Covering gray hair – why should bald guys have all the fun?

Life can be cruel sometimes. That was evident to me when I recently decided to grow a beard, only to find about half of it was gray hair! I have been told that gray hair is a blessing – just ask a bald guy. Unfortunately, I suffer from thinning hair as well, and since what’s left of it is turning gray, that’s hardly a consolation.

Gray hair is caused by lack of pigmentation and melanin – hair color changes when melanin is no longer produced in the hair root and new hair grows in without pigment. Although gray hair is typically associated with the aging process, it can also result from stress or prolonged illness. If you fret over their appearance, you may even see the number of gray hairs increase!


The sound way to conceal gray hair is by using hair color, a common method used by men and women alike. Unfortunately, there is a temptation amongst us to color our hair in a shade that is darker than our natural hair color. Factor in that most solutions color your hair in an even, uniform fashion, and you end up with hair that looks completely unnatural and obviously dyed.

The trick is to color your hair with a shade or two lighter than your normal hair color. Here’s why - normal hair color looks natural because there are actually variations of color on each strand of hair. Easier said than done unless you plan on using foils or pulling your hair through a cap.

Gray hair, on the other hand, isn’t really gray at all – it’s clear (recall that I mentioned it’s caused by the lack of pigmentation). It only appears gray when light is reflected off of the clear strands of hair. Therefore, to minimize the brightness of the gray, you should color only the hair that is gray.

Luckily, I discovered a secret way to cover gray hair in a targeted fashion so that it looks natural and retains variations of color – hair enhancers (also known as hair loss concealers). Seems the guys with hair loss were on to something that the guys with gray hair could use to their advantage.

Hair enhancers are semi-permanent, meaning they wash out, and allow for subtle variations of color across the head, leaving you with a more natural look. They are also much less harsh that permanent hair dye – a real plus if you are thinning like me!

You can earn more about hair enhancers and related products at EMERGE For Men, a leading provider of personal care products for men.

by RJ Dee