Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Shades of grey*

Since rediscovering my natural hair color in the past year (it's apparently brown, in case you were as curious as I was), I have begun to notice some ahem, highlights.

No, I'm not talking about the red that sometimes makes an appearance after I've been out in the sun. I'm talking about the shades of grey that have taken residence in my nest of curls.

In all honesty, I'm actually okay with this latest change in my appearance. I earned each strand fair and square (several are named after former students), and I see it as a rite of passage of sorts, wearing them like a badge of honor (or battle scars). I admittedly also don't mind looking a tad bit older. While looking young is not necessarily a bad thing, it sometimes has its disadvantages, especially in the professional world.

So the color (or lack thereof) I can welcome with semi-open arms. What I can't handle is the changing texture of said greys. As previously mentioned, I have a nest of curls that sit atop my head. The greys are like the broken springs of a mattress, sticking straight up like corkscrews. This is not okay. Did you hear me greys? Not. Okay. Key word being NOT.

Now understand, I am a master at taming unruly kinks. I've been doing it all my life (when I wasn't burning my hair with chemical straighteners). But there is no cream, spray, or serum powerful enough to tame these grey jerks. And so they stand at attention all over my head, like the screaming banshee.


I might have to take Hubby up on his "gracious" offer to pluck them out for me (if he'd let me pluck his eyebrows in return, we'd totally have a deal), because I'm not exactly sure what this look says, but it's definitely not "older and wiser."


*I stand by the British spelling of "gray." It's my one Anglophilic hangup.

crayons photo by Eliza Cate, image source; screaming banshee image source

11 comments:

Kelly Miller said...

Mine are the same. Luckily, you can only see them when my hair is up. It all blends together when nicely washed (you know, every 4 days).

Cheri said...

Cheryl - I am experiencing a similar change, but a bit different. I am a natural blonde with very straight hair. The occasional red comes in thick and kinky. Now the "grey" is showing up - but coming in totally WHITE - and sticks straight up until it gets long enough to lay with the rest of its mates. Funny thing is, once it is long enough, it blends in pretty well with the blonde. I'm thinking that this might not be so bad. Maybe the reward I'm due for being teased in high school and called "albino" (Wish I'd had the nerve back then to tell my tormentors: "my eyes are hazel, not red, you dumbasses").

Jenny said...

I've had grey highlights as long as you've known me. It's in my genes. I can totally relate. :)

Laura said...

I'd be okay with it, but my students are always pointing out my grays.

NB said...

Im 24 waiting for them. Not sure when it's going to happen since everyone is different. The only thing thst worries me is the fact thatI am allergic to hair dye, or at least sulfer which is in it. It'under a different name, its also in dark clothing, makeup and yada yad. My grandmother would get complements on her all white hair, who knew she actually dyed it that way or used a shampoo that made it white..

~Kristen~ said...

I haven't found any yet, but I loooove plucking out the ones hubs has!!! Does that make me weird?! Of course he says its the least I can do since I caused them!!! To that I say, whatever....then I really yank hard!!! :-)

Amanda @ It's Blogworthy said...

I have a few of those too! I also don't' know what to do with them. Not only are they a weird shape, they are much shinier. I don't get it!

Erin said...

Welcome to the club, girlfriend! I find that dyeing does help with the texture as well as the color.

Yvette said...

Oh yes.. I call them my "blonde" highlights! lol

April said...

Yeah why did nobody warn me that my sliver hairs were going to be so WIRY. They stick straight up from my head!

I am not ready to embrace the grey (I am getting to have a lot of it) but I don't notice they wiry ones when they are colored, I wonder why that is?

Aidan Donnelley Rowley @ Ivy League Insecurities said...

Love it. Way to stand up to those "grey jerks!" Seriously, your attitude is marvelous. There is nothing wrong with getting older. It's real. It's life and I am sick and tired of seeing Hollywood women turning into platinum-tressed aliens just to look younger.

Digging your blog :)