Silver-Haired Boys Have it Easy

I was walking to the train from my office this afternoon and a handsome 30-something guy crossed my path. I'm very happily married now, so I can honestly say that the only reason this guy got more than a glance is that he had glorious salt-and-pepper hair (mostly salt), and I was wracked with jealousy. He didn't look old - he looked hip! He looked fashionable and confident. And I wanted to punch him right in his face.

It is hard for me to imagine rocking the salt and pepper. I like my dark hair. I like that my highlights remind me of caramel syrup drizzled on a hot-fudge sundae. But it has been about a month now since I got the highlight foils, and the demi-permanent dye used on the rest of my head is beginning to fade out. Here's a look at my scary center-part, and a reminder of why I part my hair dramatically to the side that has the lowest concentration of gray so far:


See, I wasn't kidding.

The only guy I sort of know personally who is young, hip, and has an infuriatingly cool mix of black and white hair actually IS a rockstar. Like, plays in a very cool band. Lucky punk. The chances are quite high that I will NOT look like a rockstar when my hair grows in gray.
Can you think of one woman celebrity under the age of 50, other than Storm from X-men, with silver hair? Men have Anderson Cooper and a wealth of good-looking bald guys to support their decision to go with the natural gray flow of their prematurely aged hair. Women have a comic book character, and a handful of other older, wiser movie stars who can also afford fabulous hair cuts and even more fabulous clothes to keep them looking young and vibrant. It's going to be a bit trickier for me.

Les and I peered at my spreading gray last night and I made him promise me that he would still love me if I let my hair grow out all the way gray AND that he would tell me immediately if the gray really bothered him/turned him off. We pinky-swore, so as least I'll have his honest feedback as I continue into the great unknown.

Last night I had that sinking feeling like I could not do this. That it was not worth it, even as an experiment, to look like an old lady. But then I remembered that I have told a bunch of people now that I am growing out my gray, and I can always dye it back. That is my new mantra. I can always dye it back. I will convince myself to think of it as an adventure, and experiment, and a public service. And then suck it up and remember that the whole reason I decided to gray in the first place is to let my body de-tox and to save the planet some of my chemicals. Maybe I can make it cool. Maybe I can "bring it" and not care what other people think. Maybe. I'll keep you posted.