Hair Toil Part 1

Back in the day and I mean when I was between 11-15, I used to have a bobbed hair cut. It wasn’t a style I choose but more imposed on me as the hairdresser did not know how to cut my poker straight hair. It was easy to look after, I mean all I did was shampoo it twice a week with whatever was in the bathroom – usually Johnsons baby shampoo, use conditioner if I could remember too and brush it whist wet and left it pretty much alone. The parting would stay put, nothing stuck up or frizzed and it was pretty perfect (looking back at those photos) virgin hair, never been touched by bleach or colorants :-) 

Fast forward a few decades (plural!) and now I have to wash with special co-washing shampoo/conditioner, spray on a thickening lotion, add a styling balm to the ends to avoid frizz and blow dry with a paddle brush to get it to sit straight and smooth. I know age changes the texture of your hair, but I am doing so many steps to just make it look healthy. Yes, I do colour my hair and due to the supplements, I find I must touch up my sparkles nearly every 4 weeks as my hair grows really fast. Its all starting to become a chore and I am rethinking what I should do next. I cannot keep hiding out in the bathroom everyone month telling the kids not to come in as I am ‘deep conditioning my hair’ (we only have one bathroom - so if I want to spend 20 mins on my own I have to ensure everyone has been to have a pee before I can use it). 

 Do I bite the bullet and stop colouring my hair and embrace the pesky sparkles? I had D check the back of my head to see how grey I was. It’s not too bad maybe 30-40 white hairs he could count, spread evenly. But the main bit is where my hair parts and the front middle of my hair is almost 40% white. It’s going to look hideous if I just stop colouring! But I don’t want to still be a slave to my roots approaching my 50’s. I wish I knew what the best route would be to take. As everything I have looked up only seemed applicable to those who are blonde or can highlight to ‘blend’ the greys in until everything grows out. Well for someone who has jet black hair it’s not an option. 

My mum is totally white haired – she kind of stopped dyeing her hair when she became a grandmother, had it all cut off short and yes she does look like a Nanna :-) she told us that her time to enter Miss World has been and gone so why bother anymore!!! I’m not ready for that step yet but looking for an in-between stage. I thought I would continue to just dye the front middle and parting (roots only) and leave everything else to grow out; possibly cut my hair into a longer length graduated bob and hope for the best. 

I know my hairdresser will be appalled. As a mere youth in his 20’s. he is in the business to cut and colour and make everyone look young, but I will have to convince him that to go natural is better for my health and the environment. I have looked at some kits by Bleach London where you can colour your hair silver – I’m not sure if it will work on my hair colour but another idea was to get the lightening kit and do a reverse baylage so its silver grey from the roots and black at the ends. I saw it on a model I think on the ASOS website (I have been stalking and adding items to my wish list until pay day!) It looked great on her. 

 I know I should probably go and get it done properly at the hairdressers but after the trauma getting it dip dyed at Charles Worthington and spending a lot of time and money to get it rectified I simply have an aversion to the professionals. The idiot colourist used krazy colour and of course first sign of rain all the dye ran onto my neck and skin. Not a good look! I blogged about it a while back but cannot be arsed to find the page linky lol 

 There’s been a few dark haired fashion and beauty beauty writers who have posted their thoughts on going au natural and I will be following their journey with great interest.