As alarming as it may appear to find a strand, piece, or more of grey in your hair, keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be a terrible omen. It’s undeniable that grey hair has a bad rep that the act of embracing it becomes a hard task. However, let’s break the stigma. Beauty Insider wants you to embrace your grey hair by telling you all about it, the causes and how to take care of them!

Why Does Hair Turn Grey Anyways?

woman in blue button-down shirt smiling in front of camera

A follicle is a bulb-like tube on your scalp where hair develops. Each of the 100,000 to 150,000 follicles in the typical head works independently of the others. Hair is white in its most basic, unpigmented condition. Melanin, a pigment that also influences skin colour, gives it its colour.

All hair hues are made up of two forms of melanin: eumelanin (dark brown or black) and phaeomelanin (reddish yellow). One theory for why hair greys are that as people age, their hair loses its ability to access melanin, causing it to turn grey, silver, or white instead.

What Causes Hair To Grey? (or speeds it more or less)

Genetics

Your genes are already coded for when and how your hair will grey when you’re born. Premature greying is an example of this—people who grey before the age of 30 frequently do so because it runs in their family. Greying begins in middle age for most of us. Dermatologists use the 50/50 rule, which states that by the age of 50, half of the population will have at least 50% grey hair.

Stress

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While some academics believe that grey hair is solely due to your genes, others believe that there is a correlation between greying and stress, but that there is no clear link to establish it. Long-term activation of the body’s fight or flight response—the natural capacity to mobilise energy in response to a hazardous situation—can damage DNA and cause premature ageing, including greying hair, according to 2011 research led by Nobel Laureate Robert Lefkowitz.

Lack of essential vitamins

Premature greying can be caused by vitamin B-6, B-12, biotin, vitamin D, or vitamin E deficiency. Various deficient studies on vitamin D-3, vitamin B-12, and copper and their link to greying hair were highlighted in a 2015 article published in the journal Development. It discovers that dietary deficits have an impact on pigmentation, implying that colour may be restored with vitamin replacement.

Chemical hair procedures

Chemical hair colours and hair products, including shampoos, can cause premature greying of the hair. Many of these products contain chemicals that reduce melanin production. One such dangerous ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, which is included in many hair colours. Excessive use of bleaching agents will eventually cause hair to turn white.

Smoking

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Several studies have connected smoking to early greying as well as premature ageing. It has been discovered that there is a link between smoking and grey hair in people. Smokers were two and a half times more likely than non-smokers to develop premature hair greying.

Mythbusting! Let’s Get All The Facts Straight

Is it true if I pluck one grey hair it will cause more to grow?

It’s a misconception that this is true. Each follicle can only contain one hair, and plucking it will not allow it to create more. Furthermore, whatever you do to one follicle has no bearing on the others. Excessive plucking, on the other hand, isn’t a smart idea because it might harm the follicles and potentially stop hair creation in that area.

Can intense shock cause hair to suddenly go grey overnight?

Another misconception is that if you have a significant shock, your hair will turn grey. Because the French queen’s hair allegedly turned white the night before she was beheaded, this is frequently referred to as the Marie Antoinette Syndrome. However, hair does not change colour after it has grown, so you won’t wake up with a head of white hair. Although there is a very unusual disorder in which all of the coloured hairs fall out, leaving just white hairs behind.

Does grey hair only occur on the head?

The hair on your chest, nose, genital area, and other parts of your body can all become grey. Because body hair greys at a different rate than the hair on the head, some men might have grey beards with brown hair, or vice versa. By the way, grey pubic hair may be dyed.

Caring For Grey Hair

Grey hair can age you since it turns a drab yellowish tint, so maintain it shining and vibrant. Use toning, purple-coloured shampoos to achieve this. Don’t forget to apply SPF protection to your hair as well! Melanin aids in the protection of hair from free radicals such as UV radiation.

Because grey hair lacks this pigment-producing protein, it is significantly more vulnerable to UV damage. The UV radiation melts the cortex of the hair if it is not protected, making it brittle and damaged. So, much like your skin, grey hair has to be protected from the sun.

Moreover, your diet plays a vital role. Including particular items in your diet can help you get the nourishment you need. Fresh fruits and vegetables, seafood, and omega-3 fatty acids are all important for hair health and even colour restoration. Additionally, nuts, particularly walnuts, are high in copper, which aids in the pigmentation of your hair follicles.