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cathair
October 6th, 2015, 06:58 AM
I thought I would start a thread for people who are prematurely getting white hair. I've been thinking about it for a while.

The Salt n Pepper thread is a truly wonderful and supportive thread, it's helped many people see white hair in a much more positive way. But I am not sure it is quite as reassuring to teenagers as it is to people in their thirties and above. Although I am not trying to exclude anyone in this thread!

When you're in your teens or twenties and sprouting white hair, pictures of people over 60 with long white hair can be more terrifying than inspiring. It's a bit different when they pop up all of a sudden out of nowhere when you're still supposed to be young, rather than transitioning from hair that has been dyed for many years.

The average person (thanks Google) apparently starts getting white hair in their mid thirties - fifties. While I am about that age now, I do remember how frustrating it was when they started coming in at 15. So I hope I can offer some empathy.

I am about 30% white now and given my family history, I can expect to be completely snow white by the time I am 40.

So, what's your story? When did you start getting white hair and how did you/do you feel about it? Did your family start doing white early too?

Estrid
October 6th, 2015, 07:08 AM
I have found white and silvers in my mane, but I have to sit and search for them to find them (they are quite hard to spot). My father started getting greys pretty early, and my mother still has red hair with no visible white or greys and she's 50. I am 23.

I am not sure when I will start going completely grey/white(no family history to go on). I am however quite happy every time I spot a white hair since I think they're pretty, so the thought does not bother me.

/Margo

Horrorpops
October 6th, 2015, 07:50 AM
My best friend and also my boyfriend both have a single patch of silvers. My friends at her crown and my boyfriend over his ear! To my knowledge they've always had these patches and they haven't spread.

I haven't found any silvers on my head yet but I think silver hair and salt and pepper hair can look so striking on younger people. And it always reminds me of the catcher in the rye! :D

Nice idea for a thread! :)

Monkshood
October 6th, 2015, 08:54 AM
None for me. :(

I envy you, early greying people! Seriously. I dream of having a grey streak à la Susan Sontag.

missrandie
October 6th, 2015, 09:55 AM
I'm 24 and have a patch of silvers that have cropped up in my bangs on the right side. They aren't in a streak, but they are definitely there. Only around 15-20 hairs though. I love them :)

RSunny
October 6th, 2015, 10:00 AM
I may not technically be going prematurely gray, I'm 30 now, but I have noticed a few here and there. I have plucked them in the past, but now have decided that I will no longer due this method as I don't want to damage my hair...and let's face it, I don't have thick enough hair to allow some to go to friendly fire. My hair is quite dark brown and the white hairs seem to shine like moonlight among my hair. I think I'd be totally happy completely white or silver, but I'm having difficulty coping with slowly going gray. Any advice to help me go through this transition without hair dye, henna, cassia, etc?

Arctic
October 6th, 2015, 10:01 AM
I also love the look of grey or white on young person (natural or not) :)

Seraphim
October 6th, 2015, 10:16 AM
I'm 17 and I have a few gray hairs in my bangs. They keep popping out from time to time. I think my dad turned gray early so it's pretty disturbing :D

Anje
October 6th, 2015, 10:46 AM
My hubby probably falls into this category. At 38, his beard is about 80% white, and I'm guessing his hair is maybe 25%. He did henndigo to both for a few years, recently has started using conventional dyes instead. He keeps talking about just letting them be white, but right now I think he wants to make that be a "once I turn 40" thing. (I've suggested a Manic Panic beard. I don't know how well that would work, or how it would go over AT his work. LOL)

I've been noticing white hairs on me since I was 12, but they don't seem to be adding up very rapidly. I'm still very much in the "normal" range of gray for my age. ETA: So I've got a few dozen, mostly on the top of my head, and not QUITE clustered enough to make a streak. I blame grad school.

DreamSheep
October 6th, 2015, 12:12 PM
Not sure if technically allowed to post, because whilst I have 3-5 white hairs, you can't really tell...

My Dad started graying at 18 (and has been totally white since over 50, probably before then - but he had me at nearly 60), whilst my Mum is 60 and maybe <5% grey...

Based on my hairtype and colour I think I'm between the two but possibly more likely to take after my Dad (also doing a PhD which right now is consuming my life so I expect to sprout a few more stress-related white hairs!)... so who knows, I wish for a nice pretty streak if I do start whitening up! :p

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 01:07 PM
It's lovely to hear people being so positive about grey and white hair :) Sometimes it can feel like no one would feel this way, so it's always great to be proven wrong :)


None for me. :(

I envy you, early greying people! Seriously. I dream of having a grey streak à la Susan Sontag.

