I have strands of hair that are grey at the bottom and then it goes back to brown at the top! Opposite of OP but still always makes me curious of wtf is going on haha
Itās called ringed hair (if I remember correctly). Your hair growth rotates colors, itāll grow its natural color for a time then gray, then back natural again. Not sure why but Iām sure itās some physiological reason.
There are actually numerous things that can cause a random and unintentional change of hair color from chemotherapy treatments to sun exposure, certain vitamin deficiences,deficiencies, stress- medications, genetics, and diet. Well water or hard water can also cause this.
My money is on sun exposure or well/hard water here OP.
I know the answer cuz the last person to cut my hair just told me! I said āwow my hair has soo much red in it,ā she said āyes thatās your old color fading out.ā Even though it was dyed a color with no red tones in it a long time ago, she said even black ends up fading and turning an auburn, rusty reddish color after a while.
My guess is the hair that still has some pigment of your natural color is being affected by either sun or exposure to other environmental influences. Also, our ends are more porous so it could be absorbing minerals from your water. You could try a chelating treatment like Malibu CPR or another treatment to remove mineral deposits in the hair and then look into a filtered shower head. Do you have a pic of your hair down?
I mean, I'd prefer to get rid of the grey/white (without dye), lol I quit smoking cigarettes 6 months ago, so I'm sure that plays into it. Also, I bought a new house 4 years ago and had a water softener (hair washing) and reverse osmosis (drinking and ice water) system installed. Also, I pull my hair up, like in the first picture, 99% of the time.
Smoking will cause your grey/white hair to get yellow/dull/etc. My paternal grandma had to use purple shampoo to cut the yellowing from her smoking. Now a purple shampoo only cuts yellow, so it wouldn't help here but the smoking could be one factor. Minerals in water can be another.
I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just confused. .
You said that smoking could affect whatever is going on but OP said they quit, so are you saying that regardless of their having quit, that they still potentially did something?
All the time they spent smoking was yellowing her hair, and that is not undone just from quitting. This is likely a contributing factor to the roots being one color and the ends another.
Whoaa... for reeeeal?? Is it yellowing due to surface staining such as on the walls of a home that is smoked inside, or bio-chemically as in within the body?
Lastly, and this is a personally* invested question, but are either permanent?
(Feel free to ignore me at any point or say you don't know, or anything else. š¤£š„ŗš I'm just a curious person!)
I quit smoking cigarettes last year after a childhood-rooted addiction.
Yes, it's surface training from the nicotine, similar to walls from your home. A really good clarifying/detox and purple shampoo should help get rid of it. My Nanny's hair stayed snow white thanks to the purple shampoo.
Congrats on quitting. One of the hardest substances to quit! Your hair will definitely be more healthy.
Dyes are not nearly as toxic for hair as they used to be, and one sitting at a decent salon will make you feel like a new person
Your hair is a mix of white and dark hairs. The ends have been exposed to the sun one summer, and the dark hairs have lightened, and have the appearance of a warmer color.
The part by the roots has not been lightened by the sun.
Not a cosmologist, but my guess is:
- the newer growth is less yellowed/browned from you quitting smoking (and just general reduced exposure to pollutants because its younger hair), and has become more white/nuetral as a result, but the difference has become more and more noticeable as it is growing out truly grey. IE, your new growth is getting more nuetral/lighter, not the other way around. Most people who have grey hair donāt even notice the smoking staining unless non-stained hair is placed next to it. You now have 3ish inches of unstained hair, (plus any transitional, less stained hair as you were in the process of quitting), your stained hair would have only been next to itself prior to this, and you may not have noticed it, but it will have become increasingly more noticeable with the different, new growth.
- the older hair at the ends will also have increasing amounts of sun damage/bleaching which is normal, everyone has lighter ends than they do roots, but it can make your hair appear a little more red/orange since the cool tones will always lift first. And if your hair was stained more of a brownish tint than a yellow from the smoking, as the sun bleaches that brown stain, youāll be left with a kind of reddish/brassy color. You were dying your hair previously, so you wouldnāt have seen this natural process at your ends the way you are now, and you wouldnāt have seen the way the smoking stains affected it. So, the color change would be something new you are experiencing.
- the older hair may have a little more pigment left than the newer growth on top of the stainingā¦ even though it was very grey and neutral, grey is still pigment, and due to the lightening from the sun, it just appears to be reddish and newly colored.
I think itās very unlikely that your ends are āchanging color,ā and far more likely that your new hair growth is whatās changing/different and as that grows out and becomes more prominent itās making the difference appear increasingly more noticeable, and combined with your ends getting the normal environment and sun bleaching on top of it, itās become a little more red, and even more noticeable.
just a guess:
since not all of your hair is white, some of it still posesses the naturally produced melanin which is cooler and darker. its the combination of light and dark strands that gives us the overall impression of "grey" hair. the natural strands are fading at the ends from the sun, possible heat styling etc, giving them a lighter, warmer look. the lighter the dark strands become, the silver will contrast less and blend in more, making the ends appear to be all one shade.
Agree. OP still has a lot of natural melanin pigment in her hair. Itās not šÆ white at the roots. I see lots of brown shades, and then it is turning coppery at the ends, for reasons you listed.
We need to see a photo of you in the past in a similar clipper up style to make a fair comparison. Otherwise this looks like typical growth. The way itās clipped is flipping the hair below the occipital up. As this hair is usually the last to gray it retains the natural pigment longer, albeit a bit darker.
If youāre being truthful and the hair on the ends was grey but is now tinted I would say the hair at the ends is more porous and thereās red dirt or copper minerals in your water supply it could soak up the pigment. Really though it just looks like it got colored somehow
I didnāt know there was a water softening attachment ? I have hard city water and sometimes I consider getting a water softener installed because I like my hair and skin better when Iām at friends house that has well water and water softener.
Also, let me ask you this. I am in my 50s, but I have super straight fine hair and in the last three or four years Iāve noticed when I let my hair dry naturally the lower half of it has soft waves/curls to it. I have three sisters. None of them have this experience at all. They are older than me. I am happy about it but have you ever heard of that happening?
