Why You’re Going Gray... And 5 Ways to Slow It Down
You’ve certainly heard that old familiar saying:
“You’re as young as you feel.”
And like lots of famous sayings, it’s so familiar because it’s true.
Age is just a number...and it’s perfectly possible to keep that high energy and buoyant spirit throughout your entire life.
But sometimes...you find yourself with challenges that leave you looking older than you feel.
For instance...what do you do when you look in the mirror…
...and find gray hairs staring back at you?
“It’s not easy when the woman you see in the mirror doesn’t match how you feel inside.”
IT’S A GRAY DAY
Here’s the thing about gray hair: You don’t have to be older to get it.
Dr. Eric Schweiger, a leading New York dermatologist, says most women start finding their first gray hairs around the age of 35.1
But according to a recent British scientific study, as many as a third of women may start going gray before they even hit their thirties!2
Of course, there are lots of different reasons you start developing those silver strands.
Some of those causes are beyond your ability to control. That’s because they’re in your genes.
And if you’re carrying these genetic codes, that means your hair will turn gray...eventually.3
But today, we want to share some tips for controlling and managing those graying factors you do have the power to prevent…
...and help you stay feeling and looking bright, vibrant, and youthful for as long as you like!
1. EATING RIGHT KEEPS YOUR COLOR BRIGHT
Just like every other part of your body, your hair is affected by what you eat.
The same dietary nutrients and minerals that keep your body fit also help your hair maintain its shine, strength...and color!
So, in order to ensure your natural shade stays at its richest and most robust, we recommend making these foods, and their nutrifying color-friendly goodness, a fixture of your grocery list:
“Your kids may not be thrilled when you add broccoli to the menu...but your hair will thank you for it!”
- BROCCOLI and other green veggies, like asparagus, green beans, and peas: The folic acid you’ll find in these has been linked to stronger, more saturated hair color
- LEAN CHICKEN: Premature graying is often a symptom of a vitamin B12 deficiency...and poultry meat is simply packed with this hair-healthy vitamin!
- SEEDS: Chia, sunflower, pumpkin, and flax seeds are especially high in zinc...an essential mineral for producing all-over pigment for your tresses
- WALNUTS: These crunchy treats are full of natural copper, which aids your body’s production of melanin...and that’s what gives your hair its color
Of course, you’ll want to discuss any changes to your diet with your personal physician.
They’ll be able to guide you to even more foods that support your hair’s color and your overall health!4
2. A MASSAGE...IT’S GOOD ALL OVER
Have you ever indulged yourself with a full-body massage?
If you have, we don’t have to tell you how refreshed and reinvigorated it can make you feel.
And it’s not just your back, shoulders, and legs that enjoy that kind of revitalizing touch.
Madeleine Preston, a British-based trichologist (doctor specializing in hair), says performing a regular scalp massage can keep your skin stimulated...and ready to grow brilliantly colored hair!
That’s because, when you gently massage your scalp, says Dr. Preston, “we are taking vital nutrients to the scalp via the blood supply, and feeding our follicles.”
So, when you’re shampooing, don’t be shy...really work your fingers to energize that skin.
“The gentle pressure of your fingertips exercises the follicles, and gets them ready to grow richly colored strands.”
Or try pampering your scalp with an enriched healing oil treatment.
This extra touch of attention will rouse your follicles...and keep them ready to give you locks bursting with exquisite color!5
3. BUTT OUT
Now, when we say “butt out”...we’re not telling you 100 squats a day will keep you gray-free!
What we’re suggesting is actually a more intensely challenging commitment.
That’s because it involves one of the most powerfully addictive habits there is:
SMOKING!
The National Institute of Health has recently determined a clear link between cigarette smoking and the early onset of gray hair.
In fact, their findings suggest smokers are two and a half times more likely to start going gray before their 30th birthday!6
We realize, of course, that smoking is one of the hardest habits to break.
But if you are able to find a strong program to help you quit, power through those rough early weeks, and really stick with it…
...you may just find a sleeker, more eye-catching natural hair color is your reward!
4. LESS STRESS FOR BLESSED TRESSES
Of course, one of the reasons smoking is so difficult to quit is because it helps relieve stress…
...which, like smoking itself, is one of the major causes of speeding up the graying process.
You see, when you’re stuck in traffic, facing a big work presentation, or any other intense situation, your body responds by releasing stress hormones.
And over time, these hormones can weaken the life cycle of your body’s melanocytes...a type of cell responsible for making the pigments that give your hair its color.7
Fortunately, there are a number of simple steps you can take to prevent stress overload.
Even as little as five minutes a day of meditation or deep breathing exercises can help reduce your body’s stress output.
Gentle music, or nature sound recordings, ease your blood pressure and anxiety levels...critical de-stressing techniques.
And whoever first said laughter is the best medicine wasn’t kidding:
A good guffaw at your favorite comedy show or funny YouTube videos boost your body’s level of endorphins...anti-stress brain chemicals.8
Finally, there’s perhaps the boldest, gutsiest way you can face your gray hair:
5. EMBRACE THE GRAY!
“Graying hair can be a sign of sophistication, maturity, and elegance...when you wear it with style!”
That’s right!
Remember when we said you’re as young as you feel?
Well, that means you don’t have to let your newly graying locks change anything about the power and confidence with which you face the world.
Of course, it helps to keep those gray strands as healthy and vibrant as the rest of your hair…
...through careful use of specially formulated shampoos and leave-in conditioners.
Maintaining a fresh, contemporary haircut and style will also keep those tresses feeling au courant.9
But ultimately, it comes down to wearing your newly mature look with flair and poise.
To making the best of gray hair...and refusing to let it define you, to yourself and the world.
That way, whenever you look in that mirror…
...you’ll always love the woman you see!
CITATIONS
- Singh, Kyli. “What You Need To Know About Going Gray In Your 20s.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 29 Dec. 2016, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-am-i-going-gray_us_562900c8e4b0aac0b8fbdb3b.
- Claire Coleman for The Mail on Sunday. “Why Are Today's Women Going Grey at 25?” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 4 Apr. 2011, www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1368239/Why-todays-women-going-grey-25.html.
- Shmerling, Robert H. “Why Does Hair Turn Gray?” Harvard Health Blog, 14 Aug. 2017, www.health.harvard.edu/blog/hair-turn-gray-2017091812226.
- Press Association. “5 Unlikely Foods You Should Be Eating to Stop Your Hair Turning Grey.” BT.com, www.home.bt.com/lifestyle/health/hair-advice/5-unlikely-foods-you-should-be-eating-to-stop-your-hair-turning-grey-11363972802673.
- Person. “This Is What Causes Your Hair to Go Grey - According to a Doctor.” Cosmopolitan, Cosmopolitan, 23 May 2018, www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/beauty-hair/hair/a37633/why-we-get-grey-hairs/.
- Zayed, Ayman A., et al. Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2013, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673399/.
- “Does Stress Cause Gray Hair? We Asked a Doctor.” HelloGiggles, HelloGiggles, www.hellogiggles.com/lifestyle/health-fitness/does-stress-cause-gray-hair/.
- Moninger, Jeannette. “10 Relaxation Techniques That Zap Stress Fast.” WebMD, WebMD, www.webmd.com/balance/guide/blissing-out-10-relaxation-techniques-reduce-stress-spot#1.
- “Gray Hair at 25? Yes. Here's What You Can Do.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, www.health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2012/08/23/gray-hair-at-25-yes-heres-what-you-can-do.