Many of us notice that our hair gradually turns gray as we age. Although it’s a normal aspect of aging, have you ever wondered why it occurs?
Pigments made by cells in our hair follicles are what give our hair its color. Our hair becomes less colored as a result of these cells slowing down with time and producing less pigment.
Even though turning gray is frequently linked to aging, there are ways to accelerate the process, including genetics, stress, and even medical conditions.
| Reason | Description |
| Aging | As we age, our hair follicles produce less melanin, leading to gray or white hair. |
| Genetics | Your genes largely determine when and how quickly your hair will turn gray. |
| Stress | While not a direct cause, stress can speed up the process of graying in some people. |
| Health | Conditions like vitamin deficiencies or autoimmune disorders can influence early graying. |
Our hair naturally turns gray as we age because less melanin, the pigment that gives hair its color, is produced. This process is a typical aspect of aging, though it is sometimes impacted by health issues, stress, and heredity. Knowing the reasons behind hair turning gray can help us accept this change with confidence because we’ll know it’s a normal part of aging and nothing to be afraid of.
How hair turns gray: description of the process
The appearance of gray hair on the head is always an important milestone in the life of any person. The most common reaction to the first silver threads in the hair is panic: “How? Already? Did this really happen to me?» Nevertheless, this is a completely natural process, and it seems that in recent years, society has begun to understand this: on the catwalks and in advertising campaigns of famous brands, you can increasingly see models with "gray", natural or artificial, hair shade. More and more women are choosing not to paint over gray hair, but to wear it with their heads held high. Let"s try, if not to accept, then at least to understand the mechanism of gray hair occurrence.
Melanin pigment is responsible for hair color, it is produced in special cells of the body – melanocytes, located in the hair follicles. With age (in men this is usually 30-35 years, and in women 40-45) the work of enzymes in these cells slows down, which break down hydrogen peroxide, also produced in the follicle. Accumulating in the hair follicle, H2O2 disrupts the synthesis of melanin. When its production in the cell completely stops, the hair loses its natural shade and becomes white (or rather, transparent). But not only its appearance changes, the structure of gray hair also undergoes metamorphoses. Voids and air bubbles form in the cortex, the cuticle scales fit less tightly to the shaft. Here"s how the hair is graying – the process is quite long and closely related to the genetic program of skin cells.
Interesting fact: Often, in the process of loss of natural pigment, the layers of the cuticle become not porous, but with rigid and dense. Stylists call this feature of the hair with glassy gray hair and select more powerful dyes for its painting. By the way, if your gray hair is far from a luxurious silver tone, it may well be that the porosity of the cuticle is to blame. Grayish or yellowish tint – a consequence of the accumulation of foreign substances from the air. Their molecules easily penetrate the porous structure of the hair, which is why when a person gets gray, the strands are acquired as if a dirty look. Professional colorists recommend paying special attention to the care of gray hair if you want to see them with snow -white and tidy. Products with purple pigment (and sometimes with a mix of purple and blue) quickly neutralize yellowness, and in the future you should return to them regularly: 1-3 times a week or as often as your stylist advises.
The Matrix shampoo So Silver is designed to counteract the warm undertones found in gray hair. Conditioner So Silver is beneficial to you as well; it brings back the strands’ softness and smoothness. The range’s intense yellowness neutralization is the result of a professional mask that contains a high concentration of purple pigment.
L’Oréal Professionnel offers the Serie Expert Silver shampoo and conditioner, which are pigmented and designed to address the three primary issues associated with gray hair: dryness, thinning, and dullness.
There are tinting agents specifically designed for high-tone blondes. Furthermore, it’s fantastic if the formulas contain additional nurturing ingredients. That’s why Biolage’s ColorLast Purple vegan shampoo has orchid extract in it. The ingredients in L’Oréal Professionnel’s shampoo-cream Chroma Crème provide a pronounced conditioning effect.
At what age do the first gray hairs appear
They say that nature loves variety. At what age, at what age gray hair appears and how it turns gray (diffusely or focally) is always a very individual story. Despite the fact that the average age of the first gray hair in men and women are considered to be between 30 and 45 years old, factors such as genetics, environment, lifestyle and health will certainly play a role. Age-related changes are natural, but the question of why hair turns gray on the head of young people has interested science. For example, the appearance of early gray hair at the age of 15-25 is influenced by stress, diet, deficiency of B vitamins, some thyroid diseases – we will return to this later. There is also an opinion that even hair color matters: what is it darker, the earlier a person starts to go gray. Interesting fact: gray hair that appeared at a young age as a result of stress is reversible. When the nervous period of life ends, the follicle returns to the normal mode of supplying the hair bulb with natural pigments.
How to hide early gray hair: secrets of express camouflage
Men are not always willing to proudly display their gray hair at an early age, and most women, despite the current natural hair trends, attempt to hide their gray hair until they reach a very respectable age. Additionally, while maintaining graying hair in the desired color used to be a labor-intensive process, modern professional products have made it easier and less problematic to maintain in your everyday beauty routine.
The L’Oréal Professionnel root zone toning spray Hair Touch Up is a favorite product of the SalonSecret expert team. When gray hair starts to show but there isn’t a chance or desire to dye it anytime soon, it will save the day. The spray is applied along the partings, easily cleaned with shampoo, and does not run off or leave stains on the skin. There are four shades in the range that are always in style: dark blond, light chestnut, chestnut, and black.
Why do young people go grey?
- Genetic predisposition. Scientists have already discovered genes that are responsible for how early a person"s hair goes grey, as well as for the tendency to baldness in men. Studying family albums not only immerses you in pleasant nostalgia. Often they allow you to understand why hair goes grey in your family and how early this process begins.
- Stressful conditions. Traumatic experiences cause disruptions in the body, which is why hair goes grey in a very short time. This is the reaction of follicles to stress. But it is worth remembering that we can talk about weeks or even months. But the phrase "turned grey overnight" is nothing more than a metaphor.
- Deficient conditions. A lack of nutrients in the body – vitamins and minerals – can affect the condition of the hair. In particular, copper is responsible for the synthesis of pigment in the follicles. The best sources of copper are liver and red meat, legumes, whole grains, seeds, nuts, buckwheat, rye bread, avocado, beets, seafood.
- Diseases of internal organs. If your hair turns gray prematurely, it would not be superfluous to check your endocrine system, adrenal glands, and thyroid gland. Hair pigmentation is also affected by autoimmune diseases, liver problems, and blood pathologies.
- Taking certain medications. A rare reaction to medications, but it is impossible to completely exclude it. For example, chloroquine, certain anti-psoriasis medications, and sleeping pills can be the reason why gray hair appears. In this case, hair color can still be restored some time after taking the medication.
- Harmful environmental factors. Polluted air, ultraviolet light, smoking (including passive smoking), sudden changes in temperature — people go gray due to many little things that affect the condition of the scalp day after day, which, of course, the scalp will not forget. Adverse external factors weaken the local immunity of the skin and increase oxidative stress caused by free oxygen radicals.
Everyone experiences gray hair at some point in their lives; it’s a normal aspect of aging. It results from a decrease in the synthesis of melanin, the pigment that gives your hair its color. Hair can turn white, silver, or gray as melanin levels decline.
The onset of gray hair is largely determined by genetics, but other lifestyle choices, such as stress and nutrition, can also affect the process. But for the majority of people, graying is eventually unavoidable, and accepting this transition is perfectly acceptable.
It’s crucial to feel good about yourself and at ease in your skin tone, whether you decide to go gray naturally or dye your hair. Your golden years can be as colorful and fashionable as any other stage of your life.