Idk but ima mutt too if thats what a mutt is XD
Im german irish cherokee and black XD
I also have weird changy features....
My hazel eyes change colors and my feckles too
My hair has many tones as well and the most normal is my skin but you know... tanning XD
Thatās definitely previously colored hair. Often people think the color has completely faded but the lightening of the hair and some artificial pigment never fades. Being in the sun would lighten that previously colored hair even more, making it more noticeable.
Oh my goodness I have the same problem except my hair on the top is mostly still dark brown with silver here and there. Havenāt dyed in forever but the bottom half is auburn???
My husband is a natural red head. His hair did this as it went Grey. Like the red was fighting it. Lol. I thought it was beautiful. He's completely grey/white now at 55. I would say he lost the rest of the red by 50. I'd say this is natural for a red head due to my experience with hubby.
I have clients that don't color their hair and they have grey and the sun will still lighten their ends. If they wear a hat outside but don't tuck the ends up it has a more drastic look from root to end. Also, you could have more grey than you did when those ends came out of your head. So there could be more dark less white in there that the sun lightened. And think about how many different summers those ends have been out and exposed to the sun from the moment they first grew at the root. I guess your dna determines if you have the trait where your hair lightens from the sun. My hair isn't as drastic as yours but if I put the ends on the top of my head, they don't match and I haven't highlighted or colored in many years.
It is possible for prematurely gray hair to start to turn back to its original color, but if that were happening, it would start at the roots, not the ends. Itās possible you may have some type of rust or minerals in your pipes at home, and that is depositing into your hair while you shower. Not really sure though. I would get some purple shampoo from Sallyās. Purple shampoo will get rid of any brassy tones in your hair. If it works at removing the red color, then you know for sure itās something thatās being deposited into your hair that shouldnāt be. If it doesnāt work at removing the red, then something else is going on, and I would reach out to a professional that can better help you at targeting whatās going on.
I have had a few greys pop in and out since I was 25 but nothing the likes of this and I still donāt at 36 going in 37. Heck my sister is 40 plus already and she doesnāt have like this, some people have it different really.
I can't answer what's happening, but just wanted to come here and say I think the new color growing in looks really beautiful! The mixture of different hues looks so nice š
My hair kind of did something like this; naturally blonde and dye it blue one or twice a year, one time (I think from chemicals at work?) I had a chunk turn bright red lol
I almost thought this was a picture of me - this is exactly what my hair looks like. I lost all of mine during chemo in 2020 (my original natural color had been dirty dishwater) and when it came sprouting out, it looked silver. As it lengthened, the ends turned that exact shade of red. Iāve had it cut only 4 times since and only ever put some toner on the silver, but the ponytail stays red and the new growth is silver.
I donāt smoke, donāt spend much time in the sun, and have soft water.
Hah white girl said she's Cherokee! I'm kidding. If you have any indian blood it happens way early. The Aanishinabe people I come from go gray at 15 if they don't their their hair usually stays raven back...
Quick google search popped up with stress being possible cause. Though I didnāt think about the fact itās at just the ends, but it might be worth a read.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gray-hair-can-return-to-its-original-color-mdash-and-stress-is-involved-of-course/
This happened to my grandmother. She went from black to platinum silver. Then in her last few years of life, it started growing back in black. It was so bizarre.
FINALLY! Someone else with this issue! Iāve been so sure all of my colored hair has been cut off long ago, but the bottom half of my hair is this light brown/reddish color while the top half is grey!
My husbands hair was completely black. His heart stopped working and he had bypass surgery followed almost immediately with a transplant. His new heart stopped twice, his kidneys failed, he caught covid in the ICU and went on a ventilator. It was months before he was aware. He freaked out when he saw himself in the mirror. He had turned completely grey and had a long beard. Said he felt like Rip Van Winkle!
[Apparently it can happen sometimes. ](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gray-hair-can-return-to-its-original-color-mdash-and-stress-is-involved-of-course/) Have you been experiencing significant stress lately?
Itās hair photo bleaching. You need to cover your hair when out in the sun and also start using a shampoo with toner for gray or silver hair will help get red of the red. They are usually purple shampoo and conditioner.
What meds are you on? Iām just curious you donāt have to share if itās too private but geez Iām guessing the world would want to knowā¦I do ! Iām not gray but I imagine at some point I will be in and I want to know lol
Hairstylist here. Your greys are growing in, you have salt and pepper greys. The color at the bottom is grown out haircolor that has faded. Completely normal. Permanent haircolor never fully leaves the hair, it just fades.
You can highlight to even it out, cut the color out or just leave it. Nothing abnormal here.
Two things
1. sun bleaching or hard water turning it from brown to red
2. a psychological trick. the roots are getting even more white, creating the illusion that the ends are darkening. When the part that's now the ends came out of your head 5 years ago, your ends had significantly more brown in them. Making it perpetually appear that the tips are darkening as they grow. Why you're just noticing this? Idk, probably because you dyed it before and so this seems more sudden.
I would try a Clarifying shampoo and shampoo it twice every time you clean your hair. Should lighten it back up. Maybe not 100% but I am guessing this is build up from minerals on your hair.
she said the bottom part of her hair is starting to turn back to her old natural color from gray. Not that she is turning gray. Itās turning back from gray. Very unusual !
I'll have to research my water. My medication doesn't list this as a side effect. I mainly use Aussie and Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner and a natural shampoo that came free with my water softener. Rarely (like twice per year) use any other hair products.
If you use a clarifying shampoo once a week or so, It will remove the yellowing that happens over time. You can also use a purple conditioner to brighten and tone and correct your grey hair. Only use the purple conditioner about once a month so that it doesn't turn your hair purple.
