Why does it have to turn grey?

Claudia · August 2003

I am three months short of turning 30, and I just looked in the mirror and noticed I have three grey strands in my hair. This will be the same spot I found two of these suckers two months ago. At that point, I acted on by pulling them out with the most fear and sorrow. I am not 30 yet, still waiting for prince charming, I can't go grey yet!! =(

NaeNae55 · August 2003

Found my first gray hairs at 21. I once worked with a woman of 28 who was almost completely gray. I guess it depends upon your DNA and eating habits. Still, my gray is taking a long time to come in. I am 48 (born in 1955..thus my name) and after 27 years I am not even half gray. If left alone it just sits there all dull.

Fortunately for me, streaking hair is popular. I manage to work my gray in with the streaks. Looks great without giving me the 'dyed hair' look. Now if it will just stay popular until I grow in enough to just go gray...

Good luck!

amyhedlu · August 2003

Claudia, I know the feeling. I will turn 30 in 7 months and I have more than a few grey hairs. The sad part is I noticed mine 2 years ago. I like to blame it on my HR job!!!

Parabeagle · August 2003

I'm about 1/3 gray and most of it occurred before I hit 30. Fortunately I didn't take after my brother who was all gray by age 28 (and what little hair he has left now is solid silver).

amyhedlu · August 2003

My sister was almost completely grey by age 25 and I gave her so much grief. Well the paybacks began a year ago when my daughter told her that I had grey hairs. Seems my daughter finds humor in it, just wait until she gets older.

safety · August 2003

It doesn't have to turn grey, it can fall out!

mwild31 · August 2003

Okay, I have to ask - how long have you been in HR? I don't know if it's genetic or the fact that I started in HR when I was 26 - but now at almost 35 -I blame (x:-)) all of my grey hair on the job. Do you think I could charge my hair coloring fees to workers comp?

Parabeagle · August 2003

Since 1985 and I tried that. It doesn't work. x;-)

HRQ · August 2003

I'm 33 (34 next week!) and have tons of wavy white (it's NOT grey x:D) around my crown area which is wreaking havoc on the rest of my dark blonde hair, causing waves in some spots and leaving it straight in others. The white is also starting to take over my temple area.

My mom has what she insists on calling "platinum" hair - not blonde but white. I've always looked exactly like my mom at every stage of her/my life, so I'm quite sure I'll be fully "platinum" by the time I turn 45. I think her hair is beautiful.

System · August 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-27-03 AT 06:59AM (CST)[/font][p]Happy birthday, HRQ! (in advance, in case I'm not here next week) I'm 35 and have found a good dozen gray hairs. Naturally I freaked a bit at first, but then I really looked at them closely and found words written on them...one said EX-HUSBAND. One said HR. One said CELLULITE. One said THE IRRITATING AS H**L COWORKER DOWN THE HALL. I stopped reading at that point! Whatever the cause, genetics, poor nutrition, too much sun, I've earned these grey hairs, and I'm not worried about them. My mom and dad didn't even start to grey until their late fifties, so I must be the genetic throwback my brother says I am!

psrcello · August 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-27-03 AT 08:37AM (CST)[/font][p]My maternal grandmother was completely grey by her early thirties. My mother, however, had only a light sprinkling of grey in her chestnut hair in her sixties - it looked like an expensive, professional frosting job.

I, unfortunately, took after my grandmother, and began greying in my late twenties. My mother-in-law at the time told me never to pull out a grey hair, because two more would grow back in its place. (She also told me that it was my fault that her son was balding, because I wasn't massaging his head twice a day!)

Anyway, I've been "de-greying" my hair for about 20 years now. I think grey hair is like stretch marks - even though I earned every one of them, I don't show them off!

HRQ · August 2003

LindaD,
Thanks for the b-day wish! I really enjoyed hearing about the writing on your gray hairs. Gonna have to share that one. If I tried, I could probably assign employees, current and former, and a few family members too, to every single white hair - and there are probably hundreds of them.

I happen to like my white hairs. Even with them, I get carded when buying alcohol and am accused of looking like a college student. Well, until they get close enough to see the many fine lines around my eyes. Mom calls 'em laugh lines. Platinum hair and laugh lines give a much better visual than gray hair and wrinkles, don't you think? It's all in the attitude.

rad · August 2003

I'm 34 and have loads of greys...I can't hide them, I have to dye it. I started getting them in my late 20's, about the same time I developed adult-onset acne, how's that for a double whammy! So I spend a fortune on skin care but luckily I can color my hair myself.

gillian2 · August 2003

Grey haired people are distinguished looking - maybe not distinguished at all, but have the appearance anyway. My mother, age 98 and still sitting on our couch, dyed her hair until well into her 80's - think of all the money that she spent with the net result that it's gray now. She could have looked distinguished all along. Sometimes, when she remembers who I am and not her father - she will say, dear, you must do something with your hair - it is all gray. My reply is "no, I prefer to look distinguished". Maybe you can all feel better if you realize that gray heairs are merely signs of age, it can't be changed short of pouring liquid over your head (and inside you know - my hair isn't really purple, it is gray underneath) and someday when you are long past your 30's, you may be sitting on your kid's couch, gray and wrinkled all over - and after that comes -------

ritaanz · August 2003

Good grief Gillian, did you intend to start your day by trying to cheer us up? Well, you have failed miserably. Is it time for your Zolof?

