Last week I found a grey hair in my beard and I shaved immediately. Like, could not shave fast enough. It was small and most people probably wouldn't have noticed it but I wanted nothing to do with it. This isn't the first time it's happened. About a year ago I found one on my chin and, again, shaved as soon as I saw it. Four years ago was when I saw my first grey hair and it was on my head. I was 24 years old and I was not in a good place at the time so my hair had grown out more than usual. I woke up and stared at myself in the mirror and noticed the grey and I cut my hair on the spot. (Do we notice a pattern here??)
I'm concerned about the length of time between grey hairs. It's shrinking with every birthday I celebrate. Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for every birthday I see after my car accident. I just don't think I'm on board with the aging that they bring (especially as 30 looms on the horizon). People tell me all the time that I shouldn't worry about it, I'm 28 and I still look like I'm about 16. I've yet to buy alcohol without being carded, which is nice actually. None of my aunts or uncles or even my mother look their age, all are in their 50's and you'd never know it just by looking at them. But you can't control going grey. Since most of what determines going grey comes from the mother's side, I've started paying attention to my three uncles and what they've gone through so far.
Uncle A is pushing 60 and still has all of his hair and has no receding hairline. He's about 20% grey and the rest is still brown-ish. He's had a very slow greying process that started when he was about 35. I like this. However, Uncle B is in his mid-50's and his first grey hair surfaced when he was 27. By the time he was 35 his hair was almost all salt and pepper but his beard was still completely black. In the last three years all of his hair has gone white. I don't know about his beard yet, he hasn't grown one since his hair lost all coloring. Uncle C is the one that poses the most interesting scenario. He's 51 and his hair was the same shade of dark brown as mine until he turned 50. Four months after he turned 50, his hair turned grey in the span of one month. It remains the quickest time I have ever seen someone go grey. He's never dyed it and he actually looks pretty good with grey hair. I have looked exactly like this man my entire life. Our baby pictures are identical, except that his is in black and white. We both have the same eyes as my grandfather. So, in all likelihood, it seems like this is the scenario that will happen to me in 20 some odd years. What about grandpa, you ask? He never got the chance to age past 29 so we don't know what would have happened there. I guess it's nothing to worry about now, just something to think about. I do very much appreciate the good genetics, all things considered.