Don't worry I am sure your time will come! It's just a matter of time ;)


I have found white and silvers in my mane, but I have to sit and search for them to find them (they are quite hard to spot). My father started getting greys pretty early, and my mother still has red hair with no visible white or greys and she's 50. I am 23.

I am not sure when I will start going completely grey/white(no family history to go on). I am however quite happy every time I spot a white hair since I think they're pretty, so the thought does not bother me.

/Margo

It's always interesting to hear whether people's hair takes after their mother, father or another family member. I know for myself I take after my Dad and his side of the family. Him, my aunt and my grandfather all had very white hair relatively early. However my Mum has only started going white in a big way in her 50's. She also has literally three times to ponytail circumference of us all!


I'm 24 and have a patch of silvers that have cropped up in my bangs on the right side. They aren't in a streak, but they are definitely there. Only around 15-20 hairs though. I love them :)

I am a little envious, I always think that's the nicest place to start getting them :) My streaks are lower down, towards my ears. I am more salt and pepper on top and up front.


I also love the look of grey or white on young person (natural or not) :)

I have mixed feelings about unnatural white hair. But in the long run I think it can only be a good thing, if it makes having white hair more accepted :)

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 01:14 PM
I may not technically be going prematurely gray, I'm 30 now, but I have noticed a few here and there. I have plucked them in the past, but now have decided that I will no longer due this method as I don't want to damage my hair...and let's face it, I don't have thick enough hair to allow some to go to friendly fire. My hair is quite dark brown and the white hairs seem to shine like moonlight among my hair. I think I'd be totally happy completely white or silver, but I'm having difficulty coping with slowly going gray. Any advice to help me go through this transition without hair dye, henna, cassia, etc?

Your hair sounds quite similar to my hair and we are the same age :) My hair was very dark brown, but so much white has come in now it has lightened the colour significantly.

I felt the same way, I didn't want to damage my hair. I didn't/don't have thick enough hair to lose any and I would be a third bald if I tried it now! :)

I agree the contrast between dark and white hair can be very stark. I do understand what you mean about being able to be happy if you were completely white but not enjoying the transition. It changed my perception of what my hair looked like, it would feel like to touch. If you understand what I mean? That was one of the hardest things for me to begin with.

How are your white hairs coming in? Are the mostly in one area or are the spread out?

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 01:15 PM
I'm 17 and I have a few gray hairs in my bangs. They keep popping out from time to time. I think my dad turned gray early so it's pretty disturbing :D

Does your hair take after you Dad's hair in other ways?

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 01:19 PM
My hubby probably falls into this category. At 38, his beard is about 80% white, and I'm guessing his hair is maybe 25%. He did henndigo to both for a few years, recently has started using conventional dyes instead. He keeps talking about just letting them be white, but right now I think he wants to make that be a "once I turn 40" thing. (I've suggested a Manic Panic beard. I don't know how well that would work, or how it would go over AT his work. LOL)

I've been noticing white hairs on me since I was 12, but they don't seem to be adding up very rapidly. I'm still very much in the "normal" range of gray for my age.

I love the idea of a Manic Panic beard :D Although I can understand it might not be practical for work. My after thought was 'oh yeah, Billy Connolly did that didn't he?', but that's not a bad thing, he's a pretty awesome guy! :)

http://cdn-r1.unilad.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/rexfeatures-373688u-jpg_110437.jpg

I think 12 is one of the youngest ages I have heard about. I don't know what the youngest is on LHC? It's interesting to hear that you started so young, but it has not progressed so rapidly. It just shows that getting white hair early isn't an indication of how fast you will go white.

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 01:23 PM
Not sure if technically allowed to post, because whilst I have 3-5 white hairs, you can't really tell...

My Dad started graying at 18 (and has been totally white since over 50, probably before then - but he had me at nearly 60), whilst my Mum is 60 and maybe <5% grey...

Based on my hairtype and colour I think I'm between the two but possibly more likely to take after my Dad (also doing a PhD which right now is consuming my life so I expect to sprout a few more stress-related white hairs!)... so who knows, I wish for a nice pretty streak if I do start whitening up! :p

Of course you're allowed! And that definitely counts even if it's only a few hairs, well so long as you want it to :)

Sounds similar to the difference in hair between my parents, one went white pretty young, the other is holding onto their colour quite well. It's interesting your current colour is somewhere between the two. I guess it will be more of a surprise when and how it will happen, if you don't strongly take after one or the other :)

I hope the PhD work isn't that stressful!! :)

missrandie
October 6th, 2015, 01:24 PM
I am a little envious, I always think that's the nicest place to start getting them My streaks are lower down, towards my ears. I am more salt and pepper on top and up front.

