Premature Grey Hair

[Faraniel]

Hello, I am not sure what I am looking for but I wanted to ask this forum if there are other people like me who have started greying quite early (23 for me). I am kind of desperate because I don't want to dye my hair for a while (I ruined it by bleaching and I hate watching if my roots are visible or not). Is there ANY other way to maybe stop it? I don't think I have any vitamin deficiency so it is genetic (maybe stress as well). My mom and her mom also found their first grey hair early but it wasn't as progressive as my grey hair. So far, the grey is in the lower layers of my hair so it is not yet visible but it is getting quite numerous. It just makes me feel sad and I don't know what to do. Thank you.

[RunOnCaffeine]

I found my first grey when I was 25 (28 now). Mine are largely on my parting and near my temples, but I don't have too many. My mum and dad went grey young (mum at 26 after she had me!).

It was this that made me start using henna on my hair- I didn't really want to dye it after growing out my old dye but it was starting to get me down so I went for henna as a compromise.

This probably doesn't help much, but I wanted to let you know that you aren't alone.

[Cg]

Surely genetics reigns heavy. My aunt found her first grey at age 16. By 30 it was all white. She always wore her hair long, bunned, and absolutely beautiful.

[lapushka]

I found my first grays in my early 20s. I am 47 now and have a light sprinkling throughout. Finding your first grays doesn't mean you'll go gray instantly.

If you are graying that early, why not leave it as is. There is nothing to stop the process, not a thing; don't let these so-called expensive miracle "cures" fool you. :)

[Lady Stardust]

I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling bad about the greys growing in. It isn’t what you expected and I can see why that is hard to come to terms with :blossom:

I don’t know if any way to slow the appearance of grey hair, but sometimes it really does take a long time! I’m 46 and I think I have an average amount of grey hair for my age. I found my first when I was 18 so it’s been slow progress! The grey wasn’t noticeable at all until I was in my late 30s. It definitely accelerated after pregnancy.

Have you seen Grombre (https://www.instagram.com/grombre/?hl=en)? It features women of all ages embracing their greys/silvers/whites, but seems to focus more on younger women. Some people find it easier than others. I find it helpful to see happy confident women with grey hair, at whatever age.

I know you weren’t asking for advice on how to accept the greys, but that really is the alternative if you don’t want to dye your hair. (Maybe someone can advise if there are ammonia/peroxide free dyes that work well in grey hair?)

It’s incredibly beautiful to see the greys coming in, it’s like getting free highlights :)

[zanelle]

I am sure the reason I started to have greys quite early (in my late 20's) is because I was a vegetarian for 16 years.
The lack of B vitamins , especially B 12 is one of the most common causes of greying prematurely ( see this study among lots of others: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514791/)
So make sure you eat a diverse diet, this would be the only thing you could do.
If it's genetics or other causes, I have no idea, but at least you do whatever you can. :blossom:
I am using henna + indigo to keep my natural colour ( I have dark brown hair with whites at the temples).

[Kalamazoo]

Howdy! I have good news! My first grey hairs came in at age 20, but I was the only one who noticed. Gradually, I got a few more. I'm 63 now, with no grey hairs.

What did I do? Well, I found wooden combs on eBay, read some of the ads, & discovered that they help prevent premature gray. Some noteworthy types of wood: neem, sandalwood, cherrywood, lignum vitae, verawood. So I ditched all my plastic combs & brushes, & now use only combs made of either wood or ox horn.

My brother is a naturally super-light blond, & now that he's mostly white-haired, the neem comb I gave him did NOT work for him -- it turned his hair a dark iron gray, which he didn't like. These natural things that "help premature gray", some of them function by adding a blackish cast to the hair. But it works for me! I'm a blondette (dark blond or light brunette). On me, the things I'm doing have left me with some golden strands mixed among the browns -- but no silvers! If you're darker haired than I, all the way up to black, then these things will work great for you.

