Gray Hair Adventure: Things I Learned About Life When I Stopped Dyeing My Hair

by Susan Paget

After getting inspired by online images of supermodels rocking silver hair, Susan Paget, an author, vlogger and commentator for women over 40, was ready to try it out for herself. Could a normal, every day woman feel beautiful going gray? Cold turkey, she decided to find out. But when her hairdresser freaked out over the decision, she realized she was heading into territory that for many is a no-go zone. Susan's journey, told with honesty and humor, takes you through her own adventure of ditching dye, of questioning the status quo and overcoming her own insecurities. When you come on Susan's Gray Hair Adventure you're going to Scripts for dealing with the people in your life who don't want you to ditch the dye How to handle big events and reunions when you're in the thick of transition and are worried what others will think. How to back yourself during challenges in any area of life Affirmations for enjoying the process, even when the going gets tough and much more... Whether you want to learn how to embrace life or completely own your badass self - regardless of your age - Susan's Gray Hair Adventure will make you feel confident about all of your big beauty choices.

Genres: Nonfiction

315 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2015

Reviews

[Cynthia Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Going gray and owning it

I loved this book. The writer is so sweet, sharp, humble, and funny. I could relate to so much of what she was going through in her gray hair adventure. I am just five weeks into my going gray journey and i know I have a long way to go still, but while it IS scary, it is also thrilling, empowering, and so liberating! Reading this book, I felt as if the writer was holding my hand and reaffirming that I was making the right choice in ditching the dye. Her tips, the videos, the links, her sage advice, are so worth getting this book! I highly recommend it!👍

[Lori Staples · Rating 5 out of 5]

great book!

This an authentic perspective on the journey of going gray! After experiencing the same issues, feelings and adventures on my own going gray journey, it was refreshing to read Susan’s perspective! Women supporting other women is much needed on this adventure and Susan shares that beautifully. Great book for anyone considering the journey, going through the journey or have completed their journey!

[Michelle Atkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventure in You

I felt like I had met a sister! I really enjoyed this book because it did a lot more than talk about gray hair. It talks about self esteem and confidence. It is excellent therapy!

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

About much more than just hair, the author looks at claiming your true self and how she grew as a woman when she stopped dyeing her hair, and eventually stopped doing other things society asks of us in the name of 'beauty.'

[Yoli García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book About Going Gray

I enjoyed this true-life story about going gray. The author is very honest about the highs and lows of hair gray hair journey. Paget also gives good advice on how to deal with unwanted and rude comments.

[Maria Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been dyeing my hair for many decades, like most women, to cover the grays. Lucky for me, in today's era, silver hair has become a trend, so to not cover my grays is more of a choice in 2019 versus the 2015 era of this book. Based on the cover picture, this woman who decided to do this, still has a dark tone to her hair, versus my situation. (I am more of a Cruella DeVille). But she makes some interesting points about the process which has more to do with your personal attitude towards yourself. The best one that comes to mind is the financial expense, we, women occur to keep ourselves to a certain level of appearance to the world. I am all for doing everything to keep myself looking good but I am working with a fixed budget. So why dye it if you have to continually cover it up every 5 weeks. Last Christmas, I decided to not cover the section of my hair that was the grayest section, (my Cruella DeVille section) to see how it really looked. I had been covering it with a very broad blonde chunk highlight which allowed the roots to appear non-existent, but I was always afraid of damage because of the bleaching, after an incident over 15 years ago when my entire front end had major breakage and I had to get a haircut that was way shorter than I preferred. (I prefer my hair to be at shoulder length in what is called a lob cut but with some inner layers to lift the weight of the hair to be fuller). Now that it is almost 10 months later, I can see my true front hair tone. My natural hair is a combination of mostly white silver and some grey tones but it looks like the white silver was deliberately painted throughout. I tried using one of those apps that put different colors on your hair to see the look and found out that the only part I really need to change color to is the section that was dyed previously and there's very little difference in tone between using a silver dye or a platinum dye. That was a relief to me because I thought I would have to cut that section off, right away, instead of trimming slowly off with my quarterly haircuts. Another thing the book, mentions is the condition of grey hair. I won't have that problem because of the products I use on my hair, (hair oil serums) plus the fact I don't consider it necessary to daily wash my hair and know how to keep it clean in between weekly blowouts (which is the only time I put heat on my hair) and don't lose color vibrancy. The best part of the book to me was the emphasis on acceptance of oneself despite the public push to keep oneself from doing so. I don't want to look like a stiff plastic doll but I do want a healthy body, skin, and hair, all of which I have, plus I just got complimented on my multi-tone hair look. If you get this book and look up some of the sites mentioned in the book, some of them are no longer on the internet in live form, but there are several Instagram sites, that show women flaunting their manes of grey.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is better than 3 stars, but not quite 4.

I came to this book with the perspective of a 30-something who has already been through the transition of growing out the gray, so I was curious to read about someone else's journey.

I expected a memoir, but got more of a self-help book. Susan does share her milestones and moments of self-doubt/acceptance/victory, but really, this book is better geared towards readers who are contemplating growing out their hair. This book is also better geared towards female readers struggling with older generational ideas regarding female beauty and social roles/acceptance.

It's a short book, just under three hours according to my Kindle. Susan's writing style is very breezy and casual, and making it an easy read. I don't regret reading it, but I felt more as though I were being counseled by a life coach than reading about a fellow adventurer's journey. Appropriately, Susan IS a life coach for women over 40, so that makes sense.

I don't want to overly knock the value of this book - there are not enough resources out there for women who dare to buck the social convention of not dyeing their hair to cover their gray. From this perspective, Susan has added her voice to a much needed conversation.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going gray has been in my mind for 10+ years and I’m feeling more and more ready to take the plunge. Listening to Susan’s story of going gray - and realizing it’s about more than hair - was a great way to ease into the idea and challenge some of my own thoughts about what it will mean. Good book, would recommend.

[Jennifer Jarrell]

A Book On Going Grey...

This book is about the author's experience going gray, with a lot of other rambling thoughts included. I would recommend other books over this one, but she did make me laugh by referring to a bad haircut as "the mom haircut-the equivalent of mom jeans."

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though our beliefs do not line up fully, this is an encouraging book and was worth the read to be sure.

[Jennifer Jarrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be uninteresting, and wishing it was over...