Supporting Silver Feature: Tina Clark

I can’t say embracing my gray made me feel like a ‘badass,” bucking the beauty standards like a rebel. Deciding to go gray was truly the start of a journey to accepting myself and what I had and finding out that I liked it!

You see, I hated my hair and fought it my entire life. It wasn’t the “look’” I wanted. I wanted a polished, sleek look more “professional.” And then, it started to gray! Dying my hair smoothed my hair cuticles, I was told, and made my hair more manageable.

I fought what I “had” all my life, and tried hard to change it. I dyed it often and used a straight iron multiple times a day to maintain a “look.” I ended up stressing my hair to the point that it was thinning and looking bad. Growing past my shoulders, it looked stringy and unhealthy.

I decided to grow out my hair to its natural color by the time I turned 50. I was ready. It was time. I was ‘“done” chasing my roots and trying to blend with highlights that never matched my skin tone and often made me look ruddy and washed me out.

Hi Friends,

I have always been a big advocate of empowering and supporting women. This series is getting back to my “roots” literally and remembering what I went through during my silver hair transition. Many of the women I feature may or may not have their own blog. Therefore, I’m excited to introduce them to you.

Please meet my beautiful friend, Tina and read her story below:

As my natural color grew in, it was a perfect match for my skin tone, and I loved it! But my hair wasn’t completely healthy just yet.

Not until I decided to allow my hair to return to its natural curly state did it reach a new level of “healthy!” But returning to my curls was tougher than growing out the gray because I’ve hated and fought my curls for as long as I can remember. Fast forward to today, with a year of fully transitioning to my curls, and my hair has never been healthier, fuller, and stronger!!

So, my hair journey was not a great feat that I accomplished, nor a new skill I learned that resulted in a significant contribution to the world.

It was a simple yet powerful lesson in self-acceptance.

The growth, for me, was about so much more than hair. And, that lesson took a while to embrace fully. It gave me time to appreciate my growth. I grew more confident, comfortable with what I had, and content with myself, more than ever before!

I don’t fight it anymore. It’s me, the real me, and I’m at peace with my healthy natural do. And today, I appreciate my hair!

Gray doesn’t mean old, it’s a color that can happen at any age. And women who chose to embrace their natural hair aren’t letting go. They’re taking better care of themselves, becoming healthier with a renewed sense of self-care, despite not following any of those beauty rules! Maybe that does make us rebels.

You can follow Tina on Instagram @tinacclark687