If you want to know when you will turn gray, one thing you can do is look at your parents. How early in your life you'll gray will depend quite a bit on genetic factors. Graying is a natural part of aging and happens when the cells in the hair shaft stop making pigment. That lack of pigment will make the hair lose most of it's color and turn gray. But the good news is that while you may not be able to stop from getting gray you can slow down the process and learn how to avoid gray hair for a while. 


Here are some tips you can take that can slow down the advance of your gray hair: 

1. I don't want to sound like a nag, but if you don't want gray hair early in life, give up the cigarettes. It has been scientifically proven that smoking will age your whole body, inside and out, and that aging includes making your hair go gray. If you are serious about preventing gray hair for as long as humanly possible, the first thing you have to do is stop smoking, you'll look younger everywhere not just your hair. 

2. Another thing that has been proven to age you, everywhere, is stress. We do live in a very stressful society, we're told that every time we turn on the t.v. But what you're not told is that there are a lot of things you can do to relax. It really depends on the person, some people will find reading a good book relaxing while others find it more enjoyable to go on a nice long run. Whatever works for you try to fit in some relaxing activity at least daily, even if it's only for a few minutes.

Many people will think they are just too busy to fit in something relaxing, but for almost everyone that's just not true. No matter how busy you are you can probably find a few minutes to de-stress. It's really just a matter of priorities. Instead of getting stressed out reading the paper or watching the nightly news, why not relax by doing some activity you actually enjoy? Pretend like your life depends on it. 

3. Are you getting enough metal in your diet? The breakdown that causes gray hair can be found when your body isn't getting enough copper. The good news is that there are many things you can do to get more copper into your diet. You can take a supplement, or you can eat foods that have a lot of copper such as lima beans, spinach, yams, and meat. 


Today we don't have to just go with the flow when it comes to getting older. As a matter of fact many of us have found that instead of aging gracefully we'd rather just age slowly! There is a new attitude of youth and health in our society. We no longer think of ourselves as old as soon as we cross the 40 year old threshold, as a matter of fact, many don't think of themselves at old at 50 and over!  So if you're young at heart and want to look your age, you will be happy to learn how to avoid gray hair.  These simple lifestyle changes can pay dividends in many aspects of your life, so enjoy!