So, here’s a photo of the first step of my transition from dyed to natural… going from long to short to lessen the time it will take to grow out. I enjoyed all the comments on last week’s blog with the “before” photo and I hope my story will help those of you who have been thinking of making the change too.
Getting help from a professional...
My hairdresser is helping me through the transition, making the change easier by using her styling skills. Since most of my grey is at the temples, she cut the sides very short, getting rid of much of the dyed hair. But she left the top longer to cover the newly shortened grey hair, so just a bit peeks through. This is called an “undercut” style and it’s quite popular right now. I expect the next cut will show more grey but, what the heck, I might just keep this undercut style for a while.
But not everyone has a greying pattern like mine with mostly the original colour on top. And, actually, that’s one of the reasons I decided to do it now—because I thought it would be easier if I didn’t have to worry so much about having a white stripe on top!
When you’re ready to go natural, a consultation with a hair stylist is an important part of the plan. For example, a friend with most of her colour change on the top had the colour stripped from her hair, leaving it lightened to the colour of her roots. This way she was able to keep the length of her hair while softening the line at the colour change.
Lots of options
Some women would look great by adding platinum streaks that would blend with the grey as it grows out. Others might look great by just going completely silver-grey or platinum (popular colours these days) and letting the dark grow in.
Fortunately, there are lots of options for us! The key is to be able to predict what your natural colour is and where it has changed. And after years of hair dye, the only way to know is to let it start to grow. Try covering the most obvious root areas with temporary colour—hopefully you’ll have better luck on this than I did—wash it out before your consultation and ask your hair stylist for some suggestions. I let my colour go for 2 months before getting my cut and wore my long hair down most of the time, rather than twisting it up as I often did, as this helped cover the roots at the sides.
Many chemicals pass through the skin
One thing I learned as a compounding pharmacist, is that the skin is not as much of a barrier to chemicals as we’d like to think. I often made medicines that were administered as a cream or gel and were intended to act on muscles and nerves under the skin or throughout the body. With some, nothing special was needed to help the active ingredient pass through the skin. It certainly bothers me when I read that cosmetics, including hair dyes, are not as well tested as medical products. Especially since we use these products regularly for years, some of them daily. Even though hair colours are noted for causing severe allergic reactions and can cause blindness if used near the eyes, companies are exempt from responsibility as long as they have a statement describing these reactions on the label and tell users they must do a skin patch test 24 to 48 hours before use every time.
We deserve to have safe cosmetic products. But how do you know what’s safe? Here are some things you can do:
Choose simpler products—those with fewer ingredients and with ingredient names you can pronounce. Avoid added fragrances, as these are additional chemicals that usually do not contribute to the action you want from the product.
Consider making your own—some products, like salt/sugar rubs or body oils are easy to make. Be sure to make small amounts that will be used in a reasonable time, as homemade products usually do not contain preservatives, allowing bacteria to grow in the product. Use a small clean spoon to scoop out the amount you need to help to prevent bacteria from getting into the product.
Learn about cosmetic ingredients. Read labels carefully. Research ingredients. Suggestion: try out the free Think Dirty app (featured on Dragon’s Den) which has an analysis of many North American cosmetics and rates safety of ingredients.
Join the campaign for safe cosmetics and beauty products, like shampoos and moisturizers. Demand safer products where you shop and better regulation from government. Check out this video: The Story of Cosmetics
PS: We Canadians spell "color" with an extra (rather useless!) "u" like the British... This article has lots of little red underlines throughout!
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