Lisa Fennessy, Founder & CEO of The New Knew
Hi, I'm Lisa Fennessy! Founder and CEO of The New Knew, a blog about choosing healthy beauty and valuing a sustainable lifestyle in order to make a positive impact on our health and the health of the planet.
Despite my commitment to a cleaner lifestyle, I swore I’d never stop coloring my hair. Never. Never.
Then, one day, I spotted this beautiful woman in a restaurant, and she kind of blew my world wide open. This woman struck me because her face looked so young, but her hair looked so…gray. And she was STUNNING.
Before I knew what came over me, I was walking over to her!
“Hi,” I said. “My name is Lisa. Your hair is gorgeous! How did you do it? Was it hard? Did you have to cut your hair? How about hats? What did your friends say? How old are you?!”
45, she said. Growing out her gray was hard at first, but then it got easier. Her kids didn’t like it initially, but they became indifferent soon enough. It had been 3 years and was the best thing she had ever done.
After that, my thoughts shifted from “I wonder…” and “What if…” to “WHEN?!” The longer I sat with those thoughts, the louder they got. In 2017, I started blogging about going gray, and the response was overwhelming. That’s when I realized that this is a topic that we want and NEED to talk about.
Since then, so many people have approached me and said that my story gave them the courage to go gray…
Me in 2009 on the left and me in 2019 on the right.
Growing my hair out gray has been one of the scariest and most rewarding experiences of my life. 🏆 Now through my Going Gray On Your Terms Course, I’m sharing ALL the knowledge I gained — and 250,000 people per month are finding on my blog!
As Seen In
#1 The Water Break
The Water Break with Cara Kneer via 11Alive, Atlanta, GA’s leading local news station. Speaking on the four things we can do to reduce our daily toxic load.
#2 True Roots
Quoted and referenced in True Roots by Ronnie Citron-Fink. Here is an excerpt:
Lisa contacted 10 “natural” hair color companies to ask for their ingredient lists. She identified PPD, coal tar and SLS or derivatives of these chemicals as toxic culprits in many of the organic hair dyes. (Read the full post here).The one point that I really want to drive home here is when a hair dye is labeled “organic” or claims to be “natural” don’t be fooled into thinking you are getting a healthy alternative. Lisa said she was hard pressed to find a truly chemical-free dye that both covered will and looked good. She concluded that her two healthiest options were henna and Hairprint.
#3 Beauty Independent
I love keeping it light and fun, but I’m honest, and I’m not afraid to ask the big questions, which I think people value.
#4 WELL + GOOD
Young Women Are Embracing Their Gray Hair Like Never Before And I, For One, Am Rooting For It!
Society taught me to cover up and keep up instead of embracing the aging process.
#5 WELL INSIDERS
Gray Hair, Don’t Care: Two Green Beauty Founders on Their Journey To Ditching the Dye
Body shaming applies to hair, too, you know. I didn’t realize it at the time, but before I stopped dyeing my hair, I was consumed with thoughts about my roots to the point where it would affect my behavior.
#6 Voyage ATL
I have two main messages. I want nontoxic living to be fun and engaging. I think a lot of people equate the word “healthy” with “boring”. Well, yeah it is boring if you think “healthy” equals an iceberg salad with no dressing and a side of 5am treadmill.