I Will NOT Go Quietly or Peacefully Into that Gray Night!

I have long known, well before I started making a habit out of coloring/highlighting my hair, that I was vain. Its better if I just get that out of the way right up front. I don’t think I am a conceited kind of vain, but just vain enough to know that there isn’t any way in hell I’m going to gracefully go gray. I’m not knocking others who do, or who think women like me are silly – because, I am – it’s just not a good look on me. I will concede that there are women who look gorgeous and almost ethereal with silvery-gray locks. I am not one of them.

Gray, on me, is like I couldn’t quite commit to being emo or goth. Not to mention gray hair would make me look about 182 years old. I envision myself as Ma Kettle. Word!

Now that I have stated the obvious, that my first gray hairs are starting to pop up like so many unannounced house guests who won’t leave without forceful removal, I have decided to go on the offense and not let them get a foothold. Therein lies my problem. Do I keep highlighting but add more low-lights or do I just cover it all up? I’m not really a fan of flat hair color. Seeing as how the gray hairs apparently mean business, I need to step up my game.

Now I know my mother and other loved-ones are sitting there shaking their heads wondering if I am going to take matters into my own hands. The short answer, NO! I learned that lesson after Fuchsia-Gate in 2001. Don’t ever try and color your own previously highlighted color which was pretty blond, with something called “Brilliant Bordeaux” because what you’re likely going to end up with is some shiteous variation of “Blatantly Pink!” Yeah, it was bad. Hopefully all the pictures of that time in my life have been destroyed.

I think I want a change though. And I want something that is great for all seasons. Typically I kick up the highlights in the summer and go a tad darker during the winter. However, I’ve decided that now I want something that I can use all year long.

So, I have decided to try a few colors out, and see what I think.

I thought perhaps this one would be good for the entire year, especially spring, but I could pop in a couple of red scrunchies during Christmas to add a festive touch...or brown or orange tie-backs and hair bands during autumn for some added pizzaz…What do you think?

 

But then I reconsidered and felt perhaps that color might be more appropriate for St. Patrick’s Day. I started craving my mom’s corned beef and cabbage as soon as I saw myself with this color. Back to the drawing board.

I got excited when I saw how this next color turned out. I will admit, I’m going to have a hard time accessorizing for Christmas and autumn, but I just love how it brings out the bizarre colors in my eyes. Oh and it matches so well with this beautiful ecru wool sweater I have!  Thoughts? Opinions?

Now when I first saw how this next color turned out, I will admit, it was a bit extreme and just this side of the blue rinse that my grandmother used to get. But yet something about it just screamed at me. Or maybe it just screamed in general. I can’t decide. The color is really only going to be good perhaps during spring. But yet, there’s something comforting about it.

When I saw it I immediately wanted to bake sugar cookies and grab my dentist’s waiting room copy of AARP and start planning our retirement. I had visions of polyester pants and support hose and early dinners at the local buffet restaurant. I had the urge to go out and buy some Geritol and prunes and start watching reruns of Murder She Wrote.

Of course, if I’m not careful and don’t stop screwing around with my hair, I won’t have to worry about it because I’m going to end up the President of this guys fan club!

 

Massive props to my dad and his mad PhotoShop skillz!

 

 

Comments

[Jake]

There is a drawback to all of these wonderful colors, as I learned to my dismay around April-May 2000, when I dyed my hair something you could only call 'Smurfy Blue' (Amanda mixed blue and purple dyes so it was a solid, rich blue instead of the rather weak blue you'd get with only blue alone on bleached hair).

You immediately forfeit all pillow cases and other surfaces you lay on for any amount of time. They are now permanently whatever color you picked, and no amount of washing will get the dye out.

Although hey, you're luckier than I. I've been getting my gray hairs since I was 16! It wasn't that bad until this year, though, when they started popping in on my eyebrows. Eeek!

