The Young Silvers

[Inkspot]

My first silver was found at the age of 7, and following a round of medical testing, determined to be caused by nothing more than genetics. It was much to my discontent that by the age of 16, no amount of plucking could be done to eliminate the white hairs, nor could I avoid the inevitable grow out that occurred after a henna (especially given the fact I am much too lazy to maintain any form of hair dye, chemical or otherwise). In addition to the aforementioned, I was asked at University by a total stranger where I kept my children while I was at class, as she needed help finding day care for her own children. When I looked at the asker with bewilderment, there was an awkward pause that did not end until I explained I had no children and was not yet even twenty. In a desperate attempt to salvage what had become an unpleasant (yet in hindsight, amusing) happening, she promptly provided me with the name and number of her colorist before returning to her day :rolleyes:. Now, with a dusting of silvers, I as for your opinions.

Is there an age that is considered too young to wear silver hairs? Should they be covered? Why are they synonymous with age even when facial fetters remain youthful? Do they look untidy when still in the early stages of 10 or 20%? Are there any other early silvers here? If so, how do you feel about your own hair?

Note: My apologies if the topic has been done before, I was unsuccessful using the search function to find anything relevant to my questions.

[SThr]

I think silver hair looks nice on any age. I don't have any myself, but my boyfriend has had silver hairs mixed with his near black hair since high school. Rather than making him look old, it just looks interesting and pretty. Personally, I think it looks nicer to let the silvers grow rather than dyeing them over and over, but to each their own.

[lilin]

My first silver was found at the age of 7, and following a round of medical testing, determined to be caused by nothing more than genetics. It was much to my discontent that by the age of 16, no amount of plucking could be done to eliminate the white hairs, nor could I avoid the inevitable grow out that occurred after a henna (especially given the fact I am much too lazy to maintain any form of hair dye, chemical or otherwise). In addition to the aforementioned, I was asked at University by a total stranger where I kept my children while I was at class, as she needed help finding day care for her own children. When I looked at the asker with bewilderment, there was an awkward pause that did not end until I explained I had no children and was not yet even twenty. In a desperate attempt to salvage what had become an unpleasant (yet in hindsight, amusing) happening, she promptly provided me with the name and number of her colorist before returning to her day :rolleyes:. Now, with a dusting of silvers, I as for your opinions.

Is there an age that is considered too young to wear silver hairs? Should they be covered? Why are they synonymous with age even when facial fetters remain youthful? Do they look untidy when still in the early stages of 10 or 20%? Are there any other early silvers here? If so, how do you feel about your own hair?

Note: My apologies if the topic has been done before, I was unsuccessful using the search function to find anything relevant to my questions.

Wow! I know she was probably just trying to save face, but talk about impolite, implying you needed a dye job.

As to your question, there is no time when it is too young or untidy to let your hair be what it is. People shouldn't feel pressured to hide themselves. If people simply like changing up their color, that's one thing, but no one "should" dye their hair out of sense of obligation.

I've never thought young silvers look "old" in and of themselves. I knew a girl in middle and high school who had a white streak -- again, something that started when she was in single digits, like you. I certainly never mistook her for a teacher. She had the same young face as the rest of us, just with a lightning strike in her hair, which I actually thought was quite good-looking. It made her unique.

I knew another guy in college who was 18 or 19 and had a white tuft. Apparently it was caused by a spot on his scalp with no melanin. Just a random anomaly. I don't think it made him seem old either; again, just unique.

But we have such a fear of aging it's a bit ridiculous. In the majority of cases, yes, people only gray noticeably once they're getting out of their youth, but these are often the best years of people's lives. They've still got a long way to go, and I for one don't miss the confusion of my teens. I'm sure in my 30's I won't miss the confusion of my 20's. I try to live whatever era I'm in as best I can, and not look back. There's nothing wrong with getting older. I look forward to what I learn. And it is certainly possible to be healthy and attractive with age. In some ways, I think we grow into ourselves better, if we let it happen rather than fighting the years.

I suppose I don't count as an early silver as such; I'm 25, and have recently sprouted my first couple gray hairs. Going by my mother's genetics (I have her hair), they will probably remain few for the next 15 or 20 years. She had a couple at my age, but it didn't become noticeable until she was in her 40's.

