Grey
Storms, a common winter ailment and my very own ‘Fade to Grey’ (not going to say journey)
So I’ve been absent on here for rather longer than I anticipated. Have I been busy doing the hunkering down things I talked about in my last post? The de-cluttering and re-setting in a quest to find a pleasing routine. My intention ‘to softly and diligently set about crafting a life that is fulfilling and ‘quietly happy’.’ Have I managed any of that? NO! Not a single step taken in that direction, though I haven’t abandoned the idea of it. I’ve just been diverted.
I started January smugly ‘echinaceaed up’ cheerfully avoiding a rather nasty bout of the common cold that had been circulating our local population since Christmas. I remained symptom free, while my husband snorted and barked his way through several days. Then storm Goretti arrived and so did the virus, my smug smile replaced by a sore red nose, a mountain of soggy tissues and a lingering, rattling cough that would not desist. So I’ve inhabited a world made up of words that make me utterly cringe. I don’t like saying them or writing them down. You know the ones I mean, words like s**t, mu**s and my least favourite ph***m.
Anyhoo, I’m out the other side of it all now and glad to report that by diligently masking up for the care element of my daily round I managed to protect my elderly mother’s vulnerable lungs from anything more than a few sniffles.
Before I move on, I do feel the need to return to the subject of storm Goretti and have a little bleat here. The storm caused appalling damage across the county of Cornwall, and it really did not get the deserved coverage across news media. A loss of water supply in various neighbourhoods in the Southeast soon took over as the ‘crisis de jour’. Whilst miserable for them for a few days, at the same time many residents of Cornwall were still without power, water and internet connection. Then storms Ingrid and Chandra pitched up and caused further damage, resulting in rail connection out of the county being massively disrupted and the dreaded words for any traveller ‘replacement bus’ adding to the burden of Cornish residents. It’s been a bit crap to be honest.
We are used to a bit of rain here in the Southwest, but Lordy, it has been bonkers. I believe we’re on day 39 here of consistent rain. Even on the few days when the sun has made an appearance Mother Nature has seen fit to slot in several sharp showers.
So, the start to 2026 has all been a bit grey. The days are grey and the geopolitical situation is darker still, providing not even a glimpse of any silver linings. So with grey being the theme of this year so far, I thought I’d write about my own transition to grey. The decision to stop colouring my hair and embrace my natural grey/silver locks.
I was born a brunette, and I can’t remember exactly when, but I had for many years been having my hair dyed blonde for the simple reason, that as I had aged my pallor had changed and my ‘natural’ colour no longer suited me. I looked washed out, pale and ridiculous. Even celebrities make this mistake. I remember saying to my colourist that I did not want the Paul McCartney look. He had a terrible phase of dyeing his hair way too dark, it simply did not suit his face. He’s not the only star resisting going grey and it puzzles me, as you’d think they would have numerous stylists (or family surely) telling them NO?!
When I found myself in Macca territory I went lighter, quite blonde in the end, and for sure that helps with the shift to grey. Of course, many don’t find themselves requiring paler hair to match their face. I have a dear friend my age who is pale skinned and is still gorgeously dark haired. It suits her, she doesn’t look ill! Going grey is not for everyone.
So what prompted me to start on the road to embracing my true colour? Firstly, I have curly hair, and curly hair needs moisture, so dyeing my hair alongside the natural ageing of my hair meant it became too dry and it was difficult to stop the curl dropping out. So this started me contemplating a cessation of colouring. Around the same time my beloved hairdresser (who has been cutting my hair for over 25 years) was moving premises. This meant that my normal six-week gap between colour and cut was extended a couple of weeks and thus slightly more grey rootage was becoming visible. Nick, my hairdresser thought that on inspection the natural colour had the potential to look pretty good, with the option that of course if I didn’t like it at any stage, I could always dye it back. To ease the process, he coloured my hair from the roots down with an ashier blonde, so there wasn’t a marked difference from the roots. I am fortunate in that curly, messy hair, is much more forgiving in this process as the roots aren’t so visible. Those with a sleek straight look will obviously have a more prominent root line to contend with.
Jolain Muller, talks of exactly this approach here.
It was back in October 2019 when I started on ‘project grey’. We managed a couple of appointments dyeing from the roots down and then of course, the event that prompted many a ‘fade to grey’ transition, lockdown struck and I was on my own. I simply pinned it up during this time watching the dyed ashy bits get further away from the true grey, luckily I also had quite a bit of silver going on so I was happy. When we were finally allowed back into the hands of our hairdressers, I was pretty much there. The condition had improved, resulting in bouncier, shinier curls. I do think it has possibly aged me, in fact I’m sure it has. I don’t much care, it’s easier to look after and my hair is in much better nick now that I don’t dye it.
As with any life event, trivial or huge I buy a book and the one I purchased for this phase of my life was this one Silver Hair - A Handbook by Lorraine Massey. I heartily recommend.
There are many Instagram accounts worth looking at too. I follow Kate Lonsdale, largely as her hair is curly and a similar length to mine. I have said before, people think curly messy hair is a doddle to look after, but it isn’t. There are folk who have made a career exploring the best way to treat curly hair. As Kate says, it’s often about accepting your hair is the rarely the same each wash day.
I hope this has been helpful to anyone on the cusp of saying goodbye to the dye. Thank you for reading and if you liked it in anyway I’d be so grateful for a click on the ❤️ button. It will gladden my actual heart and it will help my writing become more visible to non-subscribers. Thanks again.
Great post! Go greys! 💪 💜🌸
I tried it Tessa and had to go back to the dye. My hair is poker-straight and fine; I think you’re right, it makes a massive difference. It was going grey along my parting, temples and nowhere else which was unattractive. I’ve gone to a light brown/dark blonde until there’s more of it. The rain is incessant; it’s like the return of Noah but without the rescue.