Can guys with Gray Hair wear it long?

We've generally lived by the assertion that men with gray hair should keep it short. When gray hair gets long and too out of control it runs the risk of becoming crazy, nutty professor hair.

George Clooney's length in the "The Descendants" is about as long as you want to take it. But also consider this, he's George Clooney. Unless you're George's general level of hotness, you probably won't be able to pull off a style any longer than this!

Richard Gere can pull off a long haired look with gray hair. But consider again, he's Richard Gere. So unless you are Richard's general level of hotness, you probably can't pull off his length of grayness.

And long white pony tails are a no-no! Willie Nelson is already working that look. Leave it to Willie. Sorry. If you insist on wearing it long, don't hide your gray glory, share that mane with the world!

UV Rays & Us Grays

One of the side effects of going gray is losing the melanin in your hair.
Melanin protects from the damaging effects of UV rays on your hair’s keratin.

Ultraviolet light also leads to the yellowing that can occur with gray hair.

Coupled with the fact that hair also gets thinner with increasing age means UV Protection for gray hair is a must!

So what does a Silver Fox need to do?

Avoid exposing your gray hair to the sun as much as possible, and use shampoos, conditioners and styling products that offer "UV Protection" on the label. Photoprotection is the key to keep loving the gray!

(Read about the science of how ultraviolet light affects gray hair here.)

The Inevitable Dye Job of Mitt Romney

The more Mitt Romney continues his unstoppable march to the GOP nomination, the more it becomes painfully clear:

Mitt Romney's hair is the wrong direction for America!

His dye job is way too dark and looks unnatural!
(Even for a RomneyBot™ as the New York Times calls him.)

His suspiciously dark and highly controlled coif (aka "The Mitt") remains a popular topic of conversation on the campaign trail:
NYMag has a pictorial salute to the Many Hairstyles of Mitt Romney.
The Boston Globe has Mitt's full Hairstory.
The New York Times interviewed Mitt's Boston stylist Leon de Magistris.
($70 haircuts, Mitt uses no styling products)

As unnatural as it looks to us, ultra-white at the temples and jet black everywhere else, Mormon Mitt claims not to "color" or "dye" it.
(Grecian Formula is clear, and it's chemical reaction would technically not count as a dye, would it?)

We remain skeptical and ask:
How can we trust someone to be our president
if we can't trust their hair color?

We want a president that has a natural looking gray!
At least with Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul you know where they stand!

We urge Mr. Romney to "Love The Gray" and fire Leon de Magistris!
We know you like being able to fire people!

Love 'The Grey'?

What are these advertisements for "The Grey"?

Are they movie posters for another thriller starring Liam Neeson?

Or are they ads for some kind of "Just for Men" beard dye?

(If it is a movie it must be foreign film, otherwise it would be "The Gray"!)

The Scoop on The Coop™

Anderson Cooper is the poster boy for Silver Foxes.
A handsome and gifted communicator, his premature grayness adds to his gravitas as a CNN reporter. Few wear gray hair better, and Anderson is our favorite example of how salt-and-pepper can look so good on a man!

As one of the most prominent gray celebrities and the son of fashion icon Gloria Vanderbilt, you might expect Anderson to get his famous mane styled at a pricey Manhattan salon. But The Coop™ actually gets his haircut for $16 from a guy named Isaac at a "street barbershop" at 7th and 23rd! He revealed it on his daytime talk show Anderson:

..

Adorable and frugal! Love the Gray, Anderson!

What Makes Hair Turn Gray?

The basic reason why hair turns gray... is that it ran out of "ink"!

Gray hair is caused by a reduction in pigment, which can be caused by age, genetics, or environmental factors. Hair is initially white, then is colored by melanin produced by the body. With age comes a reduction in the production in melanin thus hair turns gray and eventually back to white. The supply of pigmentation for each individual hair follicle becomes exhausted at different rates in different individuals. Those who go gray early are just lucky!

We will explore the science behind going gray and "get to the root" of the many factors believed to cause gray hair in future posts.

Whatever the causes, Love the Gray!

For a good overview explaining hair color "head" to Wikipedia.

The Library of Congress answers the Everyday Mystery: "Why Does Hair Turn Gray?" here:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/grayhair.html

How do some men let their eyebrows get so out of control?

At what age does a man think it's okay to stop trimming his eyebrows?

When does a man look in the mirror and not realize that his eyebrows have become gigantic forehead ferns that might frighten small children?

Gray hair is often more course and wiry as it grows in, and therefore graying brows need EXTRA attention. Eyebrows need to be groomed, trimmed and maintained on a regular basis. Not plucked or shaved, just kept at a reasonable length.

That's why every man needs a good regular barber or stylist to keep them in check. The rotating crew at Supercuts won't often tidy them for you!
(And let's not even talk about ear hair.)
Sometimes your loved ones are too close to the situation to tell you the truth about your caterpillar brows. Let a professional handle it.

The next time you look in the mirror, take an objective look at your face.
Do your bushy brows need a trim?

Kate the Gray

Well placed sources inside Buckingham Palace tell the Daily Mail
that Kate Middleton has discovered her first gray hairs!
(Or grey hairs as they say over in England.)

"Now she is 30, even Kate needs, dare one say it, a little helping hand to keep those tumbling tresses in tip-top condition. Indeed, impeccably placed sources have told me that the Duchess has, to her horror, started finding the odd grey hair (‘stress highlights’, her friends joke) and has been having an organic vegetable-based dye and subtle low-lights applied during regular four-hour sessions at the Richard Ward Hair And Metrospa in Chelsea."

- The Daily Mail, January 7, 2012

The Duchess of Cambridge calls it "Stress Highlights"?
We prefer to call them "Wisdom Wefts" or "Smartness Streaks"!
And we say: GO GRAY GREY KATE!
We're sure you have something better to do than waste your time getting your roots dyed in four-hour salon sessions.
Spend that extra time working with you newly announced charity patronages!
Then the UK press might stop calling you the "Duchess of Dolittle"
and you'll be "The Next Diana™" in no time!

We're Back!

The Salt and Pepper Blog formerly known as Castle Gray Skull is back as "Love the Gray"!

We finally brought the site over to a blogspot address, lovethegray.blogspot.com, just to make all of our lives easier!

Of course, the name CastleGraySkull was taken (curse you, Skeletor!) so we had to go for a new name. Which turned out okay, "Love The Gray" better expresses how we feel about gray hair anyway!

Sorry we haven't blogged since before Obama was first elected. Although it looks like our July '08 nomination had some effect!

We're excited to be back to bring you our opinions on the latest gray hair news of the day, messages of Gray Pride, gray hair product reviews and more!

Glad to be back, we've got a lot to say!