Going Gray

I recently read an article in the style section of the New York Times reporting that the most recent trend is, strangely enough, gray hair! As a member of the platinum/gray blonde community I was a little disappointed that people are just realizing the wonders of the look. However, I find a lot of irony in the trend. There are thousands upon thousands of woman, and men for that matter, who spend hundreds of dollars a month to cover up their gray hairs. Compelling to say the least.

The trend, based on the New York Times article originated from the runways by designers such as Chanel and Proenza Schouler. Their unusual direction seemed to have caught on, as throughout the year we have seen it appear in a number of celebrities, including model Kate Moss, who flaunted a gray streak at a fashion party earlier in the year. Faran Krentcil, a digital director at the fashion magazine Nylon, accidentally joined the mainstream, when she screwed up after attempting to dye her hair. Originally aiming for a lavender tint, a few days passed and the dye job had faded into a grayish tone.

For the past two years my hair has been an arrangement of platinum. Going from a whiter tone, blonder tone, and similar to the trend, a steel gray tone. Still, even after two years, I am very happy with my hair. I find that it’s a bold statement and perhaps until now, not something you would see very often. My only complaint about it, other than the damage it causes from the bleach, is the cost. As an unemployed college student I have to make a lot of sacrifices in regards to the amount of cash I spend within the month. I receive a monthly allowance and give myself a certain amount that I am allowed to spend weekly on food (most importantly) and weekend money for going out. However, by the end of the month, I must still cough up $100 dollars, not including tip, to pay for a touch up. Many times I have considered doing this myself, until the thought of orange hair or a baldhead (if done in the wrong way the bleach will literally make your hair fall out), makes the price completely justified.

But what about the gray? To be honest, after looking through photos of woman who have gone the more extreme route to a prominent gray, I have to admit I really like it. I don’t think it’s a trend everyone can handle; gray on a young person is not exactly normal – I don’t even know if I could pull it off, although, one hopes that I could. But it is fabulous. What is even more ironic about the whole situation, for me personally, is that recently I have considered dying my hair black, to not only combat the monthly costs but to experience something new. The fact that the trend has gone more mainstream, especially amongst notable people within the fashion community, makes it that more difficult to convince myself to change it. Maybe I’ll just have to dye it once the trend simmers down, or maybe I should just start a new trend and go for the black.