I colored my hair this morning.

My grandson is right…my gray makes me look OLD.

My natural hair color is a dull, ratty dishwater blonde. This drab hair color having acquired said name because that’s exactly what it looks like…dirty dish water…is not really well embraced by those of us who possess it. Most of us dishwaters choose to go with paler, more distinctively blonde shades simply because for most of us, our skin coloring does not work well with darker hair colors, though virtually ANY color is preferred over dirty dish water.

You really come to appreciate the convenience of pale blonde shades, however, when you reach the middle ages and you find yourself turning gray. If you are just the right shade of pale blonde, your gray helps to blend your roots into the blonde and you can go longer between colorings..which is easy on the hair AND on the pocketbook. Yet I do SO wish to embrace my gray hair. I see so many women who look fabulous with gray hair, silver hair, white hair, salt and pepper hair. Alas, the only thing worse than dishwater blonde hair color is dishwater blonde peppered with GRAY. The aforementioned lack of contrast between gray and dishwater blonde is therefore, effective camouflage only to a point…the point at which my grandson informs me “It’s time for you to color your hair again. You’re starting to look OLD.”