Gray is the new Black - Sisterlocks Journey

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 OK Mother Nature you win!

I've decided to let my hair go gray...again  I don't know if I will succeed this time but my fingers are crossed that I will (this is the 4th try).

On my 2nd attempt in 2005
I had gotten so far, but someone remarked that my face looked younger than my hair.
That's all it took.

There are several reasons I am going to let my hair go gray and heaven forbid, I know it's not going to be easy.

1.  Even though I have cut down significantly, by coloring only once a year, the harsh chemicals are still not good for my hair (especially not good for locs) Plus coloring is not cheap!

2.  No matter how often I go, it's still a hassle. I'm not one of those gals who likes to be in the beauty shop. The time spent in the salon on Saturday can be better spent elsewhere. (let me count the ways)

3.  My new journey to Costa Rica beckons to me to be my authentic self! Who knows where we will end up living. Could be on a beach or in the jungle. I'm not going to have the time nor the desire to go searching out a hairdresser who can color locs.

But the biggest reason is....

4.  I just want to be myself!! I'm not so hung up anymore on whether or not I "look" young or not. I am what I am and there is value in the wisdom we gain as we age. That is something to be proud of.

So time to own it and wear it with pride! 

2002

1st Attempt started in 2000 and ended in 2002

Going gray is a process that takes months.  I haven't colored in a year but there is no hair dye available commercially to dye your hair gray. No easy way around it, you have to let it grow.

 Hair Facts:

Each strand of hair on our head is the product of an individual hair follicle. The color of the hair that grows from this follicle comes from the melanin or pigment that is produced by a type of cell called a melanocyte. These cells act like little pots of paint, tiny wells of color. How light or dark your hair turns out to be is a result of the type and distribution of these melanocyte cells, which in turn is determined by your genetic make-up.  source

Genetics is also a major factor in when your hair will turn gray.

When the production of melanin by the melanocyte cells slows down, when that little pot of pigment begins to dry up, the color in that strand of hair begins to fade, to gray. Gray hair has less melanin than brown hair; white hair has no melanin at all. Because each strand of hair is colored by its own pigment pot, and because these pigment pots dry up at different times and rates, the graying process is usually a gradual one.

Today research is exploring the possibility that melanocyte cells that have stopped producing pigment might be convinced to turn the function on again. The future may give us the option of no gray hair, but it is not available yet.

I tried again in 2007 but gave up in 2008 and haven't tried again since

I'm not sure what my gray will look this time around and I have a long way to go before I'm all gray, so we shall see.  Accepting gray hair is part of my journey, and as I continue, it's more and more obvious that gray matters.

January 2015

My annual hair appointment is coming up in mid February (just in time for our spring trip to Costa Rica) this time I'm not going to cover the gray. I will get a much needed haircut and hopefully some highlights that will make the transition easier. 

Time to join the Amazing Grays!
I'll be sure to keep you updated on my progress