Friday, December 6, 2013

Be Proud of that Grey-Hair

Of all the unwelcome milestones, The First Nose Hair must be the worst. When you feel the need to trim, that's when it really hits home that your body's ageing and doing peculiar things off its own bat. And don't think it's only men who suffer from body hair gone rogue – this morning, dear reader, I snipped my first white nose hair. I am disproportionately upset about this. More so than the long white curly eyebrow hair, or the solitary white whisker that lies flat under my chin and then suddenly pings out and gets tweezered. I'm SO not ready for the full walrus, not yet. Happily I'm not at all angsty about my greying roots (probably because hair on my head stays on my head and doesn't mysteriously move about) and in any case this year white and grey hair became a "thing".

I've flirted with the idea of embracing my inner grey but it doesn't suit everyone and my hairdresser insists it won't suit me. I can see the reasoning behind this. I'm one of those people who should avoid too much of a blue tinge in lipstick and employing that logic I think my naturally grey hair is too much "blue" to look good on me. I've been platinum blonde in the past and that did suit me so maybe 

I should just go from light russet to white in one leap – only then there is maintenance. It's not as simple as thinking "sod it" and giving up your normal hair care, because properly glorious and head-turning white/grey hair needs just as much attention as you give it now (I hope), and there are – of course there are – special products too. On this occasion I think it is worthwhile investing, because hair ages too and it's one of those things that matters, both to our appearance and to how we feel inside.

Frustratingly, it's a tad difficult to find mainstream specialist shampoos and other products. I don't know about you but I really don't want to buy anything with a picture of granny on the packaging. (How many more times do I have to say this, advertising people? Go out and find yourself some properly stylish older women – there are plenty of us about.) Thank heavens then for the recently launched White Hot Hair, which is whooshing up the image no end. Jayne Mayled, the founder, was also unhappy at what was available, or rather what wasn't, and has arrived at a simple capsule collection of products designed for use specifically on older grey hair. As Jayne says in her piece on the website: "This is not the white flag of surrender, I'm just choosing a new colour and it happens to be grey." I've seen the results of this range and you can forget about lank, ratty old lady hair – this is about body and shine and oomph. I won't normally recommend anything I haven't tried myself, but White Hot Hair is an exception I'm happy to make.

A Tragic Demise Of A Hero

Nelson Mandela, the prisoner-turned-president who reconciled South Africa after the end of apartheid, died on Thursday, December 5, according to the country's president, Jacob Zuma. Mandela was 95.

Freedom fighter, prisoner, moral compass and South Africa's symbol of the struggle against racial oppression.

That was Nelson Mandela who emerged from prison after 27 years to lead his country out of decades of apartheid.

He died Thursday night at age 95

His message of reconciliation, not vengeance, inspired the world after he negotiated a peaceful end to segregation and urged forgiveness for the white government that imprisoned him.

"As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison," Mandela said after he was freed in 1990.

Mandela, a former president, battled health issues in recent years, including a recurring lung infection that led to numerous hospitalizations.

Despite rare public appearances, he held a special place in the consciousness of the nation and the world.

"Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father," South African President Jacob Zuma said. "What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human. We saw in him what we seek in ourselves."

His U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, echoed the same sentiment.
"We've lost one of the most influential, courageous and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth," Obama said. "He no longer belongs to us -- he belongs to the ages."