The Blend

In the spirit of the know thyself, I have had to come to a few realizations in this whole going gray thing. One: I have far more gray hair than patience. Two: I need a team to get me to the end of this thing without giving up. There are those who gray by nature as if natural highlights are forming at their scalp and cascading down their tresses evenly, adding shimmer and interest. I am not that kind of person. Instead, I am the kind that gets a bit of a skunk stripe right at the temple. Having colored my hair since I was 15, and especially frequently the past few years to combat the gray, I knew there would be quite the line of contention between my faux youth and my ever-present aging. This line of demarcation would be the likeliness I would quit. I knew it had to go. And quick.

I found myself stylist-less due to the beautiful draw of raising children.  I am not an ideal client, again know thyself, because I don’t think of getting a hair appointment until I am about a few weeks past really needing one and I want it fixed right then. This is not a good plan. I began to search for a teammate willing to help me go gray. I began to ask about a stylist from my friends with hair I admired. They all said the same thing…….Renita.

As fortune would have it, I messaged Renita and she could see me quickly. I shared with her my desire to get some help going gray and she was willing to join my team. I sent some pictures of what I wanted and told her I appreciated it would be a process. My goal: become one of those women whose gray by process forms highlights at the scalp that cascade down. Deciding on a great haircut to facilitate the process became the new task at hand.

The day came for the graying to occur and Renita showed up in full force. Her talent, which had been word of mouth at this point became life. She stood for four hours, magically weaving what was naturally occurring to that which needed a little help.  Producing a first stage graying that I am thrilled with and will help keep me focused on the end goal of going gray naturally-esque, a process of forty-four years and four hours.  In May the process will continue, hopefully for Renita’s hands and feet it will be a less timely event.  I am learning that going gray, like every part of aging is best when faced head on with a talented team to help you through it.  Maybe those wisdom highlights are there to remind me of the power of removing this severe line between being young and aging gracefully. The gift is in blending these two very important sections into a harmonious form, where the best parts of both make the other all the more beautiful.

**pictures are coming.