Silvery strands are one of the more conspicuous signs of aging. That said, getting gray hair doesn't necessarily mean that you're closer to the end of your life span than anyone else your age.
Gray hair is one of the universal signs of advanced age. More likely than not, at some point in your life, your hair will start to go gray. Some individuals can maintain hair color well into their older age, but most do not.
When do most women go grey then? "Most women who are in their 30s should see a few grey hairs, but by the time they get into their 50 most women would expect to have more than 50% of their scalp hairs turn grey."
Caucasians: Occurs in mid-30s. Asians: Occurs in late 30s. Africans: Occurs in mid-40s.
It can be a shock to find your first gray hairs on your head, especially if you're only in your 20s. But women's expert Dr. Kirtly Parker Jones says a few gray hairs is perfectly normal, even for women in their late 20s and early 30s. However, stress, genetics and other factors can play a role.
“Plucking a gray hair will only get you a new gray hair in its place because there is only one hair that is able to grow per follicle. Your surrounding hairs will not turn white until their own follicles' pigment cells die.”
Only one hair grows per follicle. When your strand turns gray or white, the pigment cells in that follicle have already died. 1 "In other words, plucking a gray hair will only get you a new gray hair in its place," says Gillen, so any plucking is pretty much pointless. You're simply delaying the inevitable.
Grey hair and genetics
The average age for grey hair varies greatly, and one of the main causes of grey hair in your 20s is genetics. The age at which a person's hair turns grey is influenced by the IRF4 gene, and one specific variant (rs12203592) is a marker for premature greying.
False. This isn't necessarily true for everyone, says Sobel. By the time people are in their thirties, most have a few strands of gray hair naturally. While some may continue to gray with each passing year, others may just stall at those few strands of gray for years—or even decades—to come.
Despite the claims made online and by product marketers, it's not possible to reverse white hair if the cause is genetic. Once your hair follicles lose melanin, they can't produce it on their own. As melanin production slows, your hair turns gray, and then white when melanin production has completely stopped.
Most people start noticing their first gray hairs in their 30s—although some may find them in their late 20s. This period, when graying has just begun, is probably when the process is most reversible, according to Paus.
As a general rule, Mike Liang, advanced colorist at Julien Farel Restore Salon & Spa in New York suggests going gray when you reach 80 percent non-pigmented or white hair. If your hair starts to feel increasingly dry, brittle, or damaged or you experience scalp irritation, it might be time to ditch the dye.
The vast majority of people with gray hair have age-related graying. However, sometimes graying hair indicates an illness, especially if it occurs at a particularly young age. Health problems that may be heralded by gray hair include: vitamin B12 deficiency.
The age you go gray is determined primarily by genetics, so if one or both parents went gray at an early age, you would be more likely to go gray at a younger age as well. Smoking can also accelerate color change, and early graying could be a sign of autoimmune, thyroid or heart disease.
Chwalek: So when individuals gray early in life before the age of 20, it's called premature graying, and this is due to genes. And we know there's one gene, in particular, that's been targeted called interferon regulatory factor 4, which is important in regulating and producing melanin in the hair.
Previous studies have not shown a relationship between life span and gray hair, including whether late onset of gray hair predicts longevity. Some research, however, indicates that gray or white hair can be a sign of early heart disease, regardless of age.
Their report for 2023 indicates a decline in monochrome shades, with gray and white losing the most votes overall. When asked which colors would be popular in 2023, gray received only 5% of votes, while white received 14%.
So, he says, "Follow healthy hair habits. Try to avoid repetitive use of heat and chemical treatments which can damage the hair and the pigment cells. Limit exposure to, or protect hair from, toxins and pollutants, and when possible, protect your hair from the sun by covering it up with a hat or scarf."
It turns out you can blame Mom and Dad, at least a bit. Scientists say they've identified the first gene for gray hair. The variant, dubbed IRF4, is also associated with blonde or lighter-colored hair. That makes sense, because melanin is the pigment that paints hair with the chestnut, golden or raven hues of youth.
While the study concluded that the average age for a woman to go grey is 33, it found redheads lose their colour at 30, brunettes at 32 and blondes at 35. For one in 10 women, those first grey hairs appear by the time they reach 21-years-old, while one in four women find their first grey by the age of 25.
The pigment in our hair is caused by melanin— the same pigment that is also responsible for our skin color. Gray hair is caused by a loss in melanin, whereas white hair does not have any melanin at all. As you age, your hair produces less and less melanin that leads your hair to appear gray, and then eventually white.
“While gray hair feels coarse and rough, the structure of the strand hasn't actually changed. When those melanin-producing cells run out of steam, the hair follicles also produce less sebum (the natural oils that hydrate hair) which makes gray hair to be drier, giving it that wiry texture,” she explains.
Gray hair grows when hydrogen peroxide builds up in your hair follicle. "This causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out," says Debra Jaliman, MD, a dermatologist in New York and spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. Gray hairs are thicker and wirier, so your hair gets coarser as they multiply.
As we age, our hair follicles produce less melanin, the pigment-producing cells in each follicle. If you pull a gray hair, a new gray hair will grow in its place. It has no effect on surrounding hair, because each follicle has its own set of genetics. Still, doctors say you should avoid pulling them.