Causes and Remedies for Grey Hair | Advanced Hair Studio

Almost everyone will go through a phase where they will get grey hairs. For some this may affect their confidence levels, making them rush towards all the available hair colouring options.

Greying of hair is a natural process which happens over time due to old age. It is one of the earlier signs of ageing and people may start experiencing it from an age of 30 onwards. The onset of grey hairs, and its volume depends on a lot of factors, like heredity, stress, medication, medical condition, etc.

Facts and Figures About Grey Hair

• Our hair gets their black colour from a chemical called melanin, which is produced by pigment cells. Due to old age these cells start to die. When they do, new hair lacks melanin, and thus takes on a lighter shade, which may range from grey, silver and white. Once a hair follicle stops making the chemical melanin, it can no longer make black strands again.
• Genetics dictate the onset of greying of hair. There are other factors like stress, which may cause grey hair, but mostly it’s the genes that decide how early and quickly one will start to get grey hair.
• Caucasians experience greying of hair before other ethnicities.
• Smokers are twice as likely to get grey hair earlier in their lives.
• Grey hair is thinner than black hair due to thinner cuticle, making it much more fragile and prone to breakage.

Following are some questions and answers that will shed light on the causes and remedies for the problem of grey hair:

What are the causes of grey hair?

• Deficiency of vitamin B12 -Premature greying of hair often occurs due to the deficiency of Vitamin B12, also known as pernicious anaemia.
• Tumor conditions -According to various researches, melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer also leads to the greying of hair.
• Thyroid imbalance -The thyroid hormones in the body might also affect the homeostasis of hair follicles, which in turn is responsible for premature white/grey hair.
• Autoimmune condition like vitiligo, which destroys pigment-making cells in the scalp.

What are the remedies for Grey Hair?

• Nutrition Intake -A person’s diet plays a pivotal role in preventing grey hair. An antioxidant rich diet can therefore reduce the oxidative stress in the body.
• Antioxidant -rich food includes- fresh fruits and vegetables, green tea, fish etc. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that is very essential for the body. Hence, consuming vitamin rich food can reverse the effect of greying of hair like- seafood, eggs, meat etc.
• Quit smoking - Smoking has various detrimental effects on the human body and also contributes to the greying of hair. Researchers have reported that there is a strong link between habitual smokers and premature greying of hair.
• Sun damage - It is very essential to protect your hair from sun damage, as the sun has the property to lighten up the colour of the hair.
• Hairstyling -Various hair styling techniques such as bleaching, ironing, highlighting also lead to greying of hair.

Is grey hair a sign of poor health?

Generally, grey hair is a sign of ageing, and is considered as a natural process almost every human will undergo. But, in rare instances, grey hairs may also pop up as signs and symptoms of an underlying disease. Medical conditions such as deficiency of vitamin B-12, vitiligo, anaemia, or imbalance in pituitary or thyroid glands can also lead to grey hair.

At what age is it normal to get grey hair?

It is recorded that on an average, about 50 percent of the population will have almost 50 percent of grey hair by the time they reach 50 years of age. Although, gender plays an important role as well. Men generally start greying by the time they are 30, women on the other hand, start greying around 35 years of age.

Which vitamin deficiency causes grey hair?

Lack of certain important vitamins like Vitamin B6, Biotin, and Vitamin B12 can also lead to premature greying of hair. Deficiency in the consumption of B6 Vitamin can make your hair lose their natural pigmentation.

Foods such as egg yolks, organ meat, vegetables and cereals are rich in Vitamin B6. Another important one is Biotin, it is generally found in B-complex Vitamins. Yeast, rice and milk are rich in Biotin. Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin, the deficiency of which can also lead to greying of hair. All the seafood is rich in Vitamin B12.

Is grey hair caused by stress?

Hyperactivation of the sympathetic nervous system due to acute stress can lead to secretion of large amounts of the neurotransmitter - norepinephrine. Norepinephrine can in turn lead to rapid depletion of melanocyte embryonic cells and cause hair graying.

Can a GREY hair turn black again?

There is no straight answer for this question. White hair due to advancement of age cannot turn black again, as the pigment cells, which are responsible for colouring hair, die out.

However, if you are experiencing greying of hair due to other reasons like lack of nutrition, then there are ways you can get your black hair back.

Does plucking GREY hair increase it?

This is one of those myths which has stood the test of time, despite being far from the truth. There are many myths surrounding grey hair, like if you pluck one, it would lead to multiple grey hair.

Coming back to the real world, if you do pluck your grey hair, it would be replaced by another grey hair. It wouldn’t lead to multiple grey hair as grey hair, just like normal hair, are only attached to a single source of hair follicle.

Nonetheless, plucking grey hair should be avoided as plucking puts excessive stress on the hair follicles, and repeatedly plucking the same hair follicle can cause infection, scar, or even balding.

If you are experiencing hair loss, or greying of hair, then check out Advanced Hair Studio, and their proven take on some of the most innovative hair rejuvenation and regrowth procedures.