Have you thought about what your hair might look like as you get older?
My hair started planning for retirement before I did. I stopped dying it in 2008, partly because I didn’t want to mess with chemicals anymore and partly because I didn’t want to waste time and money at the salon. I ended up liking my natural color better than the patented brown dye job with blonde highlights.
First I went gray, then I went short and then I went long. I always had bangs because they were comforting – I didn’t like seeing my aging face exposed. But bangs require trims, which is just one more thing. I also wear hats, and I find bangs and hats don’t mix well. So, I grew out my bangs, made peace with my face and ended up with a long bob.
This is what I call retirement hair. No dye and only needs a haircut every couple of months. It’s the low-maintenance money-saving undo hairdo. I have fine fairy hair. Is it ideal? No. I’ve learned to embrace my hair’s natural qualities and just let it do what it wants. No blow dryer, no curling iron, no other products.
My hair is dry. I shampoo and condition in the evenings about twice a week. I might have retired earlier if I hadn’t spent so much money on useless hair products. I finally settled on Klorane, which I buy at Ulta. Klorane products don’t have silicones, so it took a few weeks for my hair to adjust, but now I really like how it looks and feels. Sometimes there’s a little frizz – so what.
I go to bed with it damp, and whatever I wake up with, is whatever I wake up with. The picture above is second-day hair. If for some reason I don’t like the way it looks down, I put it in my trusty man bun – otherwise known as a messy bun. That’s it!
I’m currently using the Klorane shampoo and conditioner with mango. Every couple of weeks, I use the whitening shampoo with Centaury, which I have found to be much better than any of the purple shampoos I’ve used in the past. And it smells divine.
How do you want your hair to evolve as you get older? I know there are men reading this and thinking, I’d just like to have hair. There are women thinking that, too! We’ve been torturing our heads for years, and chances are, these precious follicles could use a break in retirement. Learn to love what you have (or don’t have) and go enjoy the rest of your life!
Your hair is gorgeous.in it’s silver!
I stopped dying at about the same time as you and I’m glad i did. Still have those white streaks in dark hair and often get asked, which stylist has colored it this way.
I remember the story from your former blog in which you got your hair tangled up with a brush during the blowout. So, its surely a grood idea to skip this step.
I love this undone style and will try it by myself too. Can’t do a bun because my hair is so stubborn.
Yes, the story of the stuck hairbrush! Lots of people remember that one. I’m glad you’re still gray. I remember when you went to the fancy salon and got a cool cut.