Facial massages and tackling gray hair.

I am starting to see quite a few grey hairs peeking through my naturally brunette hair. I’m only 32, is it too early to start coloring them?

You know what I have to say to your hair? GO AWAY, PESKY GRAYS! Go ahead and color it. In the immortal words of Heather Locklear, do it, “because we’re worth it!” I just read an interesting statistic that said that 70% of American women color their hair. That’s quite a large percentage if you ask me, and I admit I am a part of that group. I started coloring my hair about five years ago right after I got married. I am naturally a dark brunette, and pretty much wanted to stay that way... except those pesky gray hairs started to take over! I am on the young side to be so gray as well, but I remember finding them sprouting up in high school. Usually, one of my helpful friends would quickly pluck it out of my head before I had time to object. I blame it on my Dad because he went gray fairly young, too. Why couldn’t I have taken after my Mom? She is blonde-ish with no noticeable gray at all!

Now, I drag myself to the salon to get a single process color to cover the gray that threatens to make me look older than I really am. That’s what I recommend you do if you are a first-time colorer with "virgin" hair -- try an easy, permanent, single-process color. I don’t ever get any of those fancy highlights, because honestly, it’s outside of my budget right now. I do not overly like getting my hair colored. It’s not a “feel good” salon service, in my opinion. The color kind of burns my scalp and I am always cold when my hair is wet. Give me a massage or a pedicure over getting my hair done any day! I used to color it at home, and I have to say that the at-home hair color I used did a fantastic job, but since having two children, I don’t want those kind of chemicals in the air for my girls to breathe in. Call me paranoid, but I feel like it’s worth a trip to the salon, even though it is a tad more expensive. All right, it’s way, way more expensive, but another reason to go to the salon is that if you have never colored before it’s really hard to reach the back of your head.

I also found a great stylist that I really like. Want to know the only reason I chose her at first? Because she has the same first name as I do, so it’s easy to remember. I saw another stylist for 3 years and could never remember her name. I always had to describe what she looked like to the receptionist when I called to make my appointments. Now my stylist is also a Mom with two young children, so she is easy to talk to and we swap stories about various parenting issues, like preschool and potty training.

I do sometimes wonder what it would be like to just let the gray come in. I see women around that have beautiful silvery hair that is just the right shade of gray. Usually, those women are older and are able to pull it off with the right makeup and style. I don’t think at my age, running around after two small children in my jeans, I would look right with gray hair. I would be afraid that I would look washed out and tired. Until the day when I am comfortable to let it show through, I will continue to dye my hair, which reminds me that I need to call and make an appointment to get my hair colored soon. My gray roots are about an inch long, so it’s definitely time to head to the salon! Now if I could just remember the name of my stylist...

With school ending things have been kind of crazy around my house lately. I would love to jet off to a spa for a facial or massage, but it’s just not in my budget. Is there anything I can do at home that would be relaxing?

Have you ever experienced a facial massage? When you are feeling stressed out a great way to end your day on a relaxing note is to perform your own facial massage. It offers beauty benefits, too! Facial massage is a popular Western beauty treatment that helps to slow down the aging process, making skin appear younger, healthier, and rejuvenated, while improving overall skin tone. Added benefits include a reduction in migraine headaches, stress, anxiety and sinus problems. It’s easy to learn the simple techniques to give yourself a facial massage right in your own home.

Many estheticians and makeup artists also perform facial massages at cosmetics counters in your local department store. Two companies that specialize in it and offer free consultations are Shiseido and Clarins. You can call either counter and schedule a complimentary facial massage and skin consultation. Once you have an actual facial massage, it’s easy to duplicate this technique yourself after a busy, stressful day. First, you want to cleanse your skin and then apply your daily moisturizer. If you have extra dry skin, you can apply a hydrating mask to use for the facial massage. Get in a comfortable position laying down somewhere quiet and calm. Here are the areas to focus on based on the Shiseido Method of Facial Massage. Repeat each section of the face four to six times. Use even and gentle pressure at all times for the ideal relaxing experience:

• Forehead (1) - Gently move across the forehead in small circular motions. Finish by gently pressing the pressure points at the temple for three seconds.
• Nose (2 & 3) - Begin at the inner corner of your eye, massage down the sides of the nose.
• Mouth (4) - Massage along the lower lip, moving outward and upward to lift the corners of the mouth.
• Cheeks (5) - Use circling movement along the cheek muscles.
• Eyes (6) - Lightly tap around your eyes with the pads of your fingers to relieve swelling.
• Neck (7) - Using the palms of your hands, massage your neck by gently stroking upward from the collar bone to the base of the chin.
• Chin (8) - Make a v-shape with your pointer and middle finger, and create a scissor-like motion going along the jaw line from ear to ear.
• Ears (9) - Stroke with your index fingers and thumbs along the rim of the ears.

I know it looks a little kooky, but once you try it you will be hooked. If you have a very nice husband or partner at home you can always enlist their help if they are game!