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Do you remember the first day you discovered a gray hair on your head? Did you pluck it or panic? Whether you found your first gray in your thirties, forties, or fifties, that single hair follicle cried out: “You’re not as young as you used to be.”
Most likely you know a lady who’s gone completely gray and looks gorgeous. Her silver hair is sophisticated and attractive, working for her image instead of against it. On the flip side, you’ve also seen the woman whose gray makes her look, well, frumpy. What makes the difference? How do you know when to accept your grays or when to fight back with Clairol?
If you’re beginning to gray, stylists advise you color your hair until you are at least 40 percent gray. Until then, the gray streaks give you an in-between look that ages you instantly. To turn back the clock, try coloring your hair two shades lighter than your natural color (except if you have black hair). At-home hair color is better than ever, so your hair care doesn’t have to put a major dent in your wallet. Do keep in mind however that gray hair can be trickier to color because it’s usually coarser than your other hair. If you have a hard time making your home hair color stick to the grays, you may need to seek out professional help from a salon.
Here are a few common myths about those silver streaks:
False: You can go gray overnight because of stress.
Fact: A hair shaft can’t change color once it has grown in unless it’s dyed.
False: If you pull out one gray hair, two more will take its place.
Fact: You will gray follicle by follicle. If you pull out one gray, it will be replaced by one gray.
False: Your hair can return to its natural color after it has gone gray.
Fact: When a hair follicle stops producing pigment, it cannot change back.
By 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates those 65 and older will account for almost 20 percent of the U.S. population (compared to 12.4 percent in 2005).47 With baby boomers aging, gray is destined to be the new black, especially as people live longer and longer. Also today there are two million Americans in their nineties, and by 2050, that number is estimated to grow to ten million.48
American historian and statesman George Bancroft wrote in the 1800s, “By common consent gray hairs are a crown of glory; the only object of respect that can never excite envy.”49 Centuries later that’s as true as ever. We respect and admire our elders, but we’re not pounding at the door to seek membership.
BEAUTY TIP
Once you’ve gone mostly gray, choose a short haircut. Long, straggly gray hair will not help you look younger.
Infinitely more important than the color of your mane is the integrity of your name. Gray hairs reflect maturity of character and richness of life experience. The wisdom you can pass along to the next generation is priceless. As it says in Titus 2:3-4,
Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.
Evelyn, a dear woman at my church, is 100 years old and going strong, a living example of Titus 2:3-4. I spoke with her as she quilted with the Thursday morning church quilting group, her ritual for the past 40 years. She is the matriarch and hero of the group. “Evelyn brings us a new quilt to look at each week,” one woman exclaimed. “She’s our rock.” She teaches the younger women the art of quilting, and by being around her, they also learn the art of living.
Evelyn is passionate about quilting because every quilt is sold to raise money for missionaries. Evelyn is known to stay up late at night to work on her quilts. At 100, she still drives to the grocery store and even picks up other elderly friends who cannot drive anymore. DMV renewed her license until her 103rd birthday.
Her secret to joyful longevity? “Giving is the most important thing in life,” said Evelyn, whose accomplishments include raising six kids (three became pastors or missionaries), working on a farm, living through the Depression, visiting shut-ins, and teaching Sunday school for most of her life. “I don’t have the gift of speech,” she says almost apologetically. But who needs words when her life speaks so loudly? She talks with tears in her eyes about the joy that comes from working for the Lord, trusting Him completely, and fellowshipping with other women (she’s been a widow for more than 30 years). She silences the common fears that accompany aging by reading her Bible and seeking the Lord in prayer.
What does she want to do in the future? “I want to continue what I’m doing. I quilt and count the offering every week. I feel young in my heart, but sometimes my legs don’t know it.” Evelyn has tapped into the fountain of youth by staying active and serving the Lord with everything she’s got. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be so independent, needed, and beloved at 100?50
Beauty doesn’t have an expiration date. In fact, you could argue that women become more beautiful as they age. Proverbs 16:31 says, “Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life.” In the Bible, age is something to be revered not rejected. True wisdom comes from a history of walking with the Lord, not with the recklessness that often accompanies youth. Job 12:12 puts it this way, “Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?”
With every gray hair, every year spent with Jesus, you are growing in wisdom, grace, and beauty. You’re not headed for a junkyard where people with old, clunky parts are put and forgotten. Instead Psalm 92:12-14 paints a much brighter future:
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green.
So as you go gray, may you also remember that you’re going green. You will bear fruit. Your life will count. You will have meaningful work. With each day, you are becoming more alive. As you embrace that truth, you will not only feel younger, you’ll look younger. Going green isn’t just about being good to the environment. It’s about the rich quality of life and harvest that can come only with age.
Thought for Rejuvenation
What are your attitudes about aging? Do you have any fears about growing old and going gray?
Visit or call someone you admire who is 75 years old or older. Pretend you’re a reporter and try to uncover the secret to their success. Ask such questions as:
• What’s an average day like for you?
• Tell me about your relationship with God.
• How do you keep in touch with your family?
• What are the highlights of your day?
• Do you exercise regularly?
• How do you keep young at heart?