Written by Josh Doyle

Joe saw the look on his hairdresser’s face as she combed his dark hair, ready to make the necessary cuts.
It was a look of surprise, and Joe knew exactly why. He recoiled in horror as the woman’s eyes widened. The piece of bubble gum she’d been chewing rolled out of her open mouth and crashed to the floor, along with Joe’s self-esteem, where they mingled with his discarded locks of hair.
Ashamed, the woman tried to act as though nothing had happened, but the irrevocable damage was done.
You see, Joe was but 21, and although his hair was black and healthy, and had been throughout his entire life, he was beginning to find scattered throughout his dark mane ever so few rogue strands of that dreaded, dreaded colour.
The colour that makes one recoil in shame when they see commercials for Grecian 5; the colour that makes one look at their father’s hair with anger and wonder, “Why did you even have me?!”
The colour was grey.
Joe, who requested his last name be concealed, given the embarrassing nature of his claim, may have exaggerated the story of the hairdresser when he told it. But nevertheless, his feelings were clear.
“That’s certainly how it felt,” he said of the infamous salon incident. “I definitely saw her eyes open up when she started cutting a part of my hair that I knew had greys.”
Joe, like many other young males who begin to see grey hair at an early stage, had no idea why his once dark hair was now showing strands of silver.
“I was just shocked, really,” he admitted. “I always thought people went grey at [age] 50, not 20. So really, I was frustrated at first.”
Some believe that going grey early can be a result of stress, which ties in to the misconception that getting scared suddenly can turn your hair white.
Although there may be something behind this idea, it’s far from the whole truth, according to Dr. Jnanankur Bag, a genetics professor at the University of Guelph.
“Stress is probably a factor,” said Dr. Bag. “When people take a stressful job or are in stressful situations, their hair can turn grey.
“But grey hair seems to be genetically linked. People tend to follow the greying pattern of their parents.”
For anyone who just dropped this paper on the floor after recalling pictures of their father with a full head of grey hair at 25, I sincerely apologize.
“I have a friend who started to turn grey quite early, not necessarily due to stress,” said Dr. Bag.
Certainly, Dr. Bag is not the only one with a friend like this.
“Greyness is sometimes linked to vitamin deficiency,” he added. “So it looks like there is a genetic factor, as well as an environmental [factor].”
What Dr. Bag explained was that although factors such as health and stress may have an impact, the issue is thought to be largely genetic, leaving the solution somewhat out of your hands.
But, this doesn’t have to frustrate you further. It can help you realize that going grey is only natural, and truly, not a big deal.
Grey hair happens, sometimes very early on, and if you have seen a couple of grey hairs popping up, you certainly aren’t the only one.
What young men with grey hairs should do is not hide, but share their stories of hair trauma, in an effort to liberate themselves from their prison of premature aging. 
Besides, grey hair can be cool. Just look at George Clooney, he’s still getting roles in big time movies, and girls love him. U of G student Stephanie Kreplin said she’s not at all against a man with a bit of colour to his mane.
“I have a love for men with grey hair. It’s handsome and it screams experience,” she said. “A man I work with has a full head of silver hair and he’s absolutely beautiful.”
After hearing this, I jotted down Joe’s number for her. He’s still awaiting the call.
In addition, members of the fashion community are beginning to go grey on purpose, completely negating the idea of dyeing their hair to avoid grey.
Kate Moss was recently seen rocking grey streaks at a handbag launch in Paris, and people all over are asking their hairdressers to make them look like Richard Gere.
Clearly, salt and pepper is in. So all you young men thinking your first grey hair is the beginning of the end of your good looks, think again.  Don’t be afraid of the grey – embrace it. Coming soon: the survival guide to going bald. Stay tuned.