Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

All natural Bush

Hair colorNot to create a psychologically damaging association between President Bush and well, let me explain.

I ran across an ad this morning (thanks to Google adsense) extolling the virtues of coloring your hair. Hair coloring is a bit of a hot button topic among environmentalists and compactors, since they tend to be made out of harsh chemicals and they really provide zero functional purpose besides enhancing(?) one's appearance. Of course, there are some products that claim to be more natural than others, but the end result either way is that you have chemicals, packaging and other waste associated with coloring your hair. And you have to maintain the color.

Now, let me first admit that I get my hair highlighted. It's not something I do frequently (twice a year), but it does create a lot of waste. Perhaps I could switch to some concoction of lemon and chamomile, but I imagine that the results would not be the same. I suspect when I go gray, I'll have a whole new set of issues to work through.

What does this have to do with President Bush? He obviously doesn't color his hair since he's mostly gray and he hasn't gone the route of Ronald Reagan yet. However, speaking of politicians and gray hair, in an article from 2007, The War Over Going Gray, the author points out that of the 16 female U.S. Senators, not a single one has visible gray hair, though they range in age from 46 to 74. Of the 70 female members of the House, only seven have gray hair. In fact, we have almost no high-profile, female, gray-haired role models. (I highly recommend that you read the article in its entirety.)

But what about the ad you ask? Well, it was for dying an altogether different sort of Bush:

"Betty(TM) products are specially formulated color dyes for the hair down there to naturally match your hair above, cover gray or just for fun!"

They even sell a hot pink version in their "Fun!" line so you can spruce up your beaver for special occasions. Is your Betty ready? Ummm. No, thank you. Not at this time.

Fun BettyI'm sure there are plenty of women who are quite pleased that such a product exists, so that the carpet matches the drapes, but this seems even more superficial than head hair coloring. For the most part, few people will see your pubic hair, unless you like hanging out in the showers at the public pool or have a different sort of profession. And if you or your partner have such issues about the color of your pubic hair, well, I really think there are other problems going on.

What's the environmental answer to a mismatched muff? Well, the obvious choice is to just go au naturel. If the color of your carpet bothers you (because it's gray or doesn't match your head), then I suppose you could do some serious bush wacking and just shave off the whole lot. Do you really need to pamper your pubes?

All this, of course, leads me to a poll. Because how often does pubic hair come up on this blog? Okay, don't answer that question. Answer this question instead (multiple choice):

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

The poll won't load for me.

And I am joining in the Buy Nothing challenge, too :)

Lee said...

O.M.G. Did I just see an ad on that Betty website for GREEN hair colouring for 'down there' for St Patrick's Day?

I really don't want to go there on that one!

Couldn't get the poll to work - got a 'timed out' message. Could be becase I'm reading the blog from the Antipodes, maybe?

Anyway, I used to dye my hair but have decided,with he onset of my first spectacularly grey hairs (I'm 37) to go grey naturally, and not dye any more. I just don't want to have to deal with the whole roots issue every six weeks. Guess I'm lazy.

Unknown said...

There must also be issues with the man in your life (or woman!)...er... ingesting the chemicals in the dye when they're...er...

Well, use your imagination!

Robj98168 said...

Well, a plumber doesn't kiss and tell but...

I will let everyone fill in the ...

Natural Louisville said...

It's like that episode of Sex and the City ... Samantha gets a gray hair "down there" and heads for the dye, exclaiming, "No one wants to #@$! grandma's p______y". (Use your imagination.)

I don't know if Betty has been around for awhile or if the show gave a voice to this secret grooming need. Personally I think if it bothered me that much I'd just pull a Britney. (TMI, I know)

Anonymous said...

So that's why my hairdresser had stirrups!

equa yona(Big Bear) said...

I know that shaving stubble MUST be agony in the nether regions. I wonder how many guys die, trim, shave? We tend to wear the more comfy, baggy swim trunks. Hmm I see another poll possibility(that could be a sort of double entendre pun couldn't it?)

Chile said...

Oh man, Crunchy. Think of the searches that are gonna land on your blog now. Wahoo.

Way TMI, but let me just say nothing makes you feel old faster than discovering the hair on your head isn't the only hair that's turning white. :(

Anonymous said...

Well this was quite the way of starting my day. Thanks Crunchy. You always keep me thinking. Debbie C

camp mom said...

I'm not all that old but well into my forties-started getting a few grays a couple years ago. At this point I figure I have earned it and will just keep it..in all areas..dying my hair before the gray wasn't something I actually considered anyway since I liked my hair color to begin with!

jewishfarmer said...

My husband has vitiligo - he has no pigment on one side of his face, so the hair and beard there is white, and he has black hair on the other side. When I met him, he shaved so that you coudn't see the white beard hairs, dyed his hair, penciled his eyebrow, etc... But a combination of getting older and a wife that really likes the cool half black and white look convinced him to show it off, grow a beard to emphasize it, and give up the pencil. He gets a lot of compliments on it, and he's never hard to spot ;-).

So it isn't like I could dye things even if I wanted to - I'd get way too much ribbing. So when it happens (not yet), I'll be all about the grey pussy.

Sharon

Wendy said...

