What Happened To My Hair? Why Cut? Why Turn It To Grey?

I wrote this randomly to a friend in Facebook. A response to my news feed on why I cut my hair and decided to grow my grey.

My hair caught the heat of fire when my oven exploded last December 30, 2018. I was in the Philippines. Now I remember the exact date. Not the day before Christmas but before the New Year's Eve. I was baking a "Panettone." 

My hair was tied on the side but wasn't tied at the back; but rather on the front (on my left, touching my chest). When I opened the oven, I heard the loud pang of explosion so I closed the oven door quite so fast  almost immediately. However, I was unaware that a portion of my hair melted away. I didn’t know it until I accidentally touched it because I was starting to sweat and needed to fix my hair in a bun. 

As I was touching my hair, it just felt so damn rough and brittle. Then, a stroke of panic did hit me. You can just imagine how my heart felt then? It was beating so fast like a timpani in crescendo! In the aftermath of things, the haircut was inevitable to save the remainder of my healthy hair. I remember feeling sad about it. It was going to be the New Year in a few hours  and there I was with this traumatic experience hovering all over me. From then on, I was seriously thinking if I should remain on coloring my hair and keeping it long or, start over. Cut it short and ditched the dye. And I did.

I had so many questions and insecurities when I first went through this process.

“What to do with this grey hair sprouting?” 

“Will I look old? But I am old!” 

“Shall I conceal the grey? How?” 

“How to deal with the look once they are all out?"

"Will I change my make up style and color?"

The "old me"

Fortunately, serendipity struck me as I bumped into these support groups of women in Facebook who are going through this grey hair journey.  "That’s it." I thought quietly while I was reading the questionaire as I applied to be a member of the group. "This is for me!" So, I joined and participated and shared in my first in put. The response was remarkable. So, it went on and on until we are now more at ease with each other.  It helps, you know. And it keeps me going. I don't mind sharing this experience in FB because it is a teaching medium. I know seeing my grey journey tends to make my family and friends to be reflective of their own journey with age, too. So, I think for that matter,  I am okay on being open about my personal journey with my silver transition.

LASTLY, "WHY CUT MY HAIR?"

I had no choice but to cut off a foot long at least right the after the incident. I remember feeling so sad about it. 

To be easy on me emotionally, I thought it best to cut my hair in small increments. Shoulder length, above the shoulders then finally, just barely touching my nape.I had a total of seven hair cuts and the rest is history. See photos for detail.