If you’ve reached 60 years old, or no someone who has, but notice a lack of gray hair, you might start to have a few questions. Whether this is the case, or you’re hoping you fit into that same gray-absent category, you might find yourself wondering: why do some people have no gray hair at 60?
According to research results reported by The Health Site.com, one out of every ten people reach the age of 60 and do not have any grey hairs on their heads. A lack of grey hair at this age may be explained by certain genetics or lifestyle choices.
In this article we’ll cover why it is possible for hair to avoid turning grey altogether, how to grow older without getting grey hair, and what the average age of a human being who’s hair turns grey is.
Is it Possible For Hair Not To Turn Grey?
The short answer is, yes, it is possible for hair to avoid turning grey altogether. This is normally the result of one or more factors, which are listed below:
- Genetics – Hair turns grey as a natural result of the body producing less melanin thanks to melanocyte dying as we age. However, in some people, melanocytes don’t die until the person themselves have passed away, meaning their hair remains the same color even at 60 or older.
- Ethnicity – The ethnicity of a human effects the melanin in their hair, as well. Some ethnicities begin experiencing a lack of melanin in their hair earlier than others.
- Lifestyle Choices – In many cases, the grey in our hair is a result of stress. Stress produces a chemical that can make our bodies stop producing color in hair. The same affect can be achieved by a bad diet or harmful substances. Therefore, if you live a healthy life, your body may keep the cells responsible for darkening your hair alive!
In summary, yes, it is possible for hair to avoid turning grey altogether! Sometimes this is thanks to something internal and inevitable, like genetics. More often, however, lifestyle choices can affect them.
Can You Grow Old Without Getting Grey Hair?
Yes, it is possible to grow old without getting grey hair! As referenced above, our age usually causes our body to stop producing the melanin that colors our hair and start producing air bubbles that have no color, instead. This may seem strange, but usually, it is a natural part of life.
However, some people can age without their body’s breakdown including their hair. The only way you can control this on your own (outside of using hair dye and solving the problem artificially, of course!) is by reducing stress and eating healthily.
According to an article done by Scientific American, new research has been done linking the color of grey hairs back to stress. Apparently, after grey hairs begin developing, there is a small window of time in which making sure you are very relaxed can actually reverse the process of hair turning grey!
Another way to avoid grey hair, as previously mentioned, is through your diet. Vitamins B-12, B-6, vitamin D, and vitamin E all need to be taken in for hair to maintain it’s health. Taking supplements is one way to ensure your hair gets the vitamins it needs.
Some foods that include vitamin D are cod liver oil, which can fulfill your daily vitamin needs with only a teaspoon! It may sound old-fashioned to drink oil, but apparently it can be healthy after all!
For vitamin E, green foods like spinach, avocado, broccoli, and of course, wheat germ oil, can really boost your daily intake and help your hair avoid going grey.
B12 is a vitamin that can mostly be found in sources of protein. If you like seafood, you’re halfway to protecting your hair from going grey! This is because B12 is found in foods like molluscs, tuna, and salmon.
What is The Average Age to turn grey?
According to research done by Dermatology Times, different ethnicities “go grey” at different times of their lives. This is represented in the table below:
| Ethnicity | Age of Grey Hairs Beginning |
| Asian Individuals | Mid-to-Late 30s |
| Black Individuals | Mid 40s |
| White Individuals | Mid 30s |
Though chronological age is one determining factor in the grey seasons of someone’s life, there are others.
For example, those who are exposed to ultraviolet light, like the sun’s rays, more often than others will turn grey earlier. Those who expose their natural hair to a lot of unnatural products, especially through dyeing their hair or bleaching it repeatedly, may find that their hair follicles are so affected that they stop producing melanin later in life.
Does Everyone Have Some Grey Hair?
The Library of Congress reports that the chance of going grey increases steadily every year by about 10 to 20% after you turn an average of 30 years old. All hair naturally begins white, then transforms into it’s natural color thanks to two types of melanin: eumelanin or phaeomelanin.
As we have discussed, once hair growth reaches it’s end or the body begins to halt production of melanin, your hair shaft will automatically turn grey.
However, this does not mean that everyone has some grey hair. Some individuals, like the television presenter Claudia Winkleman, reach well past their mid-30s and never get a single grey hair.
Although everyone, on average, begins getting grey hairs sometime after their middle ages, not every individual is the same and some lucky individuals can go their whole lives without losing the melanin in their hair!
In Conclusion
In conclusion, yes, it is possible to reach the lively age of 60 without having a single grey hair to show for it. Most of the time, this is due to factors we can’t control, like our genetics. Naturally, most hair begins to go gray after age 30 depending on one’s ethnicity, and this is thanks to our bodies shutting down their production of melanin.
However, if you’d like to be one of the lucky few who hold the grey at bay, make sure you’re avoiding stress and eating vitamin-rich foods!
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