TFT: Getting Gray

I am going to assume for a minute that all the readers of this blog are adults, 21+.  After making that assumption, can I also assume that most of you readers have experienced at least one gray hair so far in your lifetime?? If you haven't, well then lucky you. 

I think I was around age 23-24 when I got my first gray hair.  Not too surprising since teaching special ed level 4 LD/EBD at the Jr. high level can do that to ya! Luckily I was able to move on from special ed to gifted ed early in my career and didn't notice any more gray hairs for years.  But then earlier this year I turned 32.  I don't know what has happened since this last birthday, but the grays started coming much faster and since it has been over a year since I have had my hair colored, it is much more noticeable now.  Grays are way more noticeable on dark hair than light.  I always thought I was too vain to let it go natural but I can't afford to go to the  salon and have it colored regularly and I am fearful of do-it-yourself-from-the-box dye. Something must be done soon, however, before the kids at school start calling me grandma! lol

I guess my questions for you today are:  What age were you when you spotted your first gray? How about your partner? Do you color your hair to cover the gray or do you embrace the gray in a natural way? Do you think there is a double standard for gray on men vs. women?

Other TFT's this week:

Ang on how much time you surf at work

Comments

[Michelle]

I think I was 28 when I first noticed. Booo! I am way to vain to go gray. Hell no! I'm not old enough yet. I color my hair via the good ole box and I am way over due! I can't afford coloring it professionally every 6 weeks like I need to. I found the color I like and I stick with it! I spotted a gray on Bri a couple of weeks ago, he didn't seem to care though when I mentioned Just for Men! He he.

[Ang]

I swear it blows my mind how the world works.

I noticed the other day that I had a few more than I remembered (I'm 27)... then I went out to dinner that night with my girls and brought it up. We are all the same age and we all have a few. I mentioned how I thought it was funny that some women HAVE to cover it and other embrace it FULLY! I planned to mention it somewheres in one of my blogs.
I've had one Gray hair my whole life; strange story - when I was born I had a Strawberry Birthmark on my head, I've always grown one Gray hair in that spot. At 27, with a few grays, I don't really care to cover them, ask me again in 10 years though. My hair is dark, so once I really start going Gray... I fear I won't know what to do with myself!

Great topic!

[Hope]

You know, I've never noticed any... (I'm 28). I dye my hair a lot, so it's quite possible that I've always unwittingly covered them up.

[Jan]

I was about 50 when I had my first gray hair, and it was pubic! Now that I'm 65, I have many gray hairs on my head, but I'm a natural blonde, and it looks as if an expensive salon did it. Regardless, I have a mother who thinks of herself as forever young, still colors her hair at 88; she thought she was too young to be a grandmother when her children had children, I made up my mind, very early to be her opposite, so I've never colored a gray hair. (I did play with color when I was young.) My husband started turning gray in his twenties, and never colored his hair, he's very macho, in a good way.
I think there is still a double standard, but much less, these days. The vain oldsters color the self assured, don't.

[Jessica]

I haven't had any grays yet (i'm 28), and neither has hubby(he's 31). I don't think it will really bother me when I start getting them...I've never been one to fight against nature too much! :-)
I may change my tune when they start coming in, though...lol...we'll see!

[heather]

I think grays on a blond head and grays on a dark head are very different, if nothing else in their noticability!... as an aside to the comments you get it'd be interesting to know what color hair everyone has. :)

I don't remember when I first found grays (I have dark brown hair)... mid twenties? I'm about to turn 34 now and I have PLENTY. But I've also been coloring my hair since high school. And don't know if it'll ease your fears or not Kristi, but 99% of that time, it's been at home with a box. I've been everything from strawberry blond to dark auburn to mouse brown... it's fun to change it up, subtle or not, and it's so easy with the DIY at home stuff... no worries at all!
So after doing my hair for the past 15 years, now I do it more because I have to, to cover the gray that's becoming more and more noticeable because I personally don't like the look of random gray hairs on me.
Now, my husband on the other hand, I love the look of his more noticable salt in the pepper. I like it on guys. And I do like it on gals too... I just like the all gray look rather than the brown-going-gray-sporadically look when it comes to women.