Besides ditching the plastic combs, I also use oils & herbs: neem oil & powder, Kalpi Tone by Hesh, rosemary tea sprayed on my hair, ... there are lots of herbs out there!

But I'm definitely staying away from henna! because I tried it, & with as much blond as is native to my hair, it turned my tresses a shade of orange that I couldn't deal with, so I mashed up 4 blueberries in my hair mask the next day, & dyed the henna out with blueberries. (Not standard procedure here at LHC. Others have mentioned using purple shampoo. But I found the blueberries to be entirely satisfactory in covering henna. ... Although I wouldn't try blueberries if I hadn't already done henna, because with my blondishness, I'd expect them to turn me green...)

I also put a few drops of black walnut hull extract in my hair masks.

Jamaican Black Castor Oil also helps darken hair, but I read someplace that only hair types 3A-4C should use castor oil, because it greatly increases hair fall for 1A-2C.

A full explanation of my hair care method starts on page 4 of "Does eating peppermint grow hair faster?" https://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=150332&page=4

But I'm going to start putting smaller amounts of helpful ingredients in my hair all at once, or use only a few at a time, because I don't like having to shampoo it 10 times to get all the gunk out. So my hair care routine's definitely a work in progress.

But I definitely don't have grey hair, & I didn't use "chemicals" to do the job.

[cjk]

My left sideburn went pure white, IN COLLEGE. My right sideburn did not turn white until ten years later.

Curiously, the gray actually reduced when I started a keto diet.

It's not quite so simple as genetics only, nutrition and even hormones play a part as well. Not sure why mine turned back for a while, but now that I'm in my late forties I have solidly white temples. Symmetrical. The rest of my hair is multiple colors of blondes and browns.

I truly have white-walls.

[SleepyTangles]

Hello! I´m leaving here some suggestions, feel free to skip them if they are not feasible for your particular case. :flower:
Have you tried a different parting? Often silvers start coming more on one side or another, or at the temples vs the front. Maybe you can play with your gray placement to minimize them showing.

If you don´t want to deal with dyes for damage and regrowth issue, would you mind doing hair masks with plants like amla, that can leave a dark cast to white and gray hair? Or oils like argan, that often leave a blondish stain? Rinsing your hair with black and red tea can also leave some pigment, and is usually good for hair health.

Would you consider a gloss, something that you can apply once a month and fades gradually without demarcation lines? I´m not talking about henna and indigo glosses (plant dyes can be quite permanent, although they leave hair glossy and healthy), I´m talking about regular commercial glosses.

What is your color base? If you are blonde, are you sure it´s so noticeable? Most blonde people I know get their grey very subtly, the blond just start looking cooler and cooler until there is more silver than gold. Sometimes trying to make it less noticeable had the opposite effect.
I personally LOVE silver or salt-and-pepper hair. My mum thinks they make people look older, so she dyes hers, but in my opinion, the only thing that can make people look older or younger is the skin quality. If you are 23, chances are you´d look 23 even with full white hair; slso, many millennials/echo boomers dye their hair purposefully white and grey, so probably people would think that you did it on purpose ;)

[SleepyTangles]

And I totally agree with Lapushka. I found my first gray at 16, yet at 28 I still have to get a decent amount of grays. When I brush my hair I find sparklies there and here, but only one (literally) is visible from the outside. If you just started graying, it probably won´t became noticeable for a while - my guess is about a decade.

