Gray is not for Sissies

For most people, seeing the first gray hair is more often than not a long-remembered unwelcomed event. In my case I recall thinking that surely I was not yet old enough for it, yet there it was in all its glory, and as if it were lonely it soon invited a bunch of others to sprout at a dizzying speed. Thankfully for some of us someone had been wise enough to realize the commercial benefits of color in a bottle.

Some women prefer to go the natural route. One case in point is a doctor I know who has just turned 50 and whose long hair is almost all white. She looks fabulous and is proud of her natural look. To color or not to color is a personal choice, of course, but I say if you want to ignore the gray reality on the road of life, go for it.

However, you can’t avoid noticing that time is marching on when your child begins sprouting his own gray hair. In my case, this happened relatively early because his father’s side of the family has had a long-standing affair with gray. My son looks distinguished and he prefers it to seriously thinning hair, a trait of my side of the family. A nephew of mine who is in his 40s regularly shaves his head. Like many young men these days, the look suits him very well, and he doesn’t have to worry about graying or fuss with a comb-over!

The out of sight, out of mind approach of color in a bottle can only last so long. One my sisters  has now gone natural – read snowy white – after years of being a blonde. An unexpected benefit is that she looks younger. Go figure!