Speaking of the hair on my head, at 40 I have some lovely wisps of gray. A couple of years ago I went to the hair salon for a cut and the stylist asked if I wanted to "do something about this gray." Well, no. Actually I don't. What's wrong with my gray, anyway? I'm a mother of five children and I have a granddaughter. I've lived an incredible life, and the gray is just a small portion of the person I am.

As for the rest of my hair ... well, I don't care if it's gray either. Other than me, the only person who sees it seems to be graying (on his head) at about the same speed that I am. My guess is it's not a top priority ;). Contrary to what Samantha from Sex in the City believes, grandpa is more than happy to #@$%! grandma's ....

Use your imagination ;)

katecontinued said...

This poll comes in a year when I have decided to forgo my red hair coloring after 30 years. I also stopped using shampoo 5 weeks ago.

Funny story. I noticed in my early thirties that I had more gray hairs appearing at the bush and the eyebrows than my head. (I had let most color grow out because I was extremely poor at the time.) Coming from divorce and miserable dating experiences it made sense to me.

Well, almost twenty-five years ago I decided on a celibate lifestyle so I have even less reason to consider anything but Au Natural Bush.

Sam said...

Wow...I had no idea women even thought about things like dying their carpets.

Maeve said...

I bought some henna seeds, so I can grow my own plants (hopefully they cooperate) and I won't have to feel guilty about having henna shipped from the Middle East to North America. I quit using non-plant hair color when I finally admitted to myself that yes, chemicals do make my head itch a wee bit and if I kept using them, I was going to probably have a nasty allergic reaction. Besides, they're bad for the earth.

Maeve said...

and no, I don't, haven't, and won't, dye hair other than what's on my head.

Although the thought of the shocked expression on my husband's face if I secretly dyed it flourescent blue... heh heh. That priceless moment would *almost* be worth the bother. But not quite.

Anonymous said...

It never occurred to me that pubic hair turns gray. This blog really has taught me so much!

Segwyne said...

Me, too, Emeraldmoon. That is talked about so little in our society that I never even realized it would happen. I go au natural most of the time. The only time I do anything with my carpet is in the summer. I do shave the abundant hairs that stick out the edges of my modest one-piece swimsuit. No bikinis for me. I would frighten people with the stretch marks from my five babies.

Theresa said...

I've dyed the drapes for a while, but no way I'm dying the carpet. Would like to give up the drape dying too - it costs a lot and just can't be good. But I will look like the bride of Frankenstein if I stop, and I'm not quite ready for that yet, at 41.

Anonymous said...

I've almost always shaved everything right off... I don't think I've had a full bush since I was 16. Sometimes I trim as close as the scissors will get, sometimes I splurge and get waxed (again, everything right off) but usually it's the razor. I'd never considered that people would dye their pubes for anything other than novelty? pink hearts or whatever, you know?

Anonymous said...

I don't dye anything. I used to dye my hair, but I've given it up. I'm 30 in June, my hair is about a quarter white, and I know it's not because I'm elderly. Frankly, I think it looks better than the dye did, and I get plenty of compliments.

Not dyeing feels like swimming against the tide, a lot of women feel like they'll be discriminated against, or become unattractive, if they stop dyeing. I'd urge you to be brave!

Anonymous said...

wow, that's totally absurd. i wouldn't consider even dying the hair on my head, let alone any other hair... why can't women just relax about that sorta thing?? hair is NORMAL. it's like the whole body hair issue. i also don't get why some women are obsessed with waxing/shaving/tweasing/bleaching/electrolisis/laser on their body hair. just leave it alone. seriously. and i'm persian, so that says a lot... lol

Walking Green said...

You know, I confess, I highlight my hair...on my head. I am 35, went gray when I was 24. The hair on my head is a nasty, mousy gray I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy--so I am in that boat until I grow my comfy, or it starts developing a nice shade of silver.

However, I am picturing myself in stirrups while my hairdresser foils my carpeting and can't stop laughing right now.

Laura said...

Dude, if anyone is dying the carpet, I say they have too much time on their hands. Seriously. Go read a book. :)

And... uh...err. Igrewoutthepitsforthewinter. There, I said it. I don't know if I will have the courage to go au natural for the summer but over winter it was quite nice. My boyfriend is totally fine with it. Strangely, it was almost like growing a totally new body part! I had never not shaven for more than a few days.

Anonymous said...

No high-profile, female role models with gray hair? Allow me to point you in the direction of Kathleen Sebelius, the democratic governor of Kansas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius

She is also a green role model! She mades national news recently when she vetoed a coal-fired energy plant being built Holcomb, KS. (Our Senate has and our House is about to override it, but hey, she did her part.)

Anonymous said...

I'm just waiting for the day when I go gray and my mother is still light brown. Ha ha! I'm sure I'll catch hell. All 10 of her siblings have white hair... since this appears to be a family in which people go gray/white at age 35ish, we won't have to wait too much longer for me to join the club, I think. But I like the idea of white hair. I want to wear it in a ponytail like Jane Goodall.

April said...

Dear God! Are you serious? Why did I read this post? This is not information that I want in my head. Now I'm going to think about women with hot pink....er... uh...no, I'm not going to think about that.

BTW, I was going to cut 8" off my hair and donate it to be made into wigs for children with alopecia, but they don't accept highlighted hair, but they do take dyed hair. What's the diff?