But, the spots where your streaks are means that you can do those epic peekaboo streaks of color! I adore the turquoise.

missrandie
October 6th, 2015, 01:27 PM
Here's a funny thing... did you know that gray horses aren't born gray? They turn that way around 3-5 years old. So even horses can "prematurely" gray! lol fun fact for the day.

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 01:49 PM
But, the spots where your streaks are means that you can do those epic peekaboo streaks of color! I adore the turquoise.

That is very true and I do love my turquoise :D


Here's a funny thing... did you know that gray horses aren't born gray? They turn that way around 3-5 years old. So even horses can "prematurely" gray! lol fun fact for the day.

No, I have never heard that before! That is pretty interesting :) I wonder how many animals that happens to? I know seagulls don't start off white, but I think it takes them longer to change.

Seraphim
October 6th, 2015, 01:54 PM
Does your hair take after you Dad's hair in other ways?

Yeah, it's definitely more like my dad's. I'm like a female clone of my dad lol :D I think I am probably a bit dramatic, now that I counted there's only like 4 of them. I had few more but my friend suddenly pulled them out when she saw them :bigeyes:

Anje
October 6th, 2015, 02:00 PM
I think 12 is one of the youngest ages I have heard about. I don't know what the youngest is on LHC? It's interesting to hear that you started so young, but it has not progressed so rapidly. It just shows that getting white hair early isn't an indication of how fast you will go white.
Yeah, I haven't heard of one younger, but I had a full-length (so to my shoulders or so?) white one that I found, and then a few more that I had from then on. They've multiplied a bit faster since my late 20s, but not enough that anyone would comment even if I didn't henna my hair redder.


I hope the PhD work isn't that stressful!! :)
It is. :P

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 02:05 PM
Yeah, it's definitely more like my dad's. I'm like a female clone of my dad lol :D I think I am probably a bit dramatic, now that I counted there's only like 4 of them. I had few more but my friend suddenly pulled them out when she saw them :bigeyes:

They still count :) Owww! I would tell your friend to keep her hair out of your hair! :D

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 02:07 PM
Yeah, I haven't heard of one younger, but I had a full-length (so to my shoulders or so?) white one that I found, and then a few more that I had from then on. They've multiplied a bit faster since my late 20s, but not enough that anyone would comment even if I didn't henna my hair redder.


It is. :P

I guess if it was full length it could have been there even longer! I've wondered about that sometimes, how long they can be there before they're noticed.

I'll just have to take your word for it about the PhD. But I am sure having a PhD is worth having a few white hairs, right? :) Wisdom highlights :)

dauphin
October 6th, 2015, 02:12 PM
I started finding greys in my late teens. Now at 40 I would say I'm about 50% grey. I hate it. I am also so tired of coloring my hair. I keep considering doing the natural thing, but I just can't seem to actually take that plunge.

cathair
October 6th, 2015, 02:20 PM
I started finding greys in my late teens. Now at 40 I would say I'm about 50% grey. I hate it. I am also so tired of coloring my hair. I keep considering doing the natural thing, but I just can't seem to actually take that plunge.

Has it been a fairly gradual transition or was it more rapid getting to 50% grey? How old where you when you started colouring? And what is it that worries you about stopping?

Arctic
October 6th, 2015, 02:23 PM
Since the subject widened to animals, several arctic animals change their fur every winter to white/grey. In the summer they are brown. I can call that prematur greying, yes? :pray:

RSunny
October 6th, 2015, 02:23 PM
Your hair sounds quite similar to my hair and we are the same age :) My hair was very dark brown, but so much white has come in now it has lightened the colour significantly.

I felt the same way, I didn't want to damage my hair. I didn't/don't have thick enough hair to lose any and I would be a third bald if I tried it now! :)

I agree the contrast between dark and white hair can be very stark. I do understand what you mean about being able to be happy if you were completely white but not enjoying the transition. It changed my perception of what my hair looked like, it would feel like to touch. If you understand what I mean? That was one of the hardest things for me to begin with.

How are your white hairs coming in? Are the mostly in one area or are the spread out?



