Going for the Gold or the Blonde

"Now you've gone and done it," said Juliet, my hairdresser with a big grin on her pretty face. She put a hand mirror in my hand so that I could see the back of my hair and I laughed. "Yes, I have, haven't I? Young Juliet, I never do anything half-assed."

I was born blonde and had remained blonde until my mid-40's when I decided that dark hair would be easier to keep up with. It was...until the gray started coming in a couple of years ago and then, the maintenance of covering up the gray was just a pain in the rear. My children have always known me as a blonde. It was time. I was ready for a drastic change and after months of writing, rewriting and editing, I wanted and needed some pampering!

I wanted a color that would blend in well with the white and gray hair, so we did the whole shebang. There was no turning back as the bleach highlights did their magic, but I knew true fear when I saw the brassy yellow and orange hues appear in the process of turning white! My hairdresser assuaged my fears, reminding me that we still had toner to put on my stripped hair. I was relieved that I'd taken my high blood pressure medication before I left my house; my heart was pounding.

Change and risk are old friends of mine. I've never been afraid of challenges and taking risks, but what the hell is it about fear in changing our hairstyle and color that causes a woman's heart to skip a beat and I don't mean in a good way! I'd moved across the Atlantic Ocean, moved to a brand new city where I knew no one after my divorce and I was stressing over the change like nobody's business. I wrote an entire book, for goodness sake! I'm tough, I could handle this. Yeah, right. I was a smiling mess in the salon and wore my hood on the walk home :)

I called Juliet the next morning and asked for low lights which are highlights in two shades darker than the bleached color. Juliet had already booked a time for me that day, she knew I was coming back. Such a wise young woman. She'd told me that the process of going dark to light usually takes two to three times to get the right shade of blonde and blonde hair is tricky. Juliet wasn't kidding! It was torture.

I was glad to think about something else instead of stressing the search for an agent for my debut novel. I had a weekend of focusing on myself rather than my novel and my characters. I needed to step away to gain more perspective, a new perspective. In the end, I'm getting used to the drastic change and even opted for a pedicure and manicure the day I was in Juliet's chair. Why not? A little R&R was called for. Spring is right around the corner. Now, I'm off to find Dr. Oz's green juice concoction...bathing season is right around the corner, too :)

Peace and love,
Ellie