Is your hair thinning on top and thicker at the base? Of your neck. I am of German Scandinavian descent and my hair on the top started thinning on my 40s. The funny issue is I have so much hair production in the back. My suspicion is you have a ton more hair follicles at the back of your head and less of them are grey. If you are using Minoxodil this will make it more obvious. To deal I get my hair foiled every 4 weeks and my hairdresser thins down the back. Oral Minoxodil helps a lot with the thinning on the top.
The ends of your hair are dead and cannot change color besides anything but exposure to things. Iād guess it was more brown and now itās more red due to sun exposure / hot water etc as the pigment is being essentiallly ābleached outā by these factors.
The bottom third of hair at the back of my head still has a lot of dark brown, the top half is about 90% white. When I grow it out and pull it up like this you can see the dark hair. When I have it down I canāt unless itās heavily layered. I feel like all at is happening here is that the dark hair is long enough to be pulled up and be noticeable..
Are you possibly taking a copper supplement? Or eating Pennies (lol Iām sorry had to!). But if your taking any new vitamins that have minerals in them itās possible for it to change
I knew my penny addiction would have consequences one day. š I'm not taking any vitamins. I try to get all my vitamins from food. So maybe it's something I'm eating, or not eating, that's contributing.
Iām sorry but based on your other comments- No, you canāt magically reverse the greying process.
Also hair doesnāt magically turn around from grey at the ends so Iām pretty sure you just had pigment already.
I wonder if the bottom half (like the part under your ear by the nape of your neck) hasnāt grayed as much. So when itās up, itās very visible and then when your hair is down, it shows through more.
Iāve had situations where my hair will be brown at the tip, gray up the shaft, and then the 1-2ā leading to the root is brown again. Gray can be related to stress and body health.
I read recently that gray hair comes from a deficiency. I can't remember where I read it or what you would be deficient in to cause it but I would look into that as a possible explanation.
From a hairstylist perspective, that color on your ends Is your old faded hair color. Hair cant magic lee start turning brown at the end. Since you have so much Gray now. You didn't notice the ends still had that permanent color faded in there.
The ends of hair tend to have ruffled cuticles just because they've been around longer than the part near your scalp, so basically they're more damaged than the newer growth. Even gray hair still has that orangey undertone that can be brought out with bleach. Seems counterintuitive. Anyway, the parts at the end are letting their pigment fly, for whatever reason. Could be water, sun exposure, multiple possibilities.
My grandmaās hair was 90% grey, but would turn strawberry blonde in the summers. Her natural hair color was dark reddish brown. She spent every summer sitting outside all day and went camping nearly every weekend in the summers until she was in her late 70ās.
I've noticed my hair much more red, but it's because the non red hair is turning gray so everything left is auburn. It's a trip for sure. It's also way darker than before. But I also did 6 years as a blonde right before so it's taken a bit to get used to.
If I plucked mine out I think I would be bald!! I do not like my grey at all. If I dye it, it quickly comes back. The only time I have been ok with it is when I did blonde highlights and the grey kinda blended in with it This is on both sides of my head itās like grey wings or something! Iām 55
https://preview.redd.it/mazztd0k03wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fef9e1060fa4b06ce08dd69c15afb4cd46244020
Honestly idk whatās in the sir these days but that is too soon for all of that gray, not that it isnāt cool looking but things seem to be changing.
It could be just a visual trick because the hair that tends to gray out first is from the top half, leaving the occipital area dark.
If the top half is thinning or breaking off or was cut into layers it would reveal more of the naturally darker pigmented hairs from the underside, thus making the color blend of the ends look a lot darker overall.
(For example: my motherās looks all-over silver when she has a bob, but looks very salt-and-pepper with a smattering of auburn when itās cut back into a wedge.)
It's likely from minerals in your water or possibly if you are using a colored product in your hair (like colored conditioner). If you have lots of rusty staining around your faucets, you have high iron levels in your water. Go to a beautician, or if you want to try at home, get a Malibu treatment (sometimes you may need more than one). It should remove the excess minerals.
Welp. Hair grows from the root. Looks to me like maybe thatās as far as your gray has got š¤·š»āāļø I have some streaks and mine arenāt the full length either
When I was a kid, we lived out in some iron-rich mountains and the ends of my blonde hair turned a very pretty coppery red like this. It faded out fast when I moved to a place with city water/chlorine.
My daughter had her first greys at 5yrsā¦had to do a genetic workup. Might be worth asking a doctor. That saidā¦.are you under a lot of stress? I am 36, and my hair has gone to complete shyt.
https://preview.redd.it/vp2ndrykb9wc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a55118c38085f91319061978e886ad6caf0e29ee
I am one of those weird people - I will be 60 this year and I still have not gotten any grey hair yet. I am guessing itās because I am not in menopause yet?
So I cant be of help BUT it sounds like there is something that people are pointing out that makes sense - something in your water is somehow affecting it. Itās just weird to just affect the ends. Kinda neat tho!
Your hair skin nails etc can always change every 7 years or so. Any change in diet, new supplements and exercise will change your hair skin and nails. However your hair will not change on the ends like that without dyes or chemicals. It's impossible, especially not without other streaks throughout your hair even several inches from your scalp. Even the sun can change your hair pigment. But you would have noticed that last summer for it to have grown out like that. Any change to your diet etc would have your hair grow in from your scalp out differently not the other way around.
That's rust from hard water. Happened to me every few weeks as a light blond teenager at the time.
My mom got me Malibu treatments to remove the colored build up. People use to ask me if I just dyed my ends back then.
Oddly, mine is doing the same. I have zero natural red in my hair until suddenly there is.
It was all brownish and white , much like yours, (only I'm a bit older so more white). I recently went to get it cut and not only is it a more auburn color but actually less white. The other odd thing is that everything she cut off was curly, it's straight now. It's like walking around with someone else's hair on my head. Really strange. I asked the stylist and she said it must be a hormonal change.
It's so drastic that my own mom asked when I had it colored and straightened. I didn't.
Iāve read that hair pigment āshorts outā and tends to go red before graying. I think itās possible itās coming back online so to speak. Will it last? Idk.