At any rate, I have no plans to dye it. I am actually feeling a bit impatient to see what I kind of pattern I get. So far, they're bright white and glitter. I like them.

[Hibernis]

I'm in my mid 20's and about 10% gray. I love it. It adds another layer of depth to my hair, and I call it my "hair tinsel". I will probably be totally gray in the next 5 years. Part of why I'm growing my hair out is to watch the transition.

So far no one has mentioned the gray to me, but I like bringing it up and being excited about it. I don't see hair color as a sign of youth. I also don't think that ageing is a bad thing. I think after years of being mistaken for 17 and suddenly people thinking I'm an adult (yay) I've come to just embrace that the gray is there. I don't care what people think of my age.

As long as your hair is healthy, it shouldn't look bad. The only hair that looks unkempt is, well, unkempt hair. Damaged hair. Healthy hair of any length and texture is just flat out beautiful.

It might be worth seeing where these biases come from, and think about how many are self imposed. Personally I love it when people start giving me advice on dealing with gray because then I can just gush about how COOL my gray is and how I think it's beautiful: jewel tones seem deeper. All my jewelry is silver. Hair toys show up even better. I think a lot of women have been told for so long that gray = old and since we're also taught old = bad, we have a societal bias. I've has a couple older ladies tell me that I've inspired them to stop dyeing their hair. That is a super cool feeling, empowering someone like that

[cathair]

I didn't start as early as you, but I got my first white hair at 15. I have white streaks now. I had an incident a bit like yours, year or so ago where someone I swear was probably only few years younger than me asked me if I was okay to use the escalator or if I needed help, I am assuming because of my white hair (who need help to use an escalator? They do the walking for you!). That was pretty annoying, but I haven't really had any other experiences like that.

I don't think there is an age that is too young to wear silver hair. I think people are just so used to people dying their hair, they have no real concept of when people start to go white, because they never see it. So many people pull out their white hairs and then start dying as soon as that stops becoming feasible.

There have also been some studies which suggests that people judge age by the contrast in peoples faces:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/03/130314110331.htm

I feel like there is some truth in this. I used to have a dark mole on my forehead which has gone white like my hair (apparently that happens with age to some people too). It feel that is more aging that even my hair changing colour.

Apart from seeing if blue dye would stick to the white (it didn't, it faded to a weird sky-blue-grey after the first wash), I haven't dyed my white hair. I don't think it makes you look untidy, but I thought it made my hair texture look rougher than it feels for a while because of the contrast between dark and light. I don't feel like that any more, I think my overall hair colour is changing now with more white hairs so there is probably less contrast between the two.

If you feel like you want to dye your hair because you don't want to have experiences where people assume you are older/have kids etc, then there is nothing wrong with that. But don't feel like you have to if you are happy as you are :)

[lilin]

cathair - That link is really interesting! Thanks for that.

I wonder what made people so inaccurate on my age for so long. I was guessed in my early-to-mid 20's starting when I was 14, and their guesses stayed exactly the same... and still are. So now, at 25, people are finally guessing me the right age. Apparently this is a trait of my dad's -- same thing happened to him.

What's weird is that I'm very "high contrast." Dark hair, eyebrows, eyes, and eye lashes, and lips, and I can get very pale in the winter.

[Vrindi]

You never have to cover your silvers unless you want to. I've always had silvers, but they've blended in with my natural highlights. They're just now starting to become more prominent, and I love them. I happen to think silver hair is stunning on younger people. I also happen to think that when people start dying their hair to hide their age, it actually makes them look older. Only my opinion, and there are exceptions, but faking like you're not aging doesn't make you look younger.

[neko_kawaii]

I think that silver hair on young people looks fantastic! If you like your silvers, feel free to giggle at people who make wrong assumptions about your age or give you coloring advice.

[Inkspot]

That was a very interesting link cathair, thank you!
lilin, I agree with your post. It really is odd how people become increasingly focused on how they age, so much so they will tolerate chemicals to have a youthful appearance. In fact, the reason I really began to let my hair just be itself was when I had an adverse reaction to a conventional hair dye I used when I was 14. Nearly half my hair fell out from only one application, causing me to eventually get something that resembled a, shall we say, unflattering, pixy cut. Covering silver hair is not worth that.

