Greys? I'm only 18!

[ChatNoir]

Okay, today I found my second grey. I'm not reeeeally that freaked out, because I love grey hair. I just think I'm a bit too young.

The other hairs on my head are "silky" straight and extremely fine. These two hairs that I've found are curly (!!) and quite coarse in comparison. Not to mention that they are silverish white next to my light brown hair.

I just wanted to ask if anyone else has experienced something similar? My mother said she found her first when she was 20. Only 1.5 yrs from now in my case, but still. Eighteen??

I just hope it continues to pop up here and there... Maybe I'll be a renegray by the time I reach 30?:eyebrows:

[mellie]

It's quite normal. Many of us here got our first silvers when we were in our teens. I got mine at age 19 (see my story in my siggy link!). :-) I'm now past age 39 and still only have a few streaks here and there.

[BelleBot]

My SO has 2 greyish hairs. He has dark brown hair with 2 silvery gold strands. They've been there for years, just the 2, no others have popped up. He's only 25.

I wouldn't worry too much. I know a lot of people who have found the occasional grey or odd coloured hair in their teens and early twenties, but usually it's just the odd one or two. I think it's not that uncommon, but because so many people dye their hair most won't notice any stray grey hairs, and of course most people won't talk about it.

[Rosalaun]

Yeah, don't worry about it :) My best friend's had grey hairs since she was 13 but because they are only odd ones people tend not to notice.

[Igor]

Are you getting enough vitamin B6 and copper in your diet?
Lack of copper can make the hair lose colour and turn coarser and vitamin B6 is necessary for making melanin, which gives hair its colour

[Aerith85]

seriously I think its more common than you think my friend has loads of greys comg through and shes only 21 x

[boomtownrat]

I was 14 when I found the first white hairs on my head, and when my friends noticed them. For all I know, there were some buried in my hair even before then without my noticing. I'm not sure when it was really noticeable to others because I dyed my hair for fun (that is to say, not specifically to cover the greys) throughout my 20s, but a hairdresser commented on all my silver roots when I was 27 or 28. I briefly had my hair natural when I was 29-30 and the silver was not quite half of my hair. When I was 33 I tried going natural again and it was more like 75% silver or white. When I decided to stop dyeing my hair a year ago, at age 36, probably about 98% of it was silver or white -- just a line of dark hair across my nape and a few red or gold stray hairs scattered here and there in my hair.

But some people lose pigment faster than I did, while others lose it more slowly. There's no way to be sure when you'll have a noticeable amount. Of course, you could be a Renegrey now if you wanted, because it's the attitude to greys/silvers more than the amount -- I'll bet mellie would agree. :)

[noelgirl]

I wonder if when you get your first greys might be hereditary, actually. I recently found my first few greys the week before my 27th birthday, and my mom has been coloring her hair to cover grey for as long as I can remember (and she had me in her late 20's).

[Nae]

What I think is that we have a skewed view of what is actually natural because of the overwhelming use of color in our society. Tons and tons of people have greys but they are all covered up. I know I had a couple in my teens. In the same spot I have my streak of white now. (Which I have covered with henna, so it is like a streak of red, but in reality I am greying.) I am 35. I also have some at my temples. I have been getting more and more all through my twenties.

[jenjen10]

I think a hairdresser found my first gray hair when I was 16... don't worry about it! I am now 32 and only find a few stray ones from time to time so it doesn't indicate that you are going to "go gray" anytime soon! :)

[Yasmine91]

My bf has grey hair, and so does a friend of mine, both are 19. They get it mostely from stress and poor diet :P

[ChatNoir]

Are you getting enough vitamin B6 and copper in your diet?
Lack of copper can make the hair lose colour and turn coarser and vitamin B6 is necessary for making melanin, which gives hair its colour

Regarding the copper and the B6, I don't know. I'm on a diet now which is supposed to contain a lot of vitamins, but haven't heard of those especially. But regarding lack of melanin.. I don't know. I get hyper pigmentation. Hasn't that got something to do with melanin?


Yeah, don't worry about it :) My best friend's had grey hairs since she was 13 but because they are only odd ones people tend not to notice.

