Next Level Platinum | Silver Sister Feature

I started to hear about Katie Goes Platinum when women would leave comments on how they found me. Katie has been a massive supporter of mine before we ever even connected. I love that she is full of so much love and encouragement to other women going through a beauty life change, such as ditching the dye. Katie is the founder of Katie Goes Platinum, a blog devoted to women who have chosen to embrace their gray hair. This silver sister lives with her husband, sons, and pug in the lovely San Gabriel Valley of Southern California.

I usually would put this interview on Beauty Reinvented, but I am trying not to spread myself so thin and keep my content on one blog for right now. I can’t wait for you to get to know a little more about Katie, she is such a supporter of women, and I am thrilled to feature her here on my blog. Make sure you check out her blog Katie Goes Platinum for a tremendous amount of support from how to start your gray hair journey to gray hair resources.

When did you decide to go gray?

I’d thought about it for years, but kept putting it off for the usual reasons (namely, fear of looking “old” or unkempt, an unsupportive hairdresser, and peer pressure).

But in 2018, at age 50, I decided I’d had ENOUGH. I was sick of spending my time and money dyeing, and I was concerned about the side effects of all those chemicals on my scalp. So, I made up my mind that I was done dyeing and I’ve never looked back!

Were you a blogger before you went gray or did your gray hair inspire you to share your story?

I started two different blogs in 2017 but never launched either of them. They didn’t inspire me creatively, so it was difficult to create content that was worth sharing.

But in 2018, I started my gray hair transition and devoured every single article or blog post about gray hair that I could find. I was so excited to start my transition that I couldn’t get enough of reading about gray hair or looking at pictures of women with gray hair. I was completely obsessed!

Even with all that reading, however, I still had a lot of unanswered questions about going gray not just about the process, or the products, but also about the emotional side of the transition. So many gray hair articles focused solely on the perceived negative aspects of going gray but ignored the positives.

I felt joyful and liberated by my transition. I was euphoric to be done with dyeing and I needed an outlet where I could express that joy and show women that going gray didn’t have to be scary.

So, I decided to start my own blog. I wanted to make it a one-stop-shop for women who were either thinking about going gray, already transitioning to gray, or full-on silver sisters. I wanted to answer women’s questions, share other women’s stories, and also express the joyful side of the gray hair transition.

It’s been a wild ride, but I’m so glad I married my love of gray hair with my desire to start a blog. It’s really been a blessing for me, creatively.

What’s the best thing about your decision to go gray?

I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think feeling like I “had” to dye my hair (to look younger), was emotionally damaging to me. Once I stopped dyeing, I started to feel like “me” again – the me that was rebellious, counter-culture, and creative. Plus, my hair looks better and feels healthier than it has in years, so it’s a win-win!

What advice would you give a woman that’s just starting out on her gray journey?

Don’t be scared. So many of us have been conditioned by advertisers that going gray will make us look dowdy or old. Or that we won’t be able to find jobs. Or love. Throw all those ideas out the window – they are NOT true.

Gray is just a color – some people start going gray in early childhood; some people never go gray. The only reason we think gray is just for old people is because the last few generations of women have been dyeing their hair and covering their natural color!

Find your support system. Whether that’s your family, friends, or the silver sister online community, this whole process will be easier if you have people on your side. It will be easier for rude or thoughtless comments to roll off your back if you feel supported and confident about your decision to go gray.

Finally, there is not only one RIGHT way to go gray. It really depends on your temperament and your style and how fast you want to go gray. For me, I knew it would be traumatic to cut my hair short or to go gray quickly, so I chose the cold turkey method and grew my dye out over two years. That was a perfect choice for me, but not might be for you. Luckily, you’ve got choices.

Describe yourself in three words

Tenacious, Creative and Loving