My hairs are coming in spread out but mostly on top as opposed to it being easily covered. They seem to go to red - blond - then white. Haven't seen any that appear gray.

dauphin
October 6th, 2015, 02:31 PM
Has it been a fairly gradual transition or was it more rapid getting to 50% grey? How old where you when you started colouring? And what is it that worries you about stopping?

It's been a pretty steady transition over the years, although I think lately the greys are coming in at a much more rapid rate. I started coloring when I was 18. I'm just a bit vain, and I worry that I'll look old with grey hairs. Some grey looks beautiful, but I look at mine and they seem so drab.

Anje
October 6th, 2015, 08:52 PM
Randomness: I always thought that if I had black hair and started graying, I would LOVE to use funky colored dyes. It wouldn't do much do the dark hair, but the white hairs would look like tinsel or highlights. :) I think I'd keep them a nice grass green by default.

Eastbound&Down
October 6th, 2015, 08:58 PM
I was reading this at work today and then today on my way home, I found a gray hair while I was finger combing! How funny is that? It's as long as the rest of my hair so it's been around for a while. It's really course, not like the rest of my hair at all, is that normal? It's not hurting anything so I'm gonna leave it right where it is.

ETA: I'm 23 years old, my mom started graying at 18.

Kaelbu
October 6th, 2015, 09:51 PM
I first noticed a couple white hairs when I was 18 I think? I always colored my hair for the fun of it since I was about 12, with lots of fading months of neglect. When I found my white hairs, they were just a couple inches of roots.

I'm only just now purposely letting my natural color grow out, and I'm loving it! I've got about 6 white hairs together that are growing longer and longer with my new growth. They do seem coarser, more unruly. But I like them a lot!

It makes me wonder if there are similar little groupings elsewhere on my head that I can't see!
ETA: I'm 22. Thought I should include that!

goneJackal
October 7th, 2015, 07:47 AM
Mine started early, too.
Got that from my mother and from having such a stressful mind.

On my early 20's, had just a few. Then, mid 20's, just enough for people to be aware of them.
Now, on late 20's, had too many white hairs. Tried to let them be, but people wouldn't stop staring at them, and I did not feel good about it.

http://www.felipesv.com/forum/k_chorandoNovo.gif

I know some people sincerely like them, and some people do think they're attractive on men.
But I did not feel that way, not at all. So, I took care of them! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=12439)

http://www.felipesv.com/forum/k_feliz.gif

My father (62) is about 50% gray, but my mother has been 100% gray since her late 40's.
That's where I'm headed to!

It took me a long time to decide to color them.
I didn't want to use regular dyes, and I'm actually too shy to ask people about hair coloring.
But then, a couple friends told me about Surya Henna. I tried and liked it a lot!

http://www.felipesv.com/forum/k_blackhair.gif

DollyDagger
October 7th, 2015, 08:11 AM
Great thread Cathair :)

I didn't really see any grays until my 40's but if I had started much younger it would have been really great to have a supportive thread like this to help work it out in my mind.

Also- to each his own...whether your 20, 30, or 100 ...everyone has to do what makes them feel their best. (ideally keeping hair as healthy as possible in the process)

Cover, blend, obliterate...whatever makes you happy :)

On a side note-Congrats on reaching classic!! :toast::cheer:

lalepepper
October 7th, 2015, 08:32 AM
I too have a tiny crop of greys, and the last time I went to a hairdresser, she noted I also have some very light blonde hairs. I was blonde until about 4, and now my hair is about a chestnut brown. It's a little hard to tell the difference myself, but the greys are quite silver and sometimes a little more unruly than the rest of my hair.

I don't expect it to continue as it has - for about 3 years I noticed more over time with under/grad school stress, but the numbers seem to be stable now. My mom and dad are both in their 50s and have pretty normal greying rates.

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:11 PM
Since the subject widened to animals, several arctic animals change their fur every winter to white/grey. In the summer they are brown. I can call that prematur greying, yes? :pray:

Hmmm I suppose so :D I guess they must be really pro at it too, having to go through the transition every year :)

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:19 PM
My hairs are coming in spread out but mostly on top as opposed to it being easily covered. They seem to go to red - blond - then white. Haven't seen any that appear gray.


Of course I haven't seen your hair, but that sounds like it could actually be really pretty :) If they are spread out it could be they are more forgiving. I expect most people would think more of natural highlights than white hair, when they are sprinkled through :) After all most people don't look at our hair as close up as we do. A white streak it much more of a give away.

