Hello, my name is Carla, I am 46 and silver. The Right Hairstyles Magazine has posted some powerful stories about gray hair and I also want to share my journey, which has been epic. Plus, I learned a LOT of helpful tips, especially for readers who don't know where to start with their transition.
Transition to gray silver hair in a graceful way
I started going gray when I was 14 years old; my first silver hairs were on the sides of my head and over the years they became more and more noticeable. In 2013 I really thought about growing out my natural gray hair. I looked for inspiration on the internet because I wanted to see real young women with natural silver hair. There wasn't much to find – just a few photos of Sarah Harris that I found, and I loved the way she looked – she had long silver hair and still looked cool. My husband has been my biggest supporter. Since he got married in 2005, he told me to go gray, but I was so afraid of looking like his mother; he's five years younger than me, so that was my biggest concern.
I knew going cold turkey wouldn't be the best thing to do. I had dark brown hair and, as far as I could tell, my roots were quite white. I decided that bleaching would be an easier transition, and I also wanted to keep my long hair – a few inches below my shoulders. I did a lot of research into at-home hair bleaching, but decided to go to a professional instead.
When I told my hairdresser what I wanted to do, her face was a little skeptical, but at the same time she was challenged by the task. She started the process: after a few hours she washed my hair and it was orange; after another bleaching, a few hours later, my hair was light yellow but completely damaged; it started to break and had a gummy texture – she then told me she had to cut it off. I knew that was possible, so she cut my hair into a bob, used purple shampoo to strengthen it and told me not to wash my hair for a week and then come back for another bleach. After a horrible week of not washing my hair and not recognizing myself in the mirror, she added bleach again, resulting in an immediate transition to gray hair.
