Zelmy Santos, 43, made the decision to stop using hair color in 2019. She says the catalyst for her decision to embrace her gray hair was due to a combination of factors. First, her son showed her a blog about women in their forties who stopped dying their hair as a challenge. Second, her 20+ year vegan background led her to Buddhism, at which point she decided to stop using anything on her body that had chemical ingredients, instead embracing natural as well as vegan cosmetic products.
We asked Zelmy to share her thoughts on the journey as well as how Go Gray products worked in supporting the end result.
Did you have second thoughts once you started the process?
Not dyeing my hair during the first two months was difficult, but I stayed positive and strong on my decision, especially since it was all for a chemical-free body.
Your hair is long…did you cut it at any point to ‘speed’ up the process?
I have only cut approximately ½-1” off the ends that were a bit damaged but nothing more than that.
What are some of the daily challenges you face as a result of your decision, and how do you overcome them?
In the beginning, I wore hats as well as beanies. At one point, I even wore synthetic dreadlocks and kept them on for about six months. After I removed the dreadlocks and started the Go Gray process, things ran easier.
I’m sure everyone has an opinion. How do the negative ones affect you? And the positive ones?
I only heard the negative ones towards the beginning. People would ask me why I wasn’t dyeing my hair, and I kept explaining that I had completely made the change to embrace a chemical-free life. Once the dreadlocks were on, the negative comments stopped. The positive ones happen all the time, and I absolutely embrace them as well. I always explain the process and the Go Gray products and show the website if I have time. I am beyond proud of the product, and I am extremely happy with the results.
Is there anything you learned going through this process that you wish you knew earlier? Or something that would have altered your decision to go gray?
Absolutely! If the product existed a year or two prior to my journey, I would have embraced my grays at an earlier age. I have had grays since I was 19, and I had been dyeing my hair since then. The damage that my hair went through was too much, even though I never bleached it. Once I used the Go Gray system my grays are beautiful, manageable, controlled, shiny, and just beyond gorgeous!
Where are you in the process and what is your hair routine at this point?
I wash my hair twice a week and every other weekend if I have had a heavy work weekend. I am currently still using the Charcoal Shampoo and Charcoal Conditioner on my ends for the little bit of color that’s left. I use the Purple Toning Shampoo and Conditioner Duo on the rest of my hair, and then I end with the Purple Toning Masque. Overall, I have to say Go Gray is by far the best product I have ever used.