Also, have people noticed that dying ones hair is very much a cycle? Once you begin, it is very difficult to stop, as you are always, covering up growth, changing the color, or (the ironic case) coloring the hair to tradition into non-colored hair more 'gracefully'. There is a reason so many 80 year old women still find themselves in the salon chair getting their roots done :)

Thanks you again for all the kind posts! I love getting the opinions from these boards, everyone is so knowledgeable :)

[Stormynights]

I remember an 11 year old boy who was greying at the temples. His dads hair was completely white.

[Shibe]

My husband is 27 and is already salt and peppered.

I really enjoy how it looks on him, it makes him look so handsome and distinguished!

[Shibe]

My husband is 27 and is already salt and peppered.

I really enjoy how it looks on him, it makes him look so handsome and distinguished!

[Inkspot]

it makes him look so handsome and distinguished!

This is something that continues to confuse me. Why is society trained to think a silver haired man is distinguished, while a silver haired woman is seen as old or severe? It is clear that for women, these connotations are not positive; I am curious if people (society as a group, really) will begin to think differently as time goes on.

[schnibbles]

Also, have people noticed that dying ones hair is very much a cycle? Once you begin, it is very difficult to stop, as you are always, covering up growth, changing the color, or (the ironic case) coloring the hair to tradition into non-colored hair more 'gracefully'. There is a reason so many 80 year old women still find themselves in the salon chair getting their roots done :)


Yes! This is why I think I'm going to just let mine come in, and let them do their thing. I have a few right now. I don't want to get dependent on dying. There are a few women in my family that have really pretty silver hair, I hope maybe I'll take after them. But if I start dyeing it too early, I won't know.

[Hibernis]

I found a really awesome pinterest board you might like: http://www.pinterest.com/SacredLifeArts/aging-and-appreciation-for-character/ The ladies are aged and silver but are still so very beautiful.

Especially this lady, I can not get over her hair: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/116460340339472674/

[Timea]

I think grey looks great even on younger people. I have some grey, not 10% yet but some, and I can't wait to get more

[trolleypup]

This is something that continues to confuse me. Why is society trained to think a silver haired man is distinguished, while a silver haired woman is seen as old or severe? It is clear that for women, these connotations are not positive; I am curious if people (society as a group, really) will begin to think differently as time goes on.
Look to power and primacy...and the maintenance of same. Depending on which side of the divide, the exact same thing can be good or bad. Just think about how the following concepts are treated depending on who or what you are: Worship, Sex, Marriage, Strength, Hair length, Body hair, Child rearing. Are things changing? Yes, but very slowly...these sorts of cultural mores are very persistent, changing at LESS than generational speed usually.

On topic: I got my first silvers at 17, but they were rare for years. Personally, I think silvers in youth look good.

[Hibernis]

This is something that continues to confuse me. Why is society trained to think a silver haired man is distinguished, while a silver haired woman is seen as old or severe? It is clear that for women, these connotations are not positive; I am curious if people (society as a group, really) will begin to think differently as time goes on.

In a nutshell: patriarchally defined markers of social status and rank

Explained:
A woman's value has traditionally been to be pretty and bear children, both of which are represented by youth. People associate gray hair with being old. We still do this, even with all the progress we've made. You are basically not "allowed" to have gray hair until you're a grandmother. But if you're in the workforce, you have to stay looking young to be taken seriously. But then outside work, you're not "aging gracefully" if you're a grandmother with dyed hair. It's enough to make anyone's head explode.

A man's value has traditionally been to provide and be a leader, and those are traits that require wisdom and experience. We associate that with age, and age = gray hair. But if you have TOO much gray hair, you're see as old and stuck in your own ways.

I have song hopes that my generation will make progress, but it will be slow. First we have to accept that women are valuable in positions of leadership, and then we need to accept that they can do that without looking youthful. Then we need to work on accepting aging as inherently beautiful. Then maybe we can smash these standards that judge everyone's competence and worth by their hair color.

[Inkspot]

It is unfortunate to say, but I think society would be more accepting of aging if peoples role models (be it celebrities for some, CEO's for others) would allow themselves to age naturally. The world had never been so internationally connected before at any time in history, and this connectivity will only get stronger as time advances; I think people feel they must remain young because that is what they are exposed to, and, that is what appeals to a pack mentality. Think on celebrity hair trends; when one person does anything to their hair, many people will follow. Would the same thing happen if these role models began to age? Would we see a decline in colored hair, botox, and even cosmetic surgery? Possibly. The question lies in whether or not this shift will ever occur at all.

