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It's been one week since I took the pixie plunge in my backyard. First and foremost, thank you @grombre for featuring my story! I am fairly cautious with sharing personal moments on social media and you have all made it a wonderful experience. I have tried my best to read through the 2,700+ comments and quickly picked up on a trend of questions relating to my buzz. Here are some answers and a few more photos of my before, during and after!

How did you feel before, during, and after the buzz?

It's like waiting for a race to begin. The waiting sucks, the race is fun and then when it's over you're like, "wow, that was fast".

Once I made up my mind that morning, I was super anxious to get it done. I wasn't nervous at all during it— just enjoyed listening to my family's reaction throughout the process because they were the ones seeing me gradually change.

It was awesome looking in the mirror when it was done! I LOVE surprises and seeing yourself in your most natural state after years of processed hair is kinda cool. That night after I buzzed it I woke up at like 3AM, felt my hair and was like, "oh yeah, I did that yesterday!".

Who did the buzz?

It was a family affair! My twelve-year-old daughter buzzed it, my fourteen-year-old son filmed it and my husband cleaned it up!

Was it scary?

I have very little hair now. My face is exposed. My collar bones, neck, ears... they are all exposed. My grey hair is 100% there for all to see. Those were all known facts going into this.

The unknown was the reaction: Would my friends and family like it? Will I look incredibly older? Will it seem like I gave up on caring how I look? What will my coworkers think? Will this impact the way people treat me?

Our fear is only as deep as our mind allows. This was an incredibly positive, uplifting, liberating experience. I did it for myself and that feels really good.

“Instead of worrying about what people say or think of you, why not spend time trying to accomplish something they will admire.”

— Dale Carnegie

How fast does your hair grow?

Based on my roots measurement, I believe it grows about a half inch/month.

Did it make your head itchy?

No itchiness. That being said, I actually get seasonal psoriasis on my scalp. I think this short cut will be great because the vitamin D from the sun tends to work wonders for my dry patches.

How have your friends and family responded?

My friends are loving it! I convinced my best friend to grow out her grey and another friend actually chopped her hair off that evening in her bathroom because she was inspired by my buzz!

My husband is a huge supporter of not only short hair on me, but going grey. Let's just say my kids were not jumping up and down for the change. That being said, they know I thrive in spontaneous moments and my calm composure gave them some security. Sometimes the best life lessons we can give our children is not through words, but experiences.

For my daughter, it showed her that embracing our natural beauty is a powerful thing. For my son, he recognizes that women do not have to be held to these age-old standards of beauty and can age just as gracefully as men!

Do you have any regrets?

I looked at it this way: if the cut turned out nice, amazing. If it turned out bad, it would be an experience of a lifetime.

My primary goal was not to rock a killer style. I wanted to feel some control again in my life and that was my biggest motivation. Certainly the change is drastic, but once you allow yourself to accept that then the whole experience is gratifying and the fresh style is icing on the cake.

“If your stylist disapproves of such buzz, my advice is to ask why and press for a response that is beyond their personal opinion.”

Was it hard to decide to cut your hair instead of letting it grow?

When I first started this "grey journey", I knew I was in it for the long haul. I have a really long face so just to get my grey to a bob length felt like it would take decades.

I decided if this is already going to feel like eternity, why don't I at least go through it by avoiding that root stage? Turns out, the short hair is a keeper so I'm really, really glad I didn't go through 3-years of growing it out just to chop it all into a pixie!

Does your hair stylist approve?

Yes! Shoutout to Ann at @palaceflophouse whom has been super supportive throughout my grey journey and spontaneous at-home buzz! If your stylist disapproves of such buzz, my advice is to ask why and press for a response that is beyond their personal opinion. "You'll regret it", is not good enough. Push for suggestions on styles that would work for your face shape or other transitioning tips. Their job is to provide an expert opinion but ultimately leave this very personal one up to you.

Do you have any tips?

I reached out to my stylist the morning of the buzz and she gave me two great tips:

1) Put on some make-up and

2) Wear something you feel good in. Less of a shock when you look in the mirror.

She was right! Know that when you go short, not only will your face glow but your beautiful neck, collar bones and shoulders will be more exposed. I wore a tank top to highlight those features.

Lastly, don't dwell on the thought that you might look older in a matter of minutes. Instead, focus on the excitement of finally seeing yourself in the most natural way. It's incredibly liberating.

Do you miss the length? How does it feel to go from shoulder-length to very short?

I've gone from long to short before, so you could say I've never been super attached to my length as a security blanket.

I think if my long hair was super healthy I would miss some of that feeling. My ends were dry and my hair just started to feel fragile so it felt good to get rid of that. I've also had a ton of thinning in the last couple years and do not miss seeing my hair laying all over the place.

Knowing that it's so fresh, natural and healthy completely outweighs the length for me. The change feels really, really good!

“Lastly, don’t dwell on the thought that you might look older in a matter of minutes. Instead, focus on the excitement of finally seeing yourself in the most natural way. It’s incredibly liberating.”

How much time are you saving washing and styling your hair now?

This is by far the biggest change. I would say I'm saving the most time throughout the day. My long hair was super curly— I would spend so much time tossing it in and out of a bun or figuring out which headband/hat I would wear to cover my roots that day.

This cut is so incredibly simple. I literally towel dry it, toss around a little styling cream and use my finger tips to pull it forward to kinda frame my face. I use just a tiny bit of shampoo and occasionally conditioner because I like the softness and scent it provides.

The time I'm really looking forward to saving is in the salon!

What products are you using?

Virtue, Smooth Shampoo & Conditioner: it hydrates and de-frizzes.

Aveda, Blue Malva Shampoo & Conditioner: it makes my silvers sparkle!

O&M, Style Guru: it’s great for adding texture and doesn't make it crunchy.

Number 4, Sugar Texturizing Spray: it’s a MUST for all hair types!

Kevin Murphy, Motion Lotion: it’s my fav curl enhancer.

Click on any image to see products in Sezuhn’s Amazon store

What size clipper guard did you use? Any fading or tapering?

#8, it's about an inch.

I wanted to make sure that the buzz went right to the tip of the grey. If you're not sure, start with the largest guard. You can always go shorter.

Besides cleaning up around the ears, we didn't go wild with fading and such!

Does it still feel great?

So good! The best part about an even buzz is that from here on out I can just grow and shape it to whatever style I want.

I plan on seeing my stylist for my next visit so we can have some fun with it.

Are you going to keep it short?

Hell yeah! Power to the pixie!

More about Carrie @simonsayssilver

41 year-old Michigan native; grew up on a farm in the "thumb"
Married to college sweetheart, Bill, for 17 years
Mom to 12 year-old daughter and 14 year-old son
Dogs Theo & Gertie; outdoor cat Pebbles Poopy Pants
Studied Apparel Merchandising and Design at Central Michigan University
Post-college graduation, biked from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean with boyfriend turned husband - 3,700 mile trip over the course of 11 weeks
Nearly 20-year career in the fashion industry; currently Design Director for (footwear brand) Chaco, based out of Rockford, Michigan
Favorite pastimes : camping, running, cycling, hiking, canoeing, gardening/yard work, sewing, practicing calligraphy, prepping for my favorite time of the year - Halloween!
Started going grey in my mid-20s