The way the whites are mixing in and producing different colours of reds and blondes I am sure some people would pay good money for :)

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:28 PM
It's been a pretty steady transition over the years, although I think lately the greys are coming in at a much more rapid rate. I started coloring when I was 18. I'm just a bit vain, and I worry that I'll look old with grey hairs. Some grey looks beautiful, but I look at mine and they seem so drab.

It's been noted a lot in the Salt n Pepper thread how grey and white hair suits people skin tone better than they would expect. You never know you could be surprised! We're our own worst critics and I am betting other people won't think they look drab.

I've noticed myself that the colouring of my face has changed along with my hair. For example I used to have a dark mole on my forehead that was very much me, but it has faded completely to skin tone now along with my lightening hair. If I had completely dark hair now, I'm not sure it would look right.

It could be a whole new adventure, working out what suits you and your new colouring :) I know I am enjoying trying to work it out.

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:30 PM
Randomness: I always thought that if I had black hair and started graying, I would LOVE to use funky colored dyes. It wouldn't do much do the dark hair, but the white hairs would look like tinsel or highlights. :) I think I'd keep them a nice grass green by default.

Black and green look great together, I think it would be a great choice :) Plus if the hair was truly black, you could dye all over without too much fear of drastically changing the colour of the naturally dark hair.

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:33 PM
I was reading this at work today and then today on my way home, I found a gray hair while I was finger combing! How funny is that? It's as long as the rest of my hair so it's been around for a while. It's really course, not like the rest of my hair at all, is that normal? It's not hurting anything so I'm gonna leave it right where it is.

ETA: I'm 23 years old, my mom started graying at 18.

That's quite funny, what a coincidence! Congrats on your first sparkle :D

Yes, it is quite normal for white hair to have a different texture to the rest :) Some people find they are thicker, some find they are more curly or wavy than the other and sometimes the other way around. I think also, because they are so bright and reflect so much light, they can look thicker than they actually are, but that last part is my own opinion. Some of mine are a lot curlier than the rest, but most of them have a very similar texture to my dark hair.

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:37 PM
I first noticed a couple white hairs when I was 18 I think? I always colored my hair for the fun of it since I was about 12, with lots of fading months of neglect. When I found my white hairs, they were just a couple inches of roots.

I'm only just now purposely letting my natural color grow out, and I'm loving it! I've got about 6 white hairs together that are growing longer and longer with my new growth. They do seem coarser, more unruly. But I like them a lot!

It makes me wonder if there are similar little groupings elsewhere on my head that I can't see!
ETA: I'm 22. Thought I should include that!

Thanks for sharing your story :) Those half white, half normal coloured hairs can be quite fascinating when you first find them :) I remember some of my earliest ones were like that, but I haven't seen one for quite a while now.

It's quite possible there are other little groups hiding in there, but also equally possible there aren't. I'm constantly surprised about where I find new groups of them and how many there are, but I know I am well on my way to white :)

I am glad your like your white hairs and that you are enjoying your natural hair colour. I hope you carry on enjoying your journey :)

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:42 PM
Mine started early, too.
Got that from my mother and from having such a stressful mind.

On my early 20's, had just a few. Then, mid 20's, just enough for people to be aware of them.
Now, on late 20's, had too many white hairs. Tried to let them be, but people wouldn't stop staring at them, and I did not feel good about it.

http://www.felipesv.com/forum/k_chorandoNovo.gif

I know some people sincerely like them, and some people do think they're attractive on men.
But I did not feel that way, not at all. So, I took care of them! (http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=12439)

http://www.felipesv.com/forum/k_feliz.gif

My father (62) is about 50% gray, but my mother has been 100% gray since her late 40's.
That's where I'm headed to!

It took me a long time to decide to color them.
I didn't want to use regular dyes, and I'm actually too shy to ask people about hair coloring.
But then, a couple friends told me about Surya Henna. I tried and liked it a lot!

http://www.felipesv.com/forum/k_blackhair.gif

I'm glad you found a way to cope with your white hairs that has made you happy :) I don't think there is a right or wrong, you either can live with them or you can't.

Thank you also for sharing your story, I know hair colouring is not something men always want to talk about! But it's great to know how you feel about it and what you have done to deal with it and I hope that will give other people more confidence. Thank you for the link too:)

You must be doing something right anyway, your hair looks fantastic :)

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:50 PM
Great thread Cathair :)

I didn't really see any grays until my 40's but if I had started much younger it would have been really great to have a supportive thread like this to help work it out in my mind.