Chasing youth has become the norm. And as people chase youth, they never really live in it while its there, and then become old, having never really felt young.

[Shibe]

This is something that continues to confuse me. Why is society trained to think a silver haired man is distinguished, while a silver haired woman is seen as old or severe? It is clear that for women, these connotations are not positive; I am curious if people (society as a group, really) will begin to think differently as time goes on.

I'm not sure, but I personally do find women with silver hair to look elegant.

Long silver hair is very pretty!

[GrowingOut]

I know my family begins to go grey early, and I see nothing wrong with having sparklies! :D Everyone's so obsessed about aging now-a-day's, they just age themselves more from the stress of it! :d

Grays are natural, just let 'em grow and you'll save time, money, and stress!

[YGDW]

I am 27 and I have a lot of grey hair. I don't know how much, but on top of my head, I think almost 50%. Unfortunately, I don't have silver streaks... they are just scattered all over my head. I would have loved to grow my henna out, as I think it looks really cool! I mean, who has grey hair in their twenties? It's quite unique. However, it more or less turned my once copperish, auburnish hair into a dull grey-brown mess. Together with my extremely pale face and my rather skinny posture I started to look very unhealthy. So... now I have hennaed hair with super cool orange stripes.

Anyway, I think you're never too young to show your silvers, and think more people should do it instead of flattening their hair color with box dyes.

[Marika]

Silvers look great on young people too! :thumbsup: I've noticed that there are people (especially hipsters) in their teens and early twenties dying their hair gray. I know it's just fashion statement but I'm hoping it could be changing the attitudes towards gray hair/graying a little bit. I just recently started to henna my hair and some strands are sparklier/brighter than others. I'm thinking they might be silver strands..? My natural hair color is dark blonde and that's a really hard color to spot any grays.

[chen bao jun]

I'm 57 and I don't have much grey hair yet. I bet I STILL look a lot older than you 20-somethings, grey hair or not.
I've never 'got' why grey hair is supposed to make you look older. A lot of things that go together actually make you look older--which is not a bad thing.
Where I come from (which is, by the way, a patriarchal society, and that's not necessarily a bad thing), the elderly are respected and older women really come into their own. I think that's why I'm fine with aging--my mom has always told me 'it gets so much better after menopause' (something I'm also finding to be true) and my grandmother was a physically beautiful woman way into her 80's--beautiful to the point where people would stop and stare at her and say, who is that gorgeous woman--intelligent, educated and the family matriarch whose advice was asked for everything.

[lilin]

I think it is absolutely tied to what the "use" for men vs. women was seen as being in a sexist society. And as others said, that dies slowly. As a culture, we do recognize women's power of intellect more often than we used to (something which someone should get more skilled at wielding with age -- thus why silver men are "distinguished"), but it's slow going, as all social change is.

Really, the best thing to do is exactly what so many ladies here are doing: not be afraid of their gray. There is a middle ground between dying it away to try to look "younger" and giving up, cutting it all off, and going for the grandma curl. Socially, there seem to be two options: young and beautiful, or older and resigned to being past your "sell by" date, as that is how we've long regarded women. I think older and beautiful is an option too.

I too find longer haired silver women to be quite beautiful, and those women do have their own type of "distinguished" look -- I get the same sense of warm wisdom that our society recognizes in silver men who are still confident and taking care of themselves.

When I first met my partner, who is a few years older, he had a handful of grays at his temples, and I had none. We're both dark-haired. Now, I'd say he's about 5 years away from having a solid pair of "wings" and they've started to pop up on his chin as well, and I'm getting my first white hairs which are appearing right on the top of my head.

It's been kind of fun and intimate go to "gray spotting." He said he thinks I'll look like Rogue if I get the streak I hope for. He loves my hair long and likes to comb it and look through it for me. It's really nice to have it be something new and interesting rather than "You should really pluck those out."

Us watching each other's transition is a sign of the passage of time, yes, but in a good way. How we've changed, how much history we have, the way the years have improved us. Yes, I'd say he looks distinguished. I'm not yet silver enough for it to have changed my appearance -- it's more like a random surprise you only see if you're looking closely -- but hopefully, I'll look like a Rogue-esque badass. :D

[Alex Lou]

I thought white and silver hair was trendy? There are enough young women dying their hair those colors and going through a lot of effort and/or money to do it, ruining their hair in the process.

