‘Throwing some SHADE on ‘GRAY HAIR!’

Golden Divas allow me to introduce to you one of my closest and dearest friends. This young lady is going to throw some positive shade on ‘Gray Hair!’

Ever since I’ve known Tracy beside her wonderful personality and natural beauty, I took noticed instantly to her long gray locks. To be honest she is my only friend that has embraced nature’s highlights and is rocking it effortlessly. This Golden Diva flowing locks have been in fashion before all of the hype about gray hair became a phenomenon!

Now we all know beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I behold the loveliness of all of my ‘Golden Divas’ especially the ones that are bold enough to rock ‘The Gray Hair’ such as Tracy, short or long, natural or permed like never before. Sure when most people see gray hair they automatically think of a person as being old, but I see it as a sign of God’s beauty of wisdom and His natural highlights.

Always the lovely Golden Diva behind the camera and never in front of the lens taking countless pictures of everyone and everything the woman with the ‘BIG HEART’ and the long and flowing gray locks without further ado let me introduce to you Club Fifty ‘Golden Diva’ and natural beauty of God’s highlights for the month of August, My Girl, My Friend, and My Sister…

Tracy Howard

Tracy is a 54-year-old divorced mother of 4 beautiful daughters and 2 adorable grandsons. Even though her heart and passion for life has always been in social services, she has worked for the last 27 years in property management. She currently works at Westhaven Park, on the near west side as a Community Manager for mixed income property.  

Tracy is also the Social media director of an internet Christian radio show called ‘Let’s Stay Together Talk.’ You can hear her and the two co-host Reverend Rick McCain and I Author Brenda McCain discuss topics that are open, honest and entertaining.  

Besides keeping up with her two grandsons, staying busy with work and the radio show, Tracy loves doing photography for her family, the radio show, and other events.  

In Conversation with Tracy Howard on Style & Beauty 

C50:  When did you notice your first strand of gray hair? 

TH:  I am not sure when I first noticed a gray hair. It has been gray so long I don’t remember… lol.

C50:  Is graying early hereditary within your family?

TH:  Yes graying early in my family is hereditary, I barely remember my mom without gray hair. All my brothers and sisters both older and younger are gray.

C50: How long have you had a head full of gray hair?

 TH: I think I started noticing the gray about 17 years ago when I got divorced.  I used to tell my ex that he stressed me out so bad I went gray overnight. I told him that I left my hair gray so that he would remember how bad he stressed me out … lol.  He has probably figured out by now I would have been gray anyway.

C50: Do you believe that having gray hair can age a woman?

TH: In all honesty, I do believe that gray hair can age some women, but I say embrace who you are regardless of what others think.

C50: Do you feel that having gray hair for men and women are viewed differently in society?

TH: I do believe that having gray hair for men and women are viewed differently in society. With men, they are handsome and distinguished but people feel as if gray hair makes a woman old. I have had people tell me, you should dye your hair, or you could get a man if you dyed it….really people?  But believe it or not most men say they like it gray, but women want me to dye it. 

C50: Do you think your gray hair is the first thing that people notice about you?

TH: Mmmmmm….sometimes I think my hair, gray or other wise is the first thing people notice.

C50: How did you come to terms with embracing your gray locks?

TH: I have never “NOT” embraced my gray hair, I have been gray so long and so many people in my family are gray that it is just the norm.

C50: Have you enhanced your gray hair by using any hair products? 

TH: No I don’t enhance my gray hair, I just wash it and condition it with whatever is the cheapest shampoo.  I have never dyed my hair at all.

C50: What is your take on all of the hype surrounding the phenomenon of gray hair as a fashion trend now? 

TH: My take on the “gray” hair phenomenon is to each his own.  I didn’t even notice it until my kids brought it to my attention. I guess all I can say is for once “I am in style”….lol.

C50: What is the one fact that you want women to know about having gray hair? 

TH: I guess that your hair does not define who you are. It’s like the song one of my favorite artists sings “I Am Not My Hair” by India Arie. It’s about what’s on the inside and not the outside. I feel I would still be me with red hair or no hair. So women…ALL WOMEN should embrace their inner beauty and love their GRAY HAIR!!

Bonus Question:

C50: Do you believe a woman can still be stylish with gray hair?

TH: I absolutely believe women can be stylish with gray hair. My mother (Eleanor Brown) has beautiful gray hair and keeps it cut cute. I am just lazy and not really into the hair so I keep it long so I can just pull it back or braid it, but there are tons of beautiful women with stylish gray hair.

C50: And you are one of them, beautiful on the inside and outside with the long gray flowing locks Tracy Howard.

‘Gray Hair is Beautiful’ ladies! 

And there you have it our Club Fifty Golden Diva Interview with the woman behind the lens Tracy Howard on Style and Beauty: “50 Shades of Gray Hair!” Thank you for sharing Sis! 

Now Golden Diva’s this discussion isn’t over yet, continue reading to understand why we contemplate the big question about keeping our hair gray, why our hair loses its pigments and change to gray and ‘The Rise of Gray Hair!’   

To Go Gray, Or Not To Go Gray: That Is the Question?  