Also- to each his own...whether your 20, 30, or 100 ...everyone has to do what makes them feel their best. (ideally keeping hair as healthy as possible in the process)

Cover, blend, obliterate...whatever makes you happy :)

On a side note-Congrats on reaching classic!! :toast::cheer:

I'm glad you like the thread and pleased that you stopped by :)

Couldn't agree more DollyDagger! Life's too short to be unhappy with your hair :)

I imagine even when you are in your 40's it's somewhat of a shock to find your first white hairs.

When I finally dyed my blue bits in, it made me so happy I was kicking myself I didn't do it sooner. I had this problem in my mind that I wasn't ashamed of my whites. I didn't like how younger people thought it was so unusual to have them. It's really not in your 20's. But I wasn't enjoying how much older people thought I was than I am. I also didn't want to miss seeing the last of my natural brown colour grow out, I love that brown. Putting streaks in solves that problem for me. I wasn't covering all the white, I wasn't losing my natural brown, but I did look and feel younger again.

That could be the tagline for this thread, 'do what makes you feel best' :)

Thank you got the congrats :D I am still in shock I made it :)

cathair
October 7th, 2015, 03:52 PM
I too have a tiny crop of greys, and the last time I went to a hairdresser, she noted I also have some very light blonde hairs. I was blonde until about 4, and now my hair is about a chestnut brown. It's a little hard to tell the difference myself, but the greys are quite silver and sometimes a little more unruly than the rest of my hair.

I don't expect it to continue as it has - for about 3 years I noticed more over time with under/grad school stress, but the numbers seem to be stable now. My mom and dad are both in their 50s and have pretty normal greying rates.

That's lovely you have such a range of colours, chestnut brown, blonde and silver. I bet your hair looks lovely with the variation :)

DollyDagger
October 7th, 2015, 04:20 PM
I'm glad you like the thread and pleased that you stopped by :)

Couldn't agree more DollyDagger! Life's too short to be unhappy with your hair :)

I imagine even when you are in your 40's it's somewhat of a shock to find your first white hairs.

When I finally dyed my blue bits in, it made me so happy I was kicking myself I didn't do it sooner. I had this problem in my mind that I wasn't ashamed of my whites. I didn't like how younger people thought it was so unusual to have them. It's really not in your 20's. But I wasn't enjoying how much older people thought I was than I am. I also didn't want to miss seeing the last of my natural brown colour grow out, I love that brown. Putting streaks in solves that problem for me. I wasn't covering all the white, I wasn't losing my natural brown, but I did look and feel younger again.

That could be the tagline for this thread, 'do what makes you feel best' :)

Thank you got the congrats :D I am still in shock I made it :)
cathair We've been conditioned and brainwashed so it becomes such an anomoly to see them on a younger person let alone a middle aged one. I'm sure there are many young people that have them coming in big time!
Hopefully peoples views will slowly change as more and more younger people allow them to come in instead of running to the nearest store for box dye if they so please. It just really sucks when it's expected/demanded of you.
I'm glad you finally dyed the blue bits and are enjoying them. It wouldve been really difficult to get those streaks by bleaching that's for sure! That's where the whites become a canvas ! :)

I will be flabbergasted and beside myself too when I make my next landmark :) I can just imagine how you're feeling.

MegHan-Solo
December 9th, 2016, 07:22 AM
Hope no one minds if I resurrect this thread.

I have recently been letting my dye grow out, I have been dyeing since I was 12 and I am now 20. I wanted to go natural and stop damaging my hair and grow it long. So today I was inspecting my roots, looking at how much my hair had grown and looking for breakage and new growth, and I found some silver hairs!
Some of them were new growth and only a couple inches long with tapered ends, and some of them were in the roots of my dyed hair.

Honestly, I quite like them and I'm quite excited for more to appear, and for my virgin hair to grow out and them to run all the way down my length. They look sparkly and magical. Plus as has been mentioned, they are a blank canvas for awesome colours!

lithostoic
December 9th, 2016, 07:26 AM
I will probably grey early. Mom got her first greys in her late 20s and is now mostly grey at 47. She dyes it brown though.

rmani
December 9th, 2016, 07:32 AM
Hope no one minds if I resurrect this thread.

I have recently been letting my dye grow out, I have been dyeing since I was 12 and I am now 20. I wanted to go natural and stop damaging my hair and grow it long. So today I was inspecting my roots, looking at how much my hair had grown and looking for breakage and new growth, and I found some silver hairs!
Some of them were new growth and only a couple inches long with tapered ends, and some of them were in the roots of my dyed hair.

