What is the "normal" pattern of going silver

[Rini]

I've had silvers since I was about 16 and have been waiting for the day when my silvers become more even so that I can stop dyeing completely and go natural. I'm pretty much at that point, and over the last couple of years I've been gradually going natural. Right now, my hair is mostly platinum/white at the front, top, sides and back of my head.....but there is a circular patch right at the top/back of my head which is still dark blonde and has absolutely NO silvers in it. I feel very self conscious about it and am always tempted to dye it lighter so that it blends in more, but have decided to just live with it as I REALLY don't want to do the dye thing anymore.

Anyway, let me get to my point! I'm wondering if this darker patch on my head is that much of an oddity. I've seen people going silver with an all over salt n' pepper thing going on, but I went pretty much all white in entire patches....unless the salt and pepper was not noticeable on my naturally light hair colour anyway? Does anyone else have a patch on their head which is just NOT going silver at all (when all the rest is!)?

[rags]

The nape of my neck has absolutely NO silvers in it - actually most of the back of my head have very few, while the front is about 70 percent silver. My mother is going on 70 and the nape of her neck is still salt and pepper (only recently getting any silver in it at all) while the rest of her hair turned 15 years ago.

Oh and I think BTR has the nape of the neck thing too. I think it's fairly normal.

[MsBubbles]

I'd say whatever your family traits are - are 'normal'. So it wouldn't really matter how most people grey, if it's not going to happen to you. Personally, I envy those with white streaks at the front hairline! It brightens things up naturally.

I'm probably gonna go white over my ears first, if my parents are anything to go by. The Koala bear look.

[Madora]

Much of my silvers are centralized in the temple area and the rest of my hair remains dark brown. I'd love to have more silvering but you can't rush mother nature!

[Anje]

Mine seem to be starting at the top of my head. My mom got the same sort of thing, and had a streak of gray from the top of her head down the back, a little off-center. I think Dad started graying at his temples first, but he's got no hair on top to determine whether that would have been where it started.

[Pixna]

My silvers don't have a particular pattern. I still have a lot of pigment to my hair in general. My "whites" (they are really more white than silver, I think) are concentrated most around my temples. But they are scattered throughout somewhat randomly (and ever increasingly). But, as Madora said, you can't rush Mother Nature! :redgrin:

[Inchworm]

Have you seen a man go gray? The part above the ears turn first.

[boomtownrat]

Hi, Rini! My silvering pattern seems to have been from the top down, but I was dyeing my hair most of the time while it was happening so I can't say that with absolute certainty. It started with a couple of white hairs at the top of my head when I was 14 and was really noticeable in my canopy when I was 28. I went dye-free a couple of times over the years so I saw that it was the canopy that turned first. By the time I stopped using dye for good earlier this year shortly before turning 37, the only part not completely silver was the nape, which is very dark with just some silver shot through, giving it an iron grey look.

Hopefully Demetrue will read this thread, as I think her hair colour and silvering pattern is very similar to yours.

[Speedbump]

Rini as far as I can tell there IS no "normal" way or "usual" way to go silver. I think it is partly genetics and partly how you live your life. For me, I had gray hair on top of my head and nowhere else after I bonked my head really badly on a cement floor as a little kid. I had five or six gray hairs there and nowhere else starting at about 18 years old.

Since I have started actually going silver, mine is coming in in streaks for the most part, starting on top of my head, but now showing up in front, too. I'm sure I'll find some sneaking into the back in the next couple of years.

If I were you, I'd just enjoy your multi-colored self and just be you. I think you look just fine as you are. I seriously doubt it is worth all the trouble of the dye stuff to get that one last patch to "match up."

Besides, silvers do creep up on you. One day five years from now, you might wish you had that one patch back! :p

[Rini]

Thanks for the input!

boomtownrat: your darkest patch has some silvers in it, mine has NONE. If it had a few then I'd feel a bit better I think, but it almost looks as though I have dyed that part dark! It is SUCH a contrast :( I live in hope that it will catch up soon.

speedbump: one of my sisters hit her head really badly when she was only 6 and she had a very large white streak in the front of her head since then (like Rogue from x-men).
Speaking of genetics, my Mum went silver very early on too (like me), but she went salt and pepper which gradually got more and more until she was completely white. It looks gorgeous. My silvering has been very different and I don't think I'll miss that darker patch when it's gone one day :)

[Elenna]

They are mostly face framing, think silver bangs & sides. Silvers are underneath, but canopy is still brown. In a couple of years there will be more silvers. Sometimes good things are worth waiting for.

[Copasetic]

I'm not completely grey yet; just starting to go. But all my greys are at the top of my head and around my temples. As far as I can tell, I don't have any on the back of my head.

My mom is the same way. All her greys are at the front. None at the back yet and she has been going grey for a few years now.

[milagro]

My silvers locate strictly on top of my head and along my forehead. A kind of grayish mohawk :D That's weird.

[jeanniet]

My silvers are pretty randomly scattered, although I do have more around my ears. My mom dyed her hair for years, and when she finally stopped at around 75 her hair was almost all white except for some dark patches. Now, at 80, her hair is basically white, but she still has a few scattered dark hairs here and there.

[Demetrue]

Rini - my whites started to come in first at the temples, then moving up to most of the front of my head. The back part of my head is still coming in dark blonde/light brown. My mom's silver pattern was the opposite, her temples stayed dark and the crown of her head went silver - it was very pretty and everyone thought she had frosted her hair on purpose.

[MonikaHa]

Mine have really crept up on me in a sneaky way haha I had been coloring my hair blonde for many years so I did not really get to see my real color. But when I switched to henna I noticed that I have a "darker streak" on the right side of my forhead hahaha.
Yeah right, darker streak. From what I can see, I have seriously silver hair on the left side of my forhead, on the top of my head and some on the sides.

I was seriously baffled where the dark streak came from LOL, somehow the thought of having silver har had not crossed my mind. I wonder what it would look like if I grew out the henna, but so far I am too chicken to do it.

[heidi w.]

Much of my silvers are centralized in the temple area and the rest of my hair remains dark brown. I'd love to have more silvering but you can't rush mother nature!

Typically begins temples. Back of head, crown is almost last.
Just as Madora describes....
If the patch bugs you, perhaps a fancier updo for coverup?, ornaments?
heidi w.

[feb26]

mine are mostly face framing, on the sides, underneath. really only shows if hair is up or for some reason,once hair is freshly washed & dried (but not always). My mom had breast cancer with 1side masectomy...so b/c of all the drugs she went prematurely grey (full grey by 34). Do I look to my dad or where for genetic pointers? my grandma on mom's side has always had blonde/grey hair cut v short for as long as i can remember..

[Anje]

Typically begins temples. Back of head, crown is almost last.
Just as Madora describes...
heidi w.
Funny, then, that my family pattern seems to be the opposite of that.