Psychology Says Choosing Your Gray Hair May Be About Authenticity, Not Giving Up

Moving into my 50's, I made a decision that surprised a lot of people. Even me.

I stopped coloring my hair.

At first, my reasons were practical. It had become expensive and more frequent to cover that central line of grays that baffled my mind every morning. I mean, "How am I getting this old?" That's truly how I felt and what I would think every time I saw that gray skunk line at the top of my head. Then, every few weeks, I'd spend hours sitting in a salon chair, breathing in chemical fumes, paying to fight the inevitable.

Then something happened that I never expected. I proposed the idea of going natural to my stylist. "Let's do it!" She added a few lighter highlights, and because I have blonde hair, the transition was easy.

Easy or not, the article I have linked below explains some of my experience ever since. And it's been good.

The article discussed the psychology behind why some people choose to stop coloring their hair. It suggested that, for many people, the decision isn't about giving up. It may actually reflect something deeper. As we get older, we often become less interested in approval and more interested in authenticity.

That resonated with me, but not for the reason I expected.

I suddenly realized I have not been waking up every morning disliking myself anymore. This decision was THAT PROFOUND! When I was coloring my hair, I had been waking up every morning looking for a flaw.

The irony is that it wasn't even my real hair I was judging. It was the skunk line created by coloring it in the first place in the attempts of what? Looking younger? Nothing says "Youth" like a line of gray hair at the top? I don't mean to be sarcastic. It's just that I never thought of it that way before. Every morning I would look in the mirror, notice what needed to be fixed, wonder, and beat myself up. Without realizing it, I had trained myself to begin each day looking for what was wrong.

When I stopped coloring my hair, the question disappeared, and it's been years since I've looked in the mirror with that kind of disdain. That's a huge realization!

Now, when I look in the mirror, I still notice things. Sometimes I have bags under my eyes because I didn't sleep well. Instead of criticizing myself, I become curious.

Maybe my body is simply asking me to pay attention. Maybe it had been asking me all along? Maybe these distractions are how I gained 50 pounds and could not release it until I founded Body Bella?

It made me wonder how many other habits we continue simply because we've always done them. Not because they're making our lives better, but because we never stopped long enough to ask why. That's exactly what I see every day at Body Bella because when we feel better, we create more time in our life that nourishes our soul, not just our body. But it starts with nourishing our body.

People often come to us discouraged because they've spent years repeating the same habits, asking themselves the same discouraging questions, and getting the same discouraging answers. As we begin nourishing our bodies, we create space. Space to think differently. Space to become curious instead of critical. Space to ask better questions.

Instead of asking, "What's wrong with me?" or, "How did I get this old?" we begin asking, "What does my body need?" Those are two very different kinds of questions. Instead of fighting ourselves, we can begin to listen and experience gratitude for our journey.

Perhaps that's the real gift of authenticity.

Not simply accepting ourselves as we are, but becoming curious enough to question the habits, thoughts, and routines that no longer serve us.

If you're ready to begin asking different questions and creating a life that feels a little lighter, we'd love to support you. At Body Bella, nourishing your body changes far more than the number on the scale.

Keep going,
Dr. Brookh Lyons
Founder, Body Bella

You don’t need to be fixed. You need to be supported.
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P.S. I was able to release 50 pounds and have kept it off since 2021. I live a full life and know how to make choices that support my body, even if it's ice cream with the family. If it's time for you to make these changes, reach out through the link at the top of our main page. We'd love to help you create more ease and beauty in your life.

If you'd like to read the article that inspired these reflections, you can find it here: https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/psychology-says-people-who-dont-color-their-gray-hair-arent-giving-up-they-may-be-choosing-authenticity-over-approval/articleshow/131936523.cms