So what is the answer?

Women everywhere probably contemplated this question. Should I keep the gray, should I dye my hair, should I continue to rinse my hair? I’m not ready to go gray and I’m definitely not ready to look older. Whatever your reasons to keep it gray or NOT it’s your business and only your business. So the answer lies within YOU!

This beauty (Tracy Howard) to the left of the screen is wearing her gray hair very well; despite how society had women believing once they go gray it is a sign that their beauty is fading along with their hair. NOT!!!

We were prone to think that when a woman’s hair turns gray it’s time to dismiss her and toss her to the side. Why was going gray so one-sided in America? When men grayed they are considered distinguished, handsome, and they showed the signs of wisdom. However, when a woman’s hair turns gray she shows the signs of stress, worry, and lack of beauty. 

It was a time not too long ago we flooded the beauty supply stores to buy black, brown, and red rinse and dyes, leaving the shelves empty to restore our tresses back to its youthful luster, so we will be seen as beautiful. 

Now we are flooding the beauty salon and the beauty supply stores to buy gray hairpieces to attach to our hair, gray, silver, or platinum rinse or dye’s because this unconventional look, is BEAUTIFUL and has skyrocketed to a new beauty marker!  

So, What Changed?

Our perspective on what is deemed as a beautiful hair color changed. The latest trend of ‘Granny Chic’ (gray hair) has become a sensational frenzy. Celebrities are putting gray hair on the map and it has become a phenomenon in its own right. Women of all ages young and old are opting for the big dye hair color of gray if they haven’t grayed naturally yet because the gray shade goes with just about all skin tones. It used to be a time when a woman dreaded to see one strand of hair loses its beautiful hue of black, red or dark brown color to run for the hills; especially in Hollywood. 

However, now gray hair has recently gone from dreaded to desired, as celebrities, models, and young women across the country head to salons to ask for silvery finishes. Ladies everywhere are working those gray tresses to perfection and the popularity of dyed gray hair among young women has also emboldened older customers to stop coloring their gray hair. 

Fact: It’s Not Always Black and White: There Are Shades of Gray!!

1.  As we continue to go on this journey called life, all of us will eventually garner some gray hair, it’s inevitable, whether it’s a few strands around your edges or a skunk patch running from your temple to your crown (like me) or the worry gray or the head full of gray hair….nonetheless ladies it’s coming.
2. Okay, let the nightmare begin and you may not be ready for the gray, but guess what…your hair is. Melanin production what gives hair its pigment decreases with age and if you’re going through menopause your hormones are all over the place contributing to these foxy gray strands?
3. So either you stock up on hair dye and rinse or embrace your new hair color like Tracy did and ‘ROCK EM’ out!

Some Factors That May Cause Gray Hair

1. Normal aging is the biggest culprit: 50-50-50 rule. “Fifty percent of the population has about 50% gray hair at age 50.” 
2. Your ethnicity makes a difference: Caucasians tend to go gray earlier — and redheads earliest of all. Then Asians. Then African-Americans. Scientists haven’t figured out why yet.
3. Hereditary...it’s a family thing and you can’t blame it on the alcohol for this one. Mom and Dad are the culprits: It’s in your gene pool to gray early.
4. Your lifestyle makes a big difference: Smoking, for example, stresses your skin and hair. Whether it’s you or someone else in your house doing the puffing, exposure to cigarette smoke can affect your hair color. Research published in 2013 found that smokers have 2.5 times greater odds of early graying, likely because of the huge amounts of free radicals generated by lighting up. Count this as one more reason to quit—or encourage a loved one to break the habit. Low vitamin B12 levels are notorious for causing loss of hair pigment
5. Your health: Your health can take a toll on your hair, even the color of it.  It is a great indicator when it comes to a lot of skin and hair issues.” For example, people can shed hair rapidly when they are taking ill and is taking certain medicines and hair you lose after a stressful event like getting chemotherapy may grow back a different color or alopecia areata can lead to bright white strands. Lastly, low vitamin B12 levels are notorious for causing loss of hair pigments. 
6. Your environment is polluted: Pollutants and toxins can cause you to gray faster, according to the Library of Congress. These chemicals generate free radicals—or oxidative stress—that damage melanin production and speed hair aging, studies suggest. 
7. Stress: Stress will accelerate your genetic destiny. Meaning, if you’re not going to go gray anytime soon, stress is unlikely to change your hair color. But if going gray is in your genes, stress can make your hair turn gray faster and earlier—unless you make an effort to manage stress. 
8. Hormones: One glance at a photo of you a decade ago can tell you this, but your hair is not the same now as it was then. Thanks to hormones, your hair can change over time in texture, density, and, yes, color. “This process starts to be most noticeable when you turn 30. When you are going through perimenopause and menopause you will probably see more gray strands popping out.  

Golden Diva’s I hope you have a better understanding of your new hair color, however, I really hope you embraced nature highlights with vigor, style, and boldness!

Resources: http://www.rd.com/health/beauty/what-causes-gray-hair/

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2015/06/gray_hair_don_t_care_why_so_many_young_women_are_going_gray.html