The Hair Q & A

I’m not one to get too hung up on body image, and I try very hard not to define myself or anyone else by what the media portrays as “perfect”. Yes, I try to accept my thick thighs, flabby twice-pregnant tummy, big nose and chin for what they are and who I am! But with my hair, I’ve never felt like I’ve had to accept anything. I’ve always loved my long wavy dark-brown locks…

Er… that’s right. I said it. Dark brown. Wavy. I know you’re thinking. “If you love your dark brown wavy hair, what’s up with the straight blond locks covering your skull for the past year?!”


Believe it or not, I’ve gotten a lot of questions and comments (on-line and in real life) about my hair and it’s color lately. One that was most interesting to me came from a coworker who has known me for the past year and a half. He looked at my original employee ID badge picture that was taken 3 years ago and commented “you used to have dark hair?” He actually thought all along that I'm a natural blond! Ha! My closest friends and family have been eyeing me with skepticism. Tina? Going blond? It must be that Arizona place going to her head...

Not exactly. I’m going to be honest with you all here. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm extremely practical and one to follow silly trends, and no, I haven’t suddenly changed. I’ve joked around that I’m trying to see if blonds really do have more fun. I haven’t decided that yet.

So here’s the truth people. The horrible horrible truth:

See my roots people? I’m gray! Tina has gone TOTALLY gray! For those of you reading here who went to high school with me, and are maybe seeing a white hair popping up here and there on your own head, I’m here to tell you that what's happened to me is much worse! That's not a little "salt and pepper" up there, now is it?? I have mentioned in previous posts how important my hair is to me, so the loss of my color has been very sad indeed!

My beautiful deep brown frocks are forever history and I've turned silver. Silver! It started pretty drastically about this time last year, and has been progressing ever since. My hair has always grown really fast, and when it decided it was done producing color, it has been coming out pure gray in leaps and bounds!

From Web MD:
"Premature graying is genetically determined for the most part," David Bank, MD, tells WebMD. Bank is director of the Center for Dermatology, Cosmetic, and Laser Surgery in Mount Kisco , N.Y. "Graying is natural. We all do it eventually."
When more than half the hair is white by age 40, though, this is considered "premature."

I’m 34. Thirty Four! Yes, I'd call that premature, thankyouverymuch! I’ve noticed gray hair since I was in my early 20’s, so I've known for awhile that I would likely gray early. I had hoped I'd keep my color a few more years. Trauma from the past year or just genes, or a mixture of both, I’ll never really know. All I know is my natural look is now that of a 50 year old. Fortunately, the article from Web MD linked above says that going gray early doesn’t mean a person is aging any earlier or that it’s a problem at all. In fact, it’s a blessing according to the Bible!

Proverbs 16:31 - A gray head is a crown of glory; It is found in the way of righteousness

I'm not ready to be righteous yet. I'm just not. I could dye my hair back to it's former color, but as long as I'm dying, I might as well try new things. Plus, it's much more practical to go blond when your hair has lost it's dark color. It keeps longer and blends in better.

And maybe it's a little more fun.