[Kim]

I have a couple gray's that I found recently. Not many but they are there. My Mom started going gray at 16 so I guess that I'm lucky that it didn't start until my 30's. Brent is 38 and starting to get gray in his beard..
I will never go gray. Not until I'm way old and don' care anymore.

[Dana Leigh]

I have had 2 gray hairs in my life but haven't seen one since for about 10 years and I'm almost 33. I think I had my first gray before my mom did and it was a weird hair...very squiggly and wirey! If I have noticeable gray, I will color my hair to conceal it. Kristi, I always color my hair from a box at home. I find that if you have darker hair, it's really hard to screw up on your own. It's only when you start trying to go lighter or highlights that I would definitely suggest a professional. M doesn't have a gray hair yet and he's almost 36. He does have grays in his facial hair that keep coming and we count them. :) He's up to 5 or 6 now! :)

[Nicole]

(Is it wrong that I am laughing at Jan's grey pubic hair?!)

I am 31 and (knock wood) have not seen any greys yet. Hubby is 35 and is starting to get some grey in the sides of his hair and in his chest hair. He does not seem bothered by it in the least. I think grey hair on a man is distinguished, and hate that you would never hear that being said about a woman!

[Samara Link]

Well, if my hair is graying, I haven't given myself or anyone else a chance to notice it since I do get it colored fairly regularly. But fyi, in case you have something similar there, I go to the student salon. It's cheap and they always (almost always) do a nice job. Honestly though, I haven't even noticed it in my roots -- something that surprises me since my mom went gray and my grandma went white very early. I don't really know that people on my dad's side gray that early, and maybe I got their genes. I have noticed David has a lot more white in his beard ... and I love it. I'd say it's been for three or so years now. It's about 1/4 of his hair, maybe less. I think it's darling. To me, staying with the color or embracing the gray -- it's all dependent on your skin tone. I can tell you now, I don't have the face for it. David's dad has a red toned face and darker skin, and it looks great on him! So, I think it's less about gender and more about that. As for me .. time will tell for sure. :)

[Steph]

I believe I was around 22 or 23 when my hairdresser found my first grey hair. YUK! I hate the thought of thinking that I'll be getting more every year. Now, I do get highlights done in my hair every month or so and I don't have to cover the grey just yet.

[Robyn]

I do not remember when I had my first grey hair, but I have been coloring my hair with the box color since I was a teen. I do however have quite a bit now. I get freaked when I look in the mirrors at work when my color is growing out it looks horrible and I can't get a box of color fast enough.

[Nicole]

Got my first ones around 24.
Now I have quite a few of them.
Just last week I applied red Henna. Now most of them are gone and my hair's shiny for a while.
It's good for my hair and looks good enough :)
Hubby is almost all grey by now.
But here in the heat he shaves his head bald. At home he leaves it grey. He died them black once and it looked awkward :)

[Denise H.]

You know I haven't yet found a gray hair. Although having blonde hair I could have some but it is really hard to notice them. The day you can see it though I will be coloring it to cover it up. At least until the day I am actually a Grandma in my 60's. Then I will embrace it. Oh and Kristi my sister who has the same hair color as you always colors her own hair and it look Gorgeous. You should try it. I've even done it before though with blondes it's harder because it's easy to get the orange hair if your not careful.

As for my hubby.. He had a little gray when we got married and has a lot more now. I like his gray it makes him look distinguished with the salt and pepper look and it doesn't bother him at all.

[Jessica]

A little late, but I thought I'd chime in with my two cents worth anyways. (I am 28, BTW) I have been coloring my hair since I was 16, regularily since I was 19. I was finally to the point where I was sick of spending the money and the time to do it all the time, so I was ready to just let it go natural. So, I had my hair colored one last time, back to my natural color. Lo and behold, a few weeks went by and it started to grow out and then I realized I already had gray hairs. :( So, I decided to buy a $3 box of hair color, and I've been using that every couple of months. It works, it's cheap and easy, and you can't tell if I don't do it regularily because it's my natural color. I just can't believe I have gray's already. I am quite sure I will probably be coloring my hair for many years to come, because I am vain like that. My mother has always colored her hair, and I think that she looks much younger than my mother in law, who has never colored her hair. I'm not even going to get into men. :)