Any *older-age* RENEGRAYS/SILVERS who are experiencing new-growth growing-in DARKER??

[LadyTheta]

I am totally confounded by this!

And I am in hopes that some of you, older, here can contribute to my 'enlightenment' ... re: my recent 'darkening' of my gray/silver!

I am age 60; lifelong ash-blond; presently tailbone-length ... mostly lifelong a longhaired lady.

I've variously had salon highlighting, by suggestion/advice of my longtime Aveda hairdresser, over the past 8-9 years ... to 'blend'-in with my graying/silver streaks. In the past year, I have opted for "no more" highlights (i.e. bleaching) --- because I felt that it was more injurious to overall condition/wellbeing of my hair.

Besides, I now, at this age, really am not 'into' nor aiming/wanting for 'to be' a '60-yr old blond, beach gal' ... which I never was anyway (being ash blond lifelong, plus living in the Rocky Mountains most all of my life!)

I see a great number of us 'older women' out & about locally here, who are as "perkily, prettily blond" as any 20-30 year olds ... and I simply do not, personally, find it either attractive nor appealing ... and much less do I care to emulate that "60 and still undisputably BLOND" look ... which many women Down Here on the Gulf Coast South 'maintain' lifelong.

I, myself, don't care for that look, on me!

So, anyhoo ... I've declined for over 2 years now any highlights, and any all-over 'color gloss' (demi-permanent-?) hair color.
I'm really into & okay with growing-out gray/silver.

The problem is, oddly: that part of my hair is newly naturally, deeply-darkening (after 'silvering' for years)!

What is it?
What causes this darkening, after 'silvering'?

Anyone here have anything similar in experience?

Any idea of the 'cause' of same?


Many thanks,

Theta Z

[auburntressed]

10 thingy..........

[cindy58]

A friend of mine who is about 60 has been working at getting healthier and has been juicing a lot (for at least a year). She noticed a number of positive changes in her skin, etc., and commented that her hair was growing in darker instead of gray/silver -- she attributed that to better nutrition, though who knows? She has dark brown hair.

[piffyanne]

I do NOT qualify in the "older" category but have been getting weird growth. The hairs come in twice as thick (when comparing a plucked New Hair to a shed Normal Hair) and black, while my hair never was black ANYWHERE before, I'm blonette.

Is THIS what you mean by darker?

I have no idea what causes it on me, I will soon be 23,and it started about a year ago.

If you have what I have, let me know anything you discover!

[LadyTheta]

auburntressed replied:
"Hormones and health are the two biggest factors that I can think of offhand that affect the rate at which a person's hair goes gray or doesn't and at what age. Okay, that is not entirely true. Genetics are the biggest factor, really; but I mean that if you've already started graying and then stop and start growing in your previous color, it sounds like an issue of hormones or improved health. "

"Have you started taking any new medications, new vitamins, or putting anything in or on your body that you were not previously doing before this started? "
________________________________

A friend of mine who is about 60 has been working at getting healthier and has been juicing a lot (for at least a year). She noticed a number of positive changes in her skin, etc., and commented that her hair was growing in darker instead of gray/silver -- she attributed that to better nutrition, though who knows? She has dark brown hair.
__________________________

Thank you, auburntressed, cindy58, piffyanne, et al here for your replies.

Yes, I have been some months now on a new medication that, as you suggest, may be contributing factor.

Also, I am, yes, enjoying better/healthier overall nutrition & health in recent months, being less-stressed-out, and thus again able to resume some personal chef-ing work, which I love and enjoy, with a couple of clients.

Thus both of those are likely contributing factors, as you suggest.

piffyanne wrote:

"The hairs come in twice as thick (when comparing a plucked New Hair to a shed Normal Hair) and black, while my hair never was black ANYWHERE before, I'm blonette.

Is THIS what you mean by darker?"
____________________________

Yes, exactly, piffyanne!:rolleyes: Isn't it strange??

Ah, yes! --- genetics and hormones are at play!
I'd forgotten about those two!