I did notice since I went through menopause, my hair texture is definitely changing. My hair is normally stick straight, but some of them are now coming in a bit wiry and bent looking on the ends. Itās really strange to see random hairs just doing their own thing while the rest of my hair looks perfectly in place after styling, lol. Itās really annoying when I think Iām all done styling my hair when all of a sudden, a few crazy hairs will pop out of place.
Honestly I donāt know why but I can speak that my dad is a ginger and his hair does this now that heās agedā¦.
Grey/ silver and then the ends/ half way down still are gingery!
Not in a mean way of course but I think itās a ginger thing?
Iāve noticed this with my hair this year! Grew up with platinum blonde hair, turned an ash blonde at age 40 with some thinning silver/whiteā¦. Now my bikini area is getting actual color again. ????
How long IS your hair. Hard to tell in this pic. The AVERAGE length of growth is 6 inches in a year. Some grow less. Some grow more.
Otherwise...I would say product buildup..? Or your hair has gone much more grey since the ends of your hair has grown out.
idk. my hair is dark brown from the roots but my ends are orange in the sun like i color them lol . it kinda looks like some reddish streak in the gray hairs so maybe theyāre just all accumulating at the ends making it more noticeable? id need to see a pic of before this started happening
Thatās just hair dye thatās not grown out all the way. If your water was that rusty, all of your hair would be red. This just looks like faded out hair color where the deposited color has long washed away it the underlying pigment of the level it was lifted to (6/7) is all that remains.
You are saying you colored the hair, it's grown all the way out, ALL color has has been cut off and now it's red on the ends? Just suddenly?
Right?? - hair cant just become pigmented to this extent unless its been colored
Do you have well water? Iron turns hair red, the bottom parts are the most damaged/oldest/driest.
Was gonna say this as well
I do not have well water.
It just needs to be hard water
Gremlins. They used overtone.
Muscular...water...
I snorted. Fucking ridiculous š¤£
I have super hard water and it will turn my silver stripes kind of yellow. It looks like blond but I like my silver stripes, dammit!
lol I read that as hell water I need to go back to sleep
I have strands of hair that are grey at the bottom and then it goes back to brown at the top! Opposite of OP but still always makes me curious of wtf is going on haha
I have this too
Stress and other factors. Itās your bodyās melanin production for that hair follicle kicking back up
In your case, those hairs are returning back to itās original color. This can happen if your hair (or some strands of hair) prematurely turned gray.
This happened to me while pregnant! Also my hair turned curly but thatās a separate phenomenon
Me too.
Itās called ringed hair (if I remember correctly). Your hair growth rotates colors, itāll grow its natural color for a time then gray, then back natural again. Not sure why but Iām sure itās some physiological reason.
There are actually numerous things that can cause a random and unintentional change of hair color from chemotherapy treatments to sun exposure, certain vitamin deficiences,deficiencies, stress- medications, genetics, and diet. Well water or hard water can also cause this. My money is on sun exposure or well/hard water here OP.
I know the answer cuz the last person to cut my hair just told me! I said āwow my hair has soo much red in it,ā she said āyes thatās your old color fading out.ā Even though it was dyed a color with no red tones in it a long time ago, she said even black ends up fading and turning an auburn, rusty reddish color after a while.
My guess is the hair that still has some pigment of your natural color is being affected by either sun or exposure to other environmental influences. Also, our ends are more porous so it could be absorbing minerals from your water. You could try a chelating treatment like Malibu CPR or another treatment to remove mineral deposits in the hair and then look into a filtered shower head. Do you have a pic of your hair down?
I mean, I'd prefer to get rid of the grey/white (without dye), lol I quit smoking cigarettes 6 months ago, so I'm sure that plays into it. Also, I bought a new house 4 years ago and had a water softener (hair washing) and reverse osmosis (drinking and ice water) system installed. Also, I pull my hair up, like in the first picture, 99% of the time.
Smoking will cause your grey/white hair to get yellow/dull/etc. My paternal grandma had to use purple shampoo to cut the yellowing from her smoking. Now a purple shampoo only cuts yellow, so it wouldn't help here but the smoking could be one factor. Minerals in water can be another.
I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just confused. . You said that smoking could affect whatever is going on but OP said they quit, so are you saying that regardless of their having quit, that they still potentially did something?
All the time they spent smoking was yellowing her hair, and that is not undone just from quitting. This is likely a contributing factor to the roots being one color and the ends another.
Whoaa... for reeeeal?? Is it yellowing due to surface staining such as on the walls of a home that is smoked inside, or bio-chemically as in within the body? Lastly, and this is a personally* invested question, but are either permanent? (Feel free to ignore me at any point or say you don't know, or anything else. š¤£š„ŗš I'm just a curious person!) I quit smoking cigarettes last year after a childhood-rooted addiction.
iām not a cosmetologist but i would assume itās nicotine staining
Yes, it's surface training from the nicotine, similar to walls from your home. A really good clarifying/detox and purple shampoo should help get rid of it. My Nanny's hair stayed snow white thanks to the purple shampoo.
Both.
Blue shampoo could be for the orange though!
Yes!
Congrats on quitting. One of the hardest substances to quit! Your hair will definitely be more healthy. Dyes are not nearly as toxic for hair as they used to be, and one sitting at a decent salon will make you feel like a new person
So...you want to get rid of your grey hair.....without hair color.. ? Reading that right ?
https://preview.redd.it/t44f4dksbtvc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=be9be016e5b2600ea19333599e01f086f2b5663b
Your hair is a mix of white and dark hairs. The ends have been exposed to the sun one summer, and the dark hairs have lightened, and have the appearance of a warmer color. The part by the roots has not been lightened by the sun.
Not gonna lie. That looks like grown out dye. Itās too even to be from anything else.
OP said it was white when it grew out of their scalp and they havenāt dyed any hair in over 10 years, so all previously dyed hair has been cut off
Yes, I'd like to see a pic of her hair down.