Honestly, I quite like them and I'm quite excited for more to appear, and for my virgin hair to grow out and them to run all the way down my length. They look sparkly and magical. Plus as has been mentioned, they are a blank canvas for awesome colours!

Congrats!!! I started colouring at 15 and stopped on my 32nd birthday. I'm 75% grey now at 33 and wouldn't change it for the world.

Good luck with your growing!

Erinliz
December 9th, 2016, 07:37 AM
Hope no one minds if I resurrect this thread.

I have recently been letting my dye grow out, I have been dyeing since I was 12 and I am now 20. I wanted to go natural and stop damaging my hair and grow it long. So today I was inspecting my roots, looking at how much my hair had grown and looking for breakage and new growth, and I found some silver hairs!
Some of them were new growth and only a couple inches long with tapered ends, and some of them were in the roots of my dyed hair.

Honestly, I quite like them and I'm quite excited for more to appear, and for my virgin hair to grow out and them to run all the way down my length. They look sparkly and magical. Plus as has been mentioned, they are a blank canvas for awesome colours!

I stopped coloring my hair a few months ago and I'm loving my silvers! I'm 36 and excited to see my natural color! It's like having the prettiest natural highlights. I had to tell my hairdresser yesterday that I didn't want to do any more coloring and let the grays show. She was really supportive and said they were pretty and it was the one color she could never duplicate. I think that makes it very special indeed! Congrats to you and welcome to the silver fox club!

MegHan-Solo
December 9th, 2016, 08:01 AM
Congrats!!! I started colouring at 15 and stopped on my 32nd birthday. I'm 75% grey now at 33 and wouldn't change it for the world.

Good luck with your growing!

That's awesome! Congratulations and good luck to you too!


I stopped coloring my hair a few months ago and I'm loving my silvers! I'm 36 and excited to see my natural color! It's like having the prettiest natural highlights. I had to tell my hairdresser yesterday that I didn't want to do any more coloring and let the grays show. She was really supportive and said they were pretty and it was the one color she could never duplicate. I think that makes it very special indeed! Congrats to you and welcome to the silver fox club!

That's great! I'm excited too, at the moment I look a kind of ash brown so with the silvers I've decide when it's all natural I'm going to look like a silver birch tree or a forest in the winter. It's nice that your hairdresser was so supportive. It's definitely helping that the grey look has come in to fashion as a colour to dye to recently, but we get it for free!
Thanks! :o

Erinliz
December 9th, 2016, 08:20 AM
That's awesome! Congratulations and good luck to you too!



That's great! I'm excited too, at the moment I look a kind of ash brown so with the silvers I've decide when it's all natural I'm going to look like a silver birch tree or a forest in the winter. It's nice that your hairdresser was so supportive. It's definitely helping that the grey look has come in to fashion as a colour to dye to recently, but we get it for free!
Thanks! :o

Silver birch tree...I love it! Yes, it's nice Gray is popular at the moment. Perfect timing for me!

Mrstran
December 9th, 2016, 09:20 AM
If I had a silver or white streak, I could put in a pretty pink or blue anytime I wanted without bleaching. That would be awesome.

My hair naturally is to dark, and I'm not touching bleach, my white strands are few so the cool colors are out for now :/

rmani
December 9th, 2016, 01:22 PM
That's awesome! Congratulations and good luck to you too!



That's great! I'm excited too, at the moment I look a kind of ash brown so with the silvers I've decide when it's all natural I'm going to look like a silver birch tree or a forest in the winter. It's nice that your hairdresser was so supportive. It's definitely helping that the grey look has come in to fashion as a colour to dye to recently, but we get it for free!
Thanks! :o

Thanks! It took a year to grow my roots to collar bone and then I chopped the dye all off. It was hard living with 2 distinct colours (grey roots and dark brown ends). Now just above APL! Not bad for just shy of 2 years :)

MegHan-Solo
December 12th, 2016, 10:07 AM
If I had a silver or white streak, I could put in a pretty pink or blue anytime I wanted without bleaching. That would be awesome.

My hair naturally is to dark, and I'm not touching bleach, my white strands are few so the cool colors are out for now :/
I'm waiting for that too! I am growing out bleach and would never touch it again after the state my hair got in.

