Monday, November 2, 2009

So...

I'd like to talk about grey hair.  It's been on my mind (or at least that general vicinity) lately. 

In fact, being solidly over the middle-age hump now, I have a lot of questions about the general effects of aging... like:


* How is it I seem to have a deeper "consternation" wrinkle between my eyebrows than I have a "shock and surprise" wrinkle across my forehead?  I've been thinking about it and I'm not sure that my sense of bewilderment has been that completely eclipsed by agitation.

* What's with the eyesight thing?  It's gotten to be a real problem not being able to see either road signs or a book right in front of my face.  I was just getting used to blurry distances when the age fairy stole my close-up vision, too.  What's with that?  Wouldn't it be so much nicer if the near-sightedness and the far-sightedness could just shake hands and meet in the middle -- and I could have 20/20 vision now instead of bifocals?

* Why are dimples cute on babies' knees and elbows but not on mine?

But, as I started saying...  The chief focus of my discontent right at the moment is really the grey hair problem.  On any given night, you can find one or another of my smaller children perched  behind me on the back of the living room couch picking at my head like a little baboon, seeking out and removing grey hairs.  (Or I should say "white" hairs, because mine come in sparkling, neon white. Or titaniam silver. Unmissable.)  A different child can take his or her turn every night of the week and the silver mining stays just as productive.  Silver hairs for everyone.  Woe is me.  It's become a worry that there will soon be too many to pluck out.  And I wouldn't rather be bald.  But, I just colored my hair a month ago and the blasted things are cropping up like weeds  again, already...  What's a woman to do?  How does this happen?

* How is it that a whole hair will sometimes go grey overnight?  How is it they don't start at the bottom and inch their way up like my dark roots?  Why are the children not plucking out half-dark, half-grey hairs?

* Why are most of my grey hairs right on my part where everyone can see them? How come they can't hide in that thick place in the middle of the back of my head?

* Will my eyebrows go grey, too?  And, if so, when?  And what do I do about that?  Just color over them with my eyebrow pencil or smudge some hair color on 'em when I'm touching up the grey on my head?


* Why is it that stress causes more grey hairs, but vacation doesn't take them away?

* Is it more graceful to allow myself to go completely grey gradually, or should I wait until my 65th birthday and just. suddenly dye my hair snow white? 

--- Maybe I'll get a mohawk, too.  Kevin would be jealous.

6 comments:

Laura said...

Oh Lisa.
Lisa, Lisa, Lisa.
I have been thinking on this too.
My hair is dark and God has given me a freakish late grey hair arrival.
I do not color my hair yet. I am 47 and I hardly have any greys.
BUT...the ones I DO have?
They are wiry and silver and stick up like My Favorite Martian's antenna.
This is going to cost me a fortune when I begin to grow grey roots.
I hope the hot husband is ready for that.
(Or he better get ready to become a colorist.)

Ellen aka Ellie said...

I'm 49 and have been coloring my hair for 20 years to cover gray. Ugh. What a pain, but I'm not ready to go all gray yet. I'm thinking I'll be that 95 year old lady with chocolate colored hair and deeply rutted skin...

Oh and Laura, my husband does color my hair. He can see the grays better, though he does have to go back for temple training--he never quite gets those covered!

Unknown said...

LOL this is so funny, I use to streak my hair to have different colors, now I color my hair to get rid of the streaks! Since I was in my early 20's! All my family is snow white! My brothers have the most beautiful silver hair like my dad....but not me! NO WAY HO-SA...I will be in the grave with nice colored hair...and painted eyebrows and lipstick! lol

MightyMom said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
MightyMom said...

can I shoot MS I'm 47 and hardly have any grey hair? can I?? PLEASE????


I'm 34 with *almost* more neon silver than brown these days. And yes, it's all along the part...which is why I no longer part my hair. These days I pull it straight back...however I've noticed that the grey is becoming quite noticeable even when I do that.

However, I refuse to dye my hair, or consider anti-aging crap.

My favorite people on this planet had both wrinkles and grey hair. matter of fact I remember sitting next to Grandma in the car on a road trip "pinching" up the skin on her hand and moving her veins back and forth. I think I must have done that for an hour....her response?? SHE LAUGHED and told me how my "twin-cousin" (each of us cousins in that family has a twin born the same month..some just a day or two apart!!) did the same thing. Now that my hair is officialy "saltnpeppa" and my laugh lines don't dissappear I'm watching my hands...waiting for the day when I'm ready to laugh as my grandchildren play with the loose skin and veins.


and yes, this is a separate comment in case you ball my other one up and throw it back at me! ;-)

Lisa said...

MM! Look out! Here it comes! ;o)