Mine are odd ones too, so I don't think anybody has noticed yet. Thanks for your encouragement! :D


I was 14 when I found the first white hairs on my head, and when my friends noticed them. For all I know, there were some buried in my hair even before then without my noticing. I'm not sure when it was really noticeable to others because I dyed my hair for fun (that is to say, not specifically to cover the greys) throughout my 20s, but a hairdresser commented on all my silver roots when I was 27 or 28. I briefly had my hair natural when I was 29-30 and the silver was not quite half of my hair. When I was 33 I tried going natural again and it was more like 75% silver or white. When I decided to stop dyeing my hair a year ago, at age 36, probably about 98% of it was silver or white -- just a line of dark hair across my nape and a few red or gold stray hairs scattered here and there in my hair.

But some people lose pigment faster than I did, while others lose it more slowly. There's no way to be sure when you'll have a noticeable amount. Of course, you could be a Renegrey now if you wanted, because it's the attitude to greys/silvers more than the amount -- I'll bet mellie would agree. :)

Wow. Your hair looks beautiful, I must say! If my hair ever gets that same, gorgeous colour as yours I'd be super happy!:cheese: Maybe I should consider myself one, then... :D


I wonder if when you get your first greys might be hereditary, actually. I recently found my first few greys the week before my 27th birthday, and my mom has been coloring her hair to cover grey for as long as I can remember (and she had me in her late 20's).

I think so, actually. As I mentioned, my mother found her first greys at the age of 20, and they might have been there earlier, right? It's not that easy to tell. She now has a dark steel grey and black mane underneath all the bleach (sigh...). So you may be right! :D

[ChatNoir]

My bf has grey hair, and so does a friend of mine, both are 19. They get it mostely from stress and poor diet :P

Oh dear! I don't think that's what's causing my greys, though... At least I hope not! :D

[sedonia]

This is just a random thought, but I have noticed that very early silvering seems especially common in people with certain coloring: fair skin, blue eyes, and very dark (almost black) hair. Also the silvering IMO is especially striking in these individuals (not that it can't look good on other colorings as well...). My grandmother, who started silvering in her 20's, had these features, and I 've known several other people as well. Also Emmylou Harris has these features I think.

[leoninnu]

I think it's quite normal to have some "odd ones out". I don't have white hairs but I have couple of really coarse (like horse mane coarse) darkish brown hairs in midst of my fine coppery hair. And I have one black hair in my near white eyebrows :D

[JulietCapulet]

That might be a bit nerve wracking...but just wait and see it might not get much worse. Also if it does and you don't like it...talk to a stylist about less extreme methods of dying.

[Merewen]

I don't think it's so unusual. I had friends in high school with grey hairs, and my brother has had grey patches for a while now, and he just turned 20. I always thought my friends' silvers were rather pretty.

If your mom said she was greying early, I'd suspect genetics. My brother's are definitely inherited from my dad's side of the family.

[Nera]

A friend of mine had some greys when he was 16. Now he's 17,5 and he still has some greys. It looks cute.

[squintinschool]

Don't worry about it. My friend found a small streak of gray when playing with my hair in first year uni, and though my mom threw a fit when I showed her ("you need to cut it out/dye it STAT!") I didn't do anything to it, and as of now, halfway through fourth year, I have no gray elsewhere. Relax about your grays, its only two hairs, and thus even less likely to be noticed by other people than my streak is. And for what its worth, I also have light brown hair.

[masa_inn]

I got it when I was 15 (or 14?). I was absolutely freaked out :)
Both sides of my family are early grayers (25-30% of gray by mid-20); I started to go really gray only last year, when I was 32, as a result of prolonged stress.

My step son has a silver patch; I think he got it when he was 6 or 7.

I think you have nothing to worry about. It's probably genetic; and it can look really interesting and cute.

[Drynwhyl]

No worries, I too have a couple and I'm 19. They aren't visible because I henna, though. My best friend has had grey streaks at her temples for years and she's my age (although she had meningitis and was in a coma so she connects it with that)
I know a guy who's 24 and half of his head is sparkly grey!

