Wednesday Work In Progress… Me!!

I never thought I’d be writing something so deep and soul searching on my blog but recently I’ve gotten a little frustrated with ‘me’. Maybe it’s the fact the boys have left home and there’s an empty space waiting to be filled or maybe it’s just that time of life (spring!!) and I’m on the look out to make changes. But changes are a-happening…!

Firstly, I’m growing my grey hair in. YIKES!! I’ve been dyeing it for so long I can’t even remember when I started… age 18? 21? Not sure. I don’t even know what my natural colour is. But I have definitely been dyeing it every four weeks for the last 16 years that I’ve been in New Zealand. And every two weeks for the last two of those years. Just to cover up my natural hair! When it became clear that the white skunk line was going to be there a couple of days after colouring we decided that I should go blonder and see how that worked. Result = more bleach and chemicals.

But over the last few times my scalp started to burn and I was developing a nasty allergy so I made myself stop and think hard. Do I really need to cover up who I am? This is me. And does being me necessitate being burned on a fortnightly basis just to ‘fit in’?? The answer is a big fat NO.

Me three years ago before the lightening process

Also, when we were planning our big trip earlier in the year I began to worry about when/where I could get my roots done while on our travels because…skunk lines don’t look great on photos, right? And then I thought…my God woman, you are going on a trip of a lifetime and you’re tainting it by worrying about some sparkly highlights on your head! Crazy! Just enjoy the journey. So…here I am. I haven’t coloured my hair since 22nd March 2018, although I had highlights put in in May just to ease the process. (I regret that now, but that’s another story. It worked at the time).

So far, everyone’s been super positive, even my hairdresser! And I’m intrigued by the colour growing in. It’s going to be a long process, but I’m enjoying it so far.

Me as a blonde trying to extend colouring appointments out to four weeks

6 months into the transition process

There has been a lot of research on my part into the transition process and I’ve joined some supportive facebook groups and watched a zillion different transition stories on youtube. Just search grey/gray hair transition if you want to take a look.

So…as part of this change I’ve also been thinking about what colours suit me. Years ago I had my ‘colour analysis’ done and was told I was ‘winter season’ but all that made me do was buy safe black and the occasional navy. But I see all the lovely colours around now it’s spring and I want to have a part of that too. But which colours and in what kind of style? Yours? Hers? The latest trend? What’s my style?

I stumbled across this TED talk the other day and Stasia blew my mind. She talks about style coming from within, that you don’t have to decide you are a ‘classic’ or ‘outdoorsy’ type and stick with a wardrobe full of pre-determined things, but that you choose how you want to feel and then build a wardrobe accordingly.

Since then I’ve been obsessed with her blog/insta feed and I’m hoping to sign up for her style course in November. She suggests we find 5 power words to describe ourselves (eg fierce, bold, brave, creative, kind etc) and use those to channel the kinds of things we want to wear.

In the meantime I hit the thrift store just to play and came home with a few bright pink things! Pink is NOT something I ever wear. So we will see, definitely a work in progress!

pink stripes! A whole new me!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you know what your style is? Do you care? What do you think about the idea of doing style from the inside out?