. Have fun Corey and be the best youthful Grammy you can be. So happy for you and Yann.

    Reply

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