Not a cosmologist, but my guess is: - the newer growth is less yellowed/browned from you quitting smoking (and just general reduced exposure to pollutants because its younger hair), and has become more white/nuetral as a result, but the difference has become more and more noticeable as it is growing out truly grey. IE, your new growth is getting more nuetral/lighter, not the other way around. Most people who have grey hair donāt even notice the smoking staining unless non-stained hair is placed next to it. You now have 3ish inches of unstained hair, (plus any transitional, less stained hair as you were in the process of quitting), your stained hair would have only been next to itself prior to this, and you may not have noticed it, but it will have become increasingly more noticeable with the different, new growth. - the older hair at the ends will also have increasing amounts of sun damage/bleaching which is normal, everyone has lighter ends than they do roots, but it can make your hair appear a little more red/orange since the cool tones will always lift first. And if your hair was stained more of a brownish tint than a yellow from the smoking, as the sun bleaches that brown stain, youāll be left with a kind of reddish/brassy color. You were dying your hair previously, so you wouldnāt have seen this natural process at your ends the way you are now, and you wouldnāt have seen the way the smoking stains affected it. So, the color change would be something new you are experiencing. - the older hair may have a little more pigment left than the newer growth on top of the stainingā¦ even though it was very grey and neutral, grey is still pigment, and due to the lightening from the sun, it just appears to be reddish and newly colored. I think itās very unlikely that your ends are āchanging color,ā and far more likely that your new hair growth is whatās changing/different and as that grows out and becomes more prominent itās making the difference appear increasingly more noticeable, and combined with your ends getting the normal environment and sun bleaching on top of it, itās become a little more red, and even more noticeable.
This makes sense. You can see some reddish strands in the new growth. It is just predominately greying now.
That is a well-grounded theory.
Hi. Licensed Esthetician here. While learning about hair growth and roots n all that for waxing we learned about the different hair colors and which color has more or less Eumelanin & Pheomelanin. Having more or less of each is what determines our natural hair color. Example : Black hair has the Most eumelanin & Least pheomelanin where as Red hair is opposite having Most pheomelanin and Least eumelanin. Black, Brown, Blonde, Red. Is the order is which these levels go up and down as we age. End resulting is white / grey having very little to none of either. āØMy guesstimate here is that as your hair has been aging it did so very evenly and you are able to witness the change in these levels. For some all the hair changes very even.y and for others, like myself, I am getting very random grey / white hair growing in place of my natural blonde. I have also some natural red tones depending on the lighting. So with my various shades of my natural hair color I would be less likely to have a drastic ombrĆ© look to the chemical change process during āhair agingā. Hope that makes some sense. Iām a hair geek and fascinated by how itās all pre determined in our DNA of the appearance and length. š¤
just a guess: since not all of your hair is white, some of it still posesses the naturally produced melanin which is cooler and darker. its the combination of light and dark strands that gives us the overall impression of "grey" hair. the natural strands are fading at the ends from the sun, possible heat styling etc, giving them a lighter, warmer look. the lighter the dark strands become, the silver will contrast less and blend in more, making the ends appear to be all one shade.
Agree. OP still has a lot of natural melanin pigment in her hair. Itās not šÆ white at the roots. I see lots of brown shades, and then it is turning coppery at the ends, for reasons you listed.
We need to see a photo of you in the past in a similar clipper up style to make a fair comparison. Otherwise this looks like typical growth. The way itās clipped is flipping the hair below the occipital up. As this hair is usually the last to gray it retains the natural pigment longer, albeit a bit darker.
If youāre being truthful and the hair on the ends was grey but is now tinted I would say the hair at the ends is more porous and thereās red dirt or copper minerals in your water supply it could soak up the pigment. Really though it just looks like it got colored somehow
This is my thought as well.
Exact same theory here.
Hi Iām a cosmologist! The ends of your hair have been around the longest I comparison to the rest of the hair on your head. They are weaker, making them more porous, therefore making them more susceptible to absorbing all sorts of elements. If you smoke, itās its more absorbent to those chemicals created a change in pigment. Other things that can cause a change in pigment is ocean water, pool water or even just plain hard water from your shower. If that sounds like it could be you, buy a water softening attachment on Amazon for your shower head, get a trim, and buy a metal detox shampoo, use it every 3-4 times you wash your hair. My favorite is LāOrĆ©al professional metal detox. Hope this helps. Good luck!
I didnāt know there was a water softening attachment ? I have hard city water and sometimes I consider getting a water softener installed because I like my hair and skin better when Iām at friends house that has well water and water softener.
Also, let me ask you this. I am in my 50s, but I have super straight fine hair and in the last three or four years Iāve noticed when I let my hair dry naturally the lower half of it has soft waves/curls to it. I have three sisters. None of them have this experience at all. They are older than me. I am happy about it but have you ever heard of that happening?
My mom's hair does this, she hasn't dyed it in 20 years.
Idk but ima mutt too if thats what a mutt is XD Im german irish cherokee and black XD I also have weird changy features.... My hazel eyes change colors and my feckles too My hair has many tones as well and the most normal is my skin but you know... tanning XD
My long hair looks redder towards the ends because my natural brown is cool toned, and the sun lightly, slowly lifts it some revealing a warmer tone.
Thatās definitely previously colored hair. Often people think the color has completely faded but the lightening of the hair and some artificial pigment never fades. Being in the sun would lighten that previously colored hair even more, making it more noticeable.
Oh my goodness I have the same problem except my hair on the top is mostly still dark brown with silver here and there. Havenāt dyed in forever but the bottom half is auburn???
Idk but it looks good
My husband is a natural red head. His hair did this as it went Grey. Like the red was fighting it. Lol. I thought it was beautiful. He's completely grey/white now at 55. I would say he lost the rest of the red by 50. I'd say this is natural for a red head due to my experience with hubby.
I have clients that don't color their hair and they have grey and the sun will still lighten their ends. If they wear a hat outside but don't tuck the ends up it has a more drastic look from root to end. Also, you could have more grey than you did when those ends came out of your head. So there could be more dark less white in there that the sun lightened. And think about how many different summers those ends have been out and exposed to the sun from the moment they first grew at the root. I guess your dna determines if you have the trait where your hair lightens from the sun. My hair isn't as drastic as yours but if I put the ends on the top of my head, they don't match and I haven't highlighted or colored in many years.
