MEET REGINA

55 | Podcaster | Silver Since2020

Regina Young from Wigsto Nature to Silver-Haired

My hair journeystarted whenI wasyoung- I alwayswanted longhair.Cher?slengthwould havebeengreat but I soonfound out wehavetwodifferent hair types.

AsI got older,my mom?sgenerationworewigswhenit wasnot popular,likeit isnow.

So,twenty yearslater I wouldwear half fallswigsfor length withthefront of my real hair out andtheback ahalf wig.

SometimesI woreafull wigtocover my entireheadif my hair wasinatransitional state.

Inthe2000stherewasanatural hair movement togiveup usingperms,dyes,andchemicalsonour hair,I jumpedonit

I cut my hair off to1 ½inchesanddyedit bright red.It wasthe trendat thetime.

By my late40s I hadbeenusingthoseproductsfor morethan 30 years Dyeingmy hair redconstantly met it neededdyeing at therootsor thegray/silver hair would start toshow

I put onawigfor twoyearssoeveryonedid not seethe awkwardstagesof growingtheredout of my hair

My gray hair revealedI hadareverseskunk striperight down themiddlehead My hair grew well without thechemicals I hadmy first blowout andcut it intoalongbob

Meet Rosemary

56| Ballet Teacher| Silver since2020

Asaformer ballerinaandnow asaballet teacher,my appearanceandlookswerealwaysimportant for my professional decorum,andmy ownconfidence.

Over theyearsI oftenchangedmy natural mid-brown hair color tovariousshadesof chestnut brown, auburn,orangeandevenindigo But noneof them seemedtoreally suit meandI wasnever fully satisfied

Thenthepandemichit,andwithall thehair salons closed,I decided tousethisopportunity tofinally exposethosesneaky silver locksthat werepeeking throughat theroots.I wassocurioustoseehow I would actually look withcompletely silver hair,andit took another twelvemonthsof patienceuntil they werefinally,fully revealed!

Already inmy 50sI hadtolistentomany comments suchas"you'll look somucholder" andeven,"you don't havethepersonality togosilver" Noneof that would deter me,I wasbraveenoughtoseeit through. After all,if I didn't likeit,I couldalwaysgoback to dyingit again

Over time,my friendswouldwalk their comments back,oncethey startedseeingmoreof my newly developinglook! But my hair wasstill damagedfrom theyearsof dyingandblow dryingit - that?swhenI discoveredHairStory! Their productshavepositively changedthetextureof my hair andadded abeautiful shine

My silver transformationwascomplete!

It all startedwithanger Anger onmyself that I suffered every 2 weeksthroughtheitchy coloringprocesstohidea part of myself only out of fear.What might other people think of my grey hair?Will I look oldandugly?

I didn? t want tobethat insecure,unauthenticwoman anymore,that?swhy I decided tostopcoloringmy hair 7 yearsagoandnever regrettedthedecision Thetransition took mealong5 yearsbecauseI wantedtokeepmy length - andI alsoimmenselyenjoyedthegrombreprocess- for meit standsfor personal growthanddevelopment andI wasevenabit nostalgicwhenI cut thelast dyedendsoff.

Of courseI alsogot remarksabout my hair That I wouldbe tooyoungtoshow grey hair - but at thesametimetooold towear my hair long- highly entertaining:D

SometimesI havethefeelingpeoplefeel confrontedby me. Longhair isseenby societyassensual andsexy andgrey hair asoldandwitchy- especially my curlysalt andpepper mix- if grey,thenit shouldbenicely elegant white

But I don? t mind this. Rejection isa natural first reaction. It makespeople think and reflect about their own situation. Like "when thiswoman isgetting away with not dyeing anymore, maybe I can do it too"

Andtherearealsootherswhotell mehow beautiful they findmy hair andthat they feel inspiredbymeandwere only not braveenoughyet tolet it grow longor grow out thegrey

That isalsothereasonwhy I startedan Instagramaccount: tosupport thesilver sisterscommunity,toshow other womenmy hair,that it'sokay at any agetowear it longand natural andyoustill canbehappy andfeel beautiful ;-)

Meet Michelle

60| Humorist/Speaker| Silver Since 2022

Four yearsago,I underwent amajor physical transformation(about 180 poundsworth) Asmy physical body got smaller andstronger,my self-esteemgrew It waswonderful toseemy shoes againandbeabletowalk andbreatheat thesame time! I felt moreconfident andsograteful to experiencebetter healthagain.Insomewaysyou couldsay I wasa completely new person?.andin other ways,I wasnot.Let?sjust say I amaslow learner of someof thelessonsthat lifeis(repeatedly and patiently)offeringtoteachme! Oneof thebigones hastodowithseekingmy ownapproval andknowing what it isthat I want for myselfrather thanwhat othersexpect of me.Andright now,my hair hasbeen helpingmewiththisassignment!

Uponturning60,I decided to?let thesilver shine through?,andinitially,I wasall in! Completely 100%* committedtotheidea,I stoppedcoloringmy hair (*but only one appointment at atime?.just in