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Writer's pictureJane Leder

Happy Hair Days Are Here Again . . .


Here comes the gray, marching along, pulverizing any shades of red or brown in its way. I'm doing all I can to sweep my hair one way or the other (Think comb-over) but am going to be forced to give up the ghost in another day or two--that is, a day or two unless my hair color from Madison Reed arrives.



I'd guess maybe a good month ago, I read a Facebook post from a neighbor. At first, I didn't get it--something about that we'd all be wearing hats. Hats? What was that all about? I mean, I like hats alright but didn't think there was any particular reason why I'd be wearing more of them more often.


Silly, me. Of course, I need hats--lots of them. What for? That's easy: to cover my gray, that washed-out color (Is it a color?) that screams "older person. (At least, in my mind. I know there are thousands of women out there who have gone "natural" and love the way they look. I am happy for them. I truly am. But as much as I loved my mother and her aging with grace, I know exactly how my gray would stack up, and it ain't pretty.)


I've been hearing lots of women talk about hair during this pandemic. Many are embarrassed to be thinking about something so superficial when people are suffering and dying in alarming numbers. I've been prefacing my plaints with something like, "I know I shouldn't be complaining, but . . ."



But then I watched "Sunday Morning" on CBS this past Sunday (April 26, 2020) and, lo and behold, there was a segment on women and hair during the pandemic, "Do-it-yourself hair color: A quarantine quandary." I was SO relieved when Faith Salie, an Emmy-winning contributor to the program, gained a bit of "control over her out-of-control life" and colored her hair in front of a viewing audience of close to six million. Right on, sister!


Exposing herself (her hair, that is) in a way many women wouldn't dare, she parted her mane down the middle to prove the point: gray lined both sides of her middle part and was making its way to other areas that not long ago, burst with shades of blonde, red, and combinations thereof. "This is my hair on lockdown," she said.


Faith was one lucky gal. Thanks to the magic of social media, her very own colorist was there to hold her hand . . . virtually. She slabbed the goo down as many parts of her hair as possible. Then she let the potion percolate. After some time-lapse video, she appeared back on camera, primping like a teenager about to go on her first date.


"I love it!" she screamed. "I had no idea this would make me feel so happy."


Humor connects us with others and helps us connect with ourselves. It would seem that hair can play the same role. Crazy, right? We can't control the pandemic but we can take control of our hair. Now, I'm hesitant about declaring victory before the battle has been won but I'm going to put my faith in Faith and look forward to unadulterated joy once the gray is gone.


Life during lockdown is not all black-and-white — it's gray! But as Faith Salie discovers, gaining a touch of control in your out-of-control life may be rooted in coloring your own hair.

Life during lockdown is not all black-and-white — it's gray! But as Faith Salie discovers, gaining a touch of control in your out-of-control life may be rooted in coloring your own hai

Life during lockdown is not all black-and-white — it's gray! But as Faith Salie discovers, gaining a touch of control in your out-of-control life may be rooted in chttps://www.cbsnews.com/video/do-it-yourself-hair-color-a-quarantine-quandary/


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JoAnn Jones
Apr 27, 2020

I have already received my box of light ash blonde by L'Oreal in the mail and it awaits me on the table by my bed. Since I am sheltering in place with my son and family, I must wait for a time when the two year old and the four year old are not around to help me with the project. I do this on a regular basis but never with an audience.

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phasedelay
Apr 27, 2020

I am resigned to becoming gray, and have been amazed by how many people would risk their lives to go to a barber shop or hair salon and have their hair done. But when you put it as a way to be in control of something when you can't control the virus, it helps me understand them a little bit. But until there is a vaccine, or I get COVID-19 and recover from it, I will not be going to a salon. I wonder how long my hair will get and what colors of grey will be in it in a year or two.

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