# grey hairs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 18, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681 "2003-12-18T03:00:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/1 "2003-12-18T03:00:32Z")
kind of a rude question but one that me and at least a couple friends have wondered… when your hair goes grey does it ALL go grey? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/2 "2003-12-18T03:05:36Z")
Started in my beard in my thirties, spread to scalp and body hair over the past few decades, although the more southern regions stayed dark longest. You could try looking up some of the “mature” sites (which urls I cannot reference here). ---
**Author:** ![pope\_hentai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@pope\_hentai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pope_hentai)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/3 "2003-12-18T03:17:15Z")
thanks, was tryin to get the answer without havin to look at anything i’d rather not see. i’m a bit of a young fella and not too keen on sseing “mature” sites ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/4 "2003-12-18T03:25:25Z")
Grey hair started coming in when I was around sixteen. Now in my forties its not as much of a novelty anymore. Didn’t notice body hair or whiskers turning grey until mid thirties. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/5 "2003-12-18T03:32:51Z")
Check out the “Bozo the Bush” rerun of _Sex and the City_ for a discussion of this very topic. ---
**Author:** ![pokey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ebca7d/32.png) [@pokey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pokey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/6 "2003-12-18T05:00:07Z")
Wait, so does this mean people normally go grey down there in their forties? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/7 "2003-12-18T12:44:00Z")
In my case, every individual hair was either white or (nearly) black. Over time, the percentage of the former increased. This is sometimes called “salt and pepper”. I don’t know if true gray hair exists. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/8 "2003-12-18T13:14:53Z")
Varies per person, **pokey**. As mentioned before, each “category” of hair – scalp, facial, general body, strategic-crossroads – may go on its own schedule, and each may even gray by patches (the “skunk” effect). ---
**Author:** ![bughunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aeb1de/32.png) [@bughunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bughunter)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grey-hairs/219681/9 "2003-12-18T20:06:31Z")
OK. I’ve been going grey for about six years now. And as for where it started, well, I’ll put that in a TMI box: My first grey hairs appeared in my goatee, and on my scrotum. And no, I am not aware of any connection between the two. And now **ladybug** is finding grey hair on my chest.