wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

My great grandfather turned gray at 25 - we all attribute our gray to him - we've been told our grays are grays of steel - they don't take color well.

My mom had me at 25 & she has always been a salt & pepper gray; my sister began turning gray at 25; I was last, beginning at 31 & am still turning gray at 48.

I get compliments constantly, and am always so surprised that these compliments most often come from those that do color their hair!

My goal is to look good for my age, rather than looking like I am trying to hide my age.

I first colored my hair within hours of the first time somebody called me "ma'am." I was 22 and had a very obvious streak of white in my brown hair. (The first few white hairs had appeared about two weeks before my 17th birthday.)

The last time I colored my hair was for my brother's wedding. I was 36 and, judging by the roots, my hair was almost totally white.

When my hair was next due for a coloring, I decided to let it grow out and see how it looked. My Mom (from whom I'd inherited that prematurely white hair gene) cut it very short for me, partly to make the growing out process quicker, but mostly as a mis-direction.

When I went to work on Monday morning, people talked about how great my new haircut looked. A couple of weeks later somebody finally noticed it was getting lighter.

Next month I will be 48. I would sooner shave my head than ever give up my wonderful white hair; it is the greatest heirloom (hairloom?) I have from my Mother and Grandmother. (BTW, none of us were ever gray; we went straight to white.)

When my hair was brown, acquaintances would sometimes remark on what pretty blue eyes I have. Now total strangers walk up to me on the street to say what beautiful white hair I have.

I highlight my hair with bits of red and gold (3 times a year, tops)because I like it to shine. My hair is dull brown with just a little gray. If it were mostly gray, I would let it go, because that would be fun. But straight "mousy" is drab.

I stopped coloring my hair 1 year ago - I am 43. I cut it short and got some new (hip - Prada) eyeglasses and everyone seems to love the new look incuding my husband. I sometimes have that pang of wanting it colored again, because it definitely hid my age. But my kids got used to it too...so wish me luck!
I am hoping to look the same when I am 60 - while everyone else will look old all of a sudden
happy new year

I am around the same age as Ms Kreamer. I do not dye my hair and have no plans to dye it. I like the natural look of the salt and pepper color and the low maintenance.

I stopped coloring my hair years ago when it turned purple from a bad dye job. I love the way it looks now (silvery salt and pepper) and especially the low maintenance--I get compliments all the time. The only glitch is that I often get offered seats on the subway from folks who mistakenly take me for someone decrepit! I often query them as to whether my gray hair influenced their decision to offer me their seat.

No dye for me.
I earned these gray hairs!

Plus, as someone who always looked too young, I find it refreshing to be treated as a dignified elder.