Unhealthy gray?

[Sana]

Does developing a few gray hairs at say around 30 have anything to do with the overall health of a person? I have developed quite a few suddenly. Also a stylist commented that my gray hairs looked unnaturally thin & curly:rolleyes: I have had a complete check up with my doc' & my hemoglobin, thyroid everything was fine. Is it just a natural process?

Another question I had was that my hair has thinned down to almost one fourth of what it was. I had some serious postpartum shedding & also some flat iron damage. Is there a chance my hair will ever be back to what it was or this is what I will have to be happy with?:(

[teela1978]

I have noticeable grey and I'm only 29. I like to think I'm healthy. Mine do the weird curly thing as well. I think it's just a new grey thing.

[Nat242]

It's not unusual to start getting grey hairs at 30 years old, and it's fairly common for the grey hairs to be a different texture to your "regular" hair. I wouldn't pay much attention to the "unhealthy" comment from your stylist, especially if you've been checked out by the doctor and you know you're healthy.

I'm not an expert on post-partum shedding, but I would say that if you've lost hair from heat damage, give it time, and your hair should thicken up again. It will be slow, but hopefully you'll see some baby hairs coming through soon. Make sure you're nutrition is good, and maybe consider taking some vitamins for hair? Scalp massage with certain essential oils can help, too.

Stick with it! Things will improve.

-- Natalie

[spidermom]

I read that hair will go prematurely gray because of lack of sufficient B-vitamins, particularly B6 (to the best of my memory). You might want to make sure that your ferritin and folic acid levels are normal.

Get rid of that flat iron; it is a major obstacle in the road to healthy hair.

[frizzinator]

It can happen as a result of bad health, but more likely it is a natural process. Grey or white hair rarely looks like your other hair ...the texture is usually different.

It's the same with thinning ....it can be caused by poor health or damage, but it also happens with age.

When I was your age, I noticed the hair in my crown area was becoming thin, and it never improved. I learned that layers were not for me because my hair was so thin that you could "see-through" it, so against all of the hairdresser's styling advice, I knew an "all one length" haircut was best for me. I also learned that certain updos would not work because it was thin on top.

It's annoying but eventually you learn to work around these issues. If you don't believe me, have a look at my photo album http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=311

[CurlyNinja]

I found my first gray hair at 12, and I'm now a few months shy of my 21st birthday with more and more silver hairs cropping up every day. I realize my case is on the unusual side, but finding a few grays around age 30 doesn't seem strange to me at all.

One odd thing about mine--they're all straight, whereas the rest of my hair is curly. :shrug:

[Sana]

I have quit using a flat iron since last nov. Frizzinator I love all those updos. Your hair looks beautiful in them. I have to say that my hair has thinned on my crown....but it was always less in that area I guess. I do have lots of baby hair around my face but I still doubt my hair will be as thick as it was. Thank you all for the replies.

[Riot Crrl]

I started going grey at 23 and was in perfect health but for my iron deficiency anemia which was being treated.

[SurprisingWoman]

I have major graying and it mostly occurred when i was younger. I have heard comments that I should check my health because "I was probably going gray because there was something wrong and it was a sign of ill health or stress" What ever.. dude. I am gray because I am gray. My mother isn't as gray. My sisters aren't very gray. I am gray. Because I am.

I am overweight. Considerably. I still have amazing rhythm and could out dance most of my daughter's friends, but I am large. That also makes a lot of people think I am "unhealthy."

I am fat and gray so how could I be healthy?

My blood pressure is 119/69
My cholesterol is 189
My thyroid is good
My hormones are good
I am 47
My mammo is good


I am fat, fabulous and healthy.

Don't listen to people. Listen to your body

[Nat242]

I have major graying and it mostly occurred when i was younger. I have heard comments that I should check my health because "I was probably going gray because there was something wrong and it was a sign of ill health or stress" What ever.. dude. I am gray because I am gray. My mother isn't as gray. My sisters aren't very gray. I am gray. Because I am.

I am overweight. Considerably. I still have amazing rhythm and could out dance most of my daughter's friends, but I am large. That also makes a lot of people think I am "unhealthy."

I am fat and gray so how could I be healthy?

My blood pressure is 119/69
My cholesterol is 189
My thyroid is good
My hormones are good
I am 47
My mammo is good


I am fat, fabulous and healthy.

Don't listen to people. Listen to your body

Amen :rockerdud:

-- Natalie

[Rosamaria]

Oh Frizzinator, those are lovely up-dos! Your hair looks really good! Just the sophisticated grey look that I hope to go for eventually.:)

As you will see from my photo I have a long way to go in terms of length and also in going grey. However the photo is decieving - from close up my hair is shot through with greys which are slowly increasing in number.

[Rini]

I starting going grey in my teens and am now 80% up front of my head and about 40% at back. My mother was completely white when she was in her 30s and it looked AWESOME. I wouldn't worry about it......you might go grey!! :D Sorry....bad joke.....

[Medvssa]

I started getting grey hairs when I was 29 or so. I am gonna be 31 and they keep on coming, I am thrilled!! :D but then I love white hair :shrug: Obviously, I wouldn't be too worried, but if it contributes to you peace of mind and you haven't already, check your ferritin and folic acid as spidermom suggested.

