Pewter Progress

As it is about to become the silly season I thought I'd update & muse over my silver regrowth this past year. Yes it's been almost a year since my resolute resolution to my grey hair conundrum. That I can say as I have yet to imbibe any Christmas cheer lol.

One thing's for certain, I do not have a single regret! Even when recently, my youngest Grandson, was looking through some photos and spied one of me taken only last year. He proclaimed in astonishment, "Oh Ninna, you were really young there!"  I had my roots died in the photo hahhaha. So I pondered the connotation of grey hair equating to old age in the perceptions of children. True, grey hair & wrinkles are outward indicators of aging. Yet I began greying at 19 years of age?? What if I had the courage back then to let nature take its course? By my 3rd child I would have been doing the pregnant waddle with a full head of greys. Wouldn't that have upset the stereotype! So my conclusion is children are impressionable & adaptable. This same Grandchild was equally surprised to see me recently cycling with him, "Ninna I didn't know you could ride a bike!" Yes it's amazing what us grey headed women can do when we rise from our crypt lol. This darling lad has cemented my convictions!

But the more pressing concern for me is my daughter's upcoming wedding. Namely MY dress, MY makeup & MY hairstyle. hahaha. After all it's all about me don't you know? So to suit my transitioning tresses I have gone for a blended black, white & light grey irregular lace & chiffon, slightly embellished number. Silver strappy heels & some bling accessories. Topped off with a loose French roll with my silver tendrils highlighting my face and nape. Bold lips & nails for contrast. False eyelashes at a tasteful length to prevent my eyes from disappearing into the silver light lol.Lets see how that all comes together. It's a mid Summer affair here in Oz so the obligatory tan may actually promote my shiny silver locks too.

Here are some up to date, candid photos of my pewter progress.

And my dress.

Silver Lunar Lady

Well here it is almost 10 months since my foray into grey & what have I learnt? I have learnt that no one really blinks an eye at my dappled dome these days. Now that may be in part due to my ...ahem...mature years, or it may just be that I am now so comfortable in the process that I don't look for signals anymore.

My silver halo is dropping ever so slowly to almost my jawline these days. The undergrowth is sitting at collar length. Quite frankly I am disappointed that my regrowth is so uneven. I would love to see the uniform effect of all my silver slivers brushing my shoulders together. Although I can get a nice effect if I wear my hair up piled as the wispy underneaths frame my face with the whiter look.

I have had approximately 4inches trimmed since beginning this journey so my ends have never looked better...pity they're so faded these days. Yet I am still stubbornly determined to not be deterred. I have only another 2 and half to 3 years until I am waist length in silver, white and pewter hair aura.

Here are some pics I took yesterday. I usually wear my hair up for convenience and to show less contrast. But just recently I have begun to embrace once again, my naturally long, wavy locks. It is quite freeing and is all part of making no apologies for my choice to be me in whatever way I choose.

I am embracing my 50s, my creativity and my silver tresses. I have been the Maiden, The Mother & I am now in my next Lunar Goddess phase of the Crone. )0(  Silver is the Lunar Lady's colour after all.

Finding the Silver Lining

Well my monthly journal is morphing into a quarterly journal, just as I am morphing into a long locked lady of silver. My vision of a white haloed ethereal portrait of elegant, ageless womanhood is becoming more of a down to earth reflection of some white, some silver and (quite surprisingly) still some dark hair sprouting out of my scalp. Nevertheless, I am an optimistic soul at heart so I'm convincing myself that the longer it grows, the more silver white on the top while the blended colour will be relegated to the lengths of the eventual lopped locks at the bottom.

I have to say that the transition for me thus far, has been relatively painless. The only complaint I have is that it takes soooo long. I really am excited to see my colour at a longer length. I don't mind that it will take years to achieve the waist length that I will always have. But I am very impatient to get to a length that frames my whole face.

I have been keeping myself up to date with new colours for my new hue. It really has been true that the more natural the colour of my hair, the softer & more complimentary for my complexion. I like the fact that my eyebrows are still dark brown so I won't be fading completely into oblivion. Yes I'm still holding tight to my vision of white/silver. Also I don't know if I am deluding myself, but I seem to be noticing my eye colour a lot more in my reflection. I am gravitating to silver or black drop earrings at present to offset wearing my hair pulled back, either in a plait or a bun. I haven't felt the urge to hide my regrowth under hats or scarves. I have noticed I do need mascara at all times. The bonus for me is I can now go back to more colourful makeup and clothing. This is such a release for me because I absolutely love love love colours. Wearing them, looking at them, designing with them. I realise the compromises I had to make for my coloured tresses now. All those neutral & pastel shades....yawn. Whodathunk a chick in her 50s could scrub up sporting a vivid lilac and lime green print dress and lace up ankle boots, with salon straightened hair incorporating a wide silver regrowth, along with an actual red shade of lippy and get admiring male attention & compliments? I sure as heck didn't but guess what?

So here a few more real life piccies of my journey. Roughly 4 months to date of regrowth.

