Nice & Easy

Today I am grateful for home hair color.

Yes, I mean the kind in a box you buy at a drug store.

You see, I have the misfortune of inheriting my mother's propensity for going gray early. I am not a YOUNG woman, but I'm not OLD either and I'm not ready to be fully gray, which is what I would be if it weren't for home hair color.

I started graying when I was 16. Yes, SIXTEEN. My hair stylist said it was due to heat from the blow dryer, but I knew better.

I was apalled when, at 21 or 22, my older brother by 3 years noticed my gray hair and actually said to me, "Wow. You really are going gray, aren't you?" Kill me. He's a guys guy and notices very little in that department, but he managed to notice my gray hair.

I still held out. My hair was, pun intended, my crowning glory. I had long, thick, naturally curly/wavy, red hair. It was the one thing I truly thought special about my appearance (and something the boys noticed and apparently liked) and there was NO WAY anybody was going to get near me with a bunch of chemicals.

Besides, I had visions of my mother: plastic bag on her head with brown running down her neck. Nope. Not this girl. I wasn't about to become my mother.

So I held out. And then I was in my late 20s and couldn't ignore the gray hair any longer. As an actor, I was aware that my appearance really mattered. So I found a stylist to HIGHLIGHT my hair. That's it. Just some blonde highlights to cover the gray done by a professional.

Then I became a full out blonde because highlighting wasn't enough and as a poor actor, the blonde blended longer with the gray roots than red.

Finally, I gave up. I was broke and probably had an audition coming up. I bought a box. Turns out, it wasn't my mother's hair color. It looked pretty good.

But I was still blonde. And finally, after a few years, I decided to go back to red. I was making better money and truly believed boxed red would look brassy and all one color - fake - so I found a new colorist and returned to my auburn locks.

It was a good choice. I felt special again.

And then I moved far away. It broke my heart to leave my trusted colorist! The time had come to try the box again.

Again, I was surprised. It wasn't brassy or fake looking. And as time has gone by, I have experimented with different shades of red. It's kind of fun subltly re-inventing yourself. Along the way I had to be a dark brunette for a show - I liked it - but I couldn't stay away from my identity as a redhead.

So today, to ring in the new year, I gave my hair it's regular "boost" of color (happening now about every three weeks I'm sad to say). I look younger and feel better. And I'm saving a bunch of money.

It was Nice & Easy . . . and I'm grateful.