by Melissa Cavanaugh

Created on: January 20, 2009

Go ahead and gray naturally if you feel you must. But I'd ask you to once, just once, take a chance and dye your hair. Take a picture of yourself before and after. Which one shows the "real" you? There is no reason to accept gray hair as you age. That's the beauty of it all - you can age, but you can also look younger than your years!

No one wants to grow old. We are a youth-obsessed society. Our culture demands the beauty and vitality of youth. However, the cold hard fact exists that we all grow old, and we will all someday die. That is the root of the problem with aging: death. If we can step back, do something about the decaying process - like dyeing our hair - we should. Think about the last page of obituaries you looked at. Most, if not all of the deceased, are the elderly. How many of the photos alongside the lifelong history of the person show them in their prime? Many do! People want to be remembered at the height of their vitality, not in the years of decay and demise. When we see the photos from the dearly departed's younger years, we remember them lively, alert, spry. This is how I want to be remembered someday.

I began to go gray in my mid-twenties. A stray gray hair here or there didn't bother me. It was when they began to make their presence known a little TOO much that I wanted to do something. I'm now thirty-six, and have quite a lot of gray in my hair. In my high school and college years, hair was a huge part (no pun intended!) of my persona. Having very, very long brown, naturally curly hair was my trademark look, so much that my high school nickname was "Hair". My best college girlfriend and I, both exhuberant cheerleaders, were known for our long, curly, and 80-s huge hair. We were known as the "Hair Twins". My self-image does rely quite a bit in part to my hair. Compliments on my hair have always meant a lot to me, and I refuse to allow the gray to overtake my self-esteem. Yes, I do dye my hair. I sometimes go to a salon, or in a pinch, I use the chain market shelf brand. I go in to the bathroom with the grays peeking out at me, trying to steal my identity, and come out thirty minutes later as ME.

I am certain that I'm not the only one who feels this way. Hair really is important to a person's self-esteem. Why else do hair-growth products do so well commercially? Why do hair transplant businesses thrive in this harsh economy? People need their own, personal identity, which is made up of personality, intellect, and yes, looks. Hair is a vital part of our looks.

Growing older does have its perks. Wisdom, security, and family are wonderful benefits of getting older. I like knowing who I am, the fact that I have established my own family, and I know what I want out of life. But there is no reason I can't have my cake and eat it too! I want to look young because I FEEL young. Why not have the best of both worlds? I can have it, and so can you!

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