[The Lizard Wife]

I don't know of any way to stop greys either, but I wanted to chime in that you're not alone and the progression of greys is unpredictable. Going grey early runs in my family. I and my younger sibling both started finding grey hairs in high school; not sure about my older sibling. By the time my mom was early 30s, she had a full white streak at her temple and has been dyeing it ever since. I, on the other hand, have maintained my sparse sprinkle of greys without hardly gaining anything in the past decade and a half. Elder sibling, who is close to my age, has a very noticeable (to me, because I'm looking, jealously--I decided I wanted those early greys, so of course mine won't multiply...) all-over sprinkle of grey these days. Younger sibling occasionally gets highlights put in, so I'm not sure about the actual quantity of grey since it camouflages it extremely well. I have very dark hair and very shiny white greys, and no one ever seems to notice them unless I specifically point them out. I think especially if your greys aren't in a streak but are scattered throughout, even though they're very visible to you other people won't tend to notice them very much, for what it's worth.

[Joules]

Anything after 20 isn't considered premature. Technically our bodies stop "growing" and start "ageing" at the age of 21. Premature graying happens before 20.

It could also be a sign of certain deficiencies (anemia, B12 or copper deficiency), chronic stress, or a result of smoking/drinking/other harmful habits.

So yeah, I'd suggest doing a blood test to monitor possible deficiencies, because they can have worse consequences then just gray hair. And most importantly just learn to accept it, stressing out over it will only bring you more grays :shrug:

[yulia396]

I'm also here for you to say you're not alone. And I know how it feels, I tried to make styles to hide my gray strands (like braids) but whatever, nothing works perfectly and I can't control every single strand/ be aware of them all the time. I just "discovered them" this summer and it starts to bug me a bit (I have like, what, 7 to max 15 grey strands? and I'm 23. That's not much, they don't really show. But sometime's they're very visible, depending on how the strands are placed). I say think about it. Think about embracing them, and if that's not your cup of tea, think about methods. Henna, natural stuff, boxdye, no bleach, I don't know much about these and I plan on doing some research too. I also don't want to ruin my hair just because of some strands, especially considering that I have virgin hair. I have no clue about dyes and I never really planned to dye it. But oh, life's funny. Maybe go to a more expensive hairstylist, someone trustworthy, a professional who can help you. Though most just want your money, and they're frauds, even Brad Mondo who IMO isn't a professional (search for "Brad Mondo switched mannequins") I think this can be controlled, although the science of it isn't at our hands right now. Research, research, research. And keep calm. This is my only advice. You're still wonderful, you're still you, you're still not bald and there's plenty of time for you to find a good answer, don't rush it in panic. You're beautiful, some white strands don't take away from your beauty, this is just our obsession with hair and youth and all these fake concepts. Nobody really cares, true beauty is felt in presence and in how someone shines.

Why I talked so much about dyes is because my grey strands are what got me a bit into hair colors, dying, henna - I start to look at it, and honestly, I'll perhaps dye my hair in the future because I'm a perfectionist like that.

Don't stress over it, you'll be fine! <3 A lot of people are walking in your shoes and vice-versa. It's not the biggest problem , trust me. Let us all be happy this is the stuff we worry about and not worse. It's a pretty common, mediocre problem, don't let your body be absorbed into it fully. There's a lot more to do with life than worrying about some strands. If they bug you, do your best research, and act as you feel! Lots of love <3

[cathair]

Premature grey-er checking in :) They've been coming in for coming up to 20 years. I'm probably half way there now. Deposit only dye is always an option. Won't cause damage, just needs a bit of maintaining. Or learn to love them, they are pretty cool when you get used to them. I do both.

[Kat]

I am sure the reason I started to have greys quite early (in my late 20's) is because I was a vegetarian for 16 years.
The lack of B vitamins , especially B 12 is one of the most common causes of greying prematurely ( see this study among lots of others: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5514791/)
So make sure you eat a diverse diet, this would be the only thing you could do.
If it's genetics or other causes, I have no idea, but at least you do whatever you can. :blossom:
I am using henna + indigo to keep my natural colour ( I have dark brown hair with whites at the temples).

Interesting. My mom, a lifelong meat eater, thought that I, a vegetarian since about age 19 or 20, was a late bloomer because I didn't find my first gray until 29... she was 21. And I had a friend in college-- also an eater of meat-- who had a lovely sprinkling of grays through her dark-brown hair for... I don't know how long since I only noticed it at graduation (she had her hair down, which was a rarity) but they were as long as the rest of her APL-BSL hair...

