Where did all these white hairs come from?

[FIREin2018]

FiRED @ 47. now 50.
single, no kids.

for a couple of years i see a white hair now and then and i use a tweezer to remove them.
i just got a haircut last week and the sides were cut using a #2 clip leaving hair 1/4" long.

literally i saw no white hairs along the temple yesterday when i removed a white hair near the top/crown of my head.
24hrs later, i saw 3 white hairs along my right temple.

they was completely white and not black tip with white root.
WTF?!

[Morning Glory]

50! You are lucky, that happened to me at 30. Start coloring so you don't get bald spots.

[AMandM]

As I understand it, this is not surprising. Hairs don't gradually lose pigment as they grow. What happens is that a pigmented hair falls out and a new hair begins to grow from the follicle, but the pigment-producing cells no longer function, so the new hair is white.

[DadJokes]

I started getting white hairs in my 20s. I love the distinguished look they give me. It's also better than the alternative, as my father was bald at my age.

White hairs should be celebrated!

[wenchsenior]

50! You are lucky, that happened to me at 30. Start coloring so you don't get bald spots.

Yeah...that sounds totally normal.  My white hairs started to come at the temples when I was in my late 30s, and for about 10 years I had just a few 'patchy' streaks. I presume they started with a couple hairs but mostly grew in in bunches of white hairs. It wasn't until about 10 years later after slow 'patching/streaking' that I started to get more salt and peppering with single white hairs.  But by that time the situation was confusing b/c I had developed three (yes THREE) independent forms of balding (two of them autoimmune), some of which also affect hair texture and color.  So I'm not sure how things would have gone if I'd not had abnormal balding on top of normal aging.

Based on my Dad, whose hair I (used to) be similar to, I would have started streaky as I did, and then later progressed to single hair salt and pepper 'scattering' as I aged. 

Be thankful you have hair, OP. I no longer do (except in ratty patches) and I'm only 50. And female.

[Metalcat]

Chances are they were hidden behind some pigmented hairs that fell out the next day.

That's usually what happens when somebody suddenly finds a bunch of grey hairs one day to the next. They were there for a long time, but then a big shed of coloured hair reveals them and they seen to come out of nowhere.

Most people have a big shed in spring, so it's not unusual to get a boost in visible grey right about now.

[ChpBstrd]

I look forward to going gray. Maybe when I'm viewed as an elder people will think I have some sense.

[HPstache]

Got my first grey hair at 21... now I'm 36 and have a ton of grey hair already.  As my dad says though, (completely silver by 50) better to be grey than no hair at all!

[Metalcat]

I look forward to going gray. Maybe when I'm viewed as an elder people will think I have some sense.

I started going grey at 13, and was nearly 50% grey by 30. It doesn't matter, I look young so people still react to me as if I'm a university student.

[Dicey]

True confession time here. For the love of Dog, please do not quote this!

I grew six inches the summer I was twelve. I also started my period and I began experiencing heart arrhythmias (Is that redundant?) that took years to get sorted out. Finally, I sprouted a very small patch of gray hair on the side of my head. It was a rough time.

Oddly, the patch never expanded and over the years very little additional gray hair appeared on my noggin, even as my younger sister turned completely gray (Heh-heh-heh, bad teenage me thinks, but the truth is, she has four boys, lol.). Eventually, I grew one gray eyelash, three gray eyebrow hairs (I don't have enough left to even consider plucking them), and a whole bunch more in another place, not typically visible in public, ahem. Almost completely gray. AHEM! (No quoting, remember?)

In my mid-forties, I was worried that the gray elsewhere would eventually win, so I grew my hair out twice to donate it to Locks of Love before I got past the 10% gray cutoff, and to save $$ on haircuts.

Somehow, during the pandemic, it has become clear that at age 63, I am beginning to lose the battle. I'm still below 10% (okay, maybe 15%), but it's becoming more obvious now. So my vacuous question is, will people think I've been dying my hair all along? If so, will I even care?

