Granny Hair

 I just read that hottest hair color trend for 2015 is ‘Granny Hair’.  Now it is becoming fashionable to dye hair to grey color.  The trend has started as some people had spotted celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Pink, Rihanna, Nicole Ritchie and Kelly Osborne sporting grey hair.  Feeling inspired by these celebrities women  around the world have got their hair dyed to grey and posting pictures on social media under “#granny hair”.

“Granny hair is basically silver hair, any tone of grey in your hair: steel grey, silvery grey, really, really white platinumish with either violet or silver undertone,” New York hair stylist Jan Marie Arteca.

As the 2015 fashion trend is to have grey hair, women are ready to spend to get their hair dyed to grey.  This is not simple.  Initially the hair has to be bleached of its natural color and later to dye the required color shade.  The process is long and costs few hundred dollars.

I got interested to write on this topic as of now I am having natural granny hair.  My hair is not totally grey.  Here and there I do have natural black hair.  I developed grey hair in my early thirties.  I was too young to have grey hair.  People around me advised dyeing my hair.  As there were few tresses I tried henna.  As it is a long process I switched to chemical hair dye.  Within a few months of dyeing with chemicals more and more grey strands became visible and I had to dye weekly to make my appearance presentable to my clients.  I started with liquid Godrej black hair dye and changed to powder of the same company as the liquid would often spill and spoil my cloths or surroundings.  Within a few months of using dye powder I noticed that I develop post dye itching.  To reduce the intervals of dyeing I would apply henna when I was on holiday.  Applying dye after henna, would give hair more lustrous color that lasts longer. 

With years passing on I became sick of dyeing and want to stop.  Occasionally I would skip dyeing schedule but my hair would look bad and my appearance not so pleasant to my clients.  They being all women, some of them would advice me to continue dyeing.  I decided to stop dyeing in my forties.  But couldn’t do as I was afraid of me looking ugly with partial black and white hair and that will have adverse effect on my practice. 

But once I struck half century I decided somehow to stop dyeing.  The post dyeing itching of scalp increased.  I had to suppress the strong urge to scratch my head with two hands right in front of my patients.  I changed dye from Godrej powder to liquid, then to Garnier without relief.  My desire to stop dyeing has become strong and strong.  To stop dyeing hair suddenly would attract more comments and people may think I am sick.  So I decided to tonsure and then allow the hair to grow in all its glorious colors. 

In fact I decided in my early forties to go for cleansing my scalp of dyed hair. When I told my daughter that I will get tonsured she started crying ‘no mother, please no’.  More than ten years later she had grown up and living on her own doesn’t bother about my looks.  So I decided to go for scalp cleansing.

Long time ago once I went to Thirupathi.  Here people generally offer Lord Venkateshwara their hair if their wishes are fulfilled.  Then I thought even I should offer my hair to the Lord the next time I visit.  When I visited second time I could not do it.  Now I decided I better offer my hair to the lord and then have natural hair and stop dyeing.  People who see me will slowly get adjusted to my grey hair.  I thought I have completely silvery hair with the Lord’s blessings and can carry my age gracefully. 

So finally I went to Thirupathi four years ago and offered my hair, got tonsured. After that I stopped dyeing completely.  I loved my steel grey hair.  But people around me were not ready to accept me looking elderly and wise!  Now- a - days we rarely see men or women with grey hair.  If ever somebody is with grey hair it should be because they could not afford dye or rarely it could be by choice.  My professional friends of my age, even old and young would advice me to dye my hair so that I will look young and more pleasant.  Not to hurt them I would tell them my allergy to dyes. They would advice me different brands and henna.  I would say I will try.  The elders (those elder to me) in the family also wanted me to color my hair as they themselves like to have jet black hair to not to look old.  I would smile and stay silent decided not to succumb to those pressures.

Whatever people around me said, I liked to see myself in grey hair.  My age and appearance are same.  So when I travel I receive respect for being elderly woman and given privileges.  They try to help me.  Offer me seat while traveling. I can move about freely to foremost in areas of social celebrations.  I enjoy the respect and privilege for appearing natural to my age. 

Now that granny hair has become hot trend I think some of my senior professionals who do not want to dye, but are doing so for social or family pressure will give up dyeing.  Even those in seventies and eighties who go for dyeing will now present as wise men and women.  People with grey hair and spectacle are believed to be wise and intelligent!