Tag Archives: going silver

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Thirteen months, no color – Nov 29, 2014

Going Silver: Thirteen Months, No Color

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Wow … thirteen months and people still think my hair is “blonde” … of course, the ends are, but the top side is getting pretty silver! That said, Mom and I worked hard on our “photo shoot” to get a shot that showed how silver I really am. I know, I know – we could both use a photography class. But, back to the point … my blonde ends really catch people’s attention. Once they are gone, the true story will be told. I’m using a toner now to even things out … those pictures will be coming soon. For now, please see the pictures below to see the progress at thirteen months. Notice how–in the picture of me by my suv–from a distance I look blonde and that’s with my hair up with the blonde ends tucked away! I’m happy with the transition and thrilled with the response from others.

My advice to others who are on the fence about taking the Silver Linings Path … try it!!! What will it hurt? You can always go back to color. If you do try it, please subscribe to my blog and let me know how the transition going. And, if you decide to blog about it … let me know … I’d like to follow your blog and journey. Remember, we’re in this together.


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One year, no color - Oct 18, 2014

Going Silver: One Year, No Color

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I made it … one year and no highlights or lowlights! Unfortunately, these are the only photos I have of that time period. The lighting was awful. That said, it’s really not obvious that I no longer color my hair. I’m so lucky that I do not have the extreme hair color differences that other people deal with. I think such subtle color change makes the process easier. My heart goes out to those who have dark hair … the growing out process is tough. Fortunately, this phase is going fairly well for me.

This week, I ran into a woman at the grocery store and commented on her natural silver look. She said something quite curious. First of all, she thanked me and then, as an after thought said, “You know, I didn’t color my hair because it was expensive, I was too busy raising kids and working. But, I always felt like such a frump compared to all of my friends.” I told her I thought she looked beautiful and her face lit up. So, why is it that we are made to feel “frumpy” when we are accepting our age and the changes that come with it? And, why is it that men are thought to look more distinguished with their salt and pepper. It’s time to turn the table on that fable … 😉


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Going Silver: Eleven Months, No Color

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Well, well … I made it to eleven months! Almost a year without highlights/lowlights! And, the cool part … you really have to zoom in to see any silver sticking out! 🙂

In this picture, I am hanging out with some dear friends who live too far away … we all went to high school a “few” years ago! What an awesome group! And, what a spectacular afternoon/evening we all shared together! God is good! I thank God on a daily basis for the gift of age … and the opportunity to make more memories with wonderful friends! Life is good … even if you are going silver! 🙂

If you are inspired to try a trip down Silver Linings Lane, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Also, please subscribe to my blog. Let’s do this together!

Eleven months, no color - Sept 6, 2014

Eleven months, no color – Sept 6, 2014


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Ten months, no color - Aug 23, 2014 (My 50th Bday)

Going Silver: Ten Months, No Color

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So, the month of August is all about family celebrations – we have tons of birthdays (including my own). For me, August 2014 was all about finishing grad school, turning 50, and making it to 10 months with no color! And, I did it ALL! As for the no color part – I feel so liberated!! I’m sure the Statue of Liberty would be proud of me. “Enlightening the world” … with my silver! 🙂 Free and brave … yes, liberated is the word of the day! Especially in the going silver context – I hear and see it – A LOT! For me, the word illustrates tackling and overcoming the voices in my head and the negative social norms that permeate our environment on aging and hair color! I love feeling liberated …

And, I’m not alone! I have mentioned before that I find myself seeking out silver-haired people and making positive comments about their hair. At first, it wasn’t an intentional process, it was a curious one. Now, I can’t help myself … I want to know more of the stories behind the silver. Several weeks ago, I met a woman at the grocery store who at the end of her short silver story said, “Going natural is so  liberating”. That really resonated with me and now, due to awareness, I see women using the term online a lot! For example, here are several screenshots from a Facebook thread that a woman posted this week. The picture that went with this post showed a woman with a beautiful head of silver hair:

Screen Shot of Facebook Page

Screen Shot of Facebook Page

Good for this woman!! Now, I’m going to share some of the responses – they are priceless:

Screenshot from Facebook

Screenshot from Facebook

Now, if you liked those comments … you are going to love her final response:

Screenshot from Facebook

Screenshot from Facebook

Need I say more? If you are on the fence about going natural, I encourage you to join us and more specifically, join a support group to boost your confidence along the way. There are several on Facebook. I’m thinking of starting one myself. Life is easier when you have a strong support system. Let’s do this together. Think how nice it would be to post something and get the responses above and the confirmation that you are on the right track. In less than 48 hours, this shining silver star tallied up the following “likes”:

Screenshot from Facebook

Screenshot from Facebook

As always, here are some pictures to chronicle my journey down Silver Linings Pathway! If you are so inspired, I would love to hear your thoughts on going silver in the comments section below. Also, please subscribe to my blog. Let’s do this together!

 

 


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Eight months, no color - June 26, 2014

Going Silver: Eight Months and No Color

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It is really fun to look back  through my photos and see the stages of going silver. This is my eighth month with no color and in these pictures it is still difficult to tell I’m going silver. Of course, these shots were taken with a camera phone and have been seriously cropped, but I think they are a good representation of me enjoying my life and going silver at the same time!