Related: DH is three years younger than me. He doesn't have a lot of hair left and what remains is all gray. Nobody ever guesses that I'm a cougar ;-)

Have I been superficial enough for one day? Yes, I believe so.

Oh, and I had cancer when I was 21-22 (no chemo, so that's not the answer). What I had was rare, with a "propensity to recur", which it thankfully never did. I'm just so damn glad to be alive, healthy and still have hair. Even it it all goes to gray.

[shelivesthedream]

Bitch, please. I had my first grey hairs by 21. :)

I've got very dark brown hair in a sort of pixie cut, and it's just a salt-and-pepper scattering of pure white hairs. My mum (66) has been completely white for some time but colours her hair her former medium brown. Her roots look bizarre, this bright white line along the middle of her "brown" head. Is she going to dye it for the rest of her life, I ask myself, or is she going to grit her teeth and look a bit Cruella de Ville while it grows out, or is she going to go for some complex transition of lighter brown to blonde to white? None of those seem like good answers to me! So I have vowed never to start dyeing my hair. I don't mind looking old. My mother is very proud that she looks younger than she is and I'm like... so what?

I'm lucky, though. I have the same kind of hair as my mother and grandmother, so it's likely to retain thickness and go pure white. No thin old lady yellow in my crystal ball. I'm thinking of when I have more white than brown (a long while away at my current rate - I'm 30) stopping cutting it and growing it out while I am young enough to handle the maintenance of a mane (washing it and putting it up - no fun when you're 90 and arthritic).

White hairs have, thankfully, been confined to my head so far!

[simonsez]

You are what you are, rock it, own it, being happy and confident in yourself will make you look and feel better more so than masking alternatives.  I do feel that a decision to start coloring/styling/cosmetology stuff is one that requires upkeep and cost.  And a transition to "natural" later on in life can be more of a shock so there are barriers to entry/exit.  I say play the hand you were dealt but YMMV.

And it's free to do so!

[CupcakeGuru]

First grey hairs in my teens and started dying my hair in my early 20s. After 25 YEARS, I stopped and it was the best thing I ever did.

Random women compliment me on my no longer dyed hair. Embrace it. I love my 50 year old grey hair! My husband loves it!

[partgypsy]

I'm a weirdo. My hair is dark blonde. As I've gotten older I seem to get some darker, coarser hairs in with the rest of my "regular hair. Also my hair overall feels less "smooth" but also less volume than it used to. None of it is good.  I get highlights 2, 3x a year which helps even it out. Other than that, early 50's, hair color still the same.

[SunnyDays]

Well, I thought I had you all beat until I read Malcat’s post.

I found my first grey hair at 14.  Started colouring at 27.  (I’m 60 now - gulp.). My hairdresser says I’m about 70% grey.  I had about 3 inches of grey roots during our lockdown and thought I might just let it grow out, but I hated it.  Less due to the colour and more due to the texture.  Dry and wiry and little hairs stuck out all over.  And I felt old.  I’ve always looked much younger than my age and this was too much of a shock.  So I coloured it again and left grey highlights, which looked pretty good.  Now we’re in another lockdown and roots are creeping in again.  It’s a losing battle , but I’m a fighter, damn it!

[Spiffy]

I'm lucky that the women in my family have very dark hair that turns silver instead of gray. I've had a distinctive silver streak since my late 30s. If you remember Kitty Bartholomew from 1980s decoration shows, you know what I mean. Now that I'm about to turn 50, the streak is a bit less defined as more silvers are popping up all along my hair line. I will miss the streak (known affectionately as my skunk stripe) once the rest of my hair goes silver. I kind of want to dye part of my hair to save the stripe, but can't be bothered.

[shelivesthedream]

Well, I thought I had you all beat until I read Malcat’s post.

