Writing today’s column hurts. I don’t want to admit what’s happened to me. It seems so silly because this occurs to most of us eventually.

Ok, here it is (deep breath): I found my first grey hair recently. Big deal, right? Most people I tell say things like: “My cousin went grey at 18” or “I’ve been dying over my grey hair for the last ten years.

Oh, there had been some foreshadowing; I can’t deny that. Over the summer, my tactful hairdresser Jean said: “At some stage in the next few years we’ll need to think about covering over grey.”

I completely dismissed the comment “No, my mom’s hair was dark and she did not go grey until she was in her fifties.” No doubt Jean – who is my exact age – had seen the grey hair among the blonde highlights but didn’t want to say anything. She let me find it myself a few days later. This is a bit like finding out you were wearing baby vomit on your suit after you had a meeting with your boss asking for a raise. The horror.

Now, in these recessionary times you’re probably saying what’s the big deal about one (ok, now maybe it’s two) grey hairs. I will save money on highlights, right? And aren’t I lucky I have hair at all?

Panic stations
People who know me find my panic totally bizarre. I’m not overly fussed about my appearance. I drop the kids to school every morning and I rarely wear makeup. For most of my life people have thought I am much younger than I really am – and Photoshop-assisted by-line photographs certainly help that impression.

I’m also not easily upset. In fact, I positively thrive in adversity. Calm under pressure is part of a journalist’s job. I covered 9/11 from downtown New York City for one of the Sunday papers and have travelled to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo – the rape capital of the world. I took both in my stride but this one grey hair has sent me to my panic stations.

Strangely, I have nothing against grey hair on others. My husband has been salt and pepper for years and I think he gets sexier every time I look at his increasingly grey hair. Many women look better grey.

Finding my own grey hair did not come as a surprise but my reaction to it has been upsetting because it’s completely out of character. It seems grey hair is a bit like wrinkles; you think they give the face character until that wrinkly face in the mirror is yours.

Age is often on my mind but not my age, more the age of other people (SilverCircle readers, my parents and in-laws for example) and their changing needs and concerns. So, yes the one (or maybe three) grey hairs have made me realise that I am getting older. I’m stiff when I wake up – never noticed that before – and I have more around my mid-section than I did five years ago.

Search and destroy
What did I do about that hair? No, I did not pull the coarse intruder out from the roots or dye it. I ordered a battery of blood tests for menopause, thyroid disorders, diabetes, cholesterol, liver and kidney functions. You name it and I was probably tested for it.

The results were interesting – there is absolutely nothing wrong with me. I am just getting older.

Unsatisfied with my glowing report, I then decided my next step was to research the issue to death. I needed answers.

Grey hair facts
What causes grey hair? It’s the same thing that causes freckles – pigment. In the womb, everyone’s hair is white. Then melanocytes, cells in our hair follicles, produce pigments including melanin. The pigment combination gives our hair its colour. When the melanocytes stop creating pigment the hair goes transparent and appears grey next to healthier, darker hair.

Apparently, we tend to go grey around the same time as our parents but not always. It’s also a myth that if you pluck out grey hair then two will grow back. Grey hair can be harder to colour because it’s not as absorbent as healthy hair. Doesn’t that make you wonder how they managed to get Anne Bancroft’s hair black with that lovely grey stripe in The Graduate?

Early greys may indicate an underlying medical condition. A thyroid imbalance or B12 deficiency can cause your hair to lose colour. Smokers are also four times more likely to have grey hair than those who don’t take a few puffs. The chance of going grey goes up 10-20% every decade after you turn 30.

Interesting stuff but the facts are not making me feel any better. I am bereaved over my loss of youth and have started experiencing the five stages of grief – denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

It’s way too early for acceptance. Instead, I just part my hair on the other side and pretend the grey hair – that little bugger! - isn’t there.