Gray Matters {Why I’m Choosing to Embrace My Gray Hair}

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If you know me, you might laugh at the idea of me writing a post about gray hair.  Mine certainly isn’t too noticeable to anyone but me.  However, my mousey brownish blonde days are slowly but surely coming to an end.  I started noticing the random grays in my early twenties. I will never forget the stylist who was fixing my hair for my wedding making sure to pluck out a gray sticking straight up on top of my head (why do they always do that???). And between motherhood and entering my 30s, the ratio of salt to pepper has quickly moved closer and closer to salt.  Margaritas anyone?

So, what’s a girl to do? My original plan was to pick them out.  That was fine for a couple of years, but I’ll soon be entering bald spot territory if I keep it up.  I could color my hair and call it a day. But if you know me, you know that I’m super cheap and have only colored my hair a few times since my parents quit paying for my highlights…in high school. I pretty much decided that I would just have to deal with it and pray.  But then I read this, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.  Truth be told, I thought about it (like a lot), and it really made me question why we women are so terrified of going gray.  I came up with a few reasons why I will be embracing my #grannyhair!

  1. My hair color wouldn’t fool anyone. We’re all terrified of becoming old for some reason.  But who am I kidding? My idea of a fun friday night is sitting here writing this post about gray hair.  No amount of hair dye will make me the spring chicken I once was.
  2. Gray is one of my favorite colors! My walls are gray. My couch is gray.  A good 30% of my wardrobe is gray.  Gray, in my opinion, is a really beautiful color. It matches just about everything and is extremely versatile.
  3. Did I mention that I’m cheap (and a little lazy)? I have zero desire to to pay for the upkeep of hair color or to spend that much time at the salon. Every time I consider doing something different with my hair color, I remember that it’s a long-term commitment.  Either keep doing it or have roots.  I prefer none of the above.
  4. It’s about time I look as wise as I am. I’m always right.  Just ask my husband.
  5. I want what’s inside my head to be what defines me. As a mom to a young girl, I’m already terrified of how to best promote a positive body image. Accepting my gray hair is one way that I hope to show her that there are things more important that traditional ideas of beauty.

There’s a better than average chance that my gray hair won’t be flowy and beautiful like the models and celebrities who are intentionally going gray. But I’m willing to take that bet.  And, honestly, there may even be a little part of me that’s excited to see what my gray future holds.

Has gray hair started to emerge for you? Do you embrace it or cover it with a different shade?

Ashley S
Ashley grew up in Joplin, Missouri and attended the University of Arkansas where she earned a degree in Finance and Insurance. She met her husband, Jason, in Fayetteville and they have one daughter, Etta Mae. They moved to Baton Rouge in 2013 for Jason's job with the LSU Tigers. Ashley is an extroverted introvert who loves Ted Talks, following politics on Twitter, and figuring out how to get the best deals on everything without paying shipping. If it were up to her, she would get paid to read books and take every college class so that she could learn everything about everything, but instead she pays the bills by working in recruiting for a multinational tech company. Ashley is blessed to have a daughter who is at least as stubborn as she is and a husband who is laid back enough to put up with both of them.

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