[milosmomma]

Hey there, you've gotten really good advice already so I will just mention one thing I dont recall seeing, apple cider vinegar. I'm not sure if it will be right for you, but it does help a lot of people to do periodic acv rinses and some people report it giving reddish tones. I use it because it helps with tangling from hard water and my hair already has reddish tones so I cant say for sure how much change it would do on own.
I want to mention another thing that I cant wait for grey hairs and think they're beautiful! I would love to trade hairs with you and have some early greys :)

[Faraniel]

Hello, I thank you all for your advice. To be specific: my natural colour is light brown, the whites are mostly in the back and on the sides but thankfully mostly covered by the upper layer which is brown. However, more and more often I see them in the front as well so I am getting a bit anxious about the fast progression. I might try some blood tests, it's true I have a low blood pressure (cold feet and hands, etc) but I do eat meat.

I have probably became a bit too anxious about hair dyes because I read that PPD can cause allergies even if you have been dying your hair for years. Also I don't think applying chemicals on your scalp is good for the overal health. If anything, I am open to henna, I have dyed my hair red for the past few years so it's my last resort for now. I was just hoping to let it grow out now and go natural but the damn genetics disagree :D

[lapushka]

I always turn to this channel, whenever I feel "low" about going gray. She went gray in her 20s, and has let it grow out in the last couple years; it's beautiful:
https://www.youtube.com/user/MrKongsMom

[Faraniel]

I'm not saying it can't look good, I just personally feel that it looks good on people with cool colouring which I am not. Me personally, I just don't like it on me.

Edit: I had platinum blond hair, it wasn't a good idea :D

[Lady Stardust]

I'm not saying it can't look good, I just personally feel that it looks good on people with cool colouring which I am not. Me personally, I just don't like it on me.

Edit: I had platinum blond hair, it wasn't a good idea :D

I know what you mean, it’s strange when you’re warm toned, to watch the warmth leaving and changing to neutral/cool. That’s one of the things I like about Grombre, there are people with all sorts of colouring and you can see how grey hair looks on them. It’s easier to be objective when you see it on someone else. I’m quite pale so I worry that I’ll look washed out when the warmth goes, but there are ways around that with clothes and scarves :)

Have you thought about cassia? That might add some warmth without affecting the base colour too much? You would need to strand test though.

[lapushka]

I understand. :) I just posted it for inspiration purposes to show it can look fantastic.

But if you're not ready for it, you're not ready. :)

[Faraniel]

I know what you mean, it’s strange when you’re warm toned, to watch the warmth leaving and changing to neutral/cool. That’s one of the things I like about Grombre, there are people with all sorts of colouring and you can see how grey hair looks on them. It’s easier to be objective when you see it on someone else. I’m quite pale so I worry that I’ll look washed out when the warmth goes, but there are ways around that with clothes and scarves :)

Have you thought about cassia? That might add some warmth without affecting the base colour too much? You would need to strand test though.

I have cassia but I haven't tried it yet. I heard it doesn't last.

[Faraniel]

I understand. :) I just posted it for inspiration purposes to show it can look fantastic.

But if you're not ready for it, you're not ready. :)

I think "not ready for it" is exactly my issue :D

Btw, I have seen something with blackstrap molasses helping with grey hair but honestly it seemed too good to be true so if anyone has any experience with it maybe?

[Lady Stardust]

I have cassia but I haven't tried it yet. I heard it doesn't last.

That’s right, cassia isn’t permanent. I think it lasts about a month? I haven’t used it myself. Maybe a cassia gloss would be an option (cassia mixed with conditioner). It would be easier to do regularly but I don’t know how much colour deposit it would give.

