Let’s be honest. You’d be hard-pressed to find a woman who, at one time or another, didn’t pine for that sought-after “mermaid hair”— you know, long wavy locks with plenty of luminous color. But anyone who has sported long hair knows that it’s not always what it’s cracked up to be—especially when decades of dye jobs are involved!

Take today’s “makeoveree”, for instance. Kerry is a 41-year-old beauty who has simply had enough of maintaining her long style, so she enlists the help of the one-and-only Christopher Hopkins, A.K.A. The Makeover Guy, for an expert haircut.

At the top of the clip, we meet the gorgeous gal in her pre-interview, but something doesn’t seem quite right. You see, Kerry is a sporting a baby blue bandana—not exactly something we often see in makeover videos.

After answering a few questions, she removes the cloth, revealing several inches of shiny, silvery gray growth near her scalp. As it turns out, Kerry has subjected her thick locks to a lot of harmful processing over the years, and she is simply not willing to partake in all of the expensive and time-consuming maintenance anymore.

Kerry’s plan is to go dye-free, an action that will allow her now-natural gray to shine through. While Hopkins admits that her decision about making a big chop and going au naturel is a big deal, he also finds a logical way to put everything into perspective for his jittery client.

“The thing about doing a dramatic cut is that it will grow!” the stylist emphasizes. It’s clear that Kerry wholeheartedly agrees with him, but it’s also obvious that she is still a bit nervous about her decision. After all, this gal’s signature long hair is part of her identity.

Hopkins continues to coach her through the consultation, using his signature positivity to help ease her into her new ‘doo. “She doesn’t want to be average and look like everyone else,” he proudly proclaims to the camera. Clearly, the master stylist is as pumped about this makeover as his client is!

After he is sure that Kerry is completely game for anything, he simply takes a fistful of her locks and starts chopping away, just a few short inches from the crown of her head.

Luckily, the brave client doesn’t immediately faint at the sight of Hopkins standing over her with 10 inches of hair in his left hand—she actually seems to have enjoyed the initial cut.

After some more masterful flicks of the shears, she is the natural-haired beauty she has always wanted to be!

Now that you know the backstory, it’s time for you to see the gorgeous results, as well as her husband’s sweet reaction, for yourself. To watch The Makeover Guy help Kerry transform into an au naturel gal, watch the video below. We think she looks simply incredible!

What do you think of this long to short hair makeover? Have you ever gone to the salon for a big chop before? Have you said “goodbye” to hair dye?