Initially, my gray hair wasn’t visible, being on the inside. So friends and family probably never noticed it unless it was tucked behind the ear or got pulled up and back.
Over a span of 8-10 years, 3 comments stood out: “Gray hair makes a person look dirty”, “gray hair makes a person look old”, “gray hair makes a person look unprofessional.”
Around October/November of 2014, I looked in the mirror and couldn’t stand seeing roots of black and white and the rest of my hair dirty blonde, light brown, and whatever else.
Between working long hours and attending to a toddler at the time, I didn’t have much time to fuss over my hair, so time passed by fairly quickly. I did feel alone in my journey. I didn’t have friends or family who were embracing their grays.
I could have completed the transition at year 1 or year 2 but waited until another goal was accomplished first. I actually started both goals around the same time, but decided to bundle the two together after a year so I could be held accountable for both.