After last week’s post about gray hair myths, we asked our Facebook followers if there were any other myths or stories they’d heard about gray hair.  Patricia Blakeslee suggested, “Gray hair makes you look old.”

Old?

The link between aging and going gray is undeniable, but why does the winner of the Gray Hair Word Association game have to be “old”?

Gray is just a color, and gray hair is a physical attribute.  What gray hair means is completely dependent on the eye of the beholder.  There are many people who harbor the opinion that gray hair is beautiful—and can even be sexy.  Just ask Isabella Snow, who had this to say on Hubpages:

“Gray hair is sexy.  …  This is about sex appeal, in the strictest sense of the phrase.  I truly believe gray hair can have it.  …  Just because your hair’s turning color doesn’t mean you suddenly have to look like your grandmother.  If it looks good on you with full color, it can look good without.  So come on, ladies.  Embrace the silver.  You’ve earned the right to be sexy whether or not you’re gray.  And if you believe you are, other people will, too.”

When I meet a woman who has gone gray, I don’t immediately think, “She’s old.”  Nor do I think, “She’s sexy,” or even “She must be wise with all her years.”

Personally, the word I think of when I meet a woman with gray hair, all else equal, is this: “confident.”  It requires a certain level of admirable self-confidence to embrace natural gray hair.  It doesn’t make you look old, it makes you look self-assured.  And that kind of confidence is positively magnetic.

What do you think when you see gray hair, either on yourself or others?

When we were younger, our mothers told us that eating the crust of our bread would help us grow long, curly hair.  They also told us Santa Clause was real.  Here are some myths about gray hair that you may or may not have been told before.

If you pull out one gray hair, two more will grow in its place.

Diagram of a hair follicle from Gray's Anatomy

The myth that plucking out a gray hair will only prompt two more to grow back is an impossibility.  Each hair on your head emerged from its own hair follicle.  If a hair is plucked, the follicle can only hold one replacement.

Similarly, cutting your hair will not make it grow faster or thicker.  A fresh cut eliminates split ends and evens out your hair’s length, which makes it seem thicker even though it isn’t.  The thickness of each hair is dependent on the size of the hair follicle, not on whether you cut it.

A traumatic experience can cause your entire head of hair to go gray overnight.

Portrait of Marie Antoinette of France, 1775

This myth has made appearances in fiction all over the world.  Some accounts claim that Marie Antoinette’s hair turned completely white the day before her execution.  However, studies show that this white fright idea is indeed a myth.

It is possible for a person’s hair to appear to go gray overnight, but only if she has a rare condition such as alopecia areata, which may cause non-gray hair to fall out in large amounts before the gray hair does.  This would make it seem like a person’s hair turned gray overnight, when in reality it was hair loss that occurred—not color transformation.

New York University dermatology professor Jerry Shapiro, M.D., told AARP that not only is going gray overnight a myth, but stress in general also does not cause hair to go gray.  “When hair turns gray—and which hairs turn gray—is genetically programmed,” Shapiro said.

Too much sun will turn your hair gray.

Does the sun make our hair go gray?

Only a few years ago, a team of researchers at the University of Bradford in Great Britain made the breakthrough we’ve all been waiting for.  The team discovered the exact biological and chemical process by which our hair turns gray.  Basically, we can blame increased amounts of hydrogen peroxide (or the lack of enzymes to break it down) for gray hair.  The discovery dispelled the myth about sunlight causing gray hair.  An article in Newsweek summarized the process and confirmed:

“The process described by the European researchers also explains why the hair inside the ears doesn’t turn gray as quickly as the hair on the top of the head, Weissmann says.  ‘That hair is not exposed to as much sunlight or oxygen,’ he said.  But does that mean if you wore more hats, you wouldn’t gray as fast?  ‘No,’ says Weissman.  ‘It’s not just sunlight.  The problem is more the indigenous oxygen than the external factors.  Most of our defenses just wear out as we get older.’ ”

You can read the complete study in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.  Check out Glamour magazine for more hair myths.

Last week, I shared two of the most popular new year’s resolutions, along with ways that you can achieve them in 2011.  Just like gray hair, striving to be healthy and happy never goes out of fashion.

Now, here are three more resolutions that make the list year after year.  Essentially, all three ask you to do one simple thing: open your mind and heart to the world around you.  In other words, reach out to your community.

Improve Your Personal Relationships.

