A Touch of Gray

I was born with a red tinge to my hair, but throughout my young childhood, my hair was almost platinum blonde. All through high school and during my two years in nursing school, my hair would have been considered honey blonde or strawberry blonde, depending on who was making the call. In my early 20's, after the birth of my daughter, my hair suddenly turned a dark mousy blonde, and so I began dying it various colors of blonde. At 40, I got tired of doing the deed myself, and began having my head professionally foil highlighted with pale blonde highlights. Usually this was done 4-5 times a year, taking about 3 hours of time, and at a cost of about $170 (which includes all the tips and the hair products that I was assured that I couldn't live without). Now, at age 51, I am letting my hair go natural again. It's not that I couldn't go get it done if I wanted to, but I'm kinda nosy and would like to see how gray I really am. For the past two years I have been noticing these wiry white hairs that periodically spiral upward from the top of my head. At first I was horrified, as they looked more like pubic hairs growing in the wrong direction. I would pluck them out as they appeared. Now, however, I assume they are just another annoyance of menopause, and I decided that they can stay. One small spritz of hairspray in the morning, and the handslick on both sides of the part usually keeps them in place. After eight months of no highlights, my real hair is finally showing. It is the same mousy blonde of my twenties, but with a hint of gray and the occasional white hairs, somehow it still blends in pretty good with the highlighted hair below. When the light shines on it, there are even some strands of red visible. So for all those years of chemically treating my hair, now without even trying, I have highlights that are actually more interesting than the professional ones. Sure, it's a little darker, but I'm not trying to be a sunny blonde ingenue, rather, I'm going for the mature, mysterious look. I'm secretly hoping that those crazy whitish hairs that are now errant, will finally grow right and eventually turn my head a brilliant silver! For now, though, I am content to make peace with my natural highlights and touch of gray.