My hair...my journey...week 2

Ok...so just rinsing my hair isn't working.  I'm back to using my non sulfate cleansing product (still not shampoo though).  I decided that I'll tackle one journey at a time.  That, and the fact that I'm training for a half marathon, which causes my head to sweat has caused me to abandon the No Poo idea.  Right now as I'm typing after a 3 mile morning run, I can feel the sweat dripping.  Can't wait to wash it.  

My roots are coming in slowly.  Funny how when I was coloring them, they seemed to grow in so fast, but now it's like watching a pot boil.  I like what I'm seeing though.  My gray is glistening white.  I have a lot of dark too.  It's still not easy to determine what percentage of white I have, but I do like that it's like my mom had as far as the shade of grey being more white.  I still think I'll be more dark than white though...for now.  I was thinking that I'm glad I'm doing this now rather than waiting until I'm in the 70s as my mom did.  As much as I love it when people can't believe I'm a grandmother and can't believe that I'm 53, I'm looking forward to people not making a fuss over it.  I sometimes feel funny when others my own age compare themselves.  With my natural hair, maybe I'll look closer to my age. 

So far.....

  

Starting my journey...my hair...

I know that I have made this decision before and not stuck with it, but this time I am hoping to stick to it.  I am sick and tired of dying my hair.  I don't like how it feels and I can't stand how the color fades out and looks so brittle. I think I'm ready.

And so I start this journey.  Of course I can't just stop coloring my hair. I have to make it more interesting.  I've also been playing around with the no shampoo...or No Poo...idea that I've been reading about.  I'm on day 3 of only 'washing' with hot shower water.  My hair really feels nice.  It feels thicker already.  I have naturally curly hair that tends to be slightly frizzy and it's now not as frizzy.  It's not oily either.  I'm also training for a half marathon, so this No Poo will really be put to the test.  My plan is to journal this journey with words and pictures.

So, now it starts.  I have a little over 1/2 inch of root growth.  It's hard to tell, but I think my hair is about 25% gray....wait, I just looked with a mirror and wow...I didn't know that I had that much grey in the back too.  So, let's say somewhere between 10-40% depending on where you look.  It's really hard to tell, though, because I'm comparing it to the dyed hair.  I have been coloring my hair close to my natural, so that may help the transition some. 

My husband reminded me that I've made this decision before and ended up going back to dying my hair.  Maybe I wasn't ready then, but maybe I'm ready now.  I also had a hair dresser (that I don't go to anymore) try to help in my transition and my hair looks like it was dyed with black shoe polish.  I gave up going grey and began coloring it myself.

I was a hairdresser for 7 years in my 20s, but never had the opportunity to help a woman go grey.  

So...her I go...wish me luck...picture journal to come later....