I found my first grey hair at 14.  Started colouring at 27.  (I’m 60 now - gulp.). My hairdresser says I’m about 70% grey.  I had about 3 inches of grey roots during our lockdown and thought I might just let it grow out, but I hated it.  Less due to the colour and more due to the texture.  Dry and wiry and little hairs stuck out all over.  And I felt old.  I’ve always looked much younger than my age and this was too much of a shock.  So I coloured it again and left grey highlights, which looked pretty good.  Now we’re in another lockdown and roots are creeping in again.  It’s a losing battle , but I’m a fighter, damn it!

Does dyeing greys change their texture? How interesting!

[former player]

Greys tend to have a more wiry texture in any case.

I got two grey streaks in my 30s, which I put down to stress at work.  The grey stopped there and in my 60s all the rest is still brown.  My mother was still mostly brown into her 90s so I guess I've got her genes.  My brother obviously deals better with stress than I do, he's older than me and still has no grey.

[Metalcat]

Well, I thought I had you all beat until I read Malcat’s post.

I found my first grey hair at 14.  Started colouring at 27.  (I’m 60 now - gulp.). My hairdresser says I’m about 70% grey.  I had about 3 inches of grey roots during our lockdown and thought I might just let it grow out, but I hated it.  Less due to the colour and more due to the texture.  Dry and wiry and little hairs stuck out all over.  And I felt old.  I’ve always looked much younger than my age and this was too much of a shock.  So I coloured it again and left grey highlights, which looked pretty good.  Now we’re in another lockdown and roots are creeping in again.  It’s a losing battle , but I’m a fighter, damn it!

Does dyeing greys change their texture? How interesting!

Dyeing all hair changes its texture, depending on the developer volume.

Natural henna dyes change texture the most because they add a full additional layer around each strand.

[Michael in ABQ]

I'm in my mid 30s and a redhead and have definitely noticed a lot of white hairs recently. I grew my beard out for a couple of months recently (normally have to shave it off every month for Army training) and a lot of my chin was white hairs, but mostly on the corners of my chin, not right in the middle. I keep my hair on top pretty short but have noticed some more white hairs at my temples. My hairline is also receding and I've noticed a patch in the back starting to thin. All my mom's brothers started balding so I knew from a young age it was inevitable. I don't really care that much, one of these days I may just decide to shave all my hair off - maybe keep the beard. My wife likes when I have a beard and I always feel like it looks wrong for the first day after I shave it off. But since I'll probably stay in the National Guard for another decade or so, the beard will always have to be a temporary thing.

[E.T.]

I've had a few scattered white hairs since I was a kid and I got several more of them during a period of intense stress the last two years. I'm in my early 30s and I'm guessing I'll be full salt and pepper before I hit 50. I'll throw this out there, it's more mustachian not to dye my hair, I'm happily trading in looking a little younger for an earlier FIRE date. Plus, I want the kids I interact with to understand that it's ok to be happy with yourself even if you don't fit society's mold for "young and beautiful". I'm grateful to be aging because the alternative would be being dead lol. :D

[Linea_Norway]

I've had a few scattered white hairs since I was a kid and I got several more of them during a period of intense stress the last two years. I'm in my early 30s and I'm guessing I'll be full salt and pepper before I hit 50. I'll throw this out there, it's more mustachian not to dye my hair, I'm happily trading in looking a little younger for an earlier FIRE date. Plus, I want the kids I interact with to understand that it's ok to be happy with yourself even if you don't fit society's mold for "young and beautiful". I'm grateful to be aging because the alternative would be being dead lol. :D

+1

Dyeing hair is a losing battle. Costs a lot. And the difference between your natural hair and your dyed colour gets bigger with the years. I can understand it when you are young and grey, but when you grow older, getting grey hair is part of the game.

My hair is blond. I got some grey hairs at the sides. And some very prominent ones in the front. One always grows straight up, no matter how I brush it. Every couple of months I pull it out. The other ones are reasier to handle and I just leave them there.

[shelivesthedream]

Well, I thought I had you all beat until I read Malcat’s post.