Don D · August 2003

I much prefer to think of myself (at that time) as a cool old guy with a shaved head, a Van Dyke, perhaps the ear-ring I always wanted, sitting on my kid's couch, reciting my fried oyster recipe to all who would sit around on the floor at my feet, propping my feet up, wearing my Birkenstock sandals, telling one great grandchild it's not cool to actualy remove a body digit and we never did that back in my day, while holding out my hand to one other great grandchild, insisting that he pull my finger and see what happens! Then I'll overhear a tiny voice emanating from a face I don't recognize, asking, "Who is this old guy anyway?" And maybe I'll think all of that crowd is really my old group of Forum participants and maybe they're not, but I'll play along anyway.

Leslie · August 2003

I started weaving my hair about three years ago because over time my hair color changed from a pleasant honey brown to mousey-bland-mud colored. My biker, tatooed hair dresser tells me I have surprisingly little gray for a woman of my years. Maybe I'll have to let it grow out to see if the gray will make me look distinguised, Gillian.

Whatever · August 2003

I, too, refuse dye my hair. My mother, who is 82, has very little grey hair (and doesn't dye her hair). One of the joys of her life is teasing me about my grey hair. However, I happen to have really nice grey hair and I see no reason to ruin it. As an aside, I happen to think that very old ladies (a very old lady is someone who is at 30 years older than me, no matter what my age)who dye their hair black or bright red look ridiculous.

Zanne · August 2003

I started "whiting" in my late 30's. Lucky me, all the other women in my family were whited out by their early 30's. White (or gray) hairs are sometimes earned and sometimes it's just dumb luck.

I don't think of my sprinkling of white as "distinguished" and do my part to keep up the stockprices of various beauty products. When I get older, I'll realize that most 70 year old women don't have strawberry blond hair anymore and I'll give it up then. But only after my tandem jump out of an airplane.

NicoleLee · August 2003

I got my first grey hair this year, at the age of 25. I totally freaked out. I called my moom crying. I rushed out and dyed my hair a dark, dark shade of red. Then I dyed it back to dark brown and put highlights in it, to blend with my 1 grey hair. I do not care if it is only 1, I am stressed about it!!!! 1 leads to 2, 2 leads to 3 and, well, you get the picture! My hair has always ben my favorite part of my body, and my pride and joy (I have naturally curly, thick hair...think Keri Russell in FELICITY) and I WILL NOT allow it to turn grey!!!!

Parabeagle · August 2003

Boy, if women were as passionate about world affairs and politics as they seem to be about gray hair, there'd probably be no conflicts! What's a little gray, after all? I have gray hair around the temples and you don't see me running to the Just For Men shelf in the store. x;-)

NicoleLee · August 2003

It's a double standard in society 'beagle....Men look "distinguished" with grey...Women look old. Not fair, but true. Damn men.

Carey · August 2003

My 8 year old daughter got her first clump of grey hair at the very tender age of 7. Luckily, it's sort of buried in the middle of her head, but when I put her hair up in a pony-tail, it's visible. She gets very embarrassed when I peel apart her hair to show people who don't believe that she actually has gray hair at 8. I did check with the pediatrician, and apparently it's not a symptom of some serious disease (which of course, I was sure it was when I first noticed them).

Don D · August 2003

My biker, tatooed hair dresser tells me I have surprisingly little gray for a woman of my years...Leslie

Maaannnnn. What some people will say for a tip!
Beagle; I never saw a man who was so fond of sticking his foot on a train-track and watching the train coming, and then jerking his foot back just in time. The train's gonna getcha!!

karenosi · August 2003

I started finding gray at 25. Lots of gray in my family history, too. What did I do? Found a great hairdresser! Started out with highlighting and eventually started overall color, that looks much better than my natural color ever did (except when I was six). When I tell other women I color my hair they think it's natural. Luckily I have good skin, and people say they can't believe I have a 20 year old daughter.

So don't look back - just talk to your current hairdresser or find a new one. Tell them what you're looking for, and if you make regular appointments you won't look any older - maybe younger!

Mentel · August 2003

I started to grey (notice the spelling) in my late 20's. Then I found Excellence by Loreal. Us it and lose the grey! I too astonish people by my age and it really helps to keep all my grey and white covered!

Don D · August 2003

My wife said women who spell it 'grey' are optimists and will go smiling to the hairdresser, anticipating with a spring in their step the new look they'll get. And those who spell it 'gray' are pessimists and are prone to sit and mope about it and won't take decisive action and love thunderstorms. I demanded to see the backup data on that research and she left the room.

Zanne · August 2003

Parabeagle - you SAY you don't dye your hair, but you knew the right name for haircolor for men!

By the way - prove it with a picture!

x;-)

Why does it have to turn grey?

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