What Should You Do About Your First Gray Hairs?

A startling situation was brought to my attention at the hairdressers a couple of weeks ago. I was getting my hair cut, scrolling on my phone and minding my own business (natch), when the stylist pointed out that I had a gray hair. I almost dropped my phone.

I knew, of course, that it was going to happen; I just didn’t want it to happen so soon. As someone with dark brown hair who has never dyed it, I was out of my depth. The gray was very obvious against the rest of my hair, and yet the myth of pulling it out for five more to come was at the forefront of my mind (it is not factually accurate but just in case!).

It was not just the color either, but the texture–wiry and coarse. Vogue’s Favorite Products for Gray Hair: Best Hair Serum: Kérastase Blond Absolu Cicaplasme Treatment, $19 Best Shampoo for Gray Hair: Philip Kingsley Pure Blonde/Silver Brightening Shampoo, $39 Best Hair Gloss : Glaze Supergloss Color Conditioning Gloss, $18 Best Strengthening Mask: K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Molecular Repair Hair Mask, $29 Best Hair Mask: Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair! Deep Conditioning Mask, $39 I wanted to get to the bottom of why this occurs.

What causes gray hair, and why does it feel like a different texture? So gray hairs often grow coarser, drier, wirier and a little more unruly.” Hair colorist Josh Wood adds that while the biggest factor is genetics, “There can also be other influences, including stress and overall health.” He adds that while some people “are lucky enough to develop beautifully soft, silky gray hair,” for others, “it can feel thicker, coarser, and a little more unruly.” In my case, and most commonly, gray hair appears at the temples and hairline. Wood confirms this as the norm: “Generally, the pattern tends to start at the front and gradually work its way towards the back of the head.” So it became my mission to find a solution to these first gray hairs.

It seemed to me I had three choices with just the sporadic grays that had materialized so far: embrace them, blend, or cover. Dyeing my whole head of hair seemed far too dramatic and costly. With that in mind, below are the tried-and-tested ways to shield or celebrate your grays.

Going straight into full coverage can box you in later, so I’d keep it seamless, subtle and low maintenance. Let the grays be part of the look, not something we have to hide.” She shares a top industry trick for when you need a quick-fix solution: “Try a little eyeshadow on the grays. It gives the softest, most natural-looking coverage without harsh products transferring all over your clothes.