Since auburntressed mentioned those two, I was able to think back to just 'how' my (German) blondette Mother's hair darkened over the decades; and I recall that she 'bitterly-compained' that she was "going-dirtydark-gray" !!

As well, my Father, who had black hair (part Cherokee) ... had a full-head of thick, dark, charcoal hair, even when he died at 86.

Again, those genetics/DNA likely showing up in my own long-silvers now growing-in a "dark-dark" to "black".

(I'd totally forgotten all of that!)

Thanks, Ladies of the Long Locks! :blossom:

Much appreciation,

Theta

[piffyanne]

auburntressed replied:
"Hormones and health are the two biggest factors that I can think of offhand that affect the rate at which a person's hair goes gray or doesn't and at what age. Okay, that is not entirely true. Genetics are the biggest factor, really; but I mean that if you've already started graying and then stop and start growing in your previous color, it sounds like an issue of hormones or improved health. "

"Have you started taking any new medications, new vitamins, or putting anything in or on your body that you were not previously doing before this started? "
________________________________

__________________________

Thank you, auburntressed, cindy58, piffyanne, et al here for your replies.

Yes, I have been some months now on a new medication that, as you suggest, may be contributing factor.

Also, I am, yes, enjoying better/healthier overall nutrition & health in recent months, being less-stressed-out, and thus again able to resume some personal chef-ing work, which I love and enjoy, with a couple of clients.

Thus both of those are likely contributing factors, as you suggest.

piffyanne wrote:

"The hairs come in twice as thick (when comparing a plucked New Hair to a shed Normal Hair) and black, while my hair never was black ANYWHERE before, I'm blonette.

Is THIS what you mean by darker?"
____________________________

Yes, exactly, piffyanne!:rolleyes: Isn't it strange??

Ah, yes! --- genetics and hormones are at play!
I'd forgotten about those two!

Since auburntressed mentioned those two, I was able to think back to just 'how' my (German) blondette Mother's hair darkened over the decades; and I recall that she 'bitterly-compained' that she was "going-dirtydark-gray" !!

As well, my Father, who had black hair (part Cherokee) ... had a full-head of thick, dark, charcoal hair, even when he died at 86.

Again, those genetics/DNA likely showing up in my own long-silvers now growing-in a "dark-dark" to "black".

(I'd totally forgotten all of that!)

Thanks, Ladies of the Long Locks! :blossom:

Much appreciation,

Theta

Hmm, that may be my answer, too, actually! Maybe they're what would be grey hairs on other people. My mom's is a mix of thick wiry black and thin sparkly silver. I found a silver two years ago, and mom said she started greying a year before I did when I asked her.

Thank you so much, you may have just cleared up The Big Mystery. :)

[dulce]

I just turned 60 and noticed some temple hair[both sides] that used to be silver/white coming in a very dark gray now,I did change my diet to include more raw stuff but other than that,can't figure out why.

[AnqeIicDemise]

I'm not a renegray but I've had a few random silvers that grow in dark brown/black, silver then right back to dark brown/black. Its weird, but kinda cool.

[mamaherrera]

I"m a renegray becaue I"m getting more and just recently. I wonder if anyone knows which vitamin deficiencies cause this so I could get my whites back (I"m 33) and it's very interesting, because I've had some start out white and turn black, but if I could just know what is it. ANd I wonder which hormones help keep it colored. After this last baby, I'm getting lots more whites, I don't know why. Something in my diet changed. Very interesting thread!

[Beezle]

Hi LadyTheta, I have a similar tale. I used to be honey-blond until in my 40s when it started needing streaks and then all-over dyeing to maintain the colour, which was already darkening. At around 57 I decided to grow my hair and also to stop the dyeing so I asked the hairdresser to take me back to what was now my real hair colour. To my eyes, that was dark brown! OK, maybe not actually dark but it appeared that way to someone who was used to seeing a blondish head. I'm now 61 and my hair is still brown. I certainly have the odd grey hair, especially around the temples, but far less than would be expected for my age. Basically my hair is now brown. How did that happen? Especially as I was hoping that silver hair would be of a tougher texture than my baby-fine, insubstantial, thin hair and would result in me, for once, having a fine head of hair! It hasn't happened yet. And it's a mystery.

