Authored by Kate Beswick in Hair Care
Published on 08-11-2009
It’s a question that every person faces as they age: should you color your graying hair or let it go all natural? For women, the choice is usually very easy – they dye it. Women with grey hair tend to look much older than their actual age. When it comes to men, it’s much different. Men generally aren’t interested in spending too much time getting things like their hair just right. Add to this the fact that grey hair on a man can actually make him look more sophisticated and distinguished, and they have a real conundrum. So, should men color their graying hair or let it go natural?
If you are a man who is very self-conscious about your gray hair, you will probably be better off just dying it. If the only problem with this is that you think you won’t be able to apply it properly, or you don’t want to waste time coloring your hair, just about any salon will do this for you. Most of these salons have stylists that specialize in coloring men’s hair and they will be able to direct you to a shade that will work very well for you. Going to a salon to get your hair done also doesn’t take very much time. Going only once every month or two should keep your gray hair nice and covered.
That being said, there are many wonderful advantages to keeping your hair in its natural state. There’s no doubt that men with graying or salt-and-pepper hair look very distinguished and successful. This look often exudes a feeling of success, maturity, and sophistication that only comes with a bit of gray in the hair. One of the best things about this look though, is that it does look completely natural. Whereas dyes and colorings can sometimes have a fake look, gray hair will look like it is 100% natural and 100% yours – which is always much more attractive.
Any man who is considering coloring their gray should also investigate some of the health risks that are associated with this type of grooming. A study conducted by the Keck School of Medicine in 2001 showed that the use of some hair dyes on certain scalps can cause things such as bladder cancer and other types of cancers. The study was done on permanent hair dyes, which do have different formulas than semi-permanent or non-permanent dyes. These cases are rare however, using even non-permanent hair color could cause unpleasant side effects to occur. These side effects are stinging, burning, itching on the scalp, or hair loss, even after the hair color has been removed. These unnecessary side effects can be avoided by simply leaving your beautiful gray hair just the way it is!
Men should only color their graying hair if they are really unhappy with the way their natural hair looks. There are simply too many unpleasant side effects that can occur. Plus, there’s something incredibly dashing about the way a man with a touch of gray in his hair looks!