Grey Hair Regrowth...I'm going to age greys fully!

1-2-2105- Well I’ve committed to the journey of growing out my greys and celebrating ME! Now this is a revolutionary concept for me. I have been hiding my greys since 19 yrs old & I’m about to turn 52! I was as committed to hiding them as I was to keeping my hair long & dark. I still refuse to go short, or even medium length. It is waist to bum length all the way baby!

I have put in days of research in preparation for the journey back to me. I’ve got supplies of other women’s stories and pics to sustain me along my trip. I’ve packed info and links to stockists for silver hair care products. I’ve planned my route via hair length, hair cut style & co ordinates of 1 inch hair growth= 2 months.

I have just measured my hair from my 1 inch skunk stripe edge to tip. It is 2 ½ ft or 30 inches. (approx 90cm for my metric sisters). It sits atop my butt at present. My strategy is to get 2, I say 2, full inches lopped off this month. A never before act seen.  Thereby leaving 28 inches of dark hair. Now if I continue to trim an inch every 2 months I can retain my length and reduce my dyed hair 6 inches a year. So in theory I’ll be totally natural & long haired in 4 ½ years. This is a mega trek ladies. No fluffing around nicely paved, park walkways. No power walk along sandy seashores. No, not for this rebellious nanna, it’s a jump in boots and all, long haul, back pack laden, huffing & puffing trek up the white peaked(appropriate) Kathmandu mountain. Ah but the view...

My hair has always been my defining description. “the chick with the long hair”, “Morticia”, “I love your long hair” etc. My ex hubby would love to sit and brush it. I have even trained very pushy hairdressers to not trim too much off it EVER. When I told my 30yr old daughter yesterday about my expedition to find silver, the first comment she had was “are you going to cut it?” Her world continued to turn when I exclaimed “no way!” In fact those whose opinions matter have just given me bemused smiles. I think they are used to my eclectic approach to fashion and appearance (not to mention other things in my life), so have just added this to “Linda’s way out & weird interpretation of life.” Although I did appreciate the comment from a male family member who, after a few minutes of just staring with a strange look on his face and a mouth twitch, finally spoke, saying “well we all change how we look eventually.” His sage words were quickly followed by “but you’re not going o cut it though are you? I don’t think short hair would suit you.” My reply kept his world turning also.

So from once hating the dreaded silver streak regrowth, I’m getting quite excited and already impatient to see my shade of grey. I want to see how my skin & eyes look framed by my REAL colour. From trying to hide it, I now want to keep looking at the progress from all angles. I am willing it to grow, grow GROW!! I have figured that with short layers to frame my face and a long layer cut at the back, the front silver face frame may be in place in time for my daughter’s wedding next Feb 2016. The long back portion could be tethered into a loose uplift.

I am really encouraged by other women’s experiences of softer and better conditioned hair. Of course I’ll now have more money to spend on quality products and salon cuts & conditioning treatments, to rock my silver locks! But my qualms over wiry and unruly steel wool sprouting from my scalp have been assuaged. Makes sense to me that natural, as opposed to regular chemicals on my noggin, would feel & look healthier. ( aided & abetted by organic  enhancers.)

I refuse to kowtow to society’s mantra of grey hair is better short, or grey hair makes you look old and washed out. Man some of the pics I have of long, silver haired women are stunning. We’re not talking the young & gorgeous maiden & mothers here, but women of the crone calibre.

There is much talk amongst the silver sub subculture as to the tone of our individual grey. Even the descriptions sound sophisticated, cultured and refined. Pewter, steel, ice white & silver. It seems nobody wants to have grungy grey. It’s like a personal status symbol because it’s all natural grow your own. Therein lies my excitement. It truly is my unique colour. I am already liking the colour I’m seeing. I’m lucky in that I can wear my hair straight without too much taming or leave it to dry long and curly scrunched. Oh the images of sexy untamed earth mother, feminine silver sleek goddess, a permanent halo of light reflection to soften the lens focus...but I digress. This is HUGE ladies. It is longer than the pregnancies of my 3 children combined! I have trouble committing to what I’ll cook for dinner...at lunch time!

I have been transitioning into this crone phase of life for the past few years. “Transitioning” is also what us grow your own grey converts call the between phase of “ditch the dye” & “silver lock rockin”. It just feels a natural transition for me, first divorce, then menopause, new home, new location, no more kids at home, new life, and unstereotypical image...free to be me! So honey I’m gonna let it all hang down. Hey I’m a child of the 60s, I’ve lived up near Nimbin (my youngest still does), peace, love & mung beans baby. Power to the(pewter) people. So I’ll be rockin those silver locks & fighting the establishment, oh yeah. Although  I’ll stop short of becoming a silver hairy, ganja faerie (good ole Rainbow region/ Nimbin...what a trip...)

I’ll update in a month. Meanwhile here are some pics I’ve called my Inspiration, Aspiration & Determination. As well as just some of me called.....Feb.