[Loviatar]

My grandmother, Phyllis, went silver in her 50s. She had the same colour hair as me, my family always talk about how we have exactly the same colouring, and I hope to age as beautifully as she did. But in her 70s she also got more of a salt and pepper look as new almost black hairs started to grow in here and there.

Unlike Grandad Bill, who went pure white at about 45!

[IGIT]

I am 30 but I can tell you about the greys regrowing darker.
Personnally I have hair that starts growing black anew when it was grey a few months/years ago.
I have had 3 babies in 3 years. Didn't take the pregnancy prenatal pills and suffered anemia.
After my first baby and 15 months breastfeeding him, I was at lost.
Lack of energy, vision deficiency,and hair starting to grey!!
My last dear baby is now 9 months. I've started vitamins 2 months ago (azinc) and I see grey hair popping in with roots that are 3 cm and black!!!
HooHoo!!!
Lack of vitamins I had!

[mamaherrera]

[QUOTE=IGIT;2742325]I am 30 but I can tell you about the greys regrowing darker.
Personnally I have hair that starts growing black anew when it was grey a few months/years ago.
I have had 3 babies in 3 years. Didn't take the pregnancy prenatal pills and suffered anemia.
After my first baby and 15 months breastfeeding him, I was at lost.
Lack of energy, vision deficiency,and hair starting to grey!!
My last dear baby is now 9 months. I've started vitamins 2 months ago (azinc) and I see grey hair popping in with roots that are 3 cm and black!!!


WOW SO encouraging!! ANd someone my age, reversing white hair!! WOOHOO FOR YOU! I hope I can do that, but I guess you gotta know which vitamin you are lacking. I'm also breastfeeding and wondering if I'm a bit ow on iron. Thanks so much for sharing! Maybe the stress of pregnancy and babies does it to some of us!
HooHo Are you saying you specifically upped zinc, or you just started taking multivitamins?

[IGIT]

@mamaherra

Yes, pregnancy and breastfeeding does deprive your system of multiples vitamins and minerals to ensure your kid to be born safe and healthy. If you don't supplement and then replace you may have trouble...
I am taking multivitamins (the brand is AZINC). I have come to see a youtube fellow that said it was easy to change color of a sheep fur, by upping or decreasing 2 specific elements, Zinc and copper.
If a sheep owner want to sell white wool, he would lower these components in their alimentation and to have it dark he just does the opposite, upping zinc and copper.
I am no sheep but I have always related my strands as wool strings because my hair is just like this, wooly and cottony.
So I took the guinea pig coat and tried it for myself, and, hurray, it works!!!!!

[mamaherrera]

Ok I need to become a ba ba black sheep super fast!! I was actually taking a zinc only supplement, and I think that lowered my copper. Now I'm going to get me a copper supplement, and try to balance these two out. Have you seen many white hairs turn black again?? Now I can blame pregnancy and breastfeeding and not just my own stressful way of being. Thanks. I hope it's a temporary increase in white hairs!

[IGIT]

Sorry I wrote @mamaherra instead of mamaherrera:rolleyes:

I hate my grey/white hair. I'm not ready for the look yet...So I constantly pluck those stubborn ones out.
I approximately pluck 30 out of my head (temples and forehead located) on a trimester basis. For this very month when I reached to some of them I saw there were 2 differnt colors on a same strand. Black at roots and white on the below shaft.
I was shocked and verily pleased. I can accurately attribute that to the vitamins (it has 150% zinc=15mg and 150% copper=1.5mg rdis) I take twice a day.
Haven't use anything else besides.
I reached for some that looked white under sunlight but after plucking out I always check those hairs out and saw they were not fully grey nor fully black.
It was like it was black but kind of "see thru". Like a pale brown. I guess the melanin was not complete yet but on a very great progress scale!!!
I have had 4 of them + around 10 black on top and grey all after.

HTH.