Natural Hair Challenges

This page will be used to document examples of people who successfully achieved the 'natural hair color challenge' as proposed long ago in the old 'EFV' site, to 'End Fashion Victimisation' in its worst sense, the precursor to the public service organisation AGiR!

As mentioned in the 'Hidden Formaldehyde' page of this AGiR! site, other ways to embrace your natural hair (not only in terms of color, but in terms of its curliness and/or texture) might also benefit genomic integrity (for yourself and for others, including - but not limited to - your hairdresser)!

Before going on to specific example images, here is a potentially useful perspective from one of the gals in the 'silver circle' group in Facebook! (Thank you, so much, S-NP for the inspiration and for letting me edit this excerpt for this purpose! <3 !)

I think reading this might help *you* thinking about the issues of hair dyeing more deeply, especially for those still uncertain about taking the challenge:

Covering our natural color is a way of covering up reality (sometimes unintentionally). When I am ready to see the truth of myself: Fallible, imperfect, human, hair dyeing will become a non-issue. Focusing on self care, so one can feel safe and happy enough to see the truth of who one really is and be able to show it to others, is key. Letting it all go, when one finally can, will be scary but freeing. As long as one keeps practicing self care, covering up will continue to decrease in value.

Try to feel powerful enough, inside yourself, that you will realise that trying to fit into society's idealized image projections won't make you feel safe and valuable, but on the contrary may in fact cause harm.

Make the choice for yourself and us all - dedicated toward an improving reality.

Yes, it all takes extra effort, but it's really worth considering!

And now on to some examples!

Thanks again!

I will start off with a dear friend, a member of AGiR! and super person. Her transition may not just have been part of the pandemic 'silver lining' - but she is inspiring others, that is for sure!

Thank you LD, for letting me use these before and after pics!!

Next is a recently inspiring member of the 'Silver Circle' Facebook group, who posted this message after a year into the pandemic (Feb 2021). Thanks DE! =)

Here is an inspirational family group of ATR from the Silver Circle. After her first 5 months, when the top picture was taken, she gradually convinced her Mother and Aunt to join in for the adventure. Thanks for letting me post these pics, taken just a year apart!

Here is MDF (thanks to you, too!!), also from the Silver Circle. She cut her hair short and shows how it grew out in the course of a year in these two images:

Her 'natural' streaks are indeed fabulous!

Two other wonderful women from the 'silver circle' have agreed to let their 'before' 'transitional' and 'after' images be shared here:

before, and transitional images, one year apart

and a year later!

Thank you, IG!

before, about 2012

after, in 2015

Thank you, SE!!

For anyone looking for moral support during the transitional time of growing into your natural hair color, both the 'Silver Circle' and 'Gray and Proud' groups in Facebook are highly recommended! :)

Next, I show CL, a supporter of AGiR! who also was one of the recipients of the EFV prize, 2013! She especially took the challenge because of other friends' examples, and has provided some pictures, before, during and after. Her hairdresser helped her gradually get to the point of being able to entirely stop dyeing her hair, and she now has a full head of salt-and-pepper hair, modern and short as usual in her case.

Before

During

All Natural!

CL was especially inspired by two friends who decided to stop covering their gray hair a few months before her and encouraged her to do the same thing. One of these women had to overcome resistance from family members, but is very pleased in the end.

RA, the founder of AGiR!, took at least 2 years to get her hair entirely 'natural,' with gray right down to the bottom of her long-ish hair (below shoulder length), using her 'gradual' method of dyeing only the roots of her hair at her usual part. In the end, she was surprised to realize that she mainly has her white hair around the front of her face, but remains mostly brown from behind! Here are two pics of her from early March 2015, at least 7 years since the last time her gray hair was covered-up.

('blanc et noir' means 'white and black' btw)

Both RA and CL can be seen in the picture taken after the General Assembly meeting in February 2015.

The other two members in that picture have also taken the challenge and look lovely and younger, even though it is now more than 6 years later!

Please share your experience(s), if you have also taken the challenge! (can use the 'contact' form and go from there...)

Best wishes!