When did you go gray? (reddish, looks, wash, thin)

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by Felix C

I have read of a person's hair turning grey overnight due to traumatic stress.

When my grandfather was in his late 20's he barely escaped a cave-in in a coal mine that killed many people. His hair turned white overnight. He never went back into the mines and became a full-time farmer.

[echo99]

I stopped using temporary dye in my 30's when it started making my scalp "throb". Strangest feeling.

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

When my grandfather was in his late 20's he barely escaped a cave-in in a coal mine that killed many people. His hair turned white overnight. He never went back into the mines and became a full-time farmer.

To the person who asked if some of his hair regained color..No. He lived to be in his 80's and it stayed white.

[dizzybint]

Originally Posted by DewDropInn

To the person who asked if some of his hair regained color..No. He lived to be in his 80's and it stayed white.

My uncle aged 24 had an accident at work and lost an eye and turned white also... mine is still dark brown/black at 69

[cushla]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

I started getting some gray strands in my hair in my late twenties - nothing very noticeable but enough for me to start checking for them every morning! LOL I had really long, thick hair then so it was probably just my neurosis.

But I have always loved hair color, so I was always messing with my hair. I have been dying my hair for decades, since my twenties. I started it in earnest when I saw those first few random grays.

At about age 45, I had several friends from high school who let their hair go gray naturally, and WOW, they looked fantastic. But I still couldn't get my head around doing it myself.

My brother is 10 years younger than me and by age 40 he was definitely salt and pepper. I was 50 and about that time I began to notice that I was having to color my roots once every four weeks and that by the third week, I had a LOT of white and gray hair showing at the roots. My hairdresser told me at that point that I was 75 percent gray on top and about 25 percent to 0 percent gray in the back, getting darker toward the nape of my neck.

I was really getting tired of coloring my hair all the time. It was a FREAKING HASSLE. Meanwhile, more of my friends were going natural, and without exception, they looked good. So this year I decided to bite the bullet.

It really helped that I've worn my hair in a very short pixie sort of cut for about 20 years. I've let it get a little longer, and a little shorter, off and on through the years, but it was still very short around the sides even if I let it get long (4 inches or so) on the top.

So, first I decided I just wasn't going to color it any more, and I was going to add a lot of ash blonde highlights to the top to ease the gray in. That worked really well. Over the next 8 months (I started this in January on my birthday), the dark auburn color faded - lighter and lighter. Meanwhile, my hairdresser had gone VERY light ash blonde on top with the highlights, so the gray just sort of began coming in. There was only about a two month period where I felt that my hair color didn't look good - it was that dishwater blondy fadey color with some gray on top - but that didn't last long and when I went in again for a cut, my hairdresser said, "Let's go really short and choppy!"

So I did and immediately loved it - and within another two months the last of the faded color and ash blonde highlights were GONE.

Oh - note. I began taking biotin a few months before I started this, so my hair would grow quickly - and it really did help.

Anyway, 8 months later I have hair that I LOVE. I have the most gray and white on top. I have a natural ombre thing going on, and my hair has no gray at all from about two inches above the nape of my neck to the hairline. It is also pretty dark around my ears, then salt and pepper, and LOTS of salt and less pepper at the top. I absolutely love it.

It also feels a whole lot better - and talk about shine and luster!

Since I've done this, I've had at least three girlfriends tell me that they are also going to take the plunge.

I don't think I will ever color my hair again. NO REGRETS.

Oh, couple of other points:

1. The natural hair color looks good with my skin.

2. I had to change lipstick and blush colors. I went' pinker, more clear, brighter. Earthtones and neutrals do not look good on me anymore.

3. I had to buy some new clothes. Some of my clothes still look good - anything black, white, blue, and in bright cool colors still looked good, but NONE of my browns, taupes, russets, or olive green stuff looks good. And I have to be careful with oranges - too much brown in the orange really looks bad, but sherberty oranges look good. And I can wear pink and cherry red! (No tomato red - yuck!) I can also wear navy blue, which NEVER looked good on me before. But my favorite surprise is pinks - I have always liked pink but could never wear it before, not any shade. Now I can wear beautiful pinks and I am really enjoying that.

4. I think a good cut and a fun style is the most important part of this, when it comes to looking good and not looking old and faded out. Whatever you do, don't go gray and drab and boring! My husband was really worried at first - I think he had some idea of an old gray headed lady with her hair in a bun looking like Ma Kettle or something. But now that he sees that I'm not going all fuddy duddy on him, he likes it.

I love my grey hair not really grey more of a beige color really but like you the colors i used to love to wear no longer look right, i can still wear the mauves and purples, blues, love black so it is no big deal.

[CatwomanofV]

15! Yup-I had gray hair at the ripe old age of 15. By the age of 19, I figured it was time to start coloring it-and have been doing so every since. The color has changed over the years-started out with medium brown and over the years it has gotten more and more red. Right now it is more of an auburn. I'm sure if I didn't color it, I would be completely gray (or mostly). I do joke about earning every one of those but I just don't want to show them off to the world just yet. Will I ever stop coloring my hair? Don't know. I'm just not ready to go gray yet. Actually it would be more white than gray. My mother was completely gray by the age of 30. She also used to dye her hair (at one time red) but stopped sometime in her 40s I think. My brother also went gray early, too.

My husband who is now 70, has very few gray hairs. He did start losing his hair when he was with his ex-wife but since he hooked up with me, his bald spot hasn't gotten any bigger. I must be good for him.



Cat

[alices00ze]

I started going gray at 26 years old. I have been getting my hair colored every since! The great thing about it is that you have the choice on what color or multi colors you want your hair to be. I found that if you have the foil wraps in muti colors done, you do not have to color your hair as often. I have mine done every couple months or so and it still hides the gray and my hair continues to be shiny. I just don't use the hot irons or blow dryers as often as I use to. Good luck and just remember you have earned each and every gray hair so you have the choice to make it any color you want.

[jade408]

I got my first greys at 18 or 19. I started coloring in my early 30s, they stood out in my black hair.

I stopped coloring this year because my hair was getting super brittle. I have grey around my temples and at my crown. Dozens of strands.

I later found out one of the symptoms (among many) of being hypothyroid is premature greying! So that explains my early grey. Some people always blame stress, but I am a fairly low stress person.

Anyway, I am not all the way ready for grey yet at 38, but I would like more so it makes more sense than the dusting I have now.

[Magicake]

First few at 25. My dad's hair was half gray when he was 30. I also have a friend that had a lot of gray hair at 23. I think it's genetic.

[Hemlock140]

Started at 50, but still salt & pepper at 64. My sister in law started to gray at 25, all gray by 30, but then has dyed it ever since. Now at age 58, has magenta hair.