How is your hair?
I can see midlife ladies with all sorts of hair. It’s different than when we were care-free, line-free and free of gray. Some ladies have hair loss, some have had a lot of gray for years, some have hair that grows more, some have hair that is kinkier, curlier, weirder. I am no different.
I have been on a hair sabbatical for a while. Last time I got my hair “highlighted” was….I’m not sure. But about seven to ten inches of salt and pepper kinky growth ago. Several issues arose after the last time I got my hair done.
The bill. It was stunningly high. Like the highest I have ever paid and it looked pretty good, but, not that good.
I am dark. I had gold streaks as a kid so it’s not fully off to have gold high lights to brighten my face which tends to run ashen-green colored. But, the issue? After many years of tri-annual streaking (of my hair..not me) the mane had turned a solid shade of corn. And, a bit crunchy. I can fake it to make it look presentable. Throw product in, tie my hair back. But, I’ve spent years realizing I was stuck with the wrong colored hair.
My hair has decided to grow fast in midlife. I had not been able to get my hair to grow past my shoulders since my mid thirties. I cut it to my shoulders and was never able to grow it long again. Until menopause, that is! Now, it grows and grows, like a Chia Pet. So, what with the corn color issue and the high cost of getting it done, I decided to stop. Just devil may care, no hair care. Let the gray meet the world!
This half in and half out hair is not a good look for anyone. Heed my warning, ladies. Don’t just let it go. People will think you’ve given up.
Fall. Suddenly, I have to go to things in clothes and look adult. There are lots of meetings and dinners and lunches. Some mahjong, cocktails and whatnot. To look less frumpy I have taken to pinning my front pieces of hair over the delineation line on the back of my head where new growth meets old corn colored hay. It has worked, but what if I loose my barrettes? Something had to be done!
Get low lights! You need to find the right person, but it can be done! You can loose the demilitarized zone between your natural growth and your old tired high lights. This was my second attempt at fixing my hair…but first with Cathleen Foster, see below.
In conclusion:
Did this cost more than the last time I was in the chair? Yes, it did. Did I feel extremely nervous when all those foils were put in? Absolutely. Did I just no longer give a shit what happened to my hair? No doubt. Nothing could make it look worse and now that it grows so fast I can be a little less neurotic about what happens to my hair.
Cathleen Foster of 15 Charles Salonon Beacon Hill saved my hair. Thank you, Cathleen! Over four hours of togetherness time and we had never met!
Behold the before and after!
MEET ME IN THE COMMENTS!
Share your hair care! Hair trauma stories? Successes? Do tell!
NEXT…..
Maven 5Q…an explanation….
Why answer these questions?
Does it sound too trite to say “each of us is like a snowflake, unique”?
But, it’s true. And, so far, no one has answered the Maven5Q in the same way. I strongly believe that the more we know, the more we grow. The more we know about our fellow midlifer women, the more we understand ourselves and the more we can help each other through this second adulthood.
So, thank you for sharing your experiences and please share with friends you think might enjoy the Maven 5Q process!
Xo, Kim
___________________________________________
Name:
Small Bio:
Photo:
Questions!
What is the most surprising part of being in this stage of life?
What’s one new thing you’re trying to embrace in mid-life?
If you could give yourself a piece of advice 20 years ago, what would it be and why?
What’s something that our generation had access to that you’d like to bring back?
If the next 20 years of your life had a theme, what would it be and why?
An example…
Old lady hair! What to do about it? I wrote a whole-ass piece about the subject a few years ago, "What are we doing with our hair?" Still haven't figured it out, though it's shorter than it's been in a long time (chin length) and bothering me less. Yours looks lovely!
I love the increasing trend to embrace our natural hair color but I’m not there yet so my color continues to be manufactured. When it’s good I enjoy my hair and when it’s bad I can feel the effects in my confidence.
Ha! This puts a lot of pressure on my locks🤣 to perform but, happily, I’m over needing to always look good. Love how your beautiful hair turned out Kim and thanks for the invite to do your questionnaire.