After coloring her long hair for years, Kerry Grundhoefer decided it was time for a change. She no longer wanted to mess with the time consuming task of visiting the salon regularly for color treatments, and she was ready to reveal her natural self. You won’t believe what a dramatic change she had in mind.

As we age, the way other people feel about the way we look tends to affect our choices less and less. We care about the more important things in life, like caring for ourselves and our families. We have an inner confidence that only comes with time, and it has very little to do with the way we dress or the color and style of our hair.

Kerry had long, gorgeous brown locks, or so people thought. But as she got older and began developing more and more sensitivities to the chemicals she used on her hair, she decided she wanted a change. Not a little change either. She wanted a dramatic new look.

She had heard rave reviews about Christopher Hopkins, known as “The Makeover Guy” and decided to stop by his salon. With her gray roots showing, she explained to him what she wanted to do. She was tired of hiding her true self and wanted to reveal who she really was. Kerry knew she would have the support of her husband no matter what she did, so she went for broke.

In the video, you can see Hopkins holding Kerry’s long locks above her head just before taking the first snip. He worked at a beautiful new look for Kerry, and what she revealed when he was done was just as stunning as her long locks were when she started.

Kerry’s new hair do is a very short, spiky, and reveals her natural salt and pepper color. She says she is thrilled with the transformation, and if she decides down the road she wants it to be long again, Hopkins says, “It’s hair. It will grow.”

Kerry says she thinks people are too afraid of cutting off their long hair and that it’s almost as if they use it as a crutch or an obsession. She isn’t disappointed in her decision at all, and her husband loved it too.

“It’s awesome,” he said. “You’re so beautiful.” Sounds like the Kerry makeover was a win-win for everyone involved.