[Faraniel]

That’s right, cassia isn’t permanent. I think it lasts about a month? I haven’t used it myself. Maybe a cassia gloss would be an option (cassia mixed with conditioner). It would be easier to do regularly but I don’t know how much colour deposit it would give.

Actually, one month is quite okay for me. I have been dying my hair with permanent hair dyes and they should be reapplied every month as well.

[Lady Stardust]

Actually, one month is quite okay for me. I have been dying my hair with permanent hair dyes and they should be reapplied every month as well.Oh that’s good. Don’t take my word for it being a month, as I said I haven’t used it, but there will be loads of information about cassia on the forum :)

[Kalamazoo]

Does cassia tend to add redness?

[lapushka]

Does cassia tend to add redness?

IMO I don't think so, no. I have seen it go yellow/blonde on gray hair, lasting for 14 days (it was on the henna for hair forum at the time, with pictures of someone having applied it).

[Crystawni]

I'm not saying it can't look good, I just personally feel that it looks good on people with cool colouring which I am not. Me personally, I just don't like it on me.

Edit: I had platinum blond hair, it wasn't a good idea :D

From experience, it grows on you (if you let it). :p I wasn't a fan of my whites to start with, either, but the stench and upkeep of dyeing just didn't do it for me, and no colour actually went well with my natural colours, anyway. And yeah, I'm right there with you with the platinum blonde disaster--once was enough! But natural, non-pigmented hair is a different animal, and can be very shiny, and soft in feel, as well as being soft against pale skin colouring (while striking against darker tones, like what my hubster has). Now I just consider white as just another colour :cool:, as well as silver that I now have growing in as well. I don't know if it actually suits me, but it is uniquely me all the same so I wear it comfortably/confidently while it has become part of who I am to others as well. The bonus is, it keeps me ageless, too (people think I'm at least 20 years younger than I am, and that I pay money to have these highlights. :rolling:).

I have a stack of albums on here in my profile showing my slipmonster in action, but here's a current pic of it in a bunned French twist showing the blend and pop of the warm and cool stuff (silvers mottled into the top, whites coming mainly from temple streaks):

https://i.imgur.com/7K06SFz.jpg

Maybe one day you'll embrace all that's uniquely you, but in the meantime I hope you find a happy medium!

[Faraniel]

Crystawni: Your hair looks great, it gives me Narcissa Malfoy vibes :D

[SleepyTangles]

If you fear that silver hair may be too contrasting, I think that what naturally grows from our head is naturally in tune with the rest of us.
Try giving a look to Maryam Remias channel, she is a great example of warm coloring and silver hair.

[aenflex]

I went truly prematurely grey. By the time I was 30-ish, I was around 25% grey. Now that I’m 40, it’s gotta be closer to 40% based on my unscientific estimation. I use a carefully blended mix, along with layered applications, of henna and indigo. Since my hair is dark, this works for me although it requires upkeep about 4-5 times per year.

If you have lighter hair, it might be easier for you? I have a friend that just uses toner on her greys, she’s about 40 with I guess an ash blonde natural color...

[macyann]

Would you consider using a tinted dry shampoo? I like this one:
https://www.ulta.com/hint-of-color-dry-shampoo-divine-dark?productId=pimprod2009019&sku=2234688&CPMID=CSBING&CAWELAID=330000200000015287&CATARGETID=330000200001789838&CADevice=c&msclkid=3825f0ff0ef01634b15ead4537045e10
Comes in different hair colors and you can find it..... anywhere, Im pretty sure. Only $9.99 :) I used to use it all the time, tinted dry shampoo actually does wonders for my hair somehow.