A dear friend of mine from high school is aware of my journey down Silver Linings Lane due to my Facebook posts. This week, she shared with me an article titled, “Gray hair becoming hallmark of coolness“. Well, how cool is that?! In the article, Baltimore City Councilwoman Helen Holton who has beautiful, long gray hair said, “Attitude and presence have a lot more to do with someone thinking that you are older than you are.” Now, isn’t that the truth!? How refreshing. And, I think she looks fabulous. Check her out:

Councilwoman Helen Holton ... Love her hair!

Councilwoman Helen Holton … Love her hair!

Now that I am determined to “go silver” … I find myself striking up conversations with random women who have silver sparkles and I absolutely love the stories they freely share. Today, a woman I met told me about her ‘aha’ moment.  She was closing in on the BIG 5 0 and had been coloring her hair for years. Her silver was so prominent that she had to color her roots every 2 weeks. She was growing weary of the process and demands on her time. One day, while coloring her hair at home some of the dye hit the wall in her bathroom and she couldn’t get the stain out. That was it. Her ‘aha’ moment. She hasn’t colored since and feels so liberated. I just love hearing these impromptu stories. These women are so inspiring to me. I’m so glad I’ve ventured down Silver Linings Lane. And, for those of you who are on the fence … this saying by Robyn O’Brien below might help …

Love this ... and, am living it!

Love this … and, am living it!

 


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Six months, no color - April 25, 2014

Going Silver: Six Months and No Color

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It is amazing to look back at the stages of going silver. I was so busy with work and grad school that I didn’t have time to focus on much else. Which is a good thing. I think this phase helped me focus on personal goals versus outward appearances. Over time and with that shift in focus, I began to get in touch with the non-conformist inside of me and I realized how liberating it is to do my own thing. Also, when you take the pressure off yourself to look a certain way, you are more in touch with the present and who you really are underneath the facade. As you can see from the pictures below … I know how to have fun. I can literally let my hair down and shake things up. Interestingly, while shaking my hair around in these pix, you can see the shades of gray taking over. I love it. So, lighten up without the highlights  … be yourself. Claim Susan Jeffers’ mantra: “I am powerful and I love it!” Own your power, own the right to do what you want, and let it fly!


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Five months, close-up no color - March 25, 2014

Going Silver: Five Months and No Color

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My next few posts will include mainly pictures … to chronicle my journey down Silver Linings Lane. I wish I had thought to take more close-ups … but, these pix will show how I enjoyed my life during my transition from golden to gray, or as I like to say … silver! 🙂

What really amazes me about this journey is that people have not noticed that I am letting my hair go gray. If they do notice, they aren’t saying anything to me. What is so obvious to me – isn’t to others. We are definitely harder on ourselves than others. I bring it up all the time and people are like, “Your hair just looks blonde. I don’t see gray” Unbelievable. There is quite a bit of blondish brown stuff, but still. It is so much more obvious to me. This is what I love about the journey … I’m learning to take myself less seriously! Life is so much easier this way … less stress, less worries. We should be grateful to HAVE HAIR. Tons of people who go through chemotherapy know what that means. So, we should be grateful for what God has given us! I know I am!


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Four months, no color - Feb 17, 2014

Another Benefit: Going Silver Saves Time

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Yes, you read that right … going silver can save you time!  Think about it. How many hours have you spent sitting in a salon chair lost in foils, soaking in smelly chemicals, and making small talk? I was lucky (and inconsistent), I went for high-and-low-lights every 3-5 months. I know, according to social norms, I should have been in the salon sooner, but carving out 2 1/2 hours for color and a cut was not easy. It was especially difficult when pursuing my mid-life masters. Now that I’m finished with grad school, I have a long list of things I want to do. And, I’m not going to get them done while soaking in chemicals!

In my last post, I mentioned an article by Ellen Miller that quoted Anne Kreamer, author of “Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Matters”. Interestingly, while conducting research for her book, Anne learned that, “women spent more time getting their hair dyed than they did having sex.” Seriously?! I’m sure part of the reason women feel pressured to retain their youthful looks is to keep the spark alive with their partners. Yet, it seems something isn’t working here … at least for the people who Anne interviewed for her research.

So, why exactly are we dying our hair? Why are we convinced that we aren’t good enough just the way we are? And, why is growing old a negative thing? I’m so over it. I’m weary of advertisers trying to convince me that I need to be something I’m not, or trying to pressure me to hold onto something that has already passed (like my youth). My goodness, it’s time to rewrite the script. I don’t want to be one of those women spending more time getting my hair done versus investing my time making wonderful memories and doing enjoyable things!

In order to accomplish this, I have looked to other women who are on the silver path and in the process found an awesome group on Facebook – Going Gray Gracefully. It is so empowering to see the pictures and to read the posts. Others feel the same and that is why I am blogging about this. It helps me air my thoughts, work through my issues, and I hope to inspire others along the way. And, I want to leave a visual trail … pictures tell the story.

