Side-by-side photos of celebs who went gray in their 20s (it’s more common than you might think)

It’s normal to experience a gray hair or two in your 30s and 40s. But what happens if you… It turns gray as a young adult? It’s not as strange as it seems, and it has happened to some famous celebrities. However, this is not necessarily bad for an artist’s career. As writer Anne Kramer (who went gray in her twenties) explained. WebMDbeing unusually gray can provide “iconic distinction.”

But why does gray creep into some people faster than others? According to Cleveland ClinicConditions including stress, vitiligo, and nutrient deficiencies can cause hair to lose its pigment. (Eat these foods rich in vitamins To reduce the risk of nutrient-related graying.) Genetics can also contribute to premature graying.

A 2019 study From the open access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences found a link between premature graying in children and their parents. Therefore, if your mother or father was “always” grey, you may be more likely to go gray at an early age as well.

Again, going gray isn’t necessarily a drawback, especially for stars who exploit gray to attract attention. In fact, you probably consider that many of your favorite celebrities have gray hair.

White-haired Anderson Cooper shared a surprise photo #tbt on Instagram In 2016, he had brown hair. The caption simply said “Around 21 or 22, when the gray hair started.” (He once thought it was due to poor eating habits.) Cooper’s openness about being salt and pepper (his words) was similarly on display in CNN A piece from 2005, in which he speculated that “in almost any kind of work, going gray prematurely is an advantage.”

Going gray certainly didn’t hurt Cooper’s career. Opinion poll quoted from Hollywood Reporter He showed in 2024 that he is the most confident among the “Big Three” cable broadcasters, besting Sean Hannity, who is also grey.

In a documentary about his career, Steve Martin noted that having some gray hair in his twenties (it started as a teenager) was beneficial as he began his career. He explained that “it helped me when my hair turned gray” because the audience took him seriously and didn’t just see him as young (via Women’s world).

Martin didn’t go fully gray until his 30s, but he was silver before that. Being gray hasn’t stopped him from being nominated for or winning several awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy.

J-Lo has been hiding her true hair color from fans for many years. As she admits now, her gray hair began to appear in her twenties.

Like many people in the public eye, she chose to cover up her gray hair with hair dye. “I have to retouch (my roots) every two weeks,” Lopez said in a 2011 interview. the people condition. However, she claimed she wouldn’t rule out a full gray look in the future: “I’m kind of tempted to give it up one day. It would be kind of exciting!”

You may have seen actress Alexandra Grant with beau Keanu Reeves and wondered what her silver color was. You may also have thought she was older than Reeves, as she’s almost a decade younger than him, but her greyish hue stirred up the gossip mill. (Big surprise).

In 2019 Instagram Grant explained, “I went prematurely gray in my early 20s… and dyed my hair every color along the way until I couldn’t stand the toxicity of the dyes anymore.” In other words, don’t expect to see her with any hair color other than grey. (here What’s really in all those packaged hair dyes(In case you’re curious.)

For actress Tia Mowry, having gray hair at a young age was a reminder that she was still alive. As she wrote for InStyle, “[W]hen I see my gray hair, it’s actually a blessing because it means that, yes, I’m older and I’m still here” (via today).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she showed an image of salt and pepper Instagram He received cheers from followers. One of them said that “it’s better to be normal and stay that way.” Others stopped at one word: “Beautiful.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find a singer with a more pronounced silver streak than Bonnie Raitt. Her distinctive white locks amidst a sea of ​​red locks made her very recognizable.

In a procession In a 2012 interview, Wright said that the homosexuality appeared in her mid-twenties and that she considered it a kiss from an angel. “By 1981, the color was expanding and the red was starting to fade, so I started dyeing my hair (around the line). No one else in my family had that.”