Botox vs Dye

After washing my hair this evening I had a bit of a revelation.  How is hair dye any different than botox?  Botox is a chemical injecting into the skin to give the appearance of youth.  Hair dye is a chemical essentially injected (OK absorbed) into hair follicles to give the appearance of youth and vibrancy.

Since being dye free for now five months here is what I've discovered:

• No longer do I have a clump of hair in my hand after each shampoo.
• I now have new, improved hair growth coming in.  Some silver some brown and its all real and all me.
• My new growth feels better, softer, healthier.

Here is to a chemical free me.

What is all the fuss about

Ok, so today was the day.  The dreaded DMV. 

The "head shot" wardrobe.  Check.  Documentation for the name change.  Check.  Hair...oh the hair!  An extra 20 + minutes went into that hair prep this morning.  Hairspray, more hairspray, flat iron, zigzag part, more hairspray.  Hair, now checked.  And did it NOT occur to me that all this prep went out the window when I hopped on my scooter for the ride into the office?  I opt not to care.  It is what it is.  My previous DMV photo was as good as it was going to get.  It was a past life.  

At the DMV I'm told its a 2 1/2 hour wait unless I had an appointment.  Thank goodness for my forethought of scheduling ahead!  After about 20 minutes and a very pleasant chat with the DMV employee behind the counter the time has come....step to the blue curtain please.  Smile if you like.  FLASH!!!!!  Moments later I'm watching my license slide down the conveyor belt and I take a deep breath.  Mr DMV smiles and hands me my new license, my new identity, my new life...

I'll take it.

The smallest thing...

Sometimes it is the smalles thing that keeps us going.  A dear old friend embracing my journey.  A co-worker saying silver hair is attractive. 

Grab on to the positive.  Shake away the negative.  This is our journey.  Our lives.  I am so lucky to be right where I am.

The DMV...

For the past eight years I have successfully avoided the dreaded DMV.  At my last visit, which required a 3 hours stay (even though I HAD a scheduled appointment) I managed to walk out triumphant with an unheard of very NICE drivers license photo.  In it I'm tanned, well coiffed and smiling.  I vowed NEVER to change my license again, just keep renewing on line.

And now here I am.  A newly married woman with a new life, new hair, a new last name and the need for (deep sigh) a new drivers license.  In my excitement to don my new last name on all things me, I scheduled the DMV appointment.  Since this is Florida and snowbird season, the appointment needed to be scheduled out several months in order to get a time that fit into my work schedule.  When I made the appointment I was newly into my going gray transition.  The skunk stripe could easily be hidden with the right part of the hair or cutesie headband.

My appointment with the DMV is now upon me.  Tomorrow I get the new license with the new name and (ugh) the new photo.  Whats the big deal you say?  I am now sporting a good three inches of gorgeous gray which is still attached to old, dull, fading brown dye job.  There is no way to hid the transition.

And as I type away here, telling my dilemma to whoever might happen upon this blog, I realize this is not a bad thing at all.  This is part of my journey.  I'm embracing the new silver hairs so why not embrace the photo documenting my journey.  When the transition to full on gray is complete, I'll just go get another drivers license.  And then I'll just be dreading the 3 hour wait....not the worry over left over hair dye.

As young as you feel Fred Flintstone

This morning:
40 minutes on the arc trainer at the gym
30 minutes of weight training

Home for a relaxing Sunday?  WRONG!
3 hours reminiscent of Fred Flintstone Quarry work eliminating part of a stone driveway.  Who says gray means old?  I kicked it today!  Gray just means GRAYT!

Are you kidding me?

Are you kidding me?

This morning I wake up to find the ad/marketing section appeared on my blog.  Ads that were to relate to me and my topic, GOING GRAY naturally.  What do I find?  Three of the four ad placements were for coloring and changing the natural look of hair color.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Follicle independence!

As I recall, I started going gray around 35.  That, however was not my initiation into the world of color from a box...

Since the age of 16  I have been coloring.  At 16 I wanted to be blonde like my older, beautiful sister.  In my 20’s and 30’s I went auburn and the occasional bozo red to establish my own identity.  At 40 I went with a more natural chestnut brown which required constant touch ups.

My recent decision to go gray stems from not one but various events.   

• Attending a Halloween party several years ago and tried on a friend’s salt and pepper wig and said, YES!!!  This is me. 
• The awesome gray stripe in my bangs started to spread. 
• I’m soooooo tired of the color maintenance!!!  And I love the way my gray stripe feels.  The color treated hair is so damaged.

Finally, I’ve realized the color of my hair does not define my age.