self care.....
Over the past few years I have learned a lot about self care.
From eating the right foods, getting the proper rest (and exercise!), using essential oils for all their health benefits, to changing up household cleaners, and controlling what our body is exposed to.
This in itself could be a huge blog post, but today in particular I want to talk about my hair.
I was only 17 when I spotted my first grey hairs, and have consistently been dying my hair since then -- it's been nearly three decades!!!
Every three weeks I would let chemicals sit on my scalp for 35 - 45 minutes while trying to hide the greys. Over the years more and more grey hairs appeared on my head, until the top of my head was basically white. I thought I needed to colour my hair to feel young, to feel pretty.
But the last while I have been thinking about all the pros and cons of doing so.
Yes, my hair stayed it's teenage colour when I dyed it, but for how long? Because my hair grows crazy fast, a week after I coloured my hair would already be showing white roots. Then I tried to ignore the 'hair floating' look for another two weeks before dumping another bottle on it.
Yes, I tried to find the most nourishing, least drying hair colour out there, but my hair was still becoming more and more damaged with each new bottle. The last time I got my hair cut (a mere three months after my last cut), the hairdresser remarked how dry my hair was. After only three months??? I don't blow dry my hair. I don't curl it. I wash it, spray in leave in conditioner, let it air dry, and throw it up in a bun for work. I use deep hair conditioning masks regularly. How could it possibly be that dry already?
I have toyed with the idea of giving up the dye in the past, but I was afraid of how people would react. I thought it was an age thing, that it would make me look old. I liked looking younger than my age and being ID'd in the liquor stores in my 40s!
I put it off, saying it is a very long process to grow it out (nearly two years!), and I was not ready to commit to it just yet.
But lately?
I have been thinking about ditching the dye bottle more and more. Why should I have to alter my appearance like this to feel pretty when I could just embrace myself as I am? Why would I be letting my scalp soak in all those chemicals when I try to take care of my body in every other way?
These questions swirled in my head, and one day my daughter encouraged me to just let my hair grow out. Without even discussing it with her before, she brought it up. This gave me the supportive push I needed.
I last coloured my hair in February. It has been two months and my hair has grown a lot. And I have a LOT of greys!!!! Mostly on the top of my head, but with some pepper mixed in.......
I still have a box of colour in my bathroom cupboard, but I don't plan on using it. I always wear my hair up for work, and usually when I go out too, so the greys blend in alright for now.
I joined a couple highly recommended Facebook pages just the other day, and they are all such supportive and beautiful ladies! They are in all stages of letting the grey grow out. Some just started, some are half way through, and others are finished and are so ready with advice and support! Some are younger than me (by 15 years!), some are my age, and some are a little older. It's been really wonderful so far......
Right now I am enamored with my silver hair. I love not having to be bothered with hair dye every three weeks. I love the sparkle dance my hair is starting to do. I love how much softer my hair feels, and my next haircut will show how much healthier my hair is becoming......
I know there are going to be times I want to quit. I know there will be days I hate my hair so much it will make me cry. But it's all part of the transition.
Someone in the FB group posted this:
"I am not letting my hair go. I am letting it be."
I am taking another step towards self care by loving myself for who I am. All my faults and quirks and things I love about myself all rolled up into one big ball.
I do not need to change the way I look to impress others. I am too busy taking care of myself to be worried about how others perceive my outward appearance. I am as young as I feel!
I am walking a road of change.
Right now, letting my hair be makes me feel free....
From eating the right foods, getting the proper rest (and exercise!), using essential oils for all their health benefits, to changing up household cleaners, and controlling what our body is exposed to.
This in itself could be a huge blog post, but today in particular I want to talk about my hair.
I was only 17 when I spotted my first grey hairs, and have consistently been dying my hair since then -- it's been nearly three decades!!!
Every three weeks I would let chemicals sit on my scalp for 35 - 45 minutes while trying to hide the greys. Over the years more and more grey hairs appeared on my head, until the top of my head was basically white. I thought I needed to colour my hair to feel young, to feel pretty.
But the last while I have been thinking about all the pros and cons of doing so.
Yes, my hair stayed it's teenage colour when I dyed it, but for how long? Because my hair grows crazy fast, a week after I coloured my hair would already be showing white roots. Then I tried to ignore the 'hair floating' look for another two weeks before dumping another bottle on it.
Yes, I tried to find the most nourishing, least drying hair colour out there, but my hair was still becoming more and more damaged with each new bottle. The last time I got my hair cut (a mere three months after my last cut), the hairdresser remarked how dry my hair was. After only three months??? I don't blow dry my hair. I don't curl it. I wash it, spray in leave in conditioner, let it air dry, and throw it up in a bun for work. I use deep hair conditioning masks regularly. How could it possibly be that dry already?
I have toyed with the idea of giving up the dye in the past, but I was afraid of how people would react. I thought it was an age thing, that it would make me look old. I liked looking younger than my age and being ID'd in the liquor stores in my 40s!
I put it off, saying it is a very long process to grow it out (nearly two years!), and I was not ready to commit to it just yet.
But lately?
I have been thinking about ditching the dye bottle more and more. Why should I have to alter my appearance like this to feel pretty when I could just embrace myself as I am? Why would I be letting my scalp soak in all those chemicals when I try to take care of my body in every other way?
These questions swirled in my head, and one day my daughter encouraged me to just let my hair grow out. Without even discussing it with her before, she brought it up. This gave me the supportive push I needed.
I last coloured my hair in February. It has been two months and my hair has grown a lot. And I have a LOT of greys!!!! Mostly on the top of my head, but with some pepper mixed in.......
I still have a box of colour in my bathroom cupboard, but I don't plan on using it. I always wear my hair up for work, and usually when I go out too, so the greys blend in alright for now.
I joined a couple highly recommended Facebook pages just the other day, and they are all such supportive and beautiful ladies! They are in all stages of letting the grey grow out. Some just started, some are half way through, and others are finished and are so ready with advice and support! Some are younger than me (by 15 years!), some are my age, and some are a little older. It's been really wonderful so far......
Right now I am enamored with my silver hair. I love not having to be bothered with hair dye every three weeks. I love the sparkle dance my hair is starting to do. I love how much softer my hair feels, and my next haircut will show how much healthier my hair is becoming......
I know there are going to be times I want to quit. I know there will be days I hate my hair so much it will make me cry. But it's all part of the transition.
Someone in the FB group posted this:
"I am not letting my hair go. I am letting it be."
I am taking another step towards self care by loving myself for who I am. All my faults and quirks and things I love about myself all rolled up into one big ball.
I do not need to change the way I look to impress others. I am too busy taking care of myself to be worried about how others perceive my outward appearance. I am as young as I feel!
I am walking a road of change.
Right now, letting my hair be makes me feel free....
I'm glad I gave up the dye - hair is definitely much softer and healthier - no matter what color, you are a beautiful young woman <3
ReplyDeleteYou can totally rock the silver look, I think it would be fantastic on you! Thankfully my hair only still has sporadic greys and I colour maybe 2x a year lol cuz i dont think I could rock the grey look like you lol
ReplyDelete