oh wow, you sound like me at the hairdresser, I am (was?) a natural brunette, slowly had lighter and lighter until i was blonde. I'd rather spend money on other things than my hair. SO i cut it short, used a semi/demi color to bring me back to what my natural was. Now I am at the point where I don't have to color any longer. I earned my gray ad I'm happy to wear it. I'm 44 and loving every minute of shorter hair and not paying my hairdresser oodles of $$ every 6 weeks.
PS. I wear NO make up either, never have. I still wear a bra, though, can't stand to have those things hanging in my waist band :-)