I found my first grey hair at 14.  Started colouring at 27.  (I’m 60 now - gulp.). My hairdresser says I’m about 70% grey.  I had about 3 inches of grey roots during our lockdown and thought I might just let it grow out, but I hated it.  Less due to the colour and more due to the texture.  Dry and wiry and little hairs stuck out all over.  And I felt old.  I’ve always looked much younger than my age and this was too much of a shock.  So I coloured it again and left grey highlights, which looked pretty good.  Now we’re in another lockdown and roots are creeping in again.  It’s a losing battle , but I’m a fighter, damn it!

Does dyeing greys change their texture? How interesting!

Dyeing all hair changes its texture, depending on the developer volume.

Natural henna dyes change texture the most because they add a full additional layer around each strand.

Well, you learn something new every day!

[Metalcat]

I've had a few scattered white hairs since I was a kid and I got several more of them during a period of intense stress the last two years. I'm in my early 30s and I'm guessing I'll be full salt and pepper before I hit 50. I'll throw this out there, it's more mustachian not to dye my hair, I'm happily trading in looking a little younger for an earlier FIRE date. Plus, I want the kids I interact with to understand that it's ok to be happy with yourself even if you don't fit society's mold for "young and beautiful". I'm grateful to be aging because the alternative would be being dead lol. :D

+1

Dyeing hair is a losing battle. Costs a lot. And the difference between your natural hair and your dyed colour gets bigger with the years. I can understand it when you are young and grey, but when you grow older, getting grey hair is part of the game.

My hair is blond. I got some grey hairs at the sides. And some very prominent ones in the front. One always grows straight up, no matter how I brush it. Every couple of months I pull it out. The other ones are reasier to handle and I just leave them there.

I don't necessarily agree.

I've dyed my hair all sorts of colours for decades and when you do it yourself, it's not expensive.

I'm at least 50% grey and I've found nice ways to blend my grey with blonde, so roots really aren't an issue.

[Metalcat]

Well, I thought I had you all beat until I read Malcat’s post.

I found my first grey hair at 14.  Started colouring at 27.  (I’m 60 now - gulp.). My hairdresser says I’m about 70% grey.  I had about 3 inches of grey roots during our lockdown and thought I might just let it grow out, but I hated it.  Less due to the colour and more due to the texture.  Dry and wiry and little hairs stuck out all over.  And I felt old.  I’ve always looked much younger than my age and this was too much of a shock.  So I coloured it again and left grey highlights, which looked pretty good.  Now we’re in another lockdown and roots are creeping in again.  It’s a losing battle , but I’m a fighter, damn it!

Does dyeing greys change their texture? How interesting!

Dyeing all hair changes its texture, depending on the developer volume.

Natural henna dyes change texture the most because they add a full additional layer around each strand.

Well, you learn something new every day!

Yeah, permanent dyes change the texture because the developer roughly works by punching holes into the hair shaft and depositing colour in those holes. Lightening hair involves punching enough holes to leach the existing pigment out, that's why hair gets so damaged from lightening.

Temporary dye deposits pigment molecules on the surface of the hair, but it slips off steadily with washing, hence why it's temporary.

Henna dyes don't punch holes, they just wrap a layer around the hair shaft, which actually thickens each hair strand. So it's like wrapping coloured cellophane around each strand. It's bonded to the hair protein, so it's extremely permanent.

[AccidentialMustache]

I don't get how grey is a problem for a mustachian. Your body is trying to help! It wants to make your answer of, "Oh, I'm retired." fit people's mental models. All that work (... okay not-work, since it is not producing pigments) your body is going through trying to support your frugal nature and you want to revenge-dye it?

I don't care about adding grey, but I would like to not go bald. I've had enough summer humidity "crazy hair day" from my naturally curly hair that I'd like to reach the "plenty of grey hair" state needed to do an Einstein-hair impression. After that it can thin or go bald, whatever. But the crazy humidity hair owes me for putting up with it for decades, so the least it can do is stick around until grey so I can have my fun.

[Flat9MKE]

I am a 37 year old male.  No gray hairs on my head (yet), but lots of them in my beard in the chin area.  I use Just for Men occasionally and keep it well groomed.  Looks fine.

