Thanks all!
Many asked what shampoo & conditioner I'm using: Kevin Murphy Angel Wash. The angel wash is for blondes. The brand makes other versions for different hair types. It is parabens, sulfates, and silicone free, and for me that was just the ticket.
Prior, I'd tried to go no-poo and my hair just couldn't make it past 2 days without looking like a flat, messy, itchy, smelly grease pit. I'd also get that waxy feel too. But once I switched to this shampoo and used it for awhile, I discovered I could go longer and longer between washes without any problems. I can go about 5 days now. (Note I still rinse my hair every day -- in warm water in the shower). Which is great, because as I go more and more gray, my hair is drier and drier.
Joy, I also have scalp psoriasis. I've had it since my teens. In recent years it's been very stubborn and flaring often and long. But, it has completely cleared since switching to this shampoo. Of course, I may simply be in remission, and it's a coincidence. I just do have to wonder if I have all along had some sort of contact reaction to sulfates, parabens or silicones -- which I now steer clear of, I don't even use any other types of hair products. Do you use prescription Clobex shampoo for yours? That stuff works great for controlling flares, though I have not had to use it in awhile now.
Nina, there is definitely "silver" in there! And a lot of it. Silver in quotes as it is white, not gray.
What my old stylist told me is that all gray hair comes in white. It's just that it reflects the colors around it. So if your hair is dark, the white hair will initially look more gray or even blue. This is what my husband has -- he started out looking gray-blue. It's still like that in the back, but in the front he's now pure white as there isn't any remaining brown hair to reflect.
KnittingGene, yes I am always envying stylish silver ladies! And have been just so tired of dying it all the time. I didn't know how to gracefully go natural -- but apparently it's easier than I imagined.
My impetus was hair envy: my SIL is a natural light blonde who's never dyed her hair at all. She's going silver naturally and it looks fantastic. So pretty. It occurred to me that maybe if I went natural my hair would do similar, though it's not quite as light as hers (I have a lot more dirty blonde tones as well as some strawberry blonde).
Anchie - I figure there will be prejudice (ageism) regardless of whether I dye or don't dye my hair. Also I feel fortunate I work for a company that truly values their older employees. That was not so, 5 years ago, when I worked for a company that as soon as you turned 55 you were offered a package -- whether you had gray hair or not.
Linda & Janet, the plan is to grow it all out, then decide. It may be that I wind up putting in just a few highlights around my face. We shall see. The new stylist thinks I may not even need that. (Incidentally she has silver hair herself -- she's quite young, probably in her late 20s -- has it dyed that color on purpose. She says her mom is about my age and going through the same growing out process).
And yes, Janet, I know what you mean about it looking more drastic on darker color. Awhile back in pursuit of a new stylist my hair was dyed with lots of lowlights. It was annoying because as soon as it started growing out it looked like there was snow or dandruff all over my crown! That's when I switched to another stylist who dyed my hair way too light all over, which was okay as it blended right in with the whites and allowed me to go a long long time between cuts. I think what my old stylist did was brilliant in that she took the time to dye each lock of hair in similar tones to what it already was naturally -- hence why it's growing out so gracefully now.
Runcarla, yes if I pull a lock straight up you can see the demarcation line much more clearly. I think it's more than 2 inches but I haven't measured with a ruler. In this photo you can see it at the crown -- the lighter pieces are silver for a few inches then yellow down to the ends. Underneath in particular there are strands that haven't been colored at all, and some are dark blonde, and some are pure white. One of the pure white streaks is right at my forehead -- but you can't see it unless I pull my hair back.
Becky, yes I may have to tweak my color palette. Luckily I wear mostly cool tones anyway, and in recent years have increasingly adopted a fairly neutral color palette.