There are so many ways to show appreciation for your family and friends: remind them of your love, cook their favorite meal or just take the time to ask, “How are you?”

Ask your neighbors, “How are you?” This new year, between kissing your husband goodbye in the morning and greeting your boss at work, don’t forget the people across the way, your neighbors.  True, those fences are there for a reason, but a good neighbor living next door is like having a sibling in the next room.  Sure, they can be annoying, but their quirkiness combined with the occasional sincere conversations make the friendly neighbor a TV family staple.  Just look at TV Guide’s list of our favorite TV neighbors.  Whether your neighbors are Mr. Feeny/Wilson Wilson types or Steve Urkels/Kimmy Gibblers, take a moment to talk to them.  After all, they’re right there on the other side of the fence.

Help Others.

Just like some kids wish for world peace on their birthdays in hopes of earning karma points, each year people resolve to help others.  They feel a sense of social responsibility to take part in bettering the world we live in.

Here are ways you can give in 2011:

Volunteer. Give the gift of giving that keeps on giving, and giving, and… well, you get the idea.  There are limitless volunteer opportunities out there.  But while you are giving out your time and energy, you will receive in return priceless experiences, self-esteem and a stronger bond with your community.

Spread the wealth. One of Real Simple magazine’s “9 Easy Ways to Be Happier” is by spreading the wealth.  It suggested the following:

“If you’re going for coffee, take a colleague’s order and foot the bill.  Pick up a treat for a friend that you would normally impulse-buy for yourself at the checkout counter.  And tip generously.”

Studies show that, contrary to popular belief, money can buy happiness.  More specifically, spending on a series of smaller purchases is likely to lead to greater satisfaction than spending on one big purchase.

So don’t be afraid to spread the wealth.  In the end, “the payoff will be yours,” promises Real Simple.

Try New Things.

The new year is the perfect time to try new things.  It is a time for clean slates and reinvention.  Real Simple suggests picking up a new hobby, such as baking or hula dancing.  And here’s another possibility:

Go gray. Or if you already have, why not try out a new hairstyle?  Visit our Gray Hair Resources section for advice on how to go gray gracefully, what products to use while/after you’ve gone gray, etc.

If you have gone gray and have any tips or tricks to offer, let us know and we’ll add them to the list.  Cheers to a new year of going gray and authentic living!

By Hula in Portland

We are so excited about the upcoming release of the new e-book, Color Me Gray: Inspirational Stories from Women Gone Gray. The stories and photographs featured in the e-book are personal journeys, experiences and musings by women who have made the choice to stop coloring their hair.

One of the contributors, Libbe HaLevy has been kind enough to share a bit of her story below!

Great Gray

by Libbe HaLevy, M.A., CAC

My first gray hair – one – appeared when I was 16. I considered it such a novelty, I wouldn’t let my mother pull it out. I referred to it as my “strawberry blond” hair and proudly showed it off to friends.

In my 20’s, that hair was joined with a few others sprouting from the same part of my head. A bit of a streak formed. Again, no big deal.

But in my 40’s, the speed with which I was graying out scared me: I wasn’t that old! So I fell for the prevalent societal conditioning and started coloring hair for the first time ever, despite my aversion to placing harsh chemicals anywhere near my body. I carried it off until menopause changed my skin quality and color. Suddenly, the flat dark brown hair-cap on my head took on a harsh look. And my resistance to putting those chemicals smack against my scalp led me to delay the monthly coloring for longer and longer, leading to larger and larger stripes of what looked like pure white in an ever-increasing strip of “skunk hair.”

Finally, in my early-50’s, I’d had it. Who was I trying to fool? I went to my hairdresser and had him cut everything real short, so I showed hair that was 50/50 dark and white. For a month, I just pretended I’d had an expensive process done to “tip” my hair in that way. By my next haircut, all the black was gone – and I suddenly found myself wearing a beautiful, spiky silver cloud around my head! I’d never dyed my hair blond or done highlights, so this was my first experience with light-colored hair. I loved it!

Even better than the look was the feel. I’d forgotten what unadulterated hair felt like, how soft, pliant and luxurious. I enjoyed running my hands through it and feeling an animal-like pelt instead of dry cotton candy.

Then I started getting unsolicited comments of support. Other women called me “brave,” “stylish,” “daring.” Many said they couldn’t possibly give up their coloring, which gave me an opportunity to tell them that of course they could! – thus planting a little seed of societal rebellion.