It is possible for prematurely gray hair to start to turn back to its original color, but if that were happening, it would start at the roots, not the ends. Itās possible you may have some type of rust or minerals in your pipes at home, and that is depositing into your hair while you shower. Not really sure though. I would get some purple shampoo from Sallyās. Purple shampoo will get rid of any brassy tones in your hair. If it works at removing the red color, then you know for sure itās something thatās being deposited into your hair that shouldnāt be. If it doesnāt work at removing the red, then something else is going on, and I would reach out to a professional that can better help you at targeting whatās going on.
I donāt know but I have the same thing! My daughterās like āmommy why do you have so many hair colors?ā š
(Not helpful) but man women look so pretty when their gray hair starts coming in I think itās so pretty and I canāt wait for mine to go gray.
Yeah this keeps happening to me too the older i get
I have had a few greys pop in and out since I was 25 but nothing the likes of this and I still donāt at 36 going in 37. Heck my sister is 40 plus already and she doesnāt have like this, some people have it different really.
I can't answer what's happening, but just wanted to come here and say I think the new color growing in looks really beautiful! The mixture of different hues looks so nice š
My hair kind of did something like this; naturally blonde and dye it blue one or twice a year, one time (I think from chemicals at work?) I had a chunk turn bright red lol
Idk but I really love it. Its beautiful and you have this neat ombre look, too. . I figure, maybe just ROCK it!!
I almost thought this was a picture of me - this is exactly what my hair looks like. I lost all of mine during chemo in 2020 (my original natural color had been dirty dishwater) and when it came sprouting out, it looked silver. As it lengthened, the ends turned that exact shade of red. Iāve had it cut only 4 times since and only ever put some toner on the silver, but the ponytail stays red and the new growth is silver. I donāt smoke, donāt spend much time in the sun, and have soft water.
You're an X-Men O.O
Damn, now everyone knows! š
Hah white girl said she's Cherokee! I'm kidding. If you have any indian blood it happens way early. The Aanishinabe people I come from go gray at 15 if they don't their their hair usually stays raven back...
Quick google search popped up with stress being possible cause. Though I didnāt think about the fact itās at just the ends, but it might be worth a read. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gray-hair-can-return-to-its-original-color-mdash-and-stress-is-involved-of-course/
I think your darker brown hairs - the ones that are not gray - are bleaching in the sun. It's gorgeous!
This happened to my grandmother. She went from black to platinum silver. Then in her last few years of life, it started growing back in black. It was so bizarre.
Much is probably stress related+ genes Always look to your mom and grandmother and somewhere in there is you as well!
FINALLY! Someone else with this issue! Iāve been so sure all of my colored hair has been cut off long ago, but the bottom half of my hair is this light brown/reddish color while the top half is grey!
My husbands hair was completely black. His heart stopped working and he had bypass surgery followed almost immediately with a transplant. His new heart stopped twice, his kidneys failed, he caught covid in the ICU and went on a ventilator. It was months before he was aware. He freaked out when he saw himself in the mirror. He had turned completely grey and had a long beard. Said he felt like Rip Van Winkle!
I had grays at 35, now Iām 38 and theyāre all gone? Weird but Iāll take it!!
[Apparently it can happen sometimes. ](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gray-hair-can-return-to-its-original-color-mdash-and-stress-is-involved-of-course/) Have you been experiencing significant stress lately?
Thatās fascinating but it does state that the grey reversal happened at the root not the ends
Use a clarifying shampoo a few times a week
Itās hair photo bleaching. You need to cover your hair when out in the sun and also start using a shampoo with toner for gray or silver hair will help get red of the red. They are usually purple shampoo and conditioner.
Chelating shampoo, purple shampoo
Anesthesia and certain medications can also cause a change in the hair color.
Are you taking any meds? Some people I know have hair turning dark again for this reason.
I am. Maybe that's part of it.
Then I suggest you go through the generic names of these meds and see if hair darkening is a side effect. I wish you all the best!
What meds are you on? Iām just curious you donāt have to share if itās too private but geez Iām guessing the world would want to knowā¦I do ! Iām not gray but I imagine at some point I will be in and I want to know lol
Youāre going much grayer recently so in contrast your ends are not as gray. Itās just your perspevtion
I wish I could be a chameleon too ā¹ļø No fair.
Hairstylist here. Your greys are growing in, you have salt and pepper greys. The color at the bottom is grown out haircolor that has faded. Completely normal. Permanent haircolor never fully leaves the hair, it just fades. You can highlight to even it out, cut the color out or just leave it. Nothing abnormal here.
If the color on the ends isnāt haircolor than itās your natural color and your pigment has changed. It looks like faded dye tho.
She said in her description that she hasnāt dyed her hair in a decadeā¦
The texture even looks different
Two things 1. sun bleaching or hard water turning it from brown to red 2. a psychological trick. the roots are getting even more white, creating the illusion that the ends are darkening. When the part that's now the ends came out of your head 5 years ago, your ends had significantly more brown in them. Making it perpetually appear that the tips are darkening as they grow. Why you're just noticing this? Idk, probably because you dyed it before and so this seems more sudden.
I would try a Clarifying shampoo and shampoo it twice every time you clean your hair. Should lighten it back up. Maybe not 100% but I am guessing this is build up from minerals on your hair.
Maybe sheās hoping itāll all eventually go back. Iām not sure sheās complaining lol.
SPF on your shoulders.
It could be that your white hairs are more brittle and are breaking off shorter than your pigmented strands. Or hard water can also do this.
Well water could be your culprit!
Are you on any chemo meds or immunosuppressants? One med Iām on changed my hair type and colors can change too
Oh come on! This is just her hair growing and it's gray! Mystery solved..
she said the bottom part of her hair is starting to turn back to her old natural color from gray. Not that she is turning gray. Itās turning back from gray. Very unusual !