I am starting to bald at the crown and temples though.  Not sure if I would rather be bald or gray...

Bald(ing) isn't too bad if you keep your lettuce well groomed. 

I think keeping a reasonably good physique is probably a better strategy, and one you can control, in terms of attractiveness than trying to cure bald or gray.

[BlueHouse]

When your eyebrows start migrating to your chin, then you'll have a problem (if you're a woman).  until then, embrace the white hairs!

[shelivesthedream]

ETA: I grow my hair long and donate it to Locks of Love. Somewhere above it was mentioned they won't take dyed hair or white (or gray) hair. Why not?

The only hair they don't take at all is bleached hair because the bleaching process damages the hair too much for it to work in wigs. They will accept grey, dyed or permed hair but won't use it in their hairpieces because they want a natural look for children. They sell any donated hair that isn't suitable to professional wigmakers to raise money for their costs, so it's still worth donating.

[shelivesthedream]

Saw this and thought of all y'all: https://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/article/sali-hughes-grey-hair/amp

[Jenny Wren]

I inherited early graying age from my dad's side and graying pattern from my mom's. This meant I ended up with two white streaks on either side of my center part at 17, and they were prominent by age 22. I'm lucky in that mine are pure white and soft, like my dad's. Not wiry gray like on my mom's side. My dad was completely salt and pepper by age 25 and white at age 45. My mom is 71 and only has the white streaks up front.

I didn't care until I was 40. It was kinda cool, looked a little like Rogue from X-men. Sometimes I'd dye them a funky color with a wash out dye. I became self conscious when I returned to university at 40, since I was already older than everyone else, so I dyed them to match my dark brown with a Just for men comb in product for the first couple of years. At 42, the salt and peppering kicked in on the back, so I just said F it and have been au natural for the last 3 years.

As a small baby faced woman, I do seem to be taken more seriously with the white hair up front, it's still not highly visible in the back. Of course, this could also be a result of me giving less of a fuck about what other people think and therefore being more forceful and confident. I break all the rules my mother insists exist when one is 45, much to my her chagrin -- long straight hair with a center part and no bangs (which according to her is only for young girls), no dye, no make-up, no leg shaving. The bonus is I have more hours in my day -- and therefore in my life -- because I can be out of the house in 10 minutes, shower and all.

[pdxvandal]

I got my first gray hairs probably in my early 30s, in a weird spot on the side of my head. I chalk it up to childhood trauma, but maybe it's not related. In my early 40s, my hair had really begun to recede and thin ... just this spring, I was doing a work project and a drone was flying overhead. When I saw the footage, I'm like "Damn, my balding crown has sure expanded!" Luckily it's hard to see in a straight-on mirror.

Oh well, it's aging and life. My dad began going bald at age 17, so at least I didn't have to deal with that at a young age.

[cool7hand]

I don't remember whom Joe Goldstein was quoting, but his advice was that "everything changes."

[jrhampt]

Yeah, my Mom's side of the family goes white pretty early in life.  I had been highlighting my hair blond for a while, throughout most of my thirties, which disguised the grey for a long time, but I decided to go back to brown when I was around forty.  Then I had these white roots grow out in like three weeks after I dyed it and decided I was never going to bother dying my hair every three weeks.  So I highlighted one more time, and then there was a pandemic.  I gave up hair dye, bras, heels, makeup, travel, and the gym for the pandemic.  I only want travel and the gym back.  And brunch.  The rest can stay gone. 

[begood]

I'm turning 57 in a couple of weeks and have very few gray hairs so far. I call the smattering of silver "tinsel".

I was very blonde as a kid, then highlighted it to stay on the blonder end of the scale as an adult but about ten years ago I just stopped doing anything with it and it's basically brown hair with a few silver strands and some reddish highlights depending on the lighting.

Why aren't I graying like most people in their late 50s? Is it genetic? My brother had LOTS more gray at my age, and his beard is almost fully gray.