Beard getting white at young age?

So we all can agree that beard and beard culture is on the way upwards in both fashion, but even as in social standards. I myself as a manager are (at least for now) allowed to have a pretty big beard, and most clients and even employees compliment me for it. in fact, this whole website is a product of all work-related beard discussions I’ve had up to this point. I figured, that instead of just giving my advice one at a time. Maybe I could help out more people by writing about these things!

By the time I’m writing this, I’m 31 years old. And I too have a lot of greying hairs starting to show. So, my beard getting white at a young age, some might say. My wife has made it very clear that my beard does look good, even with white or grey hairs in it! 😉

To be honest, growing a gray or white beard, does not bother me one minute. The guys I follow on social media generally also have quite a lot of whites in their beard, and hey, they make a living out of being a beard model!

So, lets dive in on what actually causes it, and what you can do about it!

What causes it?

First off, we need to talk about what really causes white or grey-beards. Ever heard of the thing called “melanin”? Melanin is sort of the paint bucket of your hair follicle. Your hair color is determined by melanin that is produced within the hair follicle. And for each year, this so-called paint bucket diminishes, ergo producing less and less color to your beard or hair.

It’s quite common to go grey at a pretty early age. There are studies indicating that about 75% of men, between 45 and 65 years have grey covering most of the normal hair. The process is generally starting at about when you hit your thirties, which I can vouch for.

However, there are a few different things that can increase your factor in going grey.

• Stress
  • Pardon the language, but this is the mother of all things evil. Stress is never good for you. It can mess up your metabolism, it can mess up your hair or beard, it can even mess out with your physique.
  • Stress in itself will not make your beard go white. But, if it goes so far as anxiety, that can really start affecting your beard and hair. Causing some to might even fall off. When growing back, you will probably see less colorful hair.
• Genetics
  • Hate to break it to you. The majority is linked to your genes.
    Take a look at your father, grandfather, and other male close relatives. How are their beards colored? Do yours resemble any of theirs in regard to thickness?
    If you can relate to this, you can probably suspect that your beard will follow their progress of turning grey or white.
• Diet
  • To keep your engine running, you need to incorporate good nutrition into your diet.
    For example, if you lack the most essential vitamins your body will suffer. A good example is the following:
    • Vitamin B12 – B12 is the main thing that is used for melanin production.
    • Copper
    • Iodine
    • Minerals
  • I’ve covered a list here that covers a lot of vitamins and minerals you need in your diet to keep your beard looking fresh.
    
• Smoking
  • Smoking is one of those things that is getting picked upon in pretty much every health-related aspect. Beard is no different.
    If you are a smoker, chances are that you already know this. But smokers run two and a half more likely to develop premature greying of both the beard and your hair. A study was done proving this here.
  • As that wasn’t enough, the study also points to male hair loss. If you are a smoker, chances are that you might damage your skin cells to the point where it damages your hair permanently. That’s pretty bad!

How to fix it?

Well, if you feel very self-conscious about your progressing white beard, there are actions to take.
There are plenty of options on the market for handling this issue. For example, there are both powders and also mascara-like brushes you can buy for a short term, but effective solution.

Above are two examples from Amazon.com, both are ways to conceal your grays in your beard. One works as a sort of mascara for your beard. You brush essentially pain on your beard, covering the greys until you wash it the next time.

“Look, moon, I turned silver for you.”

― Sanober Khan

The next option you have is to dye it. Yeah, you can actually dye your beard as well as you can dye your hair. And to be honest, it’s not that uncommon! You can find beard dyes at your local grocery store. They are usually right where you would find ordinary hair dyes.

Before jumping the gun and dying your beard, you should consider changing your diet. As we talked about in this article here, food plays a very big part in your overall beard and hair health.

If you want to offset the graying / whitening of your beard, you should analyze your diet, and see if you get enough nutrients, vitamins, and minerals in your diet.

We see research pointing out the importance of vitamin B12, and a lack thereof can cause your pituitary gland to prematurely make your look beard grey.

Why bother?

Ok, so I’ve already talked a bit about my own beard and how I’m seeing a few greys starting to appear. I was probably a bit worried the first time I saw it. But as I did process it and talked to my wife, it actually feels more empowering rather than affecting my self-esteem.

I’ll link a few instagram personas here below, bear with me..

Now you got some masculinity thrown at you. Can you look me in the face and say that is not insanely attractive? So what about your grey beards, embrace it, own it. No one else is going to do it for you. You. Are. Great!

Summary

So we’ve talked about how it happens, why it happens, how to cover it up and delay the inevitable, and lastly how to deal with it accordingly.

In the end, you are the one carrying a majestic beard. You are the only one that really gets a say in whether what you should do about it. If you should do anything at all. Remember, it’s your choice.

If you have asked me. I would tell you that keep it the way it is. Keep it nourished, and well taken care of. A white or grey beard is one of the coolest looking beards in my book.

I have been met with such a different approach since growing my beard out. And my colleagues have pointed out that I have a couple of greys and whites in my beard, and they like it! I get at least a few compliments each week.

How do you feel about your ageing beard? Tell me in the comments!