I remember I started to see a sparkly gray here or there when I was about 38-40, but by then I’d already been going to a salon for a couple of years for a single process demi-permanent color that was a golden reddish brown.
I wasn’t particularly concerned about gray hair at that time, because I didn’t have much, and the color that I was having done blended over whatever was coming in.
So, being on a tight budget, I naturally went to box color, choosing what was by all accounts the best drugstore box color, and following the standard advice for self-coloring at home, which was to stick within one or two shades of your natural hair color.
After 13 years of dyeing, I was tired of damaging my hair more as the years passed, and having to do it every 3 weeks to completely hide the roots that grew in.
As for colors of clothing, I still wear a lot of black but find that jewel tones look good with my silver. When I wear coral, I get a lot of compliments.
When I announced to my husband and a few friends that I’d decided to transition, he gave me pushback, parroting what he’d heard from his own mother and other women over the years. “You’ll look older.” “You won’t like it and this won’t last.”
I took that as disapproval, but it didn’t bother me. I joined a couple of online support groups right away and got all the positive comments I needed on those to carry me through the transition.