[Auds]

Jake...how is it that I missed that? I was home two, possibly three times that year. I'd remember your hair being BLUE!

But yeah, I totally hear you on the tracks you leave behind when you die your hair. Fushia-Gate learned me that lesson! Pink pillow cases, pink towels, pink sheets and pink collars. It was not fun!

[marlene]

I like the purple, personally....of course, I am a bit biased, as purple IS my favorite color. The green....well, I s'pose it would work at Christmas time...or on St. Patrick's Day. Just doesn't do much for your overall skin tone.

How 'bout a luverly shade of orange? That's what I ended up with when I used an abominable product called "Sun In" in my younger teenage years. Of course, when I tried to go back to my natural color of very very very dark brown, I made a very grave error. I bought a box of very very very dark brown, and proceeded to color away. When all was said and dried, I noticed there were patches of orange at the back. Eeeks. Back to the store....WHAT?!!! NO very very very dark brown left???!!! I bought black. You know the end result, I'm sure. It was a luverly combination of very very very dark brown with black and orange patches thrown in for amusement.

Yup....off to the hairstylist the next day for what was to have been a "stripping" but ended up being a very short hair cut. Yeah.

[Auds]

Marlene...I was thirteen when I pulled the Sun-In stunt. My mom wasn't going to let me colour it away so I pretty much had to live with bright orange hair for my freshman year in high school. It. Was. Not. Pretty.

[Monkeytoemomma]

I liked the green - made your eyes POP! They looked positively gorgeous! :)

When I first became a mom, I decided to go a little darker because my baby had beautiful raven black hair. I did it with an at home kit because I'm impatient, and I wanted it done NOW. So I pick a box that said, Medium Brown Black. It evoked images of a soft chestnut-y brown. It ended up being BLACK. Just BLACK. Stark BLACK. I looked horrible. Which I found odd because I'm half Asian.

[bejewell]

I was a L'Oreal 1A girl for several years, then decided to try something new. I wanted to go more red. Boy, did I. The problem wasn't the bright flame-orange hair, really. It was the fact that I DID MY EYEBROWS TOO. I looked like a freakin' Ooompa Loompa.

All of your new colors above are better. Trust me.

[Steph]

Um. Probably I should stay quiet here given that I'm currently growing out black with fuschia streaks. No, really. I'm an admitted hairwrecker. So with that...

My vote is purple. It's very versatile.

[Lisa]

Can I say first off I LOVE that poem. It is one of my favorites :)
My hair started getting darker and darker with each pregnancy so I started highlights about 8 years ago....I have no clue what my real color is anymore ;)
I say go with the green--you can never look old if your hair is green!

[San Diego Momma]

Hmm...tough call. They're all so ...colorful. (Yeah, that's it.)

But at least you're creative. I have been blonde all my life, except for that auburn excursion in the last '90s, which I shall never speak of again.

Oh. And I'm leaning toward the green. I love Christmas.

[Jake]

Could always opt for Frenchie pink...

o/~ Beauty School Drop-Out.... o/~

[Auds]

Jake...ha ha ha little brother, you're so funny! Seriously dude, I've already done the pink thing and it was NOT funny.

I think, once the rage has passed (see the newest post today) I'll just go back to my normal - except maybe go just a tad darker!

[mommily]

You should see if you can get Dad to transfer the hairdo on that picture Cyndi sent you to your picture and see if you like that.
I don't have a hair color. My friend Amy and I were sitting around the bar at the LA Marriott with our friend Barbara (who is always IMMACULATEly dressed and coifed) (we were there for a conference) and we decided that we would do our part for Planet Earth by not putting toxic hair coloring chemicals into the waste stream any more, so I've stopped coloring my hair.
I don't have any gray hair. That's because it's all white.
Sort of puts a damper on my job search, but what the hell, I'm doing my bit for Mother.

[foolery]

How about lemon yellow? That's a color that's rarely explored. You could be the first!