Revolution GrayEnjoy Margarita’s story featured in our Color Me Gray ebook.
I remember a visit to Paris, having lunch at a restaurant in Saint Germaine des Prés. I was fascinated by a stunning, super chic, 30-something woman with silver hair. I wanted to look like her, but alas, I was way over 30 and had already started dyeing my hair. I began coloring my hair around 30, and although I thought about letting it go gray from the start, people said it would age me. Starting out with color shampoos, it got to a point where permanent salon color was necessary since most of my silver was around my face.
If I had to do it all over again, I would never have started coloring my hair. The contrast of a young looking face with silver hair makes the look much more intriguing. Now, 23 years later, I have decided not to color anymore. Hairdressers first tried to talk me out of it and then tried to convince me to go through different procedures to make the transition less painful, but in the long run it only made it longer. I finally found a stylist who agreed to help me and did tiny highlights all over my head (with a cap) and let them get very, very light so that the change would appear less drastic. This worked for a while.
Eventually, I just have to grin and bear it. I still am in the process. I love going natural for many reasons, the key word being natural—the fantastic, liberating feeling of not being a slave to hair dye every three weeks; not having to worry about roots showing when the wind hits you from behind; the admiring looks you get from men and women.
I finally feel comfortable with my age. With gray you do have to use more makeup, change the colors you wear near your face, and maintain a
great, modern cut. I had a color test done and was surprised to discover that colors I never dared to use before are now very flattering. On the downside, I have had to turn away from some colors that I love, such as beige. I could not have made this dramatic transition without my family’s support, particularly my husband’s. There were times when I was very close to running to the salon to color it again, but he convinced me to wait it out. Now we are both thrilled with my new look!
Need more inspiration? Enjoy 23 more stories and gorgeous pictures in our Color Me Gray ebook!