In the spring, I decided that I had enough with coloring my hair and decided to go natural. My hair is probably about 35% white and almost all of it is on the crown of my head. My hair stylist came up with an idea to use a semi-permanent color in my natural light brown to cover the red so the transition would be easier. Swimming six days a week made this more challenging, but I was able to find a pigment-depositing shampoo/conditioner that kept the red from leaching through. In early August, we agreed that it was no longer necessary to do the semi-permanent color.

I am so glad that I did this. I probably have three to four inches of hair that has no color on it and it is gorgeous (even my hair stylist agrees). Among the good genes that I got from both parents is a gorgeous shade of silver that is pure white and sparkles. I haven't seen my natural color in more than 20 years and I keep thinking, why the hell did I color it so long?

The best thing of all is that I no longer have to spend 90 minutes in a salon every five/six weeks. Cutting my hair takes 20 minutes. In addition, I'm saving more than $120 a visit. :-) From the back, my hair is completely light brown.

I understand why people choose to color their hair. I had fun playing with hair color, highlights, etc.

My decision to let it go natural has a lot to do with embracing getting older, to include the changes it brings in my appearance. It's really a privilege to age, not everyone gets the chance.