[luciole]

I´m 19 and i already have a few greys (actually 17 at the front of my head:rolleyes:). They are thicker and curlier than the rest of my hair, every doctor I asked said it is a genetic thing and I shouldn´t worry.

[Les]

I had gray hairs start to appear when I was in my late teens. They've never really bothered me, but their texture is noticeably different than my "normal" hair. They gray's tend to be stiffer and more wiry.

[Xandergrammy]

My understanding is that it's up to your genetics how and when you start to gray. It has nothing to do with health.

[Eireann]

Could be genetic. I had my first grey hair a week before my 23rd birthday. My dad and my aunt (his sister) were completely grey by the time they were 30. My brother who is 2 years older than I am is quite grey. I probably would be too, except that I haven't seen my natural haircolor in 10 years! :p

[jojo]

We get grey hair because the melamin (which is the pigment which colours the hair), production decreases as we get older. when this happens it can be due to deficiencies but is mainly due to genetics, although some other factors may contribute to premature greying.

For example Smoking can cause premature greying, as can vitamin B and zinc deficiencies and very probable dietary factors too but on the whole 30 isn't really unusual to be finding grey hairs. I found my first one at 19. HTH

[swanns]

I just found my first grays a few months ago and am only turning 20 this week. I've read it could be a symptom of a thyroid condition (which I have, but it's the kind for which there's no medication, but since I've been developing other kinds of symptoms too lately I might just get it checked again), but I've heard of a whole lot of people who've had a few grays before they even turned 20, so I guess it's nothing you should worry about :)

[heidi w.]

Does developing a few gray hairs at say around 30 have anything to do with the overall health of a person? I have developed quite a few suddenly. Also a stylist commented that my gray hairs looked unnaturally thin & curly:rolleyes: I have had a complete check up with my doc' & my hemoglobin, thyroid everything was fine. Is it just a natural process?

Another question I had was that my hair has thinned down to almost one fourth of what it was. I had some serious postpartum shedding & also some flat iron damage. Is there a chance my hair will ever be back to what it was or this is what I will have to be happy with?:(

First, let me say, your hair stylist is woefully uninformed! (my turn to :rolleyes:)

Yes, it's very normal for a person of age 30 and onward to have some gray hairs. I've seen this phenomena in 20 something's too! We go gray because of genetics and hormones. Gray is not a sign of ill health. This is an old myth.

Gray hair can also come in quite different from your 'usual' hair. It can be just a few strands behave differently OR eventually, the whole head of hair. It can be more wirey, less soft, more curly, thinner, thicker (even) for example, if a straight hair normally, or the opposite. All possibilities exist. If a few hairs come in really different in texture and all, this does not mean necessarily that all the gray hair will be this way. This is not a sign of ill health.

It is normal after giving birth, OR breast feeding, whichever ends last, to have a few more months of shedding before the hair follicles shift to the new 'signal' and begins to grow in again to its usual thickness. This process can take a few months. It should become its usual thickness -- whatever it was BEFORE gestation occurred. Becoming what it was when you were 20, or 16, though, is unlikely. All heads of hair thin to some extent over time. It's just part of getting older. (Another joy!)

That said, though, it's not that uncommon that after either of these activities that women's hair can thin significantly, or not stop shedding. If that is the case, a visit to the doctor may be in order again.

heidi w.

[Islandgrrl]

I'd say that developing a few grey hairs at age 30 is pretty normal. And the texture is not always the same or even reasonably close to the rest of your hair. My greys are decidedly different - some are tight spiral curls and some are just really wavy (I have relatively straight hair).

Also, the postpartum shed thing is pretty normal too. I lost a TON of hair after each of my babies and my hair looked really horrid for a while. It does come back - it did for me, anyway. My hair is thicker than ever.

Be patient and just take good care of it, and it should be okay! And if you don't like the greys, camouflage them!

[khyricat]

another grey as a teen popping in, so was my sister.. she went to college with a very short butch cut as a salt and pepper head, and had people asking how she bleached the whites so white in her otherwise dark hair.. she just smiled.. when she graduated she let it grow back out, and started to color it...

[Marysmirth]

Listen to your Dr. Grays are natural. I wish I had embraced mine years ago. You have beautiful hair btw. Enjoy the sparkly threads as they grow in!

[akurah]

My best friend in elementary school had grey hairs, at age TEN. And she was perfectly healthy.

[Morticia]

I am fat and gray so how could I be healthy?

My blood pressure is 119/69
My cholesterol is 189
My thyroid is good
My hormones are good
I am 47
My mammo is good


I am fat, fabulous and healthy.

Don't listen to people. Listen to your body

Rock on, SurprisingWoman. :rockerdud

[EdG]

I noticed my first gray hairs when I was a teenager. They stayed few in number up until my mid-30s, at which time the graying accelerated.

I think gray hairs are just part of normal aging. :)
Ed

[Speedbump]

"Premature" gray runs in my family. I've had a few grays since I was a teenager, and a few years ago they started growing more numerous. I am about the healthiest I've ever been in my life right now, so I don't feel my grays are indicative of problems in that area.