For Young President, Flecks of Gray

WASHINGTON — Well, that didn’t take long. Just 44 days into the job, and President Obama is going gray.

It happens to all of them, of course — Bill Clinton still had about half a head of brown hair when he took office but was a silver fox two years later, and George W. Bush went from salt and pepper to just salt in what seemed like a blink of an eye.

But so soon? “I started noticing it toward the end of the campaign and leading up to inauguration,” says Deborah Willis, who, as co-author of “Obama: The Historic Campaign in Photographs,” pored through 5,000 photographs of the first head over the last year.

Mr. Obama’s graying is still of the flecked variety, and appears to wax and wane depending on when he gets his hair cut, which he does about every two weeks. His barber, who goes by only one name, Zariff, takes umbrage with bloggers who alternately claim Mr. Obama, 47, is dyeing his hair gray (to appear more distinguished) or dyeing it black (to appear younger). “I can tell you that his hair is 100 percent natural,” Zariff said. “He wouldn’t get it colored.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/05/us/politics/05gray.html?th&emc=th

That job does seem to produce gray hair. I wouldn't want it.

as if that would motivate anyone to quit....

I'm rapidly becoming a silver fox at the disappointing age of 42 and never smoked in my life-well, not tobacco anyway. If any kind people here know of vitamins or herbal remedies that can slow the graying process I'd really appreciate hearing about it. I will not go the Just For Men route.

head of hair and no reason to join the shave-it-all-off or comb-over or permanent baseball cap brigade. I know it's a silly thing to be concerned with, really. Not a hairy situation at all.

What does your family history show?

Life is a process, the only way to stop it is by dying. Dye your hair or not, but live your life.

stressful childhood. :shrug:

Dyed it jet black in my 30's, quit in my early 40's.

I love my long silver mane.