What causes us to get gray hair?

Worrying about our kids? :-)

I dye it. I think it’s in your genes like balding.

my ex wife.

@JilltheTooth OMG i think is what causes my gray. cant believe i used those three letters to express i, but hey, i got a teenager and a 21 year old and that’s all i hear and see is OMG.

I’ve heard that it’s a copper or iron deficiency.

@MissA really? so, um, what do we need to eat or not eat?

Have ya’ll noticed how gray Obama has gotten. Just saying. Now that’s a stressful job. Most of presidents get gray in fours years. I swear

@Frenchfry you would be correct, it is heredity! From what I’ve read.

@MissA i choose to let my gray just happen. i am not dyeing nothing. it is a sign of wisdom, growth and maturity. i just have to realize i’m getting older, but also know that i have some smarts under my sleeve that the young whippersnappers dont know about.

Hair does not turn gray. As one ages, the pigmentation gives up the ghost and the hair will grow in white. As the white hairs outnumber the pigmented ones, you turn from salt-and-pepper to white. It’s genetic.

I am lucky and have gone only partly white. I love the way my hair looks now.

@gailcalled man, i love that look! it is so confident and has that air of command, respect and knowledge. i’m not dyeing nothing.

@charliecompany34: Ah, Charlie. Good for you. Now, is repeating yourself something to worry about?

@gailcalled when my beard grows out, i see the gray. it reminds me that i am getting older, but when i am clean-shaven, many cannot tell my real age.

@gailcalled getting gray just trying to keep up with fluther.

Stop smoking! Smoking has been scientifically proven to cause premature aging of the entire body, and that includes getting grey hair. If you want to prevent grey hair and you smoke, quitting should be the first, most important step.

Relax. It has been found that stress can be linked to premature grey hair.

Stress has an effect on the body like smoking, causing it to age faster. Search for ways to calm your emotions – like regular exercise or meditation – and you will also prevent grey hair.

Examine your diet. Grey hair begins to appear due to a breakdown in protein synthesis. In particular, this is caused by a copper insufficiency. Luckily, there are many ways to get more of this mineral:

1. Take a multi-vitamin. Most of them contain copper.

2. Eat foods that contain copper. Some common ones include turnip greens, lima beans, yams, spinach, and most meats.

3. Eat fruits and nuts, particularly – blackberries, pineapples, pomegranates, almonds, and pumpkin seeds.

4. Herbs. There are some herbs in Chinese medicine that people claim prevent grey hair. The most popular is called He Shou Wu, or Fo-ti. “He Shou Wu means “black-haired Mr. He” in Chinese.

According to my mother and several others, me!

@charliecompany34 Most guys that I’ve seen look interesting with either a touch of grey or a head full.

Women, not so much. Some wear it well, especially if it’s a full head of natural white. Dingy yellow is not attractive in my opinion…as blue-hair isn’t.

I give mine a little help. It wouldn’t bother me, but it may be easier on the eyes for those looking AT me.

Does it matter in the greater scheme of things? I would certainly hope not. It’s just hair.

Rain, I believe.

@MissA: I had a ten-year period filled with tragedy, illness and stress. I smoked heavily and didn’t take very good care of myself.

Due to my gene pool, I started getting a few white hairs when I was well past middle age..

@gailcalled My grandfather had a thick, full head of hair at 99 and a half. It had always been black, except at the end (98), it was a deep gun-metal grey.

Lack of L’Oreal medium brown #2A ;)

We’re people…as varied as our experiences.

There’s no “one size fits all” here.

@MissA: That’s good news for you if you inherited gramps’ hair gene. One of my grandfathers had the same kind of hair; the other was bald as a hardboiled egg.

My maternal grandmother had long hair, like Lady Godiva’s. She (grandma) could have walked around naked if she had spread her hair and belted it.

Did I ever tell you about my hard-boiled egg with a full head of hair?

@gailcalled my family on my father’s side grays gracefully and beautifully. slow, but constant. we dont look as old as we are. good genes i guess? it is a slow transformation…

Congratulations @charliecompany34 for your lurvely transformation!

@charliecompany34: Some of us have hair that you could drop a safe on from a third floor window; we would feel only the slightest ping.

@MissA thanks boo. i am loving how it is coming in slowly and gracefully…

An acute deficiency of slow dancing, Pop Rocks and blind folds. @lucillelucillelucille I won’t be needing your L’Oreal medium brown #2A for another 10 years at least! ;)

@Cruiser -That’s because you are Clairol “just for men“dark brown #2c snickers ;)

@Cruiser so you think I need to do more slow dancing?
I am not a fan of pop rocks, can I substitute M&Ms?
Now what about blindfolds?
My hair has been white since I was 30. These rock stars with white hair are behind the times.

@gailcalled anybody with more than 3 Gs on fluther has my respect.

@wilma It’s never too late to reverse the graying trend you will just have to work a little harder than the average blindfolded, Pop Rock popping, slow dancer out there!!

I don’t know, but I’m only 38 and getting all salt-n-peppery already. I think I like it. I certainly have no intention of dyeing it.

I started getting grey hairs at around 30 but it’s developed slowly and it’s still mainly around my temples. I think it makes me look distinguished.

As for why, that’s easy – Getting Old!

The Presidency – this time for both him and us.