Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Oh No She Di'nt!

Well, no, actually. I didn't. But I thought about it.

So, I was at our local fancy-pants/hippie-dippie co-op the other day picking up some random stuff that I can never seem to find at our regular grocery store. You know, life essentials like Dutch-process cocoa and Maldon salt and I forget what-all. Anyway, I wandered over to the health and beauty aisle and there, on the top shelf, way up high and out of reach, I saw it. Henna.

Now, I've never once colored my hair (or permed it for that matter -- and I was a teen in the 80s, so please feel free to admire my trend-bucking). Mostly because I've always been perfectly happy with my hair, partly because I can't be bothered with that sort of thing, and not a little bit because I'm cheap. 

I found my first grey hair at 27. And I was excited! It was kinda cool and weird and interesting. Thirteen years later I have grey hairs scattered all over my head (and eyebrows! I have found white hairs in my EYEBROWS) and an actual streak springing forth from my right temple. I should name it Athena. And I've been fine with it (you know, that grumpy kind of fine where you're not at all psyched about things, but resigned to them). But someone who shall remain nameless but with whom I may cohabit and who is NOT four years old has a tendency to compliment my hair when the streak is hidden under the part. And after a while, you start noticing that tendency and thinking about, you know, what it might mean.

Also, the last time I had my hair cut, the kind lady with the scissors told me that coloring my hair would make it thicker. 

Did I mention my hair sheds like a very sheddy thing? I shed a bunch about, oh, five months after Sarah was born, but this time? It's been like ten months now. IT IS NOT COOL. I didn't have all that much to begin with.

So there I was, staring up at the boxes of henna. They even had it for the standard-issue brown that is my not-grey color. And oh, I was tempted. 

I don't know, people. Isn't there supposed to be a period in your life when you are neither wrinkly, nor zitty, nor going grey? Because I missed out on that one. Or if I did have it, it lasted for about two weeks when I was twenty and was too busy trying to buy cases of Natural Light (yeah, we were klassy drinkers in college) to notice. As it is, I have grey hairs AND wrinkles AND zits. I mean, come on! Really? 

There's a bit of a movement amongst women who are letting their grey hair be its natural self. There are even young women dying it grey on purpose. Yeah, if I looked like Emmy Lou Harris I wouldn't think twice. But I don't. Still, I plug on as if this whole aging thing didn't bother me a bit. But it does.

I mean, MY HAIR IS BOTH THINNING AND GREYING. NOT FAIR. ME NO LIKEY.

But god forbid I should do something about it. Because that would mean I care about that sort of thing. Which I don't. Really. Watch me not care.

12 comments:

Meredith said...

Oh yes, I'm so so so not enjoying this double-whammy of gray hair + zits. I mean, come on. I went off to university with newly installed braces, which was bad enough. I would say start with a nice haircut and go from there... not that you care, just that you like to look *tidy*, right?

tia said...

Yes, tidy! Or, as my mother used to say to me in an exasperated tone, presentable.

Not because I care. I just want to look presentable. For all of you. I'm only trying to be considerate.

Anonymous said...

dyeing your hair does not make it thicker, that is a load of hooey.

Me? A Mom? said...

I have a bunch of gray coming in as well. I think I would be motivated to do something about it if I was able to have the time to do even the BASICS of beauty maintenance (for lack of a better term): shaving on a regular basis, eye brow shaping, and putting on makeup. ::sigh:: someday. someday.

Anonymous said...

As far as the hair loss goes, have you had your thyroid checked? I started losing lots of hair two years ago after my daughter was born and I thought it would eventually go away. It didn't and I finally went to the doctor and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Apparently, it's fairly common after giving birth, especially for us "mature" moms.

Oh, how I hated being referred to as "Advanced Maternal Age" the entire time I was pregnant, especially since my doctor was this pretty, petite, skinny little thing who looked about 25.

Rowena said...

I am totally you! I have black hair and started graying around 23. I dyed it ONCE, about a year ago with a semi permanent brown, and I did not like it. And that was also the period when my hair was growing back in from losing it after Ivy. So it does come back. And it will look terrible while it does. :P

I even have the streak over my right eyebrow. I kind of like the rebelliousness of it. And sort of like the aesthetics. And kind of can't be bothered. And really am too cheap to do anything about it.

FrancesC said...

I'm another early gray-er. I started getting gray hair in my late 20s, and I did dye it for a while. But it took a solid 2 hours in the salon every month or so (I'm totally not a salon-goer!), and I hated the roots that would start to show after a couple of weeks. And it made my scalp dry and itchy, and my hair dry. I did henna for a while, but it fades to bright orange on white hair, so I'd have a bright orange streak among my dark brown hair.

I gave up and just stopped dyeing it several years ago, and I'm very pleased that I did - it's much easier to schedule a 1/2-hour haircut than a 2-hour dye job, and it's way less expensive! I've even had people ask me where I get my color done - they somehow think the gray streaks are intentional. I guess now that I'm 44 it's not so odd to have gray hair any more.

Cindy said...

I had my hair natural and gray all through my 40's ... loved it, it was short and spiky and easy and cheap!

Then, I don't know I just decided to do something different... not to look younger or stop the aging process, I really am fine with aging.

But I got a wonderful two-color job done so now I look more like a calico cat and actually I like it! There is some brown, some gold and some gray.

And when I decide to go back to all gray I can just let it grow a little then whack it all off.

Seems harmless enough, kind of like trimming my nails and shaving my legs.... makes me feel kind of pretty and tidy. Definitely tidy.

I like that whole *tidy* thing.

The 50's do bring a kind of non-worrying freedom about this ... I think I was still trying to be consistent, fair and reasonable in my 40's! :)

Anonymous said...

This person who cohabits this space with you, who is not four years old (not naming names) finds you remarkably beautiful whether your hair is graying and tied back, or down on your shoulders, or parted to hide that streak, or anyway you choose to wear it. Just saying.

tia said...

Well played, sir. Well played.

AG Ambroult said...

I love that exchange above this comment!

I know, WTF? I have zits and graying hair, too. Sounds attractive, no?

Susie Lubell said...

The lovely reader above just sent me to your site after reading my recent post about how Pond's is actually helping my zits soften up and fill my wrinkles. NO shit. Pond's baby. The three dollar jar of geriatric. I can't help you with the gray hair. I dye. It's too confusing for everyone else for me to have gray and zits. It's really for them, not for me.