Almost 3 Years and No Regrets

June 6, 2017 Catherine Meinke

My last hair update was in October 2015. About a year and a half ago! So today I figured it was time for an update. August 2014 was the last time I had my hair highlighted to help with the transition from dyed to natural hair.

I have to admit, when I looked at these photos, I was a little shocked. The top of my head is more white than I remembered. (I don't often look at the top of my head.)

I'm still happy with it and if the thought of coloring my hair pops into my brain, I think of all the time and money required to maintain it. Not to mention the time that it has taken me to grow out the damaging color.

If you are growing out your hair, I'd love to hear from you!

4 Reasons I'm So Glad I Stopped Coloring My Hair

January 20, 2015 Catherine Meinke

There have been some awesome comments on my last hair post "5 Reasons I Stopped Coloring My Hair." See that post HERE. That post was in April 2014, so I'm waaaay overdue for an update!

As you can see, my hair has grown a LOT in the last 6 months. And I'm considering a shorter cut. I probably just need a trim. But longer thick hair takes soooo long to dry and style.

The photos are from: May 2014, September 2014, and the last two are today January 20, 2015.

On to the 4 Reasons I'm So Glad I Stopped Coloring My Hair.

1. Saved hundreds of dollars and several hours of time. It may not seem like much, but over the long run it does add up.

2. Freedom! Yes, I feel free... No longer a slave to the bottle, worrying because my roots are already showing. When I started coloring my hair, it was for fun or just to get sun-kissed highlights. When I HAD to color my hair to cover gray roots, it wasn't fun anymore.

3. A sense of community. I've discovered that there are a lot of women doing or have done the same thing! There have been so many supportive comments on my blog, as well as re-pins and likes on Pinterest.

4. Sparkles. Yes, SPARKLES! In the right sunlight, my white hair is like tinsel. I love anything that sparkles!

There's still quite a bit of brown in my hair. In certain angles and depending on how I part my hair, you can see streaks of brown. The further back on my scalp, more brown, less gray. Right now I have the "Halo" but eventually it will be all white.

So now the question is... to cut or not to cut! I think I'll get a trim and see how I feel.

xoxo, Cathy

5 Reasons I Stopped Coloring My Hair

April 27, 2014 Catherine Meinke

August 22, 2013. Two days before my sister's wedding. Also the last time I had highlights put in my hair. It was time to say goodbye to permanent hair color forever.

Why I said Goodbye to Hair Dyes

1. DAMAGE. The more I colored and highlighted my hair, the drier, more brittle it became. Especially the ends. Argan Oil and conditioners helped. But dry, damaged hair is my pet-peeve.

2. IT'S INEVITABLE. My mother has white hair. My maternal Grandmother and paternal Grandfather had white hair. I found my first gray hair in my early 20s, so I'm destined for it. (I'm 42 years old now.)

3. IT'S NATURAL. Be honest. When you see an older lady with dark hair, you know it's not natural. Does it make her look a few years younger? Maybe. But what's wrong with looking her age?

4. MY HAIR IS GETTING WHITER & WHITER. As my hair/roots became whiter and lighter, it showed more. For a while, I could go 5-6 weeks between colors, but when it got to where I had to have touch-ups every 3 weeks... well, this leads me to #5.

5. TIME & MONEY. This was the big one. My hair was costing me more time and money than I wanted to spend. As the roots grew lighter, the brown base needed to be re-touched every 3 weeks. Not that I had it done every 3 weeks, but it needed it. I'd go in every 4 weeks, so there was 1 week of... "ugh these roots" and "I hope no one notices my roots" or "today may be a hat day."

In addition to the brown base, a few highlights were put in, adding to the cost, but also helping blend the root growth. When enough was enough, around August 2012, I stopped coloring for 4 months. I wanted to see what my hair REALLY looked like. How white/gray/silver was it??

My bangs were almost pure white! I didn't hate it, but it was a stark contrast to the old brown base color. In December 2012, after 4 months of not coloring, I decided to get highlights to help with the transition. Between December 2012 and August 2013, I had 3 rounds of highlights, then I said goodbye to coloring forever!

How Much is TOO MUCH?

For me, it was $90. It was worth it, the color was nice. But every 3-4 weeks? I know there are people who spend more than that and enjoy the time at the salon. But it's not for me anymore. How much is too much for you?

WHAT'S NEXT?

As you can see from the photo above, I have several inches of new growth, and several inches of yellow hair. I'm on the fence whether to cut it or let it grow a bit more. I don't want to lose the length, but I want the old color GONE!

I like this cut. If I did this, ALMOST all that old color would be gone!