How to Help Prevent Grey Hair in Men

Going grey is a natural thing that humans have to deal with. As the years go on, you will start to notice the stray grey slowly starts to spread around your head and facial hair.

If you are in your 20s or 30s and worried about your inevitable greying hair, we’ve got you covered. Here are the biggest causes of greying hair and how we can help prevent them.

Genes

The reason for your grey hair can be quite simply put down to genetics. If your parents and grandparents started to go grey at an early age, then there is a big chance that the same will happen to you. This can also take into account where you come from.

Going grey, on average, happens at different times for different races. It usually happens to Caucasians first in their mid-30s, then Asian in their late 30s and then afro-Caribbeans in their early 40s. 

Stress

It is no secret that a stress-induced life can offer some repercussions on your body. Amongst other things like high blood pressure and anxiety, stress can cause some men to get premature grey hairs. 

A study in 2013 found a connection between stress levels and depletion of stem cells in the hair follicles of mice. So if you lead a very stressful work life, for example, think about ways you can take more breaks and enjoy your time to help minimise the risk of grey hair.

Stress is also linked to hair loss and hair thinning. If you’re having trouble with this, see our blog on how to reduce hair loss in men.

Vitamin B-12 deficiency

Grey hair can also be brought on by a vitamin b-12 deficiency. Researchers in 2017 found that a lack of Vitamin B-12, folic acid and lower levels of biotin caused premature greying in men. To help prevent this, think about adding more vitamin b-12 rich foods into your diet. Fish, meat, poultry, eggs and spinach are all rich in the required vitamins for healthy-looking hair. 

A vitamin deficiency can also cause what is known as oxidative stress to occur in the body. Oxidative stress is an imbalance of antioxidants in the body, which leads to cell and tissues damage – usually speeding up the ageing process. There are certain factors that contribute to this, including; environmental factors, lifestyle and diet. Making sure you get the right amount of vitamins with a varied diet and living a healthier lifestyle will help prevent this imbalance. To achieve this, we recommend speaking to a trained nutritionist to help your diet get on the right track.

Smoking

Smoking causes many health issues such as lung cancer and heart disease. Smoking can also accelerate the ageing process. A study of 107 subjects found that consistent smoking constricts blood vessels, which reduces the blood flow to your hair follicles and causes hair loss. Furthermore, the toxins in cigarettes are known to damage parts of your body including your hair follicles, which causes the onset of prematurely white hair.

Grey Blending

At Cutters Yard we believe that you should embrace your grey hairs! If you’re interested in different ways to style your grey hair, take a look at our grey blending article where we discuss the process behind our formula of plant oils, castor and jojoba to create a natural grey hair dye that is designed to blend away your grey hair right away.

To book a grey blending treatment with Cutters Yard click here, the service only costs £30 and you can combine it with any of our other barbering or grooming services.