Thanks! It took a year to grow my roots to collar bone and then I chopped the dye all off. It was hard living with 2 distinct colours (grey roots and dark brown ends). Now just above APL! Not bad for just shy of 2 years :)

Wow that's really good! It gives me some hope, I can't wait until I get to that stage.

genlilliana
December 12th, 2016, 10:27 AM
I started getting white hairs on my head when I was 13. I was not happy about that at all. My dad was always salt and pepper growing up - early white in his late 40's. I am following his lead...I am now 41 and growing out the coloring in my hair so I can really see what is going on up there...so far, two large white patches at my temples and lots of grays and whites along with the dulling of my dark hair. I wish I could explain the dulling better...the dark brown/auburn starts to turn a matte or faded tone that almost looks black and it mellows into the gray. If that makes any sense. Anyways, sometimes I like the "new" color and other times I have a challenge appreciating it.

lapushka
December 12th, 2016, 11:41 AM
I started getting white hairs on my head when I was 13. I was not happy about that at all. My dad was always salt and pepper growing up - early white in his late 40's. I am following his lead...I am now 41 and growing out the coloring in my hair so I can really see what is going on up there...so far, two large white patches at my temples and lots of grays and whites along with the dulling of my dark hair. I wish I could explain the dulling better...the dark brown/auburn starts to turn a matte or faded tone that almost looks black and it mellows into the gray. If that makes any sense. Anyways, sometimes I like the "new" color and other times I have a challenge appreciating it.

Maybe color with a semi until your hair is fully grown out. Might take all the worry out of it.

genlilliana
December 12th, 2016, 02:01 PM
It's almost down to the nape of my neck for grow out so I'm just letting it go! I lightened some of the color so it's okay for now. I was more conscious of it at first but now I don't care...I'm 41, I've got aggressive rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune disease) and coloring my hair is the least of my worries now! The days I feel funny about are usually days I am more tired or PMS'ing or just emotional days...and thankfully I don't get them frequently! Thanks for the suggestion...but I think dye free is for me.

Salwety
December 12th, 2016, 02:26 PM
Last week I found a white hair on my three year old boy's head of hair. I was a lot surprised.

rags
December 13th, 2016, 07:40 AM
Well, I am in the "old enough to have grey hair!" camp :p: , but I started in my late teens. By the time I was 25 I had a slightly less wide version of the streak seen in my siggy pic. And there it stayed until my 40's, when it began multiplying rapidly, lol. But from 25 to around 40 it pretty much was just the streak, with medium/dark brown hair. I dyed a bit but only because I never had and wanted to try out a couple of colors, not for covering the grey. But I was done with that after only a few years, and have sported it ever since.

I think it looks fantastic on younger people, because they usually still have the darker/brighter hair to really contrast against it. A lot of people's colored hair (mine is lt. brown, for instance) fades in color as they age so that the silver mixes in with a less dramatic appearance. When I was younger I often got asked who did my "highlights"! LOL. It was that stark of a contrast.

genlilliana
December 13th, 2016, 11:50 AM
Here are pics I took last night...it's in a French braid and I left it in (lazy...)
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=12799&attachmentid=25512
http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=12799&attachmentid=25511

Dark40
December 13th, 2016, 02:03 PM
I can say that I have a lot of greys on the sides of my hair, and also a few grey strands on top.

Tassledown
December 13th, 2016, 08:56 PM
I've had a small silver streak like rags' since I was 16. My mother went salt and pepper at thirty rather abruptly, as did one of her sister's so I get to wait and see what happens in four years. It's gotten a little wider but not by much. I'm not going to dye it, so I suppose I'll be along for the ride.
Definitely might try like hair chalk or something on it though, just to see what it's like.

FullofGrace
December 14th, 2016, 05:22 PM
I'm undecided on whether I like mine or not. I sorta like them due to the glitter factor of them. They are sparkly. I do not have so many at the moment. I think I want to henna but it being a "forever" till you grow it out thing is also off putting as it feels like a lot of commitment when trying to grow ones hair out to a long length. It will take 3 or 4 years to get my hair the length I want it, I just may leave it natural.

diamond_storm
December 14th, 2016, 05:43 PM
I've had a few gray hairs since I was about 16... I'm 26 now. I quite like them :)

I henna so they turn an orange. Most are around my bangs, but I do have one very long one that's also a different texture (my hair is super straight and this one is kind of wavy). I'm always happy when I see that bright orange hair. It's a cute little rebel and I hope I'll hold onto it for a while, haha :)

I'm jealous of all the blonde ladies who get grays! Silver hair is absolutely beautiful. Mine will probably be a salt and pepper one day.