My Grey Hair is Turning Brown

And I don’t know why

Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy on Unsplash. It’s a woman with hair, maybe it’s grey, maybe it’s not!

I’m 62 years old. My naturally brown hair has been slowly turning grey for a couple of decades. However, unexpectedly, within the last nine-ish months, my hair has become noticeably less grey and more brown.

Friends asked if I was coloring my hair again so I began taking notice that my hair looked darker and asked my hair stylist about it. She had noticed a change and wondered if I’d done something. Nope, I haven’t colored it!!

What happened? Why is my grey hair reverting to brown? Here are some ideas from family, friends, and professionals of why this color change could be happening:

1. New Hair Growth — The new baby hairs coming in are both grey and brown. Could it be that the new brown baby hairs came in at about the same time making my hair look more brown? Maybe.
2. Supplements — I’m inconsistent with these. My supplement intake, or lack of, is not likely to have much impact on me or my hair.
3. Prescription Drugs — Nope, this ain’t it. I don’t take any.
4. Rosemary and Other Essential Oils — My grandkids had a head lice experience a few months ago. As a result, I bought and used some special non-chemical hair products that contain Rosemary, Citronella, and Tea Tree essential oils. Hubby and I remained lice-free, yay! I like the way the product smells and how it gives me extra assurance to keep bugs at bay, so I have continued to use it. Perhaps the essential oils provide some sort of scalp stimulation that’s producing more brown hairs? Maybe.
5. Other Hair Care Products — I use “silver” shampoo about every third wash to keep my greys nice and sparkly. The rest of the time I use regular ol’ giant-sized shampoo and conditioner from the big box bulk-buy store. Other than the addition of the bug repeler products, I haven’t changed hair care. So, nope.
6. Daily Energy Techniques — I started doing Donna Eden’s 5-minute daily energy techniques every morning. It’s a subtle experience, but I can tell if I’ve skipped and I don’t skip them anymore. Could this simple routine be stimulating my scalp or energy in ways that make my hair turn brown? Seems strange but… maybe?
7. Exercise — I’m active and started taekwondo (TKD) a year ago. TKD is a change in activity type but it isn’t really a change in my activity levels. Could TKD be contributing to producing browner hair? This also seems strange especially since, overall, it’s not really a change in lifestyle, but… maybe?
8. Changes in Stress — Well, 2023 was a shit year for me. One of my sisters and my mother both died in December, 2022. Early 2023 was full of post-death activities like clearing out belongings and having the Celebration of Life event in other locations while attending to my regular life and responsibilities. At home, even the positive things felt like ALOT. Our family expanded, we had lots of social activities with family and friends, and I had a steady flow of classes to teach all year. Every area of my life was busy and full. Through summer and fall, I’d hit an all-time emotional low. I was functional and kept up with all the activities, but I felt so very deeply tired and sad. I was going through alot and I also did my best to try to mitigate the stress. TKD kept me moving, learning, and active. I added the 5-minute energy routine. And, I went to therapy to get grief support and also to work through and reprocess old traumas that had been triggered through those rough months. So, yeah, it was a year of hell and it was also a year of healing. It would make sense if my hair was more grey or falling out from having gone through all of that. Did stress have the opposite effect?

The Answer

I don’t know what’s going on with my hair or how long this change will last. I don’t care. I’m happy with my hair as it turns whatever color it turns. I’m happy I have hair! I like the grey. I like the brown. I like the mix. And, I am really enjoying speculating about this unexpected change in hair color. This silly experience has also helped me regain my footing from the hell of 2023.

As you move through your own hellish times, grab hold of the silly things. Find the fun in life and enjoy the hell right out of it!!