You should go for it! Have white hair. People will see your young face and assume you bleached it. I've always admired silver and white hair. If my hair were prematurely white.. well, I'd dye it silver because pure white doesn't look good next to my skin color. :P But I would rock the silver!

[Alex Lou]

In example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dweUFFjKt1Y

Yikes! :O All that bleach will give me nightmares.

[Federica]

Hello everybody! I'm joining the thread!
The first time I noticed a silver I was only 7-8 years old. It was a shock, I remember that I cried for hours.
I was camping with other kids and we were braiding our hair in the tent when one of the girls started to scream "she has a white hair! She's getting oooooold! ooooooold!" and everybody started to laugh at me. It was horrible.
Since the age of 14 I dyed my hair so nobody noticed the silvers for many years.
Now I'm 26 and my whites might be around the 10-15% in some areas of my scalp. I'm still not ready to show them, so I dye my roots every 2 months with a non chemical dye and make several henna glosses.
My parents' hair were totally white at the age of 40, so I think I would blame my genes for that.
Since I don't like the salt & pepper in my very dark hair, I think I'll wait until my whites will be the majority before stop dyeing it.

[Charybdis]

I found a really awesome pinterest board you might like: http://www.pinterest.com/SacredLifeArts/aging-and-appreciation-for-character/ The ladies are aged and silver but are still so very beautiful.

Thanks for the link to this board -- so many great pictures in one place!

[kpzra]

I have maybe 30 on my head, mostly at my temples. They are a nice sparkly white/silver though so I don't mind. They also refuse to take hair dye (tried to the last Army ball we went to). They usually blend pretty well with my hair still when I rush it back. I plan on just letting them grow in and leave them alone.

[Shibe]

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/116460340339472674/

:love: soooo pretty

[brickworld13]

I started dying with henna a few years ago because I wanted to change up the color. Last year I went without for 6 months because I didn't have the money or the energy to henna, and I discovered that all the natural blonde highlights I used to have are silvery. At first I freaked out a little bit, but I kind of like them. It saves me some hassle when I need to present ID to purchase things. I still get raised eyebrows and disbelief about my age because of a young face, but the silvery highlights help to lower the frequency of that happening like it used to. Plus, my partner loves them. He thinks they add character and reflect my life story.

[jupiterinleo]

I LOVE silver and white hair. I love how it looks on anyone of any age. Based on my genetics, it's very likely that I won't even start graying until I am 60, ironically enough.
My half-brother is 32 and already half gray, but he got those genetics from his different parent.

[brickworld13]

My roots are growing in salt and pepper. :bigeyes: I didn't realize I had so many silvers.

[dogzdinner]

I'll look like Rogue if I get the streak I hope for.

Ive got one of those!! Had a white streak at my temple since I was a kid (as did my brother and mother). Its always been hidden by my bangs though but I am thinking of growing them out now, esp as I have alot more white coming in all along my temples.
Its time my streak got noticed!LOL

[MidnightMoon]

Im surprised to see so many young people with such amounts of grey hair. I am 21 and have around 7 white hairs and thought that was a lot :p.
I like how they look when in streaks, I have always wanted a white streak of hair. I dont love the look of random white hairs among dark hair that much, though...but maybe thats because most people I see with a 'grey' head have this short "old" lady cut. Maybe on a long mane they would look cool.

[Rushli]

I have had 5 grey hairs on one temple since I was 16. I always assumed that it would take me a long while before going grey, and use to be happy about it. Now, I LOVE seeing all the silvers on here, and would not mind my own rouge streak.

[Avis]

Ooh, I like this thread! "The Young Silvers" could totally be a band name. :o

Premature graying runs in my family. My mom got her first grays after high school and my brother (who is 26) is probably about 10-15% white. I've got 3 white hairs (although I'm afraid I might have shed one of them since I haven't seen it in a while). For some reason, one of them is short (about shoulder length) but the other one always pops up when I make two braids.

http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k505/Avis1290/Length%20Shots/023_zps3b96fa2a.jpg (http://s1113.photobucket.com/user/Avis1290/media/Length%20Shots/023_zps3b96fa2a.jpg.html)

(Disclaimer: this picture makes my hair look dark brown but I'm about 98% sure that it's black. It's something I've been back and forth on for years, but I'm almost definitely settled on black.)

