Gray hair at 17?!

[Tuna]

I'm 17 years old, I first noticed it like 1 year ago. At first i didn't stress over it, but now, i see them more, and more! I can see even hair that are half gray and half dark brown at the bottom (my natural hair color).
Whats wrong? Can i stop it? Im really not into beeing gray in my teens.

[aliceinmadness]

It's probably genetic. My hubby is turning 29 at the end of the year, and he has a LOT of gray hair (really noticeable because the rest is soft black)...lucky for him it's sexy, lol.

His dad was completely gray by the time he was 30.

[embee]

I don't blame you a bit, it seems very early. My friend Barbara has hair that was snow white before she got to college. She still has snow white hair - but says she is right tired of it now that she's in her 60s.

I 'spect it's genetic which means there's not much you can do other than color. Maybe other people will have better ideas.

... if there were a way to enhance the gray strands so they were sparkling silver or gold, that would be cool, but how?

[aliceinmadness]

... if there were a way to enhance the gray strands so they were sparkling silver or gold, that would be cool, but how?

You could probably use color-depositing shampoo to make it blend more...most major companies make the stuff nowadays, although I understand John Frieda is still on top in that department.

[Roseate]

My dad started balding in high school, so hair can definitely age before its time!

I actually think grey hair on young people is really striking; you're 17, even with silver hair no-one's going to think you're 50. But if you want to color, you're fortunate to have naturally dark hair; it can be difficult to get a convincing blonde out of grey hair, but dark brown is easier to match.

[virgo75]

I've had at least a few grey hairs since I was **5** years old!
Totally freaked my mom out. :lol:

I'm 35 now and am far from being all grey, though I may be about 10%? It's noticeable expecially since I have black hair and when I henna it looks like I have orange/red highlights that are starting to form a couple of streaks in the front.

2nd the suggestions that it's genetic and to try color depositing shampoos.

[Sunshineliz]

Every sibling of mine and my dad grayed early, as early as 14 in my sis (I went at 20.) It was a little annoying but I've come to accept it. And just because you feel like you have a lot now doesn't mean you'll have a full head of gray anytime soon. Likely you're the only one who notices. I've heard of supplements some people take to stop graying, but I rather doubt they work. If there is the remotest possibility it is health-related, well, just eat well and take multivitamins? If it's genetic (and it probably is) that probably won't change anything though.

If you like the "sparkly" look (think hair tinsel lol) find ways to make them sparkle (I've heard white vinegar rinses are quite good for that.) Also, if you don't like commercial dyes, cassia would stain the grays blonde (but will eventually fade) and is conditioning. Henna is VERY permanent, but some people love the color.

Personal opinion--don't stress about it. Everyone gets them, just some younger than others. No one could possibly think you were really old with a 17 year old face. Honestly, I think silver hair with a young face is striking, and on an older face, softening. It's all good all around.:)

[slz]

I got my first white at the age of 15 or so - now almost 40, I'm more than 50% white. Since I used to dye dark brown so it wasn't really easy to assess even with 2 cm of roots, however now I've dyed my roots green and since it shows only on white hair, I can see that I have mostly white hair (maybe not on the underparts though). You can see pics in my "Going green" album, once you've reached 25 posts.

To answer your questions : no way to stop it, or even reduce it, it's genetically determined. You can dye it, to match your own colour or, to contrast : I think bright colours are a fun way to play with graying, and a safe one since semi permanent colours do not damage hair at all.

[newbeginning]

I started graying in my late teens too. I'm pretty sure it's genetic because it was the same for other members of my family.

[jojo]

I found my first grey hair at 17 too but they have only just started multiplying now and I am 42!

I found the first grey hair on my daughter at the age of 4! she still gets the odd one at 17 too. It genetic I am afraid, my dad was totally grey when he entered his 40's.

Theres always hair dye if you dont like them, i quite like mone but totally understand how it can be upsetting at your tender age.

[Alaia]

I found my first greys at 18. I still don't have any more and actually they seem to have changed their minds as I can't find them any more.

If you don't like them, then maybe colour them using semi-permanent colour to minimize damage. However, I think you're the only one that notices.

