What to do at first signs of gray hair?

[Anonymous]

I'm only 31, but started developing gray hairs after my DD was born 1.5 years ago (pregnancy, genetics or work-related stress, who knows?). The rest of my hair is a really nice medium-dark brown with natural highlights and I've never colored my hair. I'm reluctant to start dying my hair now because of the expense and the constant need for maintenance, but the grays are becomming more noticable. Some friends have told me I'm crazy because I don't have [/i]that much[i] gray, but it's enough that a few strands glint in the sunlight and stick out against the darker hairs and I feel so self-conscious about it. So what do people do? Are there drug-store items that you can use to "paint" individual hairs? Would low-lights be sufficient to hide the hairs? Or am I at the point where I just have to accept the fact that I'll need to dye my hair for the next 20 years?

[Anonymous]

Hah! I just pull them I've only noticed 1-2 every few months (I'm also 31 with dark brown hair) but I'd probably start coloring my hair if it became more noticeable.

[Anonymous]

I pluck them but I also color my hair at home. Used to spend gazillions at the salon but now that I do my own I actually get more compliments! You can always find a color that matches your existing.

[Anonymous]

30 YO here, with one or two shriekingly noticeable pure white strands in my nearly black hair..I pluck them out
Refuse to go to the salon, will probably do a home dye in a few years...

[Anonymous]

Grecian formula?

[Anonymous]

Only 30? Heck, I had my first greys at 21.

You start by plucking - until you risk bald spots.

highlighting covers a few nicely. If you don't want go to the expensive route, you start with a less permanent home dye - and move up as the greys keep coming. The nice thing is that the greys actually add highligting as they tend to be a bit lighter than your regular hair (I've had people say they are shocked I can do "highlights" without going to a salon - turns out it is just the greys). The bad part is that they can be dye-resistant.

[Anonymous]

Funny you posted this as I was just looking at my hair and noticed a few grays near where I part my hair. I'm in the same boat as you - don't color my hair, have natural highlights and will be 33 in Dec. (yikes!)
Is it really safe to pluck the grays out? Is it an old wives tale that more will come in if I pluck?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Funny you posted this as I was just looking at my hair and noticed a few grays near where I part my hair. I'm in the same boat as you - don't color my hair, have natural highlights and will be 33 in Dec. (yikes!)
Is it really safe to pluck the grays out? Is it an old wives tale that more will come in if I pluck?

I spent some time researching this once online. The most plausible reason I found for not plucking gray hairs is that you may damage the hair follicle and when the hair grows back (which it will) you may get one of the damaged, unruly gray hairs that won't take well to dye. But if you pluck one hair, you get the same hair growing back, it won't impact another hair suddenly deciding to grow in gray. At least that is what google tells me.

[Anonymous]

I'll just scream and run for the hills.

[Anonymous]

I noticed a few grays after giving birth too. I pulled them all out and they have never regrown. My parents didn't go gray until well into their 50's, so I'm hoping that my grays won't return until then.

[Anonymous]

cry

[Anonymous]

I changed my hair style so the gray hair at my left temple is curled under and not noticable. I want another child and don't want to deal w/ coloring my hair until after that. I have fine ahir so plucking seemed like creating another problem. I did discuss w/ my hair stylist what style options would work to cover my gray.

[Anonymous]

I blame my husband and ask him to stop being an A**hole

[Anonymous]

I'm 38 and never had a gray hair till I was 36 and pregnant. I haven't noticed any lately, so for me, it might have been a hormonal thing. When I do see them, if it's just one, I pluck it. I probably need to start coloring my hair soon because the color has gotten really blah, but if you're happy with your hair color and the grays are occasional, just pluck them.

[Anonymous]

I started going gray right after having my DS now I have to have it dyed (really thick, stubborn gray hair so hard to do at home) and it grows so fast that it is a real challenge to keep it colored. An example - I had a permanent color put on in a salon on 19th Oct and now have over a centimeter of gray coming through at the sides and right on top at the roots - oh yeah and at the front around the hairline - I am too young to go gray!!!!!