I honestly can't wait to have more whites, I think they're so beautiful. :crush:

[NormaJean]

My maternal line has young silvers in it..... and my mom started going at 16.

I had my first ones in middle school, and it was kind of funny. My mom was dying her silvers away, and I used to complain about her doing it so badly that she finally gave it up for me. She's totally white now, but she's in her 60s so it's no big deal at all for her anymore, and I have mixed silver/white stripes at 30.

I've never dyed with the intention to hide those - I dyed because I wanted fun crazy colors every so often, but I've never felt self-conscious about the silvers. I'm mostly an ash blonde, I guess, with silver/white stripes. Natural highlights, amirite?

[rags]

Well I'm not a "young"silver anymore, but it was in my teens when I found my first one, and had a "Rouge" streak about an inch wide by the time I was 25. I did dye it for a while, but not long. It's a part of me. :shrug:

(Siggy pic is quite old, but shows the streak. I'm waaaaay more silver now (75 percent?)

[Teazel]

I found a really awesome pinterest board you might like: http://www.pinterest.com/SacredLifeArts/aging-and-appreciation-for-character/ The ladies are aged and silver but are still so very beautiful.

Especially this lady, I can not get over her hair: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/116460340339472674/

Thank you for that link, Hibernis. I adore this picture: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/116460340339472681/

On topic: I got my first grey hair in my early teens. Premature greying runs in my family though the maternal line, manifesting in my grandmother, my aunt, and lucky old me. I used temporary dye thoughout my 30s, and it wasn't until I'd been on LHC for quite some time that I learned to like my silvers. Now I appreciate them on anyone, at any age.

[Impulsive]

Fortunately, I really like the look of gray/silver hair, because one of my friends discovered a gray hair on me when I was 14 and now a significant portion of my hair is gray. I'm not really sure when they started growing since the first ones were always at the back of my head. I never had a problem with them in the same way other people I know have problems with grays, and I've never gotten any negative feedback about them. Occasionally, someone guesses I'm older than I actually am because of my hair, but I've always been flattered by that. Most of the compliments I get are from ladies who are still dyeing their hair to cover grays, especially my mother, who has told me it's great that I let the grays show. I've been trying to convince my mother to stop dyeing her hair, but she says she just can't. She has never fully explained why and I can only guess that it is due to a self confidence issue of some sort.
The only downside to my grays only comes up when I get the urge to dye - I don't know why, but I really want to know what I would look like with dark purple hair, and I would also like to try henna - and then I think to myself that I won't be getting the color I want on the white hairs which will turn out lighter than all my other hair and I'll be stuck with a color I don't want, like orange, and I really don't want orange hair. So, I doubt I'll ever find out what I look like with different color hair. It's probably for the best, though; I'm entirely too lazy to do maintenance on roots (and thus it's mostly a non-issue).

[mamaherrera]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I was 28 when my husband showed me my first white hair and I totally had a midlife crisis then. I got super freaked, because "call me naive" but I thought people didn't get white hair until they were in there 60's. I just honestly got scared, thinking I was going to get all white hair. Stupid me, I pulled them out and fussed about those first three white hairs, and then they came in slow but surely, all around my temples. I wish I could go back to those years (I'm 34 now) and not be so exaggerating in my worry about those first three, because now after my last pregnancy, I've doubled the amount I had before the baby, it's like they all decided to come in at once, and it's very hard for me. I feel like I brought it on by myself from stress, because as far as genetics, I don't really recall seeing my family with white hair at an early age. And I see no one in my circle of friends with white hairs, either good genetics or hair dye. But I henna mine, and because they are all at the front/temples/hairline, they become noticeable in my dark brown hair very soon, and it's been tough for me on dealing with this change of identity that I just never expected now with my little babies. I would be so happy if it would slow down for me, because I do kind of worry that I"ll be gray or white before the next decade is up, and people always told me if would take 20 years to gray, but they just don't slow down, and now they're coming in tiny little groups of three/four together, little streaks. Applause to all of you who accept it so well. I guess if maybe I' would've grown up seeing my aunts/uncles/mom/sister (she's 18 years older than me) with white hair when they were in their 30's, I would've not been so shocked.