As an aside, my sister has really dark hair and several sparkly silvers... she's 14.

[Vanessa_za]

don't worry about it, I had my first white hair at 12 and so did my father, it's genetic

[battles]

I went to high school with a girl that had silvers mixed into her dark hair. I always thought it was beautiful, it really made her look stunning. :)

[longcurlygirl<3]

I've had at least a few grey hairs since I was **5** years old!
Totally freaked my mom out. :lol:

I'm 35 now and am far from being all grey, though I may be about 10%? It's noticeable expecially since I have black hair and when I henna it looks like I have orange/red highlights that are starting to form a couple of streaks in the front.

2nd the suggestions that it's genetic and to try color depositing shampoos. Me too! My then hairdresser always told me I had so many gray/whitish hair! My friends have made fun of me :( but it is okay. My daddy was a blond til he turned 12 and then it changed to ligthish to medium brown as mine is. I guess it is all genetics :) I am happy it is just not me that started so early :poot:

[Jeni]

Like others have said, its genetic. My roommate's mom went grey at 16, roommate is 27 and has about 5 or 6 greys. I thinks they are kind of interesting actually, they are bright and silvery against her dark brown hair.

If I take after my mom I have a lot of waiting to go grey, she is 54 and has 4 grey hairs...Id kinda dig a nice silver/white strip!

[Mesmerise]

I have heard there are some things you can do to reverse gray hair! For example, there are those who went on a raw food diet who found that after some months their hair started reverting to its natural colour. I've even seen a pic of a lady who had brown regrowth and graying lengths of hair!

One thing they've said is good for it is fresh wheatgrass juice daily. And another thing that's supposed to reverse gray hair is He Shou Wu (think that's the spelling!!).

Now, I haven't personally experienced a de-graying of my hair...but then again I've never really gone 100% raw nor had wheatgrass daily or He Shou Wu! Maybe I should? Or at least increase my raw foods etc and grow wheatgrass (which seems a bit of a hassle and you need to get a special juicer that can handle it :p).

I think it's maybe something you just have to try, and if it works it works, if it doesn't it doesn't!

[xoerincolleen]

I'm 19 and have had white hairs since I was in high school. I'm starting to get a visible streak now, though. I just deal with it, but if it starts to spread around my whole head I'm definitely busting out the dye.

[MissHair]

Genetic. Ive got about 5 gray hairs and even when I pluck them out they come out white again. Ive accepted this..

[CaityBear]

My mom went to school with somebody who was completely gray by the time she was 16.

Usually it's just genetics and there's not much you can do.

[constantki]

I'm 17 too!! I started getting my grays at age 15, and now I have so many of them that it is not easy to hide. I was worried that the gray might be due to thyroid problems, or some other medical issue but my doctor said that I was healthy and it was most likely genetic. You might want to get it checked out, but I am also 17 and I have the same problem so it is possible to get gray hair that early and be healthy.

[twilight_faerie]

I started getting grey hairs when I was 8 years old. This may be because I have vitiligo, and the hairs that grow out of vitiligo patches are white or light silver. I personally don't like the look of randomly dispersed grey hairs (though I love the way a full head of silver hair looks), so I started dyeing my hair at age 15.

[QueenJoey]

I knew a girl who had some grays...when we were in 7th grade. :thud:

I hope when that starts happening to me, I'll be like my mom. Hers aren't gray, they're sparkly and pure white. Lucky!

[McFearless]

I don't think you can stop it, but you can definately use henna and get really pretty dimension in your hair colour.

[Jing]

I had my first white hair at 16 (discovered by a friend of mine who prompty pulled it out) and my second one was only found by another friend a few weeks back (27 now). I wonder if it's the same hair that's just been hidden up there all these years, though. I've seen a couple of teens with white hair, though I don't think it was natural, and it looked absolutely kickass. Dad had grey streaks by the time he was 18. Going grey early isn't that uncommon; you'd see it a lot more if it wasn't for hair dye.

[Tuna]

Thanks everyone... :). I feel much better now, when i know that i'm not the only one.