Month by month, my hairdresser is cutting the blond from my
hair. I’ve wondered for a long time what would be left, and yesterday I saw my
natural colors emerge. I’m now sporting a mix ranging from dark brown to light
gray.
Perhaps this change is appropriate and well timed, as I’m
having a significant birthday in a few weeks. After all, when one’s child, age
44, has gray hair and Mom does not, something is askew.
A practical decision triggered the change last March before
I left to hike the Appalachian Trail. Knowing it would be months until I had a
haircut, I opted for a short do a la Jamie Lee Curtis. Instructions for creating
her haircut can be found on the internet.
In addition to the cut, I chose to have my hair highlighted
in order to minimize the glaring contrast of roots vs. ends. Why some women
think exposed roots are fashionable escapes me.
My hair was easy to manage on the AT, even as it grew out. I
woke up, ran a brush through it, and moved on, having no idea of the result. In
the woods there are no mirrors, and the one I’d brought with me was sent home
during a pack shakedown shortly after I hit the trail. I did not shower,
shampoo, or see my own reflection for days at a time—a fact of life for a
long-distance hiker.
It’s freeing to go without mirrors. I was happy to do so, as
my hair wasn’t the only wild thing. I wore no makeup. My nails were a disaster,
jagged and ringed with dirt. I could be picked out from a distance by my
outfit, which I wore every day and laundered about once a week.
By the time I’d made it to Hot Springs, North Carolina, I
was in full-fledged hiker mode. In particular, I’d embraced my natural self. I
vowed never to color my hair again.
When I returned home after three and one-half months, I high-tailed
it to the nail parlor but left off the makeup. I got my hair trimmed, but not
as short as Jamie Lee’s. A good deal of the blond color had remained. Until
yesterday.
Will I keep my vow? It’s been only a day, but I’m thinking I
will.
If I was good at selfies, I’d show you my new look. Oh, what
the heck…
