To be sad at going grey already

[AHungryCaterpillar]

I’m so depressed about going grey at 33! I’ve found loads of grey hairs, I’m only early 30s surely this is too early? I already feel really old and past it anyway so this has just made me feel worse, I’m not ready to embrace them and don’t now want to spend the rest of my life dying my hair at 33. Doesn’t help that I’m allergic to hair dye so now what am I suppose to do. Aibu to think 33 is too early for this?! 😳

I would have been 50% grey at 30yo and well and truly completely grey by 40yo. I don’t think it’s that unusual.

I went through uni with a girl who would have been a third grey by that stage (20yo). She didn’t bother to cover it.

Solidarity OP I’m 32 and I’ve gotta keep covering the grey now till god knows when

@stripeyflowers

Unfortunately, not everyone goes grey by choice - they are forced into it by allergies. Or the expense of the upkeep. I just got fed up of planning my life around the next dye job and having to use camouflage colour powder to touch up the greys in between dye sessions. It's always more difficult if your hair is very dark. Blondes generally have it easier.

Same!

I started going grey in my mid 20s.

I’m 36 now and the fuckers are everywhere!

I dye mine heavily and fortunately still have a youthful face

I get why you're fed up though OP
If you can't find dye that you're not allergic to, can I suggest the Grombre page on Instagram?
Lots of beautiful women sharing their grey or going grey look.

Hi OP, it's just genetics. I had my first white streak at age 18, in exactly the same place as my mum.

I've been mostly white since about age 40, like my parents before me. Probably not my favourite feature of my appearance, but what can you do? I try to make sure I get nice haircuts and don't think about it.

But if you really do mind, just teach yourself to dye it at home. I did that for a while, way cheaper than hairdresser's. Worked fine, but now I can't be arsed.

It's normal to have some grey at your age, but I don't think anyone feels happy when they see their hair turning grey. It reminds us that aging is an inevitable process, and we are not immune to it.

I'm mid 40s now and I've been colouring my hair one way or another for 10 years. It is an expensive pain in the arse. If your head swells up then at least you don't have a dilemma on your hands - you get it cut well and leave the colour au naturale.

I'm 49 now and still dying mine. Started going grey around 15 years ago, now it's around my forehead and temples and scattered throughout the hair. Hate it as it makes me look really old and doesn't suit my skin tone. I dye it around every 4 weeks. I tried esalon online, a bit expensive but may cater for allergies.

With the kind of ironic symbolism you wouldn't get away with in a novel, I noticed my first grey hair on my eighteenth birthday.

For the next twenty-five years, my hair was dyed various colours (jet black with deep blue streaks was my favourite) but when I finally gave up on that faff, it turns out that my hair is snow-white, and I love it like that.

Look on the bright side, OP - this is just the start. In twenty years time you'll look back to this and wish that's all you had to worry about in relation to your physical decline.

Yabu
You can dye hair with henna
Or coffee or God knows what else
Also.

You are 33. Not 23
It's normal to go grey

Why is grey hair more ageing on women than men?

It isn’t. It ages some women, it doesn’t age others. My bloke’s still blond, I’ve been grey for 25 years and people still think he’s older than me when he’s actually four years younger. The ageing thing is bollocks.

I was in my 30s when a hairdresser suggested I had too much grey for highlights, and would be better with all over color :(
i coloured it myself for a while, then in my 40s worked for a woman (similar age to me) with the most amazing snowy white hair; it was stunning. After a few attempts, I eventually grew the colour out, with the assertion that if I was going to wear it white, I didn't want an "old lady" style. It did take a long while, and a few lapses where I got fed up and coloured it.
It's now mostly white, still has a badger stripe of darker grey at the back, but I can't see that.
Not old lady style - asymetric, shaved one side, long curls on the other.
I frequently get stopped by complete strangers complimenting me on how nice it is. Never got that before it was white!

I always thought I'd never colour it again, but I picked up a temporary wash in violet colour the other day, not quite got round to it yet...

Haven’t read the whole thread but I’m like you OP, really allergic to hair dyes and going grey.

You can get PPD free hair dyes now and whilst not permanent, they’ll cover greys 👍🏻

DONT USE HENNA! ITS NATURAL BUT HAS THE SAME COMPOUNDS AND WILL STILL CAUSE A REACTION!

I'm 33. Started greying at 26. I'm not dark, I am allergic to most dyes and have had to just embrace it. I look like a badger. Just wanted to let you know you're not alone and that henna is not safe.

I've beengoing grey since 13, brunette with bright whites mixed in. I started dying it after that. Stopped when pregnant with 2nd at 26 but wasn't brave enough to keep it and went back to dying. Decided I was fed up of the roots needing doing 19 months ago (was 36) and let it grow out again, actually quite like the rather white barnette now and keeping it this way.

I will find something I will have to keep looking there must be something, I’m sorry but I don’t have the confidence to go grey.

As in embracing it.

One thing I did notice when I stopped dyeing - all my women friends, mostly older than me, all said 'wonderful, marvellous, so much better etc.' However, now four years one, they all still maintain their own dyed or bleached hair . . .hmm.

went to a Tony Hadley gig a few weeks ago (40th anniversary tour, scary). The sea of weird bottle blonde colours in the bar at the interval was grim - and weirdly stepford wives.
(his hair suspiciously uniformly dark)

Found my first white hairs at 19yo. Never dyed it away. I couldn't face the maintenance, plastic waste, expense, schedule, hassle, routine, "deception" of dying my grey out. It's not that I embraced it, I just ignored it.

I accept that the grey/white may make us look "old" but I can't agree that white/grey/old makes anyone look "bad".

I started going grey in my teens. My younger sisters and I all have pronounced white streaks in our hair. I dyed up to lockdown then gave up, they’ve both been very grey throughout their 30s (I probably was too but you couldn’t tell). If you’ve only just started to see grey hair in your 30s, that’s actually quite late - it’s just that so many people dye their hair that people don’t realise how early the first grey hairs appear.

@stripeyflowers

One thing I did notice when I stopped dyeing - all my women friends, mostly older than me, all said 'wonderful, marvellous, so much better etc.' However, now four years one, they all still maintain their own dyed or bleached hair . . .hmm.

Yes I find it interesting how many women on this thread apparently embrace their grey and never dye it but I’m yet to see any woman under about 50 with grey hair? Certainly no one I know friends/ family anyone I see around...

Just henna it and get on with your life. I had my first greys at 26/7?!

Ahungrycaterpillar

True. Or maybe it's because we don't actually realise they are that young because their grey hair adds a decade or two, .