7 Things You May Not Know About Getting Gray Hair

Let’s face it. Gray hair is pretty much inevitable. No matter who you are. And while to a certain extent graying is unavoidable, there are certain ways that you can stop them from appearing, or at the very least keep them at bay for a while.

You’ve heard that gray hair can be caused by stress, and while that is a factor, it’s not the only reason you’re losing color. Genes and ethnicity also have something to do with how early you start to notice salt and pepper strands.

Obviously, you can’t change what you’re going to inherit, but you can change your diet and some of your lifestyle habits if you want to prevent grays. For example, eating foods that are rich in B12, not smoking and spending time in the sun can all help keep the gray away.

Find out seven things you may not have known about your silver mane.

1. It’s Hereditary

Graying is hereditary, and for the most part, out of your control. Your age also plays a factor. Dr. Anthony Oro, professor of dermatology at Stanford University tells Good Housekeeping, “Fifty percent of the population has about 50% gray hair at age 50,” depending on your family history.

Some people go gray before the age of 30, and it’s kind of all about the cards you were dealt, as far as genetics are concerned. But, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t certain things that will help prevent the change in hair color from happening as quickly.

2. Stress Plays A Role

Stress isn’t a direct cause of gray hair, again, because of the whole genetics thing. But, a high amount of stress can definitely speed up the process.

3. Ethnicity Is A Factor

According to Mental Floss, ethnicity also has something to do with when you’ll start to notice a few gray hairs. The publication states, “Caucasians gray in their mid-30s, Asians in their late-30s, and African Americans in their 40s.”

4. Your Diet Could Prevent Graying

A lack of B12 has been linked to causing a lack of hair pigment. Try eating more carrots, chicken and bran cereals to incorporate more B12 into your diet. Here’s a list of foods that are rich in the vitamin.

5. Smoking Can Cause Graying

According to Huffington Post, there’s a study to prove there’s truth to the myth that smoking can cause gray hair. All the more reason to quit, I suppose.

6. Sunshine Is Important

Vitamin D can stimulate healthy hair follicles, so it couldn’t hurt you to incorporate a little more sunshine in your life, when it comes to keep the grays away as long as possible.

7. There Could Be A Cure For Gray Hair

Researchers are working to find a cure for gray hair, so one day, there could be a way to stop you from graying altogether, with a little help from science.

So, with some diet adjustments and getting a little sunshine, you could be keeping the grays away for longer. But, when they start to come in— don’t beat yourself up about it (stress isn’t good, remember) because at the end of the day, it was mostly due to genetics.

Besides, I think gray hair makes one look distinguished. You earned those hairs, each and every one of them.

[h/t: Good Housekeeping]