I was really amused when I found mine, and went on to look if there are more :)

[Celtic Morla]

I have been greying since my early teens it;s genetic in my family. I am not sur ehow grey my mane is I will let a pic decide. I dyed my hair for years and came out of th ecloset about 4 eyars ago cutting all my hair off to get rid fo the dye. My Gdad was totally grey by 33, my mum by 42 so I expect I will totally grey out bu my early 50's if th epattern stays true. My eldest and niece both have greys and they are both 22. They freaked out and I said welcoem to the fmaily true genes ring thru..We laughed and they lost their sensitivity to it.

[patienceneeded]

My family all greys early. It's genetic. I found grey hairs at 19, my brother was entirely salt-and-pepper at age 18. My other brother developed those distiguished silver "wings" that men get at age 20. I've gone renegrey now and I'm hoping that my grey is more like my Aunt's pretty silver hair than my mother's mousy grey. So far, the hairs are silver/white, which makes me hope I'll have white hair like my great grandma. Her hair was SO pretty.

[marzipanthecat]

I found my first grey hair when I was 16. I actually have quite a few (I'm 37 now) but they don't really show up, I have naturally very mixed-up colour hair. My husband calls me tortoishell (you know, like the cats!) which I think is probably a pretty good description of my hair colour!

A school friend of mine found her first grey hair when she was 18 and totally freaked out - and she pulled it out and sellotaped it to a sheet of paper and went around showing people, and we were all like "Dude, we've already found grey hairs, chill out!"

Really, I don't think it's unusual. I suspect it may be genetic, although I have a cousin who had a few weeks of terrible stuff happen to her, one thing after another, and then her hair started coming through white all over her head at the roots. So I personally believe that traumatic events can change your hair colour too!

[zombinest]

I got my first grey hair when I was 16. Now I'm 21 and it has multiplied to about 10.. luckily its all growing in the same place and hidden.

[Amarth]

I'm 18 and I probably have around 20 gray hairs. If I part my hair a certain way they're not very noticeable, though.
Apparently my great grandmother was completely gray by the time she was 20. Hopefully I don't inherit that from her!

[Anje]

Oh relax. I found my first when I was 12, and it was about a foot long, so I'd been growing it since I was about 10. I've always had a couple, but they've only started picking up in the last year or so for me, and there are still so few that I'm the only one who notices them. (For those, I blame grad school!)

[Becky Safari]

I think greys are neat, especially on younger people, they sparkle!

That's interesting though how you say the texture is a complete 180 from what your used to...maybe they need some TLC?

[Copasetic]

You're fine. I found my first greys at around 20. I am 25 now, and have a few more greys, but I am not anywhere close to "going grey."

[jersey]

I think its perfectly normal to have a few. I'm 18 as well and I have a small patch right on the crown of my head with about 10-15 greys. Mine don't have a different texture, but neither does my grandmother or great-grandmother. I have a bright ruby red streak every time I henna now though, which looks pretty cool!
I would only be concerned if you started completely going grey without a family history.

[Demetrue]

I started getting my first white hairs at about age 16. My mom had very pretty salt and pepper hair in her 30's - everyone thought she had paid a fortune to have her hair frosted. Now, in her 70's, people think her hair is platinum blonde when it is actually snow white.

[Lilacs]

My grandmother was completely grey by her 20's and she has been coloring it ever since. I can't remember what I heard about going grey quite young except that it wasn't a bad thing just not as common :shrug:

[ChatNoir]

This is just a random thought, but I have noticed that very early silvering seems especially common in people with certain coloring: fair skin, blue eyes, and very dark (almost black) hair. Also the silvering IMO is especially striking in these individuals (not that it can't look good on other colorings as well...). My grandmother, who started silvering in her 20's, had these features, and I 've known several other people as well. Also Emmylou Harris has these features I think.

Well, my hair seems quite dark. My skin is extremely fair and I have grey/blue/greenish eyes (you'll know what I mean if you check out the picture of my in my album :p I'm having a hard time deciding what colour they are.. in any case, they're bright!), so I guess I fit into that description! Thanks! :D

And a huge "thank you" to all of you who have replied! :)