The timing of when our hair turns gray largely relies on
genetics
.

Your first grey hairs
usually appear
anytime from your twenties to fifties. For males, gray hair
normally
Begin from the temples and sideburns. women often see grey hairs starting at the hairline, particularly towards the front.

The most
rapid greying
This typically occurs between the ages of 50 and 60. However, does anything we do accelerate this process? Also, is there anything we can undertake to decelerate it?

You’ve likely come across the idea that plucking, dyeing, and stress can cause your hair to turn gray, but that this doesn’t apply to redheads. Here’s what scientific research reveals about it.

What causes the coloring of our hair?

Every strand of hair is generated by a hair follicle, which is like a tunnel-shaped cavity in your skin. These follicles house two distinct types of components.
stem cells
:

• keratinocytes, which produce
  keratin
  , the protein responsible for producing and rejuvenating hair strands
• melanocytes, which produce
  melanin
  the colorant responsible for tinting both your hair and skin.

There are
two main types
of melanin that
determine hair color
Eumelanin is a black-brown pigment, whereas pheomelanin is a red-yellow pigment.

The
quantity of various colorants
defines hair color. Brown and black hair primarily contain eumelanin, red hair has the highest concentration of pheomelanin, whereas blonde hair possesses only a small quantity of both types.

What causes our hair to turn gray?

As we age, it’s normal for cells to become less active. In the hair follicle, this means stem cells produce less melanin — turning our hair grey — and less keratin, causing hair thinning and loss.

When lesser amounts of melanin are generated, there is insufficient pigmentation to provide the hair with its hue. Gray hair contains minimal melanin, whereas white hair possesses none at all.

Unpigmented hair
looks grey
, whether it be white or silver since light bounces off the keratin, which has a pale yellow hue.

White hair is more robust, tougher, and firmer compared to pigmented hair. This occurs due to changes in the structure of the hair follicle.
irregular
As the stem cells alter with aging.

Interestingly, grey hair also grows more quickly than pigmented hair, but it
uses more energy
in the process.

Can stress cause our hair to turn gray?

Yes, stress can
lead to premature graying of your hair
. This happens when
oxidative stress
harms hair follicles and stem cells
stops them producing
melanin.

Oxidative stress occurs when there are excessive levels of harmful free radicals compared to insufficient protective antioxidants within the body. This condition may lead to various damages.
caused by
Psychological or emotional strain along with autoimmune disorders.

Environmental factors
Things like exposure to UV rays and pollutants, along with habits such as smoking and certain medications, can also contribute.

Melanocytes are
more susceptible to damage
That’s due to the intricate processes involved in melanin synthesis as opposed to keratinocyte function. This is why factors like aging and stress often lead to graying hair prior to causing hair loss.

Researchers have managed to connect lighter parts of a hair strand to
challenging occurrences in an individual’s existence
In individuals who were younger and had stem cells that still generated melanin, the color came back to their hair once the stressful event was over.

4 common misconceptions about gray hair – and the scientific perspective

1. Will pulling out a gray hair cause multiple new ones to grow in the same spot?

Number one: When you remove a strand of hair, you may observe a tiny round structure at the tip which had been connected to your head. This is known as the
root
It develops within the hair follicle.

Pulling out a strand of hair removes the root from the follicle. However, the follicle refers to the pore in your skin and cannot be extracted directly. Every individual hair follicle is capable of producing just one hair.

It’s conceivable that regular plucking might cause your hairs to become thinner.
grey earlier
if the cells responsible for producing melanin get damaged or depleted due to excessive regeneration.

2. Is it possible for my hair to go gray overnight?

The legend states that Marie Antoinette’s hair turned
completely white
The night prior to when the French queen encountered the guillotine—but this is actually a falsehood.

The melanin in hair strands is chemically stable, which means it cannot change rapidly.

Acute psychological stress can quickly exhaust melanocyte stem cells.
in mice
However, the impact isn’t instant. Rather, gray hairs become noticeable as the hair lengthens—at a growth pace of
approximately 1 centimeter each month
.

Not all hair
Is in the growth stage simultaneously at any given moment, which means it cannot turn grey altogether at once.

3. Can dyeing my hair cause it to turn grey more quickly?

This
depends on the dye
.

Temporary and semi-permanent dyes shouldn’t lead to premature graying since they only cover the hair shaft without altering its internal composition. However, permanent dyeing agents trigger a chemical change within the hair through the use of an oxidizing agent like hydrogen peroxide.

Buildup of hydrogen peroxide and
other hair dye chemicals
in the hair follicle
can damage
Melanocytes along with keratinocytes, responsible for greying and potential hair loss.

4. Does it actually hold that redheads never turn grey?

Individuals with red hair similarly experience a loss of melanin as they get older, though this process differs from those who have black or brown hair.

This is due to the fact that the red-yellow and black-brown pigments have distinct chemical compositions.

Generating the brown-black pigment called eumelanin involves a more intricate process.
takes more energy
, making it more prone to damage.

Generating the reddish-yellow pigment (pheomelanin) leads to
less oxidative stress
, and simpler. This indicates that it is easier for stem cells to keep producing pheomelanin, even as they decrease their activity due to aging.

As people age, their red hair often changes to shades of strawberry blonde and silvery white. The grey appearance occurs because of reduced eumelanin activity, which makes this phenomenon more typical among individuals with black and brown hair.

Your genes dictate when your hair will turn gray. However, you might prevent early graying by maintaining good health, lowering stress levels, and steering clear of smoking, excessive drinking, and too much sun exposure.

Eating
a healthy diet
might also be beneficial since vitamin B12, copper, iron, calcium, and zinc are all
affect melanin creation and hair coloring
.

Theresa Larkin
, Assistant Professor of Medical Sciences,
University of Wollongong.
This piece has been republished from
The Conversation
under a Creative Commons license. Read the
original article
.