Good luck, though! I found my first grey hair when I was 18. My significant other is 21 and almost his whole mustache and some of his beard is gray. Personally I feel like its lovely, but maybe I wouldnt feel the same if it was happening to me. I see a lot of girls lately dying their hair gray on purpose, so worse comes to worse you can make it a thing! Lol! Keep us updated :)

[Crystawni]

Crystawni: Your hair looks great, it gives me Narcissa Malfoy vibes :D

Bahaha! Pretty much! With some black tinting, especially on the canopy, there's Halloween all sewn up for me! :p She (https://www.google.com/search?q=Narcissa+Malfoy&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU825AU825&sxsrf=ACYBGNQ7uJoZTT6lMkivtFYfmdLDw0kKbA:157248863 1497&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwivuKzSuMXlAhXp6nMBHRPOC6cQ_AUIEigB&biw=1573&bih=926#imgrc=_)'s like the modern-day version of Lily Munster (https://www.google.com/search?q=lily+munster&rlz=1C1CHBF_en-GBAU825AU825&sxsrf=ACYBGNS3HBb4jklzmP4Q8kDGC5aiKD_7_g:157248896 9444&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinh7_zucXlAhWWfCsKHboQBrAQ_AUIEigB&biw=1573&bih=926). :grin:

BTW, it's taken half my life to get this much white and silver after noticing my first white at 26, and I'm still mainly stripy and hanging for it to be totally whisper white. Although I'm really going to miss the hue of the coppery tawny stuff that's been my "blankey" for years. Change is good... kinda? Gah!

[Faraniel]

If you fear that silver hair may be too contrasting, I think that what naturally grows from our head is naturally in tune with the rest of us.
Try giving a look to Maryam Remias channel, she is a great example of warm coloring and silver hair.

It's not contrasting at all, in fact, if it was contrasting, it might look good. My hair is rather light brown. I had a tutor at the university who had black hair and a white strand and it looked cool.

[yuuuri]

unpopular opinion. I think white hair is cool! XD
I found my first grey when i was around 18 years old. Now I'm 25 and I still have slightly more white hairs but they're hiding under the other brown hairs. I never bleached so i could avoid that from happening yet it did. but its fine now. I have a guy friend who's 23 years old yet he has lots of white hairs and I think its cool!

[Kat]

I don't mind my "sparklies"-- and they are truly that; they're silver and that's how I first noticed them-- "what's so shiny at my hairline??"-- but mostly all I can think is, "Ooh, I hope they make my henna show up brighter!" (I don't henna to get rid of them, I henna 'cause I want red hair, and since my "natural" color is dark-ish, I don't get as bright of a red as I'd like.)

[Longlegs]

I'm the same as many who have already commented, I had my first grey hair in my 20's , now 20 years later in my late 40's I would estimate about 10% of my hair is grey. Mainly around the temples.

[communicateboun]

Hello, I am not sure what I am looking for but I wanted to ask this forum if there are other people like me who have started greying quite early (23 for me). I am kind of desperate because I don't want to dye my hair for a while (I ruined it by bleaching and I hate watching if my roots are visible or not). Is there ANY other way to maybe stop it? I don't think I have any vitamin deficiency so it is genetic (maybe stress as well). My mom and her mom also found their first grey hair early but it wasn't as progressive as my grey hair. So far, the grey is in the lower layers of my hair so it is not yet visible but it is getting quite numerous. It just makes me feel sad and I don't know what to do. Thank you.
How are you covering your grays? Please share products and frequency of use. Looking for something that won't dry my hair out. Thanks!

[communicateboun]

I went truly prematurely grey. By the time I was 30-ish, I was around 25% grey. Now that I’m 40, it’s gotta be closer to 40% based on my unscientific estimation. I use a carefully blended mix, along with layered applications, of henna and indigo Orlando hair salon (https://www.privesalonorlando.com/). Since my hair is dark, this works for me although it requires upkeep about 4-5 times per year.

If you have lighter hair, it might be easier for you? I have a friend that just uses toner on her greys, she’s about 40 with I guess an ash blonde natural color...
How are you covering your grays? Please share products and frequency of use. Looking for something that won't dry my hair out.

Thanks!