These days, the natural gray look is becoming more common. I often comment to other women I see who have done the same and we bond, if only for a moment, over our shared hair aesthetic. I do believe that the key to making this work is having a great cut in a modern style. I spike my hair with various forms of goop and have fun schmushing it around. I feel the resulting look represents my self-confidence, comfort with my age, and an underlying hipness I’ve never lost.

As a life coach, internet business consultant and the founder of IncestSurvivorHealing.com, gray hair works in my favor. People trust me. They know at a glance that I’ve lived more than a few years (they should only know…!) and am not afraid to embrace what I’ve learned in all those years as a plus, not a minus. One high-end Hollywood stylist I met at a media seminar took me aside and said, “When I saw your hair I thought, ‘There is a woman who is comfortable in her own skin.’”

That’s my message. Truth in advertising. Love the gray hair!

Libbe HaLevy, M.A., CAC

Communications and Creativity Expert

www.WriteYourBrainsOut.com

Info@WriteYourBrainsOut.com

As a society, we are recognizing that the natural path is a good way to live life.  And for most of us, going gray at some point in time is a natural part of the aging process.  With that said, we have to wonder – why would you want to take a pill to reverse gray?

We’ve seen how beautiful gray can be.  We’ve seen women of all ages having the determination and courage to go gray…so why is the idea of a pill to reverse gray hair so tempting?

To date, several celebrities have been offered money to take the pill.  Thankfully, it seems they’ve declined…or the pill doesn’t work.

Either way, we think the best approach is what is right for you – hair color or no.  But we say no way to a pill that disrupts your bodies natural processes. We’ve said it before – doesn’t sound that healthy to us!

What are your thoughts?

*photo courtesy of q83

Women…. Who made ‘em?  God must have been a… genius.  Their hair.  They say that the hair is everything, you know?  Have you ever buried your nose in a mountain of curls, and just wanted to go to sleep forever?  ~Bo Goldman, “The Start of an Education”

There’s nothing more alluring than the sight of a woman with the confidence to wear her gray hair with pride.  After all, you earned every one of those beautiful silver locks, so why not flaunt it?

John Slattery Photo courtesy of Talking to Air

Think about it this way, how much sexier is George Clooney now that he rocks his gray?  Mad Men’s John Slattery wouldn’t be nearly as enticing if he weren’t the silver-haired fox that he is.  While we’ve been a slave to “looking younger” since we were young, being bold enough to go gray is a symbol of confidence and beauty, so flaunt it. After all, not everyone can have naturally gray hair.

*photo courtesy of Talking to Air

Do you have a question about gray hair? Ask us! Photo courtesy of goodhousekeeping.com

We love mail!

A lot of you have reached out to us about growing out gray hair, and here at the Going Gray Blog we take your courage to make this step very seriously. From here on out, we thought it would be a good idea to highlight your questions (with your permission, of course!) and open them up to our readers. Last week, we received this message:

“Hi my name is Christy, and i know that i have salt and pepper gray under my dye job. I color it a medium golden brown; I’ve been coloring it for a long time. I’m now 53yrs old and curious, but I feel I will need to go to my hairdresser to make the transition because it will be something that makes me nervous. I used to go to my hairdresser and she would do my hair a medium blonde with highlights. It was pretty but i was getting tired of doing all that so now i do it one color myself at home, and i still have never seen my gray.. do you think i should try letting it grow out some and decide from there?”

- Christy

Thank you Christy for allowing us to share your question and we hope you know there are many others just like you thinking about the same thing. Feel free to chime in, and keep those questions coming!

Thoughts, anyone?

Gray is Gorgeous. Photo courtesy of Complete Woman Blog

Wanna show off your gorgeous gray hair?

Let us give you a chance to do so! We’ve been working on a special project for a while now that’s all about the gray movement. Like we said in our previous post, gray hair is all the rage—and we’ve got proof. Here’s your chance to inspire others and get in on the fun.

We’ve been collecting stories from women of all ages who have made the choice to go gray. There has been a nice mix of stories—from one woman who had her first gray at 14, to another who decided to keep her silver locks to honor someone special, and other tales of acceptance, courage and newfound confidence.

What’s your story? Shoot us an email at goinggray.ebook@gmail.com for a chance to be published in our eBook.

We’re very excited to hear from you!