In closing, the pictures below are from February 2014 … four months into my journey down Silver Linings Lane. If you are thinking about going silver, what would you do with the time you saved from not coloring? I’m working on video editing projects and trying some new functional training sessions – just to name a few. I would love to hear what you are doing (in the comments section below)! Wishing you the best! 🙂

 

 


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Three months, no color (deconstructing cultural norms) - Jan 21, 2014

The Cost-Benefit of Going Silver

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Last week’s blog post brought up an interesting discussion on my Facebook page. I blogged about starting my journey down Silver Linings Lane and my friend Lynette Anderson Frantz, who has also chosen to go gray brought up a great point. She said, “I use the money I save from not coloring on pedicures. Love my pretty toenails.”

I am so glad Lynette brought this up because one of the resulting benefits of not coloring your hair is the money you will save … a true silver lining. This money can be channeled to a savings account or like Lynette chose … can be redirected to beautify another part of your body! For Lynette, it’s a win-win … she has silver sparkles on her head and pretty sparkly toes! I love it! Lynette’s comment really made me think about the amount of money I am saving. My high/low-lights could cost from $170 to $230 and I went approximately 4 times per year. At the top end that would be between $900/$1000 per year. Putting that money away and factoring in compounded interest is an idea that sparkles now and into the future! Or, redirecting that money towards yoga classes, hiring a functional training coach, or starting a new hobby would also be beneficial. I’m starting to look at my silver hair in a whole new way. It is a true cost-benefit to walk away from the chemicals and accept myself the way I am.

Let’s take a closer look at quantifying the cost of coloring your hair. I read a blog post by Ellen Miller on Angie’s List that quoted Anne Kreamer, author of “Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Matters” as saying, “I did the math. In 25 years of coloring, I spent $65,000 on coloring,” Kreamer went on to say, “If I’d invested that in a college education for my daughters, that would have been awesome.” Hm. $65K? Wow! I’ve been highlighting my hair for a long time and I’m thinking about how much better the “money saved from coloring my hair” would look in an investment account with compounded interest right now! Ugh, why didn’t I see the light earlier?! At least I’m on the right path now … better-late-than-never to travel on Silver Linings Lane!

To that end, the pictures below are from January 2014 … three months into my journey down Silver Linings Lane. If you are thinking about going silver, what would you do with the money you saved from not coloring? I would love to hear from you in the comment section below!

 


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Janean & Glenda (Dec 2013)

Starting my journey to silver …

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As promised, I am documenting my journey on the road to Silver Linings! 🙂 The reality is … I might not make it all the way … there might come a day when I say … who the hell is that in the mirror and make an urgent call to Sonya, my phenomenal “colorizer” at Salon Fusion. It could happen, I am human! But, my goal is to try to enjoy the new, REAL me. And, hopefully … I will enjoy the journey so much that I can’t go back to the days of soaking in chemicals and sitting in salon chairs for excruciating, precious hours. Ready or not, here we go!

Now, the picture below (taken in Dec 2013) is certainly not flattering, but on my way to transparency, I must add the pix that I would normally pretend did not exist! I want this to be an open, honest journey. This particular day was gray and gloomy, I was worried about driving from Rochester to Minneapolis in the middle of a snowstorm. I was also concerned about making my flight. So, worry was written all over my face. But, let’s not concentrate on the face … we are here to talk about HAIR! 🙂 Which reminds me, one of my former hairdressers used to call straggly silver strands – “stress highlights”! I loved this terminology, it made me think!! And, I encourage you to ponder that phrase when you are stressing and try to put your pressures in perspective! Now, back to the pic below … at this time, I was only a few months into my journey and with my hair tied back and a bit of the blonde flowing about – I think I looked great.

Glenda at Mayo - Dec 2013

Glenda at Mayo – Dec 2013

Now, these next two pictures show how I had been “keeping it real” by only highlighting/lowlighting and not totally coloring every strand. You can see the silver peeking out on top in the picture with my sister, Janean. The pictures above and below were literally taken weeks apart. Then, in the picture of me from the back, you can also see (if you zoom in) that I have streaks of silver here and there. For those who are toying with the idea of going silver, I think it is an easier transition if you high-low/light your hair. Of course, that’s easy for me to say, I’ve never colored my entire head.

Janean & Glenda (Dec 2013)

Janean & Glenda (Dec 2013)

Glenda at Whitewater Falls, NC  (Summer 2013)

Glenda at Whitewater Falls, NC (Summer 2013)

Honestly, I think my hair looks good in these pictures. Of course, I still had tons of blonde flowing around. I might change my mind as time goes by.  I am trying to use positive affirmations and take in a steady diet of videos and articles by people who have trekked down the Silver Linings Lane. I am motivated to change … and, so far, have stayed the course! My career is demanding and runs me in circles and I am still recovering emotionally from losing my sweet 17-year old feline to cancer. That said, from what I’ve learned, tough times make you focus on what is important. Time spent reflecting on the essentials of life can give you the courage to do something brave! I tend to internalize Saint-Exupery’s words: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Without these words, I doubt I would have externally bucked social norms. Thank you, St. Exupery! Let the journey continue! And, if you are reading this and have taken or have considered taking this path, please let me know! I would love to hear from you!


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