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!