Turkmenistan Bans Men Over 40 from Dyeing Gray Hair

The authorities in Turkmenistan have prohibited men over the age of 40 who work in state and budgetary institutions from dyeing their gray hair. This was reported by some officials in the Lebap region, who noted that those without gray hair are required to give their hair a white tint.

Officials stated that this ban is related to the fact that the country's leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov, has gray hair. “Almost all professional institutions, including schools and healthcare facilities, have instructed employees who dye their hair to hide their grays to return to their natural hair color—white. This requirement was submitted on February 1,” said a correspondent from the Turkmen service of Radio Free Europe.

The correspondent also noted that this ban has been communicated verbally. A budget employee shared that they would only be allowed to meet with the president if they had gray hair when the president visits their district. He also mentioned that previously they were required to hide their gray hair by dyeing it black.

At the beginning of last year, photographs of the president were changed in the country's public educational institutions. In the new photographs, the president is depicted with gray hair. The change of the president’s photographs has been made at the personal expense of the teachers.