REVERSE OMBRE -- LIFE EXPERIMENT
What happens to red hair in the aging process? This is a question about which I became
curious as a young red-headed woman when I thought about what my aging might be like. Incidentally we redheads are referred to as "Gingers" in some parts of the world.
I was reminded recently of my red hair curiosity when a
young woman associated with the first college I attended after high school included
me among former students with whom she wanted to meet during a visit to our
state. While we were chatting at a
nearby restaurant a middle-aged couple stopped at our table saying they just
had to compliment my companion on her beautiful long red hair. That attention
to her red hair color brought to my mind the many times throughout my life such
perfect strangers had given me similar compliments though I usually kept my
hair cut short.
When I first began blogging over a decade ago I wrote about
having decided I wanted my body to age naturally, including my hair. What prompted my hair view, when in my early
twenties, was seeing an aged older
neighbor with “red” hair. My older
neighbor’s unnaturally-looking “red” hair was obviously dyed and just seemed
not to be compatible with her quite aged state and wrinkled face.
This was in the day when attitudes about hair dying required
the color must be so natural looking that no one could tell you dyed your hair,
so if you did you wouldn’t admit it. You
certainly didn’t want to let your natural color roots show, so had to keep that dye job touched up ‘cause
your hair was constantly growing. Other neighbors who knew her said she had been
a natural redhead but had begun using a henna rinse as her red hair lost its
color. Frankly, I thought her hair color
was most unbecoming and only accentuated the aging factor of her facial
features.
I began to pay special attention to redheads in the
following years as simply a matter of curiosity to see what happened to their
hair color with aging, thus what might I expect? What I discovered was redheads’ hair color
changes varied considerably with aging. Some turned a darker brown, others grayed even
becoming white, and what I hoped for myself was to be among those who retained
their red though less vibrant.
I recall a few years ago reading a blog (have forgotten the
name) written by a middle-aged woman who apparently considered herself to be an
authority purporting to be a redhead.
She stated that redheads don’t turn gray, that our hair just turns an
ugly dark plum or purple, as I recall, therefore she had to dye her hair. Hm-m-m!
Over a decade ago when I began blogging I first wrote “RedheadAging Naturally”. At that time I bemoaned the fact that first I had silver
threads among my red gold -- years later, then darkened red gold threads among the
silver. The silver or what I consider to have gone
from gray to white my 86 year old hairdresser describes as blond. Who is she kidding?
I
never wanted to be a blond, but have nothing against blonds – I married one,
only to discover if he grew a beard it was red! Unfortunately for him, he lost most of the
hair on his head prompting him to repeat what my brother always quipped when
his hair disappeared, “You can’t have hair and brains both!”
Actually, the gray/white/blond has some of my now darkened
red-brownish hair threads presenting me with several inches of this darkened hair
at their far end. My granddaughter has told me this is actually
a style some seek -- Reverse Ombre style. (Unable to find a picture of an older woman
but this link gives you an idea of the two tone nature of the hair style.). I also wrote of my thick hair thinning
slightly and that has continued which is most unwelcome.
My hair is no longer short.
When I retired a few years ago I decided just for fun to allow my hair
to grow. Also, I half-seriously thought,
in the worst-case scenario, that if I lost more hair and what I grew got long
enough, that maybe I could cut off what was left and have it made into a
wig. I guess that’s pretty
far-fetched.
My original longtime hairdresser, much younger than me, has
since had to retire due to COPD. Prior
to that she was frequently coloring her hair and it appeared so liked my hair color
she began trying to come up with various matching dye mixes through some of my
hair’s gradual changes. At one point she
had one mix on her head that looked so good to me when I was lamenting the loss
of my red that dyeing my hair was tempting.
Then I thought of all the hassle I didn’t want. I also thought of this which I previously
wrote with these slightly edited words:
“Yes, I gave some
consideration to trying to recreate the red hair color through artificial
means--hair dyes. I know others, men and women, make this choice and I respect
their right to do so. However, I have seen those [in the hospital, skilled
nursing, rehab] who have become incapacitated, also become distressed,
demoralized, and depressed when they viewed their reflection in a mirror. Their
self-image was visually shaken because of their personal appearance, not only
from the effects of their illness, but the sight of their hair dye disappearing
as their unwanted natural hair color emerged.”
“Those are some of the
several factors that have kept me from trying to recreate the original shade of
my red hair color. The primary factor is that I strongly believe in aging
naturally. I'm curious to see what happens during the aging process from
beginning to end, and in between, with all the possible variations in hair
color, skin, body shape, whatever else. That's not to say I'll like all the
changes, but I will accept them, for they are me at any given point in time.”
I view aging naturally, my
choice to live in place in my home, as one grand experiment which I explain to
my adult children. They sometimes become
concerned about my coping with unexpected issues arising, wanting only the best
for me, especially since they live across the country from me. Life is an adventure filled with risks and as
long as I have my right mind I’ve chosen the challenge of adapting to this
stage of life living and aging naturally.