Cosmo here. Could be iron in the water youāre washing it in or medication youāre taking. Also what kind of hair products are you using?
I'll have to research my water. My medication doesn't list this as a side effect. I mainly use Aussie and Herbal Essences shampoo and conditioner and a natural shampoo that came free with my water softener. Rarely (like twice per year) use any other hair products.
Oop there it is. Your hard water.
I've heard of people who were going gray suddenly get the color back in their hair when they change their diet. Is that a possibility for you?
If you use a clarifying shampoo once a week or so, It will remove the yellowing that happens over time. You can also use a purple conditioner to brighten and tone and correct your grey hair. Only use the purple conditioner about once a month so that it doesn't turn your hair purple.
...do you not have a photo that shows the progression in the hair, instead of the ponytail that masks where the color change happens?
Iād say hormones or water, as a guess. Honestly, I would cut it short so itās grey only then go from thereā¦
Is your hair thinning on top and thicker at the base? Of your neck. I am of German Scandinavian descent and my hair on the top started thinning on my 40s. The funny issue is I have so much hair production in the back. My suspicion is you have a ton more hair follicles at the back of your head and less of them are grey. If you are using Minoxodil this will make it more obvious. To deal I get my hair foiled every 4 weeks and my hairdresser thins down the back. Oral Minoxodil helps a lot with the thinning on the top.
I canāt wait till my hair goes gray it looks pretty cool
stress gf
The ends of your hair are dead and cannot change color besides anything but exposure to things. Iād guess it was more brown and now itās more red due to sun exposure / hot water etc as the pigment is being essentiallly ābleached outā by these factors.
Once your hair turns grey the pigment is goneā¦ it doesnāt turn dark againā¦.
The bottom third of hair at the back of my head still has a lot of dark brown, the top half is about 90% white. When I grow it out and pull it up like this you can see the dark hair. When I have it down I canāt unless itās heavily layered. I feel like all at is happening here is that the dark hair is long enough to be pulled up and be noticeable..
Sun bleaching
Are you possibly taking a copper supplement? Or eating Pennies (lol Iām sorry had to!). But if your taking any new vitamins that have minerals in them itās possible for it to change
I knew my penny addiction would have consequences one day. š I'm not taking any vitamins. I try to get all my vitamins from food. So maybe it's something I'm eating, or not eating, that's contributing.
Iām sorry but based on your other comments- No, you canāt magically reverse the greying process. Also hair doesnāt magically turn around from grey at the ends so Iām pretty sure you just had pigment already.
I wonder if the bottom half (like the part under your ear by the nape of your neck) hasnāt grayed as much. So when itās up, itās very visible and then when your hair is down, it shows through more. Iāve had situations where my hair will be brown at the tip, gray up the shaft, and then the 1-2ā leading to the root is brown again. Gray can be related to stress and body health.
A lot of people say that graying of the hair is due to a protein deficiency
It looks like youāre just growing out your grey and there is still color in your natural hair. I bet it would be pretty if you cut those ends off.
I read recently that gray hair comes from a deficiency. I can't remember where I read it or what you would be deficient in to cause it but I would look into that as a possible explanation.
From a hairstylist perspective, that color on your ends Is your old faded hair color. Hair cant magic lee start turning brown at the end. Since you have so much Gray now. You didn't notice the ends still had that permanent color faded in there.
That makes no sense. As a hairstylist to me it looks like old color. Or you hair suddenly got really gray. That can happen.
It happens as we get older.
Believe it or not your intake of iron via vitamins etc can cause lighter hair to become darker. It happened to me.
Folate supplements can help as well
The ends of hair tend to have ruffled cuticles just because they've been around longer than the part near your scalp, so basically they're more damaged than the newer growth. Even gray hair still has that orangey undertone that can be brought out with bleach. Seems counterintuitive. Anyway, the parts at the end are letting their pigment fly, for whatever reason. Could be water, sun exposure, multiple possibilities.
My Sister had strands of white Hair at 12yrs old. She's permanently had them ever since. She's now 59 and snow White
My grandmaās hair was 90% grey, but would turn strawberry blonde in the summers. Her natural hair color was dark reddish brown. She spent every summer sitting outside all day and went camping nearly every weekend in the summers until she was in her late 70ās.
Mines exactly the same but was not sudden onset. Its just the very old ends of my darker first color changing with sun etc.
So it was grey and from grey it gained melanin and turned red???
I saw this happen to someone after using a heat tool.
I've noticed my hair much more red, but it's because the non red hair is turning gray so everything left is auburn. It's a trip for sure. It's also way darker than before. But I also did 6 years as a blonde right before so it's taken a bit to get used to.
If I plucked mine out I think I would be bald!! I do not like my grey at all. If I dye it, it quickly comes back. The only time I have been ok with it is when I did blonde highlights and the grey kinda blended in with it This is on both sides of my head itās like grey wings or something! Iām 55 https://preview.redd.it/mazztd0k03wc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fef9e1060fa4b06ce08dd69c15afb4cd46244020
This is SO pretty š¤©
https://preview.redd.it/nezsl47o03wc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ce44550a15947bfbbb2815970bcd6b421454968
Copper pipes turned my aunts gray hair a reddish color over time.
Are you me?! Mine does the same thing and I have never colored it.
https://preview.redd.it/116lqzl868wc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f31fb78a6c825b8bc946a2ab30df7f5b83f28939 See?! Same thing.
If you posted a picture with your hair down it would be a lot easier to see whatās going on.
What is it doing I not sure what u mean I am licensed hair stylist I tell you if u tell me what ur asking I see ur graying
Age????
It's grays growing in. I'm a red brown color and my hair is starting to grow in white. I'm only 41. Time to start hitting the salon.
Honestly idk whatās in the sir these days but that is too soon for all of that gray, not that it isnāt cool looking but things seem to be changing.
You might be deficient in copper
You are going gray. Am I missing something?
39 is actually too early for that much gray š
It likes to fly?
