Written by Menswear Style in Hair on the 7th March 2023

While greying occurs at different stages for different people, it will eventually come if you live long enough. It often starts with a few strands of grey hair that you can ignore. Eventually, most or all of the hair is grey, a reminder of your advanced age. People react differently to their hair turning grey, especially due to the perception created by it – nobody wants to look old. Instead of worrying about going grey, you can embrace it and get the most out of it.

But What Causes Greying? 

When the melanin-producing cells in your hair follicles start to decrease or stop producing melanin, your hair becomes colourless, manifesting as grey hair. Melanin-producing cells in the hair follicles start failing with age, which explains why grey hair is more common in older adults. But predisposing factors such as stress, genetics, medical conditions, and lifestyle can hasten or delay its onset. Once hair greying sets in, there is no way of reversing it, but you could make the best out of your new look by following the tips listed below.

Keep It Well-Maintained and Hydrated 

The older a person gets, the more rigid and wiry their hair becomes since the hair follicles will start deteriorating just like every other part of the body. The absence of melanin in grey hair can further exacerbate the problem, resulting in drier, coarser, and brittle hair prone to breakage. The only way of solving these hair problems is by keeping your hair well-nourished and moisturized. Ensure you only use products with nourishing ingredients like argan, coconut, and Shea butter oils. The products you use must also be designed for grey hair. 

Tone Down Brassy or Yellow Tones with Purple Dye 

Having yellow or brassy tones in grey hair can make your hair look dull and unhealthy, which many people find detracting from the natural beauty of their grey hair. This is because these tones are often associated with hair that has been damaged or not properly cared for. If you are light-skinned, yellow or brassy tones can clash with your skin tone and make your complexion appear sallow or washed out. The best way of dealing with yellow or brassy hair is using purple shampoo or dye to neutralize the yellow and brassy colour, giving your hair an even, beautiful look.

Add Some Dimensionality to Your Grey Hair 

Adding dimensionality to fully grey hair can help make your hair look more vibrant and youthful. One way to achieve dimensionality is by adding subtle highlights or lowlights to your hair to help create depth and contrast, making it look more textured and interesting. When choosing a highlight or lowlight shade, go for a shade that is no more than two shades lighter or darker than your hair colour to avoid creating too much contrast. Other ways of creating dimensionality are using volumizing hair products or getting a layered haircut. 

Get a Haircut 

It would be unfair to finish this list of how to wear grey hair without looking old if we don’t mention the simplest fix – cutting the hair short. While anyone can cut their hair short, not many women dare to take this option, making it more applicable to males. The shorter the hair, the easier it will be to manage. Also, something about short hair gives a perception of being younger, so cutting your hair could be a great option if that's what you want to achieve. When taking a shave, getting one from a professional barber is best. Alternatively, you could get a barber certification program to hone your hair-cutting skills and do the cutting yourself or, better, have your partner enrol.

Greying hair is inevitable as you advance in age, and it's nothing to be worried about. If anything, it is a sign of wisdom. The best you can do is embrace it and follow the tips highlighted in this guide to get the most out of it and confidently rock it.

Tone Down Brassy or Yellow Tones with Purple Dye, Add Some Dimensionality to Your Grey Hair, and Get a Haircut.