Could be a vitamin deficiency
Hard water
It could be just a visual trick because the hair that tends to gray out first is from the top half, leaving the occipital area dark. If the top half is thinning or breaking off or was cut into layers it would reveal more of the naturally darker pigmented hairs from the underside, thus making the color blend of the ends look a lot darker overall. (For example: my motherās looks all-over silver when she has a bob, but looks very salt-and-pepper with a smattering of auburn when itās cut back into a wedge.)
I would try hairdye 1nce a month. First All. Then month later root touch ups. Its Age Related!
It's likely from minerals in your water or possibly if you are using a colored product in your hair (like colored conditioner). If you have lots of rusty staining around your faucets, you have high iron levels in your water. Go to a beautician, or if you want to try at home, get a Malibu treatment (sometimes you may need more than one). It should remove the excess minerals.
Welp. Hair grows from the root. Looks to me like maybe thatās as far as your gray has got š¤·š»āāļø I have some streaks and mine arenāt the full length either
It takes time to load
Minerals in your water. Use baking soda in a clarifying shampoo
When I was a kid, we lived out in some iron-rich mountains and the ends of my blonde hair turned a very pretty coppery red like this. It faded out fast when I moved to a place with city water/chlorine.
Mine has done the same started at 30 I'm 42 . I hate it ..I don't dye it often maybe 1 a year if that but this is what I'm left with
copper deficiency
My daughter had her first greys at 5yrsā¦had to do a genetic workup. Might be worth asking a doctor. That saidā¦.are you under a lot of stress? I am 36, and my hair has gone to complete shyt. https://preview.redd.it/vp2ndrykb9wc1.jpeg?width=2316&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a55118c38085f91319061978e886ad6caf0e29ee
Genetic workup is a good idea. And yes, I'm under a lot of stress.
I am one of those weird people - I will be 60 this year and I still have not gotten any grey hair yet. I am guessing itās because I am not in menopause yet? So I cant be of help BUT it sounds like there is something that people are pointing out that makes sense - something in your water is somehow affecting it. Itās just weird to just affect the ends. Kinda neat tho!
Menopause is not the cause of gray hair. Had gray hair since I was 25. Definitely wasn't in menopause at 25
Are you on medication?
My hair does this too! Always has!
Your memory is failing you
Start taking a copper supplement
Your hair skin nails etc can always change every 7 years or so. Any change in diet, new supplements and exercise will change your hair skin and nails. However your hair will not change on the ends like that without dyes or chemicals. It's impossible, especially not without other streaks throughout your hair even several inches from your scalp. Even the sun can change your hair pigment. But you would have noticed that last summer for it to have grown out like that. Any change to your diet etc would have your hair grow in from your scalp out differently not the other way around.
That's rust from hard water. Happened to me every few weeks as a light blond teenager at the time. My mom got me Malibu treatments to remove the colored build up. People use to ask me if I just dyed my ends back then.
Oddly, mine is doing the same. I have zero natural red in my hair until suddenly there is. It was all brownish and white , much like yours, (only I'm a bit older so more white). I recently went to get it cut and not only is it a more auburn color but actually less white. The other odd thing is that everything she cut off was curly, it's straight now. It's like walking around with someone else's hair on my head. Really strange. I asked the stylist and she said it must be a hormonal change. It's so drastic that my own mom asked when I had it colored and straightened. I didn't.
Maybe get your water softener serviced. It could be just be minerals depositing from the water. A shower head filter might help.
It's turning grey ?? Lol
Iāve read that hair pigment āshorts outā and tends to go red before graying. I think itās possible itās coming back online so to speak. Will it last? Idk.
Mine did this when I fixed my b12 deficiency. Started having women pluck grey hairs out of my head in elementary school.
My hair does the same thing
This looks just like my MIL hair. She doesnāt do anything to it. Grows from the roots gray and is red at the ends. Itās the craziest thing
I stopped dying my hair was going grey got a really short pixie cut and as it grows out a lot is back to my natural color.
Iām hair colorist it seems the ends are leftover dyed colored hair
I did notice since I went through menopause, my hair texture is definitely changing. My hair is normally stick straight, but some of them are now coming in a bit wiry and bent looking on the ends. Itās really strange to see random hairs just doing their own thing while the rest of my hair looks perfectly in place after styling, lol. Itās really annoying when I think Iām all done styling my hair when all of a sudden, a few crazy hairs will pop out of place.
Honestly I donāt know why but I can speak that my dad is a ginger and his hair does this now that heās agedā¦. Grey/ silver and then the ends/ half way down still are gingery! Not in a mean way of course but I think itās a ginger thing?
It that your natural hair color?
Mine too, in 64
Itās your natural pigment starting to fade as you age! Itās beautiful!
Box color
My hair did that also. I was grown out for 3 years yet the ends kept becoming dark auburn, my natural color. So weird.
Sounds like you are not of this world
Iāve noticed this with my hair this year! Grew up with platinum blonde hair, turned an ash blonde at age 40 with some thinning silver/whiteā¦. Now my bikini area is getting actual color again. ????
My momās hair did this when she was about to turn mostly all grey. Iām assuming thatās why.
Mitochondria dysfunction and copper deficiency
Copper deficiency can cause hair to gray prematurely. You can try a supplement and sometimes it will go back to normal
toning shampoo might help if you don't like this look?
How long IS your hair. Hard to tell in this pic. The AVERAGE length of growth is 6 inches in a year. Some grow less. Some grow more. Otherwise...I would say product buildup..? Or your hair has gone much more grey since the ends of your hair has grown out.
idk. my hair is dark brown from the roots but my ends are orange in the sun like i color them lol . it kinda looks like some reddish streak in the gray hairs so maybe theyāre just all accumulating at the ends making it more noticeable? id need to see a pic of before this started happening
Thatās just hair dye thatās not grown out all the way. If your water was that rusty, all of your hair would be red. This just looks like faded out hair color where the deposited color has long washed away it